Aftermath

Chapter 1: Megavolt's POV

"So, um... How do you know about Dorkwing beating P-P-Paddywhack?" Bushroot asked Megavolt, changing the subject.

"Because Quackie told me." Megavolt sighed. "A couple years ago, I think, I arrived at Quackerjack's lair for a caper..."

***

Megavolt slunk out of an alleyway, approaching the old warehouse, excited for his da- crime with Quackie. A local toystore had gotten a new stock of Whiffle Boy toys, and Quackie had a new giant mallet in need of a test run.

Noises of destruction and yelling echoed out of the warehouse, and Megavolt briefly wondered if Quackie had robbed the store without him, but that thought was disproven when he entered. Where he had expected to see Whiffle Boy merchandise shattered upon the ground, he instead saw... Jack-in-the-boxes? Bent, twisted, smashed to the point they were barely recognizable, littering the ground between towers of toys.

That didn't make any sense, of course, since Quackie loved jack-in-the-boxes. He was Megavolt's Quackerjack-in-the-box, hehehe.

***

"What?" Bushroot asked, staring at Megavolt as they approached the bay.

"Umm..." Megavolt cleared his throat, a deep pink spreading across his face, clearly visible thanks to his lack of fur. "Forget that! Now where-? Oh, right, I made my way through the warehouse, following the sounds of Quackie's shouting..."

***

"Quackie?" Megavolt called, twisting through the maze of dolls, model airplanes, yoyos.... Megavolt's thoughts stopped as he turned a corner and finally spotted who he was looking for.

Quackie was breathing hard, his new hammer splintered and dirty as he smashed it over and over again on the ground, a metal box flattened beneath it. Mr Banana Brain was tied up nearby, and it seemed to Megavolt like he was pleading for help calming his duck down.

"Quackie?" Megavolt repeated softly, taking a few steps forward.

Quackerjack spun around, a wild look in his eyes, his pupils darting back and forth in sheer panic. Finally, recognition dawned on his face, his grip on the hammer loosening until it crashed onto the floor.

Next thing Megavolt knew, Quackie's arms were around him, tears streaming down his face. "S-Sparky! I didn't... He.... I missed you so much!"

"Don't call me Sparky." Megavolt said automatically, freaked out. He wrapped his arms around the duck. "Quackie, what's wrong? What happened? Who... Who hurt you?"

"He was in a jack-in-the-box, Sparky." Quackie pulled back, not letting go, and stared Megavolt straight in the eyes. "God, he was Mr Banana Brain! Sparky, he was in Mr Banana Brain..."

He mumbled and cried for a long time, but eventually got across that some monster in a jack-in-the-box used Mr Banana Brain to hurt him, but Darkwing helped him escape.

"Shush, Quackie, shhh." Megavolt sighed, sitting on the floor and holding him. "He's gone, he won't hurt you again. I'll protect you. I promise I'll protect you."

***

"Monster with a jack-in-the-box." Bushroot repeated, climbing after the others up the bridge.

"If that wasn't enough, there's the red eyes." Megavolt added, nearly effortlessly walking up the bridge supports -- he was used to walking on wires. "Quackie hates anything that glows red, ever since that night."