Sector MG, Part 4: Ollie and Allie

Motorville, Michigan

Motorville was a small and peaceful town, and as its name implied, it was famous for its cars. Everyone in town was friendly and it was the last place you would expect to have a crime. Well, today was the day.

"BLEH HEH HEH HA!" The neighborhood was being set to embers by Garfield Schurr, better known as Firefly the Second. "Buuurrrrn! Every car must BURN! Let the scent of exploding oil fill the air!" Garbed in dark-green armor, yellow bug-like goggles, and flying with a jetpack, Garfield sprayed his flamethrower on every house and shop, sending townspeople running. Garfield pulled out a mirror and said to it, "Hey, how am I doing, Garfield Schurr?!"

His reflection depicted an actual humanoid firefly with hypnotic eyes. "YOU'RE DOING GREAT!"

"GOOD!!"

Wendy used her airbending to increase the size of Romeo's Ice Flames as they worked to douse the fires. It didn't help that Garfield also had Pyrobots to run around and add to the destruction. Kiki was helping in one area by throwing Water Package Bombs and Hat Kid was possessing every available fire hydrant in another area. "Bleh heh heh HEH! You wizards are strong, but not strong enough to douse the FIREFLY! OOF!" He was rammed by a flying car.

"Newsflash, Dumbo!" Philip declared, piloting the car with Oliver in the back seat. "You ain't got nothin' on us Motorville boys!"

"Guess again!" Garfield slapped a device on the car and instantly caused it to malfunction and fall apart. "So long! Bleh heh heh heh!" He whisked across town, burning more from his jetpack to leave a trail of fire.

Oliver cast a quick spell to repair the car-ship. "Phil, we have to chase him!"

"Ollie, I think he was flying to OUR neighborhood!"

"He was?! MOM!"

"Man, the only reason I lured these kids here was to capture the Hat Kid." Garfield said to himself. "They're getting to be a pain. But I haven't got around to burning THESE houses, yet!" He arrived at another neighborhood that so far had gone unscathed. "Enjoy the FIREWORKS!" Firefly made a tight turn left, dropping a Bob-omb in the process. The Bob-omb blinked and made a tremendous explosion, engulfing the whole neighborhood in flames.

"MOOOM!" Oliver hopped out of the car and ran up to his house. Despite his worry for his friend, Phil kept steering the ship after Firefly. The Tech Wizard fired a retractable claw at Firefly, latching the villain and trying to reel him in like a fish. Firefly zigzagged in every direction, desperate to shake the kid off, but Phil managed to pull himself closer and was able to blast a F.R.A.P.P.E. at his jetpack. Phil fired multiple shots until the pack was frozen and Firefly fell.

"Nooo! Something's wrong! It's too cold! The flames need to BURN! My beautiful embers-"

Romeo landed on his back and repeatedly punched him in the head. "Don't worry! This is gonna burn!" He leapt and STOMPED Garfield's face against the ground, knocking him out.

Sector MG was able to douse the rest of the fires in town and destroy the stray Pyrobots. As Wendy was using magic to repair most of the damage, neighborhood children were running out and cheering for them. "HOORAY!" cheered a blonde girl named Myrtle. "The Kids Next Door saved us!"

"You guys are amazing!" praised a boy in a purple shirt named Denny.

"No praise is necessary." Wendy told them. "We were very happy to help!"

"Um… where is Oliver?" Myrtle asked.

"Oh, right!" Kiki remembered. "He was worried about his mom!"

"Come on, let's go see if they're okay." Phil suggested.

The operatives and some of the bystanders made their way to Oliver's house, which had collapsed due to the flames. Oliver used magic to move the pieces aside and pulled a young woman with a green dress and light-brown hair out of the wreckage. "Mom, are you okay?! Don't worry, I'll heal you!" He cast a golden-green glow from his wand, repairing the wounds present on her body.

Alicia weakly awoke to her son's concerned face. "Oliver…"

"Mom, you're alive! You're not hurt too badly, are you?"

"Mmmnn…" Allie helped herself to stand. "I'll be just fine, Oliver… thanks to you." She spoke with a kind smile. "Hmm… Our house is in a bit of a mess, though. Shouldn't be too hard to fix." She reached into her pocket and drew a cyan-colored wand that wiggled like a snake on one end.

"It's okay, Mom, I can fix-"

"No need to exhaust yourself any more, sweetie." Allie said, and with a flick of the wand, the scattered boards, shattered glass, and other pieces flew back into their original positions and repaired the house almost new. "There we go… huff…" She dropped to one knee, "Cough, cough! I think I might have… breathed in a little ash!" She fell on her side.

"MOM, NO!"

"Oh, that poor dear." said Miss Leila, a chubby woman with light-red hair and a purple dress. "Allie's always had a weak heart. Don't worry, I called an ambulance. They'll be here soon."

"Huff…huff… Oliver…" Alicia weakly looked up at her son. "Reach into my other pocket, sweetie…huff… I have more vitamins… for Phil…"

A man in an orange hood watched from afar.

Sector MG Treehouse

Sector MG had Firefly taken to Arctic Prison and the team explained the battle to Cheren. They returned to their treehouse to rest, but Oliver had not yet rejoined them. "I wonder if his mom is still in the hospital?" Wendy said.

"So, she has heart problems, huh?" Romeo asked. "But couldn't they use magic to fix that or something?"

"They tried to, but nothing works." Phil replied. "No one knows why. 'Guess there are just some things magic can't do." He popped open his jar of purple vitamins and swallowed one again. "This ain't the first time something like this happened. One time, me and Oliver were playing in the park, and he fell in the river…"

"Mrs. Orson! Mrs. Orson!" Phil ran up to her in panic. "Ollie's in the river! He's drowning!"

"What?!"

"HEEELP!" The 8-year-old frantically shook about in the deep water. Allie bravely dove in and grabbed her child, bringing him back to shore. A few of the park-goers gathered around.

"Are you okay, Oliver?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"I'm sorry!" Phil shouted. "I shouldn't-a run down there! I made him chase me!"

"It's okay, Philly. Everything's all… ohhh." Allie clutched her chest and fell over.

"MOMMY!"

"Allie!" yelled Mrs. Cartwright. They quickly called for an ambulance, and Alicia was taken to the hospital.

"Why won't you let me see my mom?!" cried Oliver to the receptionist.

"She's in the operating room right now, I'm afraid we can't allow visitors. You can sit in the waiting room if you want."

"BUT I WANNA SEE HER NOW!"

"It's okay, Oliver, we'll see her soon." Leila assured. "Just calm down. I'll buy you and Phil some treats."

Oliver waited for two hours, feeling only fear and sadness. He looked up when a nurse approached him. "Are you Oliver Orson?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Your mother's just fine. Would you like to see her?"

"MOM!" The child raced into the room and resisted the urge to jump onto her bed.

"Oh, Oliver… I'm so sorry I made you worry."

"I thought you were going to die, Mom! Why did you take the car? Why didn't you use magic-"

"Shhhh. Most people aren't used to magic. Makes them worried. Besides, if I had, I probably would have been a lot worse."

"Mommy, please don't leave again! I don't want you to go!"

"Don't worry. I promise I'll always be with you, Oliver…"

"But nowadays, everyone knows about wizards." Phil said. "Good thing, too. Ollie's not the only one that worries about her. She's practically my mom, too."

"Why?" Kiki asked. "Did she adopt you or something?"

"I guess you could say that. Not that my parents died, I just have issues with them sometimes."

"Don't we all." Wendy said with a blush, thinking of her father.

They heard the fireplace erupt with emerald flames. Oliver climbed out. "Oliver!" Kiki beamed. "Is your mom okay?"

"Yeah… she's fine. They'll let her come back home in an hour."

"That's good." Wendy smiled. "I bet it was all thanks to your quick thinking!"

Oliver came to sit on the couch beside Phil. "Hey, guys… why do you think that villain attacked Motorville? I know he's an arsonist, but of all places, why'd he choose Motorville?"

"'Cause he wanted to get high on burning oil?" Romeo inquired.

"Come on, Romeo…" Wendy said reprovingly.

"What if he chose that place because he knew me and Phil were from there? What if he knew where I lived and wanted to attack my mom on purpose?"

"I admit it is a little weird." Kiki said. "Do you think villains would try to figure out where we live and attack our hometowns on purpose?"

"Sigh… I think I'm going to sleep at my house tonight." Oliver sat up and returned to the fireplace.

"Yeah, I'm with you there." Phil said, following him.

Oliver grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and announced, "Number 3, Wagon Way, Motorville." The emerald flames brimmed to life as the boys climbed in and vanished.

"Ha ha ha! Wagon Way." Hat Kid laughed at the name. "What? It's a funny name for a street."

Oliver's House, an hour-and-a-half later

Alicia cooked Oliver some steak, peas, and mashed potatoes, while Phil happily stuffed himself with a cheese wedge. "So, boys, how's the Kids Next Door been treating you? I remember when I was a girl and all that business with GUN happened… I was forced to hide in one of my classmates' houses."

"Oh, they've been treating us just fine, Mom." Oliver replied. "I even showed some Moonbase kids a little alchemy. They think it's cool!"

"That's good, Ollie! What about you, Phil?"

"Oh yah, 't's great." Phil said through chewing. "'Made friends with this giant girl from Sector GT. Her name's Ally, kinda like yours!"

"Hm hm, it's a small world we live in, isn't it? You see, boys? I told you that one day, people will be ready to accept wizards and learn that magic exists. Just like the incident with benders, it only took a god destroying the universe to convince them."

"Yeah, but… do you really think it's a good thing, Mom?" Oliver asked. "What if people are going to just get more afraid? What if people will try to hurt us? Like that villain?"

"Sigh, it's true that some people won't be very accepting, and some may even be violent. But as long as we have good people like you and your friends to protect us, we'll be fine, Oliver."

"Yeah… I guess you're right, Mom."

"Of course. Now, get ready for bed soon, both of you."

"Come on, it's summer!" Phil whined.

"Well, good Kids Next Door operatives need to be well-rested to fight all those dangerous criminals."

"She's right again, Phil." Ollie remarked.

"Mama's boy." Phil retorted, earning a glare from his friend.

The next morning

Their slumber seemed to go by in a wink. The boys were up nice and early to catch some morning cartoons. Allie scooped up some Floo Powder and was about to throw it in the fireplace. "Well, I'm off to the store. Call if you need anything."

"Okay, Mom. Come back soon."

Allie threw the powder in, the emerald flames bursting up so powerfully that ash flew out and trapped Allie in a coughing fit. "MOM!" Oliver screamed, running to her aid as she fell on her back.

"Cough, cough! Oliver… nnn…" She fainted.

"MOMMY, NO!" Oliver awoke in his bed with a start.

"Oliver!" Allie ran into his room. "Sweetie, what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"

"A…A dream?" He was still in his bed and pajamas, alright.

"Hm hm hm." Allie smiled. "I'm still here, sweetie. No need to worry."

"Sigh…" He caught his breath. "Mom, are you going to the store today?"

"Well, we're a bit short on groceries."

"If you're gonna use the Floo Network, let me do it for you! A-And hold your breath in case the ash comes out!"

Allie chuckled, "Sweetie, Miss Leila's store is just down the street. All I need are my legs and a magic satchel, easy."

"Oh, right… hehehe." Ollie blushed.

Sector MG, around noon

"The people of Motorville have made quick recoveries after Firefly's violent attack, thanks to the talented mages of Sector MG." Melody was saying on the KNN. "The incident actually marks the 53rd attack by a Brotherhood villain in a single week, most of which involve the hometowns of various sectors and operatives. Are these supervillains trying to step up their game? Are they finally making up for their 20 years of being frozen? Questions like these make us wonder, what happened to all the heroes who helped our parents during the Firstborn Quest? We could've really used their help, like, SEVERAL times."

"Sigh, the KNN's not the same without Danny." Phil said. "I mean, I know what happened to him, but still."

"I'm surprised how well she's coping." Wendy said. "Lee told me she kinda stopped for a while after she learned about the Apocalypse."

Oliver was absentmindedly eating a sandwich. For some reason, he couldn't stop worrying about his mother. "Uh-oh! We just got breaking news!" Ollie looked up. "Firefly has escaped from prison and he's on his way to Motorville to finish the job! An Arctic Base guard reports that he claimed, 'This time I'll leave NO survivors!'"

"NO!" Oliver jumped out of his seat and ran to the fireplace. "GUYS, COME ON!"

"W-Where are you going, Oliver?!" Wendy yelled.

"Weren't you listening?! Firefly's coming back! TO MOTORVILLE!" He threw the powder in and jumped in. His friends exchanged worried glances.

Oliver's House

Oliver came tumbling out of the flames. "MOM, YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE, HE'S COMING!"

"What?! Who's coming?"

"The guy from yesterday, the arsonist!"

Sector MG scrambled out of the flames. "Oliver, how do you know Firefly is-" Wendy tried to ask.

"WENDY, create a bubble shield around this house—NO, this whole town! WAIT, Firefly could already be in here—we have to evacuate the town! TELL EVERYONE TO JUMP IN MY FIREPLACE!"

Romeo and Kiki hurried outside, looking around. Kiki rode her broom to the sky and searched for any sign of the arsonist. "I don't see anything!"

"B-But they said on the news!" Oliver stuttered.

"No they didn't." Wendy replied. "Melody started talking about the new sport, Super Soccer. That's when you panicked."

"There, there, Oliver." Alicia patted his shoulder in comfort. "If anything does happen, I promise I'll call you."

"But what if you can't reach the phone in time?!"

"Then I'll tell Miss Leila or Myrtle to call you, okay?"

"But what if-"

"Dude, chill out." Romeo told him. "Look, why don't we go up to Moonbase and challenge the other operatives to some games? Nothing like a little rivalry to cheer us up!"

"Sigh… Good idea. I need to get my mind off… everything."

"Yeah, 'cause with all this crying, you might as well be a girl." Phil remarked. "OW!" Kiki whacked him with her broom.

Moonbase Arcade

"Seriously, Ollie?" Phil asked. "Of all the games, you wanna play THIS one?"

Oliver was playing Circus Baby's Ice Cream Service, an 8-bit game about a female clown with red hair in pigtails traversing levels and shooting ice cream at kids, who would smile gaily and dance in place. "Call me self-centered, but I wonder if her name is Kiki, too?" Kiki remarked.

"It's a small world." Phil shrugged.

When Oliver fed all the other kids ice cream, he found a sundae at the end of the level. He was not supposed to cross the goal, but rather rush back to the beginning of the level before the time runs out. …Oliver frowned when Circus Baby turned into a scarecrow. There were 10 seconds left. He reached the beginning of the level. Three seconds left. Then, he watched as a little girl who looked like his mom walked onto the screen. She happily strolled up to take the ice cream. In an instant, the scarecrow drew a knife and STABBED her in the head.

"NOOO!" Oliver bolted out of the room like lightning.

"Where's he going now?!" Wendy shouted as they pursued him.

Without waiting for his teammates, Oliver boarded somebody's S.C.A.M.P.E.R. and set its coordinates for Motorville.

Motorville again

The ship landed on Oliver's street, the boy running to his house and gasping when he spotted his mom answer the door for a delivery man with a package. "STUPEFY!" Oliver whipped his wand at the man and stunned him senseless.

"OLIVER!" Alicia shouted. "What's the matter with you?!"

"Get away from him, Mom! He's going to kill you!"

"Kill me?! Oliver, this is Mr. Burt, our mailman! I saw these beautiful plates on the Internet and decided to order some." She flicked her wand and removed the spell, helping the man to stand. "Mr. Burt, I'm very sorry."

"It's okay, Allie… but I think the plates are broken."

"Oliver, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Mom, are you blind?! That isn't a package, it's a bomb! TRANSFIGURO!" He cast a spell and transformed Allie, Burt, and the package into toads. He gasped. "Mom, I'm sorry! I'll change you back!" He zapped his mom again and made her human.

Allie cast a spell to change Mr. Burt back and approached her son with an infuriated look. "Look, Oliver, you are really trying my patience! I'm sorry that I scared you yesterday, but if you keep over-reacting like this, I'll have no choice but to take your wand away."

"There you are, Oliver!" Sector MG caught up. "What's going on?" Wendy asked.

"I'll TELL you what's going on! Everybody's trying to kill my mom! Including YOU!" He angrily aimed his wand at his team.

"What?!" Phil started. "Ollie, you're crazy!"

"I WON'T LET YOU! TRANSFIGURO!" He turned Wendy into a dove. "TRANSFIGURO!" Turned Kiki into a cat. "TRANSFIGURO!" Turned Hat Kid into a frog.

"SOMNUM!" Alicia cast a pink mist onto Oliver and put him to sleep. She then proceeded to change the kids back to normal.

They all gathered around the fallen boy. "I don't understand what's wrong with him." Wendy said.

"I don't, either." Allie shook her head. "But one thing's for certain… this behavior isn't natural."

"Uuuuh…" Oliver shook in his sleep. "M-Mom!… Get away from her… Get away!…"

"There's something in his head, alright." Allie stated seriously, lifting her son with both arms. "And I'm going to find out what. As soon as I make him more comfortable. Hoof." She slumped a little.

"I'll help you." Romeo held him up from the other side.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

"Wouldn't it be easier to shrink him?" Hat Kid asked.

"Please, what sick woman would shrink her own son?"

Ollie's Room

Allie set Oliver comfortably on his bed. Sector MG stood on either side as Alicia readied her wand. "Don't worry, Ollie-boy, this won't hurt a bit. Legilimens!" In a flash, her very soul whooshed into Ollie's body. (Play "Tears of the Light" from Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep.)

Alicia landed in a junkyard with piles of cars and an orange, smoggy sky. Her son was laying on the ground, so she ran to pick him up. "Oliver!"

"Nnn…" He awoke groggily. "Mom…"

"Now, what would she be doing in a dangerous place like this?"

"Who's there?" Allie looked around. "AAAAH!" She was picked up by a giant hand.

"MOOOM!"

Towering over them was a decrepit man with the hat and face of a scarecrow. "How ironic. You risked everything to keep her safe, but your fears have brought her here, in the palm of my hand."

"LET MOM GO! CONFRINGO!" Oliver fired blasting spells at the titan.

Affright was completely unphased by his magic. "There is nothing you can do to save her. She will die, and you will have only yourself to blame."

Alicia whipped a spell and broke free of the arm, landing on her feet. "Who are you?! What are you doing in my son's mind?!"

"Who am I? Why, I am the terrifying villain that is going to kill you, because you are too vulnerable, and Oliver is too weak to protect you. He will forever live in fear, knowing that. There is only one way to rid himself of those fears." Allie looked in horror when Oliver faced her with dark eyes. "By ridding himself of the burden of protecting you."

"Oliver…"

The boy whipped a blasting spell at his mom, Allie dodging and countering with Stupefy. Oliver whirled his wand and conjured a massive fireball, forcing Allie to sprout up a wall of ice, still knocking her down when the fireball impacted. "Expelliarmus!" She tried to disarm him. "Expelliarmus!" Oliver quickly countered the spells and made lightning strike down on her. Allie was brought to her knees, but was able to block when Ollie cast smaller fireballs. Suddenly, Oliver shot a Pulse Spell and knocked Allie on her back. The dark-hearted boy approached her with the intent to murder.

"Destroy her… relieve yourself of the burden… After all, what do you need a mother for? You have the Kids Next Door now. They can provide you with more than she ever could. Remember those kids who called you a crybaby and a mama's boy? This woman, your greatest fear, makes you weak. But if she were gone, then you could truly be free."

"Oliver… I know for a fact you don't believe that."

The wand twitched in Oliver's hand. He resisted the dark temptation. "I…I'm sorry, Mom." He began to cry. "I'm sorry I'm such a burden to you. I'm sorry I'm killing you!" He dropped to his knees. "It's always been you and me from the beginning. Your life could've been so much easier if you didn't have me. You work so hard for me, even though you have breathing problems. You have to spend so much money on me… and then I found Phil and made you take care of him, too. I almost got you killed… and now that I'm an operative, bad guys are gonna hurt you more. I'm a burden to you, Mom. Admit it."

Alicia got down and hugged her son. "Sweetheart… I never wanted to tell you this, but… when you were born, you didn't cry. Your heart was weak, too. Your father was already gone, but I wanted you to live. So… I used a spell to give you half of my life force. It was just enough to make sure you would live a full life, and I would be able to raise you."

"Th-Then I really am killing you."

"No you're not, Oliver. It was my choice. I wanted you to live, happy and healthy. To make all sorts of friends and go on adventures together. I could never hate having such a good boy for a son. Oliver… do you remember when I told you about my dream? To live in a world where wizards didn't have to hide and they can live in harmony with benders, normal humans, and everyone else? I think that time has come, Oliver… and you get to experience it. Both you AND Phil, regardless of your origins. So please, don't waste your energy worrying about me. Go and live in this new world. And even if I'm gone, know that I will always be here to guide you."

"Sniff… Mom…" Oliver softly hugged his mother. They shared a warm embrace, bringing light to this nightmare. The illusion of Affright faded away. (End song.)

Since Allie was taking a while, Wendy decided to step outside. There, she found Myrtle on the doorstep. "Oh. Sorry, I was just wondering how Oliver's doing. I was watching earlier and…"

"I understand." Wendy smiled. "You must be a friend of his."

"Yes. My name's Myrtle. Me and Oliver met when we were 11. I had this sickness where I couldn't come outside, so I was always watching him and Phil work in the garage from my bedroom. Phil called me 'Starey-Mary,' but Oliver felt bad for me, so one day, he decided to sneak in my house when my parents were gone. I told him about my condition, and to help me feel better… he showed me his magic. He changed the color of my dress, made himself small and danced with my toys, and even holographic fairies. Of course, one time, he tried to bring my toys to life."

Oliver tapped his wand to a stuffed doll of a creature with a lantern nose. The two gaped as the toy jumped to life. "KNICKERS! I'm alive, en'nt I?! This is a TIDY, TIDY DAY! Hey there, littlies, can we be butties?!"

"AAAAAHHH!" The kids fell back in fear. "OLIVER, GET RID OF IT!" Oliver cast another spell to make the creature explode into stuffing.

"He he he… it was funny, though. He snuck in any day that he could, and he made me so happy… And one day, I was so happy that I wanted to go outside and play with them. …I was perfectly fine. Not sick at all. It was like he cast a charm on me and cured me completely."

"Awwww. That's such a sweet story. So, are you in the Kids Next Door?"

"Oliver asked if I wanted to join once. But I didn't think I was right for it. Oliver's been telling me about his own and other peoples' adventures… it just sounds too dramatic for me. 'Guess there are benefits to being non-magic."

"I don't blame you there."

"Wendy!" Romeo yelled from inside. "He's awake!"

Wendy and Myrtle excitedly ran upstairs to see him wake up. "Nnnnhh… what happened?"

"Oliver!" Alicia embraced him in a hug.

"Mom…" Oliver touched his woozy forehead. "I can't remember what I was doing… I felt like… I was trying to hurt you…"

"You were just having a bad dream, sweetheart. But it's over now. You're all better."

"You really gave us a scare there, Kiddo." Phil said.

"So, what exactly happened to him?" Myrtle asked.

"I don't know how, but Oliver was being plagued by a nightmare spirit." Allie explained.

"It wasn't Lord Mandy, was it?!" Kiki panicked.

"It didn't seem like it. It was some kind of man that looked like a scarecrow."

"A scarecrow?" Wendy repeated.

"Do we know any villains like that?" Romeo asked.

"Well, sounds like you kids have another mission." Allie said. "They're going to be needing you, Oliver."

Oliver smiled. "They sure will, Mom. But I'll be sure to come to you if I need some help. Is that okay?"

"It sure is, sweetie. No matter what happens, I'll always be here to guide you."

A dark lair

The hooded man watched the display via a hidden camera in Oliver's room. Affright pulled back his hood, his bright yellow eyes focused on the yellow liquid in the syringe in his hand. "The three ounces of toxin I injected him with lasted a while… but it wasn't strong enough." He turned to a clawed gauntlet on a table. "No matter. I'm certain I can make it ready by Halloween." The eye on the gauntlet's palm glowed a bright pink.