Note: I decided to put this chapter in at the last second. I wanted to elaborate on Harold's personality as well as show a little bit of the fabled Rerenhaw Council. I suggest you read the Rerenhaw Council section in my guide to reduce the chance of being confused, but I am sure you guys recognize everyone anyway. And if you are not into this kind of thing, then just skip ahead. You are not missing anything terribly important.

Dimension: Rerenhaw

Planet: Rerenhaw

Specific Location: Rerenhaw Council Room

Time: Twenty-two years after the death of the Paradox

"... And that is how Doxia started going out with Allison in the first place," stated Firestar the cat calmly as he sat in his council room chair, his tail wrapped around his front paws.

Rosalina, another councilmember, nodded her head slowly, her eyes filled with wonder as she contemplated the tale of Doxia and Allison that had just been told to her by Firestar. "That sounded amazing."

Firestar closed his eyes and nodded his head slightly. "I've heard that story untold times. But yes, each time I hear or tell the story, it never ceases to amaze me."

There was a long pause as he and Rosalina looked around the council room. Firestar gazed about with a content air, as if he was coming home after a long vacation, and Rosalina looked about in pure wonder, as if she was a child stepping into a mansion.

The Rerenhaw council room was enormous. The ceiling stretched high above everyone's heads, and it was constructed of pure white metal. Light blue lights illuminated every corner of the room, despite the fact that there were no light fixtures. The room was sparse, other than a small door that led to a balcony, and the giant table.

The council room's table was massive. It was white and light blue, and was shaped like a massive archaic "A," though it resembled a triangle more than that letter. Two seats lined each flat side, with the largest seat positioned at the tip of the triangular table. There were seven seats in all. That is where the head chairman sat, and in this case, it was Mattimeo.

A meeting had just been called, and the representatives of the Rerenhaw Council were arriving from all over. Like always, the cat Firestar was there first. However, for the first time ever, he was almost immediately followed by one of the newest members: Rosalina. The two had arrived extra early, hence Firestar taking the time to do a little storytelling about one of his best friends.

The long moment of silence stretched on. Finally, Firestar decided to talk again.

"This is highly irregular," stated the flame-colored tabby calmly as he settled deeper into his raised chair, his tail flicking back and forth, "Of all of the Four Rerenhaw Ages, we have only called a couple emergency meetings."

Rosalina nodded, her eyes wide. "I was surprised. I had no idea we would have such a meeting so soon…"

Then the doors banged open and Doxia, followed by Martin the Warrior, strolled in.

"Well, I understand that this is irregular," said Doxia as he swaggered into the council room and threw himself onto the head council seat (which happened to be Mattimeo's, not Doxia's), "But there are some things we need to discuss."

At this moment, Mattimeo arrived. He strolled in as well, but stopped when he noticed that Doxia was in his seat.

"Doxia… you're in my seat," said Mattimeo quietly.

Doxia sighed and rolled out of the seat onto the floor. He lay there on the ground for a moment. Then he held up a hand and waved it. "Hey everybody… look… I turned into a slug…"

Firestar facepawed, "Doxia, for old time's sake, please don't."

Doxia suddenly leapt up and dusted himself off as Derpy entered the room. She glanced at Doxia and smiled. "Were you lying on the ground again?"

Doxia looked about nonchalantly. "Me? Lying on the ground? Who? What? I honestly have no idea what you're talking about…"

Derpy giggled a little. Then she flapped up to head-level and planet a kiss on his cheek before settling down in her respective seat. Mattimeo settled down in his seat and spoke.

"I am here. Are we all assembled?"

"Almost, kiddo," said Doxia, looking about, "Where's Jiminy? Yo! Cricket! Let's jump to it! Get it? Jump? Cricket? I crack myself up sometimes…"

"I am sure you do, Doxia," said Jiminy quietly as he hopped in from the hallway into the council room, "I believe we are all here now. What is it that you wanted to see us about?"

"Let us all sit down, first," said Mattimeo, motioning for them all to take a seat. They did so, and Mattimeo began.

"Orion has been very busy," he said, "There have been several acts of sabotage within the ranks of the interdimensional empire, U.F.C. They are not happy. We will be having Grand Captain Langley of the Reset Dimension, and Embassy Member Meadolax here today to describe the situation. From their accounts, we can determine the proper course of action. Has anyone developed an operation yet based off the information we have gathered thus far?"

Doxia raised a hand, and Firestar raised a paw.

Mattimeo nodded. "We will consider what both of you have to say with respects to operations when we have heard Langley and Meadolax out. They are here."

The massive double-doors that lead into the council room opened, and Meadoalx and Grand Captain Langley of the interdimensional empire U.F.C. strolled in.

"Yo! Meadolax! How are you doing today?" said Doxia loudly.

Meadolax waved cheerfully. "I'm just doing dandy. Hey, tell you what, we can catch up later. Kind of a big meeting going on right now… remember? We don't want to have an incident like that one 'Let it Go' song problem we had a couple hundred billion years ago, right?"

Doxia threw up his hands dramatically, but subsided into silence. Mattimeo motioned for Langley and Meadolax to approach the council.

"Langley, what do you have to say on the acts of terrorism that are, even now, occurring within your borders?" said Mattimeo quietly.

Langley crossed his arms and sighed. "The U.F.C. will not tolerate these… fiendish acts by this so called 'Orion the Traitor.' Unfortunately, as out situation suggests, there is not much we can do to stop him. There have been multiple attacks by him, and each time we are nowhere near being able to detect or stop him, before or after the act. The High Governmental Seats are beginning to grow restless, and are blaming the Amethyst army for their losses. Why has Amethyst not mobilized to assist us?"

"Orion has declared a one-man war against you," replied Mattimeo calmly, "We will assist you, but not in a total mobilization. He is too cunning for that. He strikes and then runs, leaving no trace. It is almost impossible to catch him in the act, and almost impossible to trace him afterwards."

Langley shook his head, almost mournfully, "Then what are we to do?"

"We need to get the Inquisition moving! That's what!" exclaimed Doxia.

"I am not sure of the wisdom of that action," interjected Jiminy, "The Inquisition is a brute force."

"What mean you by that?" said Rosalina, "The Inquisition has saved countless lives."

Jiminy nodded. "Granted, but do you know why the Inquisitors – namely Blue, Dark and Sunflower – were so effective?"

Rosalina cocked her head to one side and shook her head. This time, Firestar replied.

"It was because they were ruthless. They were always the first to pull the trigger, and they always were the first to strike. They never hesitated to attack their enemies, no matter how many innocent lives were at stake… and they never took prisoners."

Rosalina blinked. "That does sound terrifying. I cannot see why we would authorize such power, then. If those beings are prone to endanger innocent lives to accomplish goals when we are trying to save innocent lives, then their usefulness is negated."

"The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few, sometimes," said Langley, quoting a wise old Vulcan.

"True," said Mattimeo, "We will have to consider our options then. Doxia, what is the progress of August?"

"They have found the first piece of armor," reported Doxia, "They are moving on now. I am working on contacting Sunflower and Dark."

Mattimeo blinked sagely. "That is good. Unfortunately, August and Gene's pace is not great enough. Langley, report to your superiors that we will begin considering dispatching multiple Dimensional Lords to their dimension. Perhaps we can reduce the damage done by Orion until we have gotten a lock on his movements. You must give us time."

Langley dipped his head. "I thank you."

As he and Meadolax left, everyone could hear Meadolax saying, "Don't sweat it, bro! We've gotten Orion before, we can do it again! However, I will admit his attack pattern has been really weird this time… Dude, let's go grab your kid an Playstation Twelve-hundred-and-seventy-two on the way out."

The door closed and silence resided over the council room momentarily.

Doxia turned to Mattimeo and said, "You scanned the info I've gathered?"

Mattimeo nodded. He telepathically opened up several holographic projections and projected them in the center of the council room table. Everyone seated began to flip through the information.

"It looks like Orion IS working for someone," said Mattimeo after a moment, "And it appears that Pictor is also allied with him. However, it is doubtful that Pictor is Orion's employer, so the major question is: who has enough power to control both Orion AND Pictor?"

"I shudder to think of the power one would need to wield in order to hold sway over both of them," said Jiminy quietly.

Firestar gently pawed at his desk, bringing up several more holographic projections for him to look over. "And I believe it is not possible. I remember Orion the Traitor from the old days. He is too ruthless, cunning, and powerful to be held down by a being. As for Pictor, I know of him as well. They cannot be under some being's paw. They must be working together."

"It is actually the point that you bring up of them working together that suggests that they are being controlled," stated Martin the Warrior calmly, "I have seen the information provided. They would never work together willingly. They are being threatened, and they are playing along."

"Gosh, I would hate to think of what Pictor would have to be threatened with," snorted Doxia, "Puppies? Flowers? Cat posters? Speaking of cat posters, did I ever tell any of you about that one time I dated Princess Unikitty from the LEGO universe-"

"I am sure that would be an interesting tale for another time, Doxia," interrupted Mattimeo, "But right now we have other things to discuss. For example, does anyone have an idea about what Pictor and Orion would both either fear or want very much to be forced to work together?"

"Well," said Derpy, speaking for the first time ever in a meeting, "Is there any weapon that they could fear? It would obviously have to be as old as them, and just as terrifying. Bullies don't get bullied by the little things, they have to feel exposed by whatever is being pointed at them."

Doxia jumped up. "That's it! Derpy my darling, you've done it! I know what it is."

With that, Doxia telepathically brought up another holographic projection for everyone attending to consider. It was the vial of Maelstrom that the Paradox had taken from the Grand Devil.

"Of course," breathed Firestar, "This is the only thing possible that would give the combined power of Pictor and Orion pause. The holder of this would have absolute power."

At this point, Rosalina cleared her throat softly. Everyone stopped conversing and turned to look at her. She smiled shyly and said, "It seems that the vial of Maelstrom is the only possible weapon that could force Orion and Pictor to collaborate. However, now we must consider an even more perilous question: Who wields it, and what are they like?"

Immediately the room fell into silence. Finally, Doxia spoke, his voice sounding serious for once, "They will be arrogant, but incredibly brilliant. They know they have the power, and that will make them sure of themselves, but they are cunning enough to know that now is not the right time to unleash the ultimate weapon. And if they know that now is not the right time, they most probably know when it is… if at all."

Dimension: Once Upon a Time

Planet: Fairy Tale Earth

Specific Location: Snow White and Charming's Castle

Time: Twenty-two years after the death of the Paradox, twelve years after the Curse

"Why are you having us do this, anyway?" insisted Orion, "I mean, these acts of terrorism. They are of no use. The U.F.C. will continue to expand, and the Rerenhaw Council will fix any political damage I do. The link is too strong. I mean, hell, it was as easy as pie to screw up the relations of E.D.D. and Amethyst, but this is completely different. Why are we doing it this way?"

"What do you mean, why?" chuckled Harold, "Isn't it obvious? Oh, of course it isn't. I forgot you two were idiots for a moment there. That is both a compliment and an insult, just in case you were wondering."

Pictor leaned over to Orion and whispered, "Why do we even put up with him?"

"What was that?" said Harold loudly, though it was obvious he already knew what Pictor had said.

"I was just wondering why you are asking us to approach the downfall of our enemies in such a manner," stated Pictor, taking advantage of asking a completely relevant question to cover up the fact that he was blatantly avoiding answering Harold's question.

"Why I have everything planned out this way?" mused Harold, "Oh, it's simple really. This is what I do."

"Do… what?" said Orion slowly, though he slowly began to realize the answer for himself.

"This is what I do. I destroy lives. However, it is not as trivial as a sniper bullet to the head, or as mindlessly violent as a serrated dagger to the stomach. I… I BURN people. And by that I don't mean with fire. I torture the targets. I defile their reputation and self-worth. I murder their family, and I alienate their friends. Then I let them kill themselves. I eliminate my targets without having to lift a finger."

Orion crossed his arms slowly. He was not pleased with what he was hearing. Even he had at least a shred of honor. Pictor, however, snorted scathingly and said, "That takes too long. I would just blow off their face with a Dark Matter discharge. Why don't you just send me after August Dellor and Gene Grayson? We know where they are. I can kill them in seconds."

"Big fat ape say what? Of course you would say that. However, it will never makes as much as an impression as what I do. Your method will only kill them. However, history and heaven will exonerate them, and they will be a beloved and glorious martyr for all of eternity. For me… well… let's just say I kill my targets in flesh, in reputation, and in soul."

"I still don't understand," sighed Pictor, feeling like he had just found himself in the company of yet another Paradox.

"And you don't need to. Trust me, I've done this for a long time now. In fact, you may have heard of one of my previous identities… Jim Moriarity, Teridax, or the King Witch of Angmar. I've done many things and been many places, all to achieve one singular purpose…"

"Which would be?" pressed Orion, suddenly hoping to seize sensitive information about this Harold being that could eventually provide leverage in the case of an emergency.

Harold drew in a breath as if he was about to say something, but then he instead said, "… But that would be telling, now, wouldn't it?"

"Okay, since you won't have any of our games," snapped Pictor, a little disappointed and annoyed, "We won't have any of yours. Hurry up and explain the next steps."

There was a pause. Then Harold suddenly began to trail off again, making it obvious he couldn't care less about whatever came out of Pictor's mouth. "Did you know that there are 23000 alternative ways that the My Little Pony dimension could end in hell?"

He then began to chuckle. "This multiverse is a perfect little hive of possibilities. It is bright, diverse, and colorful, just like the My Little Pony dimension. But it was not that that the Paradox saw. Oh no, he saw what was underlying, the rot, the deceit, the violence, the sexual immorality, and the death that permeated everything. However, the Paradox simply reacted with the moronic, trigger-happy response of 'oh my god, let's blow everything up!' However, he was not looking in the right place. The Imagination Flow has become corrupted, not the multiverse itself."

Pictor simply tuned Harold out after he heard the word "bright," but Orion was listening very carefully, hoping for Harold to somehow slip up somewhere in his ramble, giving him an edge. In the end, though, Orion ended just as interested in Harold's speech as Pictor was in killing little children.

"Wait… So the problem that the Paradox saw was not the multiverse, but the outflow of Imagination?" said Orion slowly, the speech actually going completely over his head, "I don't understand… what?"

Harold once again drew in a breath as if he was about to say something more, but then once again stopped himself and instead said, "Oh… it's nothing. Just a point that would give you incredible leverage not only over myself, but over the whole Earth Multiverse. Nothing that important. Now… where were we? Ahhhhh… yes… Well done, Orion! You have completed step 2! Now, Orion and Pictor, onto step 3… It is time to put little August to the test."

Orion cocked his head to one side. "What do you mean?"

"Does this mean we get to kill him?" interjected Pictor, barely able to conceal his hope for violence.

"Orion, I will explain. Pictor, shut the hell up and go euthanize yourself. Now, Orion, what I mean by 'put little August to the test' is that I want to see how his bleeding effect is going on."

Orion was still a little confused. The bleeding effect was a mental process that taught beings incredible skills at an accelerated rate by superimposing foreign memories and mental processes. He knew of the process, but he was a little confused as to what this had to do with August.

"I will continue to explain, since you still are gloriously confused," snorted Harold, his disembodied voice echoing from every corner of the room, "August will soon be feeling a little like an Inquisitor himself. He is getting memories of Blue and his travels, so he will also be inheiriting Blue's skills. Possibly. I am actually unsure myself. Thus, we must test my theories. So, as I said, it is time to go onto step 3, Pictor."

Note: Well? What did you all think? I think I am starting to like Harold almost as much as I like Summer. He is a really interesting character. Anyway, please leave me a review! If you do so, I will give you a photo of the current Rerenhaw Council! It is invisible, of course, but I might try my hand at actually making it a reality. Please stand by.