Note: Okay! Happy 3rd of July. It is almost as good as the 4th of July, but not. Well, anyway, who is ready for some more action with August?!

Dimension: Deep Coal Cellar

Planet: The Black Expanse

Specific Location: Hidden Passageway 40B, Central Jail Quadrant

Time: Three days after Lyric found Summer

August just stood there, in the middle of the wreckage of the mechs, hands shaking.

"I'm… I'm… I'm what?"

Jefferson rolled his eyes. "I don't think we have time to talk about that right now. The alarm has been raised now. We have about two minutes before we are dead where we stand. Get us out!"

Still shocked, August opened a portal to a small forest in the Warriors dimension. Jefferson jumped through, and Gene had to practically push August through it. The portal closed almost a second before a whole army of killer robots dashed around the corner.

August sat down in the grass and looked at his hands slowly. "How is it possible?"

Jefferson shrugged. "I am unsure. However, your DNA denoted that you are. That doesn't lie."

August slowly got up. "DNA doesn't… but I know someone who does. Doxia… Doxia lied to me!"

"Calm down," said Gene calmly, "We don't know that Doxia lied to you. He might have not known. He might have mistaken Blue's DNA for a Detectors."

Blue began to resurface within August as he snorted. "Unlikely. I am betting that Detectors don't even exist. He was lying, and I am going to find out why."

"What, are you going to march up to Doxia and demand that he tell you everything?" said Jefferson airily, "I haven't met him personally, but I am pretty sure no one likes being told what to do."

"I won't be asking," hissed August. He pulled out his Inquisition Blaster and primed it.

Gene stood firmly in front of August and said, quietly, "August. This is not you. Whatever is hardwired into you is surfacing in a nasty way, but if you could hold it down this long, you can hold it down now."

"Save your breath," snapped August. He shoved past Gene. He opened a portal straight to Rerenhaw and strolled through. Gene glanced in horror at Jefferson before the two scurried after August.

Doxia was standing in the empty Rerenhaw council room, looking at some holographic maps.

Without turning around, Doxia called out, "August! Buddy! How is your detecting going? I am sure you, Dellor the Detector, are doing just dandy. Heh. Dellor the Detector."

Doxia stiffened when he heard the click of a weapon being primed. Slowly, Doxia turned around. August was pointing his weapon at his chest.

"Doxia, you lied to me," hissed August, "Tell me why?"

"August! Don't!" shouted Gene as he burst in on the scene, "You don't know that he ever was lying!"

"Hey Gene. Oh, hey! Lookit! It's Jefferson!" chuckled Doxia, "Okay, you got me. I will admit it… I did bend the truth. You are not a detector, but you still have unique DNA. Thanks to the styling of Inquisitor DNA, the Imagination Flow took the information from the sequence and deposited it in you, making you, effectively, the next Blue. What you experiencing now is Blue resurfacing, attempting to push your personality out of the way."

August was breathing heavy. All that he managed to hiss was the word, "Liar."

Doxia shook his head. "No. What I just said was true. Now, look here, August, I did not tell you the truth because I believed that the morals and principles installed in you by your mother Luna and your father Samuel were strong enough to block out the brutality of Blue."

It was Gene's turn to interject. "Is this really what Blue was like? How could you even allow someone like him to be around you all?"

Doxia scratched the back of his head. "Well, he didn't talk and threaten as much as August did, but that is just August's specific personality being corrupted. But… yes. Blue was a murderer, and that is why we used him as much as we did. He was willing to do what we could not. He was not afraid of damnation, so we used him to kill the innocents that we were unable to. War is never glorious, and there were things we had to authorize in order to win that we are not proud of… but it had to be done. When things boil down, there are no heroes. Only killers."

August twitched and contorted. It looked like the personality of August was now combating the resurfaced personality of Blue. He began to shiver and shake. It was obvious that it was even more difficult to fight back Blue than last time.

"You can do this, August," said Doxia quietly, "Unlike most of us, you truly understand what it is to be good. There are precious few even in the ranks of the proclaimed 'good guys' that understand that. You can do this."

August doubled over, then, suddenly, he jerked up and hurled away his weapon. Breathing heavily, August gasped, "Doxia… I'm so sorry."

Doxia clapped. Then, suddenly, he vanished. They had been talking to a hologram. The real Doxia uncloaked bedside the trio. "Nicely done!"

August blinked. "You never were in any danger, were you?"

Doxia clapped August on the back. "No. Not really. However, I must commend you on your self-control. I was worried about you for a moment."

August sighed. "I am truly sorry. It's like my mind gets enveloped in a haze. Is this truly what Blue was like? Because I am certainly feeling unquenchable hostility."

"Afraid so, kiddo," sighed Doxia, "He was quite merciless. But he did what he did well. Remember, you are not him. You have the ability to restore the John 3 Chapter. But instead of proceeding with the foundations of brutality and mercilessness that it was built on, this is your chance to install a true heroes' virtues. It is time for you to reintroduce the light."

August massaged his temples with the tips of his index fingers. "I don't know how much I can take. What if I end up hurting my friends?"

Doxia shook his head. "You will not need to worry about that. Blue would never kill his friends. He would hurt them if they got in the way though. So, Gene and Jefferson, I suggest you guys stay clear of August as he fights."

August's face paled. "What… You… You can't get rid of this?"

Doxia shook his head again, this time more vigorously. "No! Blue is part of who you are! Look, Blue is dead. I'm sorry, but it is true. He died some time ago. But when he died, the Inquisition-specific DNA information dissolved and coalesced within another being, a descendant. You are his descendant."

August's (and Gene's) jaw hit the ground. "What…?"

Doxia chuckled. "Yep! Blue was your great-times-a-billion grandfather! Anyways, It seems he never told anyone. Odd, he seemed to imply that everyone close to him knew. Meh, I guess the only ones close to him were Sunflower and Dark."

"Sorry to interrupt," interjected Jefferson, "But if this is Blue, or, as we should say, the descendant of Blue, then where is Sunflower and Dark?"

"Lolidunno!" exclaimed Doxia, "But I have a trained team looking for them as we speak."

Gene cocked his head to one side. "Really? Who?"

Doxia coughed. Then he mumbled something about Rarity and Twilight both being somewhat trained. Then he switched the subject. "So! Now that you guys are done pointing guns at my life-like holograms, will you be on your way?"

August sighed. "I… I suppose. I was tasked with finding the armor… and I will. But... speaking on the subject of Blue... I've been having these... these nightmares."

Doxia cocked his head to one side. "Nightmares? Oh, pray tell."

"Well," muttered August, a little embarrassed, "I've had a few vision sequences where I've found myself trapped in a room. It has no doors and no windows. It is like I am in a black, smooth, box. However, to the opposite side of this box is... is a purple Pegasus! She is asleep, and trapped in animated suspension. But before I can ever talk to her or call out, I get sucked into a vision of a vision, where Blue, Sunflower, and Dark are combating an endless sea of Maelstrom Troopers. Does this mean anything to you?"

Doxia was quiet for a very long time (which was probably a first). He stroked his chin. After the long pause, he finally said, "That was the telepathic rebooting protocol for the Inquisitors. You see, Inquisitors never slept, but they could be knocked senseless. Thus, that room was designed to allow Inquisitors within a single chapter to communicate with ease with their partners, even when one was unconscious or in a coma, anywhere in the multiverse. However, since you yourself sleep at times, the protocol reactivates every time. Hmmm... You know what? This is actually hilarious, because this means... heh... this means one of Sunflower's, or Dark's, descendants... is a My Little Pony creature! Oh my gosh! This is ridiculous! The hilarity! The irony!"

Gene's, Jefferson's, and Blue's jaws dropped as Doxia suddenly doubled over laughing. After a whole minute, Doxia finally got a hold of himself. Straightening up, he then coughed lightly and said, "Well, thank you. Now that we know that a potential descendant of either Sunflower or Dark is in the My Little Pony dimension, my team of highly trained elites will be able to narrow down the search for Dark. However, that is not important. August, are you really ready?"

August nodded, for he had now gotten over his initial shock. In fact, now he was rather relieved. Though he was only half-My-Little-Pony-native, the inhabitants of the Harmony Tree dimension had always shown him (and everyone else for that matter) unconditional love. If one of the future John 3 Inquisitors resided in the same dimension, then there was a chance he would not be the only one struggling with a mysterious (and terrifying) set of alien memories. Perhaps, when he finished hunting down Blue's armor, they could all finally meet, and exchange insight on how to combat the unwelcome compulsions of the Inquisitors.

"I am ready. Truly," sighed August.

Doxia bobbed his head amiably. "Excellent. And, as luck would have it, I have another piece of armor for you guys to locate… It is in the Provistorian dimension?"

Gene blinked. "The Provistorian dimension? Isn't that place sanctioned?"

"Was," corrected Doxia, stretching, "But the main timeline is complete, so you guys are all set. Just try not to befuddle the timeline too much. The planet you will be landing on is Averthon Magnum. The armor should by tucked nicely somewhere near the Scriptorium, the tallest mountain on the planet. Enjoy!"

Gene glanced at August, August glanced at Jefferson.

Jefferson shrugged. "Why is everyone looking at me? I've just tagged along for the fun."

Doxia then looked hard and long at Jefferson after he had said that, but said nothing himself. Then he turned to August. "Soooo… Are you sure you're up to this, August? Personally, I am no longer truly comfortable with you taking point."

August nodded his head firmly. "Yes. I am sure I can do this. I was given a mission, and I am going to complete it. I can beat this, I can beat Blue. He's not going to control me."

Doxia sighed. "Okay. It really now boils down to your strength. Are you really stronger than Blue? Can you force down his personality?"

"I don't know, but I will try. If we want to stop Orion and Pictor, then we are going to need the weapons I, I mean, Blue has to offer," replied August stoutly, "I can do this."

Doxia bowed his head slightly. "Then be on your way. Good luck."

August holstered his Inquisition Blaster firmly and then looked at his Kanohi Olmak. With a nod to it, he commanded it to open a portal to the Provistorian dimension. A portal suddenly appeared, and August, Gene, and Jefferson walked through.

The group found themselves at the foot of what looked like the world's largest door. Literally. The structure stretched high into the clouds, and the top could not be seen. The door frame stretched far off into the mists to the left and right, and there appeared to be no way around the obstacle.

"I guess we have no choice other than to knock," said Jefferson, raising his eyebrows cynically as he scoped out the scene before him. "Unless you guys want to find out if this door really does stretch out to infinity."

"Well? I don't see a doorbell…" muttered August. There was a minute-long pause. "Or a door handle for that matter," he added.

"I guess there is only one way to find out!" exclaimed Jefferson with a sigh of resignation. Reaching into his overcoat, he detached one of his many weapons from his velvet waistcoat. He had what looked like a cross between a scythe, a bungee cord, and a strange clockwork device.

"This is called a hook-spring. I got it from the Dishonored dimension," Jefferson explained as he twirled it swiftly into a blurring disk. He let the weighted scythe loose, and let it hurtle into the air. It dug into the wood of the gigantic door.

Jefferson gave the cord he was holding a few, light, yet firm, experimental tugs. After he was satisfied, he gave the rope a sharp pull. The clickity-clack of the clockwork device attached to the scythe resonated from far above, and Jefferson began to get pulled up. With his feet planted firmly against the wood of the colossal door, he began to jog vertically up to where the scythe was embedded.

Gene motioned to August, and the two activated their levitation powers. They began to drift up to Jefferson. They reached him just as he reached the top of his hook-spring. Pulling out one of his long daggers, Jefferson slammed it into the wood. Hanging on with one hand, Jefferson yanked out the scythe-like tip of the hook-spring. He spun it around quickly and let it fly one more time. It slammed into the wood frame once more and held firm. Jefferson yanked it sharply, and let it drag him upwards again.

"There has got to be another way to do this, August!" commented Jefferson loudly as he let himself be dragged upwards as he stashed his dagger away, "Maybe we could just ask for entry nicely?"

"Please let us in, great door!" shouted August almost immediately, causing Gene to snort with exasperation. There was a pause... Nothing happened.

"You know, maybe you did not ask forcefully enough," said Gene, almost sarcastically.

"You're right!" cried Jefferson. Suddenly he swung in an arc, snatched August's Inquisition Blaster from him, and fired it off in the air, bellowing, "If you don't open this door! I will blast it down and burn it up! There will be nothing but ashes and flames before my wrath dies down!"

Jefferson twirled the gun, accidentally set it off (nearly shooting his face into oblivion), and quickly handed the gun back to a dumbfounded August. At this time, Jefferson reached the tip of his hook-spring. He quickly whipped out one of his long daggers once more and rammed it into the woodwork. Hanging from it, he sighed from exhaustion.

"I thought that that would most certainly work," said Jefferson, half-sincere, half-sarcastic, "I mean, I seriously thought-"

The entire door began to shake, knocking Jefferson loose. He fell through the air, twisted, and drove his dagger deep in the wood again without missing a beat. Quickly he wrapped the cord of the hook-spring around his neck and then whipped out his other dagger. As he dug that into the wood as well, the door began to swing slowly open. The air was rumbling in the wake of what resembled an earthquake of 8.1 magnitude as the colossal piece of wood swung out. Gene and August drifted backwards, still levitating, as the thing opened.

"You see?" exclaimed Jefferson, almost gleefully, "It worked!"

At that moment, a man, armed with a massive rapier, strolled out far below them, head sweeping side-to-side. It was obvious he had opened the door, and was no looking for whoever had caused the racket.

Jefferson rolled his eyes in the universal sign of "dang it." He then tucked in the dagger he had in his right hand, slammed the pointed blade of the spring-hook into the wood once more, and then swung down in a rapid descent. August and Gene, still controlling their levitating powers, drifted down with him.

They reached the bottom in a tenth of the time it took for them to climb, and they landed unabashedly in front of the man, tense but friendly.

"Greetings," said Gene, holding his hands out, palms up, "We are not here to harm you. We are looking for passage inside this place, Averthon Magnum. I am Gene, to my right is Jefferson Madigan Hatterus, and this is-"

"Blue!" interrupted the man, his voice gruff, "I thought I told you never to come back."

Dimension: Once Upon a Time

Planet: Fairy Tale Earth

Specific Location: Snow White and Charming's Castle

Time: Three days after Lyric found Summer

"I hope you know what you're doing," snarled Orion, "It took me a whole hour, with Pictor's help, to regenerate the damage wrought by the Inquisition Blaster."

"If it is true that Blue has resurfaced in that little brat," added Pictor, "Then we are all dead. That whelp August will be unable to push down the Inquisitor compulsions. He will proceed to hunt us down, and kill us, along with every single friend that tries to stop him."

There was a long pause. It was so long, in fact, that Pictor had the terrible feeling that Harold had just abandoned them. However, finally, he did speak. "Well, that is the interesting part," he said in an almost sing-song voice, "We don't know if August will be able to push the compulsions down or not. So this is the fun part: we get to watch August struggle with himself. Will he remember what Starlight Amber, his babysitter, and what Luna, his mother, told him and understand that heroes do not kill? Or will he let Blue's cold, brilliant, disregard for all life take control?"

"If he lets the latter take control, then we are all doomed," said Orion simply, "I cannot fight him. I may be powerful, but an Inquisitor's brutality is unmatched."

Harold began to chuckle. "Yes," he said dryly, "That's ironic isn't it? The Inquisitors are for the good guys, but they aren't good guys themselves. They are war machines, designed to murder, bludgeon, and maim their way through their targets. And that is where the game comes in."

Pictor sighed. "You're mad. This is not a game."

"Well, technically it is," snorted Harold, "The definition of a game is something people do for amusement, either for themselves or for an audience. Granted, perhaps it is not fun for August, but it will be fun for us."

"I'm sorry," snapped Orion, "But how is this a game?"

"It is all locked in August," said Harold, disregarding the questions of the two beings before him, "But my only hope is that he has enough locked within him to make this fun."

"GODDAMNIT!" roared Pictor, "I have had enough of this! I had to put up with eons of the Paradox talking like that! Tell me what you mean!"

"Okay, okay. Sheesh. Keep your pants on, moron," chuckled Harold, "It is his humanity. Humans are the most powerful sentient species in all of the multiverse. They hold the key to holding the multiverse together. That key is their humanity. However, just as it is their one redeeming quality, it is also their one major weakness. And it is that weakens that we are exploiting. I see it very unlikely that the conscious of good old August will stand by as the cold-hearted training of Blue from the bleeding effect permeates his brain. Now we just need to watch and wait as it destroys him and weakens the foundation of the whole multiverse… Oh, we may also have to lay false leads for Doxia and his team."

"Lay false leads for… Oh no, I am not getting close to Doxia," said Pictor, backing away.

"Don't worry, you big baby, you won't have to," replied Harold, "And neither will you, Orion. I will handle that. I can play circles around Doxia, Kytax, Mattimeo, and the rest with ease."

"You don't say?" It was Pictor's turn to chuckle. "I want to see that."

"Oh, you will, you just watch," said Harold, his sing-song voice returning, "It will be sooooo much fun."

Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I am starting to really get into the swing of things with the mysteries surrounding Blue, Dark, and Sunflower. Who do you guys think is Sunflower? Or Dark? Let me know in a review! If you give me a review, I will give you bacon. Mayhap a bacon wrapped cookie. I don't know. How about a kitten holding a bacon wrapped cookie?