"Is there something you'd like to say, Phillip?" Zugzwang asked, removing Phil's gag with his magic. Every eye in the chamber, both inmate and hostage, focused on them, as if to deliberately divert their attention away from the corpse of the violet-maned unicorn laying on the ground.

Phil spat and coughed, staring down at his nemesis' hooves. "You win," he said softly, voice heavy with defeat. "I admit it, all right? You've won. You outsmarted us all; you even played me. You got what you've always wanted; you outsmarted me. You've proven you're smarter than everypony else." He looked up, his eyes shimmering in a display of defeat. "Just stop."

Zugzwang smiled at him like a parent smiling at a child's foolishness. "You're right. I have won." He took a draught of his cigarette and flicked the ashes onto Phillip's mane. "But not yet. Besides, I can tell when somepony is being insincere." And with that, he pressed the cigarette against Phillip's skin, right between his eyes. Phillip grunted in pain, flinching away from the burning heat, but Zugzwang held his head in place, pressing the cigarette harder against the writhing skin.

"Scream, my little pony, scream," Zugzwang hissed, licking his lips in delight at the chorus of pained growls.

"Boss!" a voice shouted from the head of the cavern. Looking up, Zugzwang saw a sight that made him smile in delight. "Now I've won," he said to Phillip, who slowly raised his head.

Slowly walking into the cavern, their faces tight and fearful in the low light, was Shining Armor and Dr. Healspark, escorted by a band of armed inmates. Phillip slumped in defeat, unable to look up.

"Grab him," Zugzwang said, gesturing at Shining. Several inmates immediately grabbed Shining, forcing him to the ground. Healspark leapt back in fright, only to be grabbed by Zugzwang himself.

"Now, doctor," he said pleasantly, guiding his terrified hostage over to the center of the room, parading him past Phillip and the other hostages like a trophy. "I'm delighted to see that you've decided to cooperate."

"I'll do whatever you say," Healspark said softly, trembling in fright as he stared down at Purple Heart's tear-streaked face, laying in a puddle of her own blood. "Just don't hurt my daughter."

Behind him, Phillip sniffed the air quietly. He did not raise his head, nor did his face change, but he slowly shifted, getting his hind legs beneath him.

"We won't," Zugzwang said, patting the other pony on the arm. "If you do as I tell you. Now, the horn." Taking up the artifact on the table, he lifted it over to Healspark. The doctor's trembling increased as the evil device came within reach, and it was with great hesitancy that he took the horn in his own purple magic. Every eye focused upon the two.

"Great power lies within, yes?" Zugzwang spoke in a grating whisper, staring at Sombra's horn hungrily. "And you know how to unlock it. You will give me that power. All of it."

Healspark swallowed, looking around the room as if searching for an escape that did not exist. Resigned to his fate, fully aware of his part in the end of the world as he knew it, he shut his eyes in concentration and pressed his trembling horn against Sombra's horn.

His little sister, best friend forever. Walks in the park, playing Monster Hunter in the woods out back, her content smile as she fell asleep to his voice telling her a bedtime story.

Purple magic flowed from Healspark into the horn, causing it to float into the air on its own. It slowly spun, as if to deliberately keep the attention of the audience.

All his old friends in the Guard. Challenging each other in the gym, laughing boasts and pats on the back. Going out for a cider after a long shift. Reaffirming in each other their purpose, the feeling of love and loyalty for the citizens of Equestria that had guided them to don the armor.

With a buzzing and crackling, red energy began to spark from the artifact, which spun faster and faster. The sinister red light reflected in the empty black of Zugzwang's eyes and cast everypony's faces into eerie shadows.

His wife. Her kind, gentle heart, open to everypony regardless of who they were. The radiant smile that she always greeted him with. The way she always put others before herself. Her beautiful, jewel blue eyes, the last thing he saw each night and the first thing he saw every morning.

Suddenly, a purple crack appeared along the horn's length, slowly widening. Purple light began to mix with the red, then dominated it, shining brighter and brighter.

"What are you doing?" Zugzwang shouted, showing concern for the first time. Healspark did not answer, sweat trickling down his brow as his face tightened in concentration. "Stop! Explain this!"

There was a great crackling of energy, then suddenly, the horn exploded in a blinding burst of purple light. Fragments of the horn tumbled to the ground, the color fading from red to black as the energy faded away from them.

For a moment, Zugzwang could only stare in disbelief, for once unhinged at the sight of his plans gone horribly wrong. "What?! How did you—?"

There was another flash of purple light, and suddenly, Shining Armor was standing where Healspark had been a moment ago, and the Shining Armor that had been held hostage was the light green pegasus, who grinned up at his bewildered captors.

With a flourish, Shining reached into his saddlebags, pulled out a gray canister and smashed it down onto the ground. The tear gas grenade detonated immediately, filling the room with a thick cloud. "NOW!" Shining shouted. Immediately, the inmates that had accompanied them into the caverns turned on their allies and attacked; for these inmates were actually disguised Guards. Gunshots blazed and shanks and batons crashed together as the blinded and disoriented inmates struggled to put up a resistance.

"Down, down, stay down!" Shining shouted as he fired stunning spells everywhere. Heeding his cry, the hostages all dropped to the ground, covering themselves as best they could.

Even before the grenades hit, Phillip was moving. Ramming the two thugs nearest him aside with his shoulders, he rolled backwards, lifting his bound hooves over his hind legs and bringing them around in front of him. Forcing himself to fight the tear gas, he leapt into the fray himself, striking at the choking, stumbling forms around him.

There was roar behind him, and he turned to see the huge gray pony charging right at him, bloodlust shining in his little black eyes. The next moment, his eyes widened in shock and he collapsed to the ground, twitching. Behind him, Shining holstered his taser. The two shared a brief nod.

But then a flicker of golden light out of the corner of his eye distracted him. Looking up, he saw Zugzwang running towards the stairs. "Oh, no, you don't," he snarled, seizing the knot in the rope with his teeth and undoing his bonds. Now freed, he sprinted after Zugzwang, hurrying out of the cavern.

As he ran, the sounds of battle behind him trailed into silence as the inmates were conquered. "Is everypony all right?" Shining panted, looking around the chamber, double-checking every Guard, every quivering hostage, every wounded, dead or surrendering inmate.

"We're all good, sir!" Sergeant Stormdust cheered. It was with apprehension and a bitter taste that Shining noticed the blood spattered across his disguise.

"All right, take care of these hostages," Shining ordered. "I'll go to the light and signal the mainland."

"We've got things under control here, sir!" the green pegasus called out as Shining turned and ran for the stairs.

Purple light shot through the trees of the Whitetail Woods, accompanying the clash of metal on metal, hooves striking flesh. Twilight crouched next to the cowering Tulip Blossom, guarding her with shield charms and firing stunning spells at any attacker who dared draw near. Flash took care of the rest, using his blade to deflect attacks and following up with devastating hoof-to-hoof strikes.

"Twilight, watch your left!" Flash shouted, blocking an ax swing at his head with his sword and countering with a cross punch to a glass jaw. Looking up and to her left, Twilight fired off a spell just in time. The pegasus coming down on her head grunted and tumbled out of the sky like a sack of potatoes, crumbling beside her.

"Flash, behind you!" she shouted. Heeding her warning, Flash ducked to avoid a surprise ambush, bucking backwards and sending the attacker flying back into a tree. Taking to the sky, he landed right behind a surprised gangster, who put up his guard too late to avoid a pommel strike to the jaw and a kick to the groin that brought him to the ground. The final would-be kidnapper shouted in defiance and charged, slashing at him with a rusty scythe. Stepping aside, Flash parried the attack with his sword, kicked him in the gut, and finished him with a rising elbow to the chin, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Is that all of them?" Twilight panted.

"I think so," Flash said, sheathing his sword as he looked around the dark forest. "Are you hurt?"

"No. Tulip, are you okay?" Twilight asked, looking over the quivering mare.

"I...I'm all right," Tulip squeaked. Ginger walked up and started licking his owner's face, whimpering in concern.

"You're safe now," Twilight reassured her, helping her stand. "Nopony's going to hurt you." So saying, she began to cast immobilization spells on the unconscious thugs, ensuring that they would be going nowhere for a while.

Flash did another head count, frowning. If memory served, there had been nine kidnappers at the beginning of the fight. He only counted eight bodies. Where was the leader?

Tulip suddenly let out a terrified shriek. Looking up, Twilight and Flash saw to their horror the bulky pegasus leap from the bush that he'd hidden in and pounce on Tulip. The blade of his butterfly knife caught the moonlight through the treetops as he raised it, preparing to bring it down in a deadly cut.

The next moment, the blade flew up into the air, accompanied by a cry of shock and pain. For a moment, time seemed to hold still as every eye in the forest traveled down to the sword blade piercing the pegasus' chest. Blood slowly spread from the wound, tar black in the dim light.

Behind him, Flash withdrew his sword blade, causing the pony he had just killed to fall backwards. The thud the body made seemed to echo disproportionately loudly, as if it was more than his body that fell. His staring green eyes stared up at Flash, as if seeking him out. With a clatter, Flash dropped his bloodstained sword and began to backpedal, trembling from head to hoof, his widening eyes never leaving the empty, staring green orbs that judged him from beyond the grave.

"Flash—Flash!" Twilight shouted, rushing to his side. He didn't seem to hear her, continuing to back up until he hit a tree, which he clung to, shaking even harder than before. "Flash, look at me!" Twilight said, grabbing onto Flash's hoof, going back through her mental library to try to find a book on dealing with ponies in shock. Surely she must have read something, somewhere on how to deal with this!

But nothing came to mind. All she knew was that somepony she loved was falling, falling away from her and she couldn't do anything to save him.

Reaching the top of the lighthouse, Shining Armor hurried over to the panel that controlled the light. Stopping the lamp's circular motion, he turned it to face eastward, towards the mainland.

Here's hoping I still remember how to do this, he thought, toggling the on-off switch.

Meanwhile, on the Manehattan Docks, a Guard peering through binoculars at the distant island saw the light. "Sir! The lighthouse—it's blinking out Horse code!"

"What's it say, soldier?" the commanding lieutenant demanded.

"It's using shorthoof, but...'Situation under control...multiple casualties...need backup and medics ASAP...Shining Armor!'"

"That's our cue! Let's move out!" the lieutenant shouted to the squad of waiting Guards, who hurried forward onto the waiting ship.

A rumble of thunder and a blast of cold rain greeted Phillip as he emerged into the renewed storm outside. A crackle of lightning illuminated the prison yard, and he spotted Zugzwang, disappearing into a watchtower. Phillip sprinted across the yard, ignoring the protests of his aching, beaten body and burning lungs, and forced the door open with his shoulder. Inside was a small circular chamber with a single lamp and a set of winding stairs.

Three inmates were standing inside, their vicious grins highlighted by the shadows. All of them were armed with machete-like blades.

"We've been waiting here, Finder," the lead pony said, a bony black earth pony with a muddy red mane and eyes, raising his shining blade towards him. "Waiting all night, just like the boss said. And we get to be the ones to kill you."

"Get out of the way," Phillip snarled.

The killer's response was to charge forward, raising the blade to bring down onto Phillip's head. Phillip stepped inside the attack, whipping his unzipped vest off his body and entangling his attacker's limb with it, striking him in the face with his elbow as he did so. Disarming him of the blade, Phillip kicked him aside and whirled towards the next attacker, ducking beneath a cut at his neck and countering with a thrust to the lower side, punching right through the skin beneath the ribs. Pulling the blade through and out all too easily, he felt warm blood spray across his bare side, sticking to his coat, and heard a guttural groan from the dead pony as he fell to the floor. Without hesitating, without pausing to think, Phillip pressed forward and took down the third inmate with a deadly double slash to the chest and throat before he could throw up his guard. The inmate stared down at his chest as blood spread across his coat for a moment, then slowly fell backwards, letting out his last breath in a gurgle.

Turning to the first inmate, Phillip raised the bloodstained blade. "Do the smart thing, mate," he growled in a voice like thunder.

The thug looked at his two dead partners, at the armed, blood-smeared pony glaring at him, then did the smart thing: he turned and ran.

For a moment, Phillip allowed himself to grieve, to feel the weight of two lives taken. Sorry, mates, but you didn't give me a lot of options. The moment passed, the weight momentarily put aside, he turned and hurried up the stairs, winding up and up and finally bursting out onto the top.

Zugzwang stood atop the wall, wearing a backpack. His abyss-like black eyes stared balefully down at Phillip. For a moment, the two of them just stood and stared at each other in the harsh rain, locked in a tense stalemate.

"You know, Phillip," Zugzwang sighed. "Despite everything, even with Captain Armor's surprising upset—something I didn't think possible from an idiot like him—I had fun tonight."

"Fun's over, Zugzwang," Phillip said. "Get down from there and surrender."

"No," Zugzwang said.

"Get down from there," Phillip snarled, taking a step forward, "Or I swear, I will kill you."

"Of course you will," Zugzwang said, smiling that twisted, superior smile of his. "You're going to kill me, or I'm going to kill you. We both know this. But it can't happen. Not here, not like this. This game is between you and I, liebling, and we have to play it through to the end. When the end comes, when there's nopony left but us two, then you'll be ready. Only then will you have my permission to kill, or to die."

The burning acrid taste of stomach fluid filled Phillip's throat. Listening to the vermin's voice made him sick. This pony was a monster, a freak who killed and inflicted pain for amusement, who considered other ponies to be nothing more than pawns. This pony who had murdered dozens, threatened his family, whose every breath was a direct threat to everything he believed in.

No. No more. He wasn't hurting anypony else. It ended tonight. Kill him, kill him, kill him!

Raising his blade skyward, his heart pounding like thunder in his ears, Phillip stepped forward. And Zugzwang jumped, leaping backwards off the wall and tumbling down towards the rocks below. But after only a moment of falling, he yanked a cord on his backpack causing a large balloon to burst from the pack, inflating in moments and carrying him up and away from the protective charms around the island. Standing on the watchtower, Phillip could only watch in helpless disbelief as a pair of pegasi, dragging a cable between them, flew through the dark clouds, snagging the cable from which Zugzwang dangled and dragging him away towards a distant ship that set sail as soon as he landed upon it, disappearing into the darkness from which it came.

Dropping the blade, Phillip stood and stared in silence. It was over; his enemy might not have succeeded, but he had still escaped, still murdered many, still posed a danger. Pain and exhaustion burned through his senses, the coppery stench of the blood on his coat and he felt the crushing weight of the dozens of lives lost tonight.

Throwing his head back, he roared at the storm, screaming out his pain, his fury, his hate. And the thunder rumbled back at him.

Author's Notes:

A lot happened in this chapter, not much of it good.

I hated to go into detail about killing, but I was trying to make a point about the nature of violence. I hope that I succeeded.

We'll wrap this up in the next one or two chapters. Hope that you've enjoyed!