For the next few hours, Tirek told Shockwave about pretty much everything there is to know about Equestria. He included information regarding different pony types and settlements, how magic is used to control everything, how the rulers Princess Celestia and Princess Luna maintain order and balance throughout the land, and how his actions resulted in him being imprisoned in Tartarus twice.
Shockwave listened to him with great interest, took note of every single bit of information that came out of his mouth and analyzed them while he spoke. When Tirek finally reached the end of his story, Shockwave came to the conclusion that this was, indeed, a planet worth conquering. He planned to present the knowledge he gathered to Lord Megatron and see whether or not he agreed with his plans for conquest. If Megatron accepted his proposition and invaded the planet, Shockwave would continue to support him and remain as his first lieutenant in charge of all scientific endeavors. However, if Megatron could not see the logic in taking over this world and exploiting its resources, then Shockwave would leave the Decepticons and carry out this plan himself. He already had ideas for a new invention that would extract magic from a pony, and convert it into a new and more powerful version of Energon. Of course, leaving the Decepticons would cause Megatron and his forces to hunt him down and annihilate him for treachery, but Shockwave also had a plan to extinguish Megatron's spark once and for all. He had been developing this plan for years and was planning to execute it should his goals ever clashed with that of the other Decepticons. If he was forced to conquer Equestria himself, then this plan would finally be employed.
As soon as Tirek finished story, Shockwave stood up (he was listening to Tirek while sitting down).
"Thank you, Lord Tirek. You have given me much to consider and I shall use the information you provided to good use."
As turned around and started to walk away, a sinister grin appeared on Tirek's face.
"Wait. Aren't you going to set me free?"
Shockwave instantly stopped and turned around to face him.
"That was not part of our agreement and even if I did, it would lead to your undoing."
Tirek's facial expression turned from smug to confused.
"What are you talking about?
Shockwave walked closer to his cage.
"I have one last bit of information to ask from you. How exactly are you planning to exact revenge on these 'Elements of Harmony' upon your escape from this place?"
As he came to a stop just a handful of inches away from the cage, Tirek had become really annoyed.
"What do you mean how I'll get my revenge? I'm going to steal their magic, of course! And as soon as I'm done with them, I'll steal magic from every single remaining pony in Equestria and turn their home into a pile of ash!"
"But you already tried to do that twice and the outcome of both instances was you getting imprisoned here."
"But the last time they defeated me, it was because of some out-of-nowhere power they found in the bottom of a chasm! I'm pretty sure they won't find something like that the next time we meet."
"Your strategy is still flawed. No matter how many times you steal their power and use it against them, they will always find another way to bring you down. Do you know why?"
Tirek was about to say something harsh but stopped himself at the last second. He tried to find an answer to Shockwave's question for a handful of seconds before finally giving up.
"Alright, what is the reason exactly?"
"When you attempt to take a civilization's freedom away or destroy their land, their resistance to you is inevitable. Through their rebellious thoughts and imaginations, they think of ways to defeat you and this leads to your downfall. However, if you conquer their land with great speed and efficiency, and destroy any hope of rebellion with extreme force; then you can thrive until the end of your time. "
"So, you're saying I should become their ruler instead of their destroyer."
"It is the only logical path you can follow if you wish to punish those who locked you up here and not meet the same fate a third time. Besides, I am certain that you will have no problem using extreme force to crush rebellions once you acquire some amount of magic. Now, what do you say? Will you take your revenge according my suggestion or stick to your flawed strategy?"
Tirek thought very hard before answering.
"Well, your suggestion does seem effective. However, ruling over ponies sounds extremely boring and not very fitting to my style. I think I'll stick to my original plan."
"Then, your freedom will not be granted by me."
"What? But this is the perfect time for me to strike! They're still recovering from my previous attack and will be completely unprepared for another one this soon!"
"Perhaps. But unless you strike according to a strategy as logical as the one I suggested, your return to this cage will be much sooner than that."
Tirek let out a loud groan.
"WHAT IS WITH YOU AND LOGIC?! It's like you're obsessed with basing every idea you come up with around logic! WHY IS THAT?!"
"Because, I must."
Tirek once again became confused.
"You must? So, were you built in this way or something?"
"Not exactly. Let's just say, I learned a long time ago when I was close to becoming offline that logic was the only beneficial path to follow. So, I reprogrammed my thought processor in order to base all my thoughts and decisions around the concept of logic. Soon after that, a civil war broke out between two factions of my race and when I learned that the faction opposing the one I initially joined had a more logical cause, I defected."
"Wow. That's what I call dedication. Do you think it worked?"
"I have been this way for eons, I never even came close to becoming offline since then, and I am the chief scientist of my current faction. What do you think?"
"Don't be so sure. You never know what the future may have in store for you."
"On the contrary, I know virtually every single possible outcome in the near future and how to prepare for each of them."
"Really? And what exactly are these outcomes in the near future?"
"All you need to know is that I will be visiting this planet again either by myself or alongside my comrades and when that happens, your plans for vengeance will be as insignificant as a speck of dust."
Tirek's eyes widened and a worried expression appeared on his face.
"Your comrades... are coming here?"
"If they approve my plans for conquering your world, yes. But if they refuse to see the logic in it, then I shall do it myself and trust me when I say that while my fellow Decepticons take prisoners for slavery, I take prisoners for experimentation and butchery. I hope you think of a logical strategy soon, for it might be difficult to take your revenge in a world dominated by either me or Megatron. Farewell and good day."
As he turned around and began walking away from the cage, Tirek had become both terrified and furious.
"Wait just a minute! If you were planning to take over Equestria in the first place, then why did you suggest that I do the same?!"
Shockwave stopped walking but answered without turning around.
"You cannot imagine how I much I wish to end your pathetic existence right now. I almost decided to do it when you insisted that I set you free but then, I came up with the idea of destroying you during a competition of conquering the planet and tried to lead you down that path. Besides, eliminating you while you were imprisoned would be dishonorable and illogical. We are both warriors and it is only logical for us to meet in a battlefield."
"But... but I refused to become a conqueror and chose to stick to my original plan!"
"Yes and therefore, made the competition that much easier."
At that moment, Tirek's eyes widened as much as it possibly could and as Shockwave went further away from the cage, he started shouting.
"FOOL! YOU THINK YOU CAN ACTUALLY DEFEAT ME IN A BATTLE?! I HOPE I NEVER SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN, BECAUSE IF I DO, YOU WILL REGRET THE DAY YOU WERE BUILT! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"
As he continued to shout, Shockwave kept walking until he came near Cerberus, who was struggling to remain in his sitting position.
"Stand up and shut him up."
Cerberus instantly got up, ran towards the cage, and growled so intensely that Tirek had no choice but to stop shouting and cower. Shockwave then pulled out a small device, did a few adjustments to its circuitry, and activated it; opening a portal exactly like the one that brought him here in the first place. He stepped though it and the portal closed as soon as he went out of sight.