//------------------------------//
// Interlude 16 - Law and Order: Equestria 
// Story: My Family and Other Equestrians 
// by Blade Star 
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“Your highness, please forgive my remark, but that bastard ought to swing!” I exclaimed, much to the surprise of everypony in court at that moment. It had been the better part of a fortnight since that vile demon, Tirek, had been sent back to this world’s version of Hell to rot as he should. However, I, as many others were, was not satisfied with mere imprisonment. That demon had been steps away from destroying the world as we know it, and all Celestia wanted to do was leave him in a cell guarded by that same incompetent dog! 

“Mr. Owen, I warn you; watch your tone and your language when you are in my court,” Celestia replied. We had been genuinely arguing about this, not debating, arguing. And neither of us was giving ground.

Celestia based her argument in the fact that Tirek was no longer a threat, and now he was sealed away by the Elements Twilight and her friends wielded, there was no chance of a second escape, and in any event, Equestria was better prepared to cope. She also pointed out her long standing policy to never kill another creature when there were other avenues to be explored. 

I, on the other hand, still had nightmares about that twisted overbred centaur. He harmed both of my children, my friends, my employers; everyone I cared about. He wanted to destroy Equestria, raze it to the ground. Men have been hanged for far less. Public opinion was very much in my favour as well, a great many in the larger cities thought as I did. ‘If it is hostile, you kill it’; that is a maxim any wise man lives by. Tirek is a threat, and will remain so for as long as he exists. Only when his severed head is resting on the spikes of the gates to this castle, as a warning to others (a la Cromwell), will I be content to sleep peacefully.

“I apologise, your highness. But this villain is far more dangerous than anything Equestria has encountered before. Even the changeling incursion several years ago appears minor compared to this. The entire government was out of action, wrongfully imprisoned, and we had no real way of countering him until Twilight and her friends were able to utilise the Elements again." 

“Exactly,” she countered, not flinching in the slightest. “We were brought to the brink because we lacked our ultimate defence. We have the Elements again. If, by some impossible miracle, Tirek was able to escape, which I remind you occurred due to Cerberus wandering off, we have the ability to put him right back in mere moments. His success was due to a lack of defence and Discord’s temporary aid. Do not think I am so weak.” That last part carried a distinct tone of malice I had not heard before. 

“Your highness, people are clamouring for justice, for revenge,” I continued. “Regardless of how it happened, you appeared to be weak and incapable. They want proof you are still the pony that raises the sun every day.” Celestia closed her eyes and took a slow breath.

“Roger, remember this,” she said, addressing me by name. “Force answers force, war breeds war, and death will only bring death. I learned that long ago. To execute a prisoner, even one as evil as Tirek, would set a precedent. How long before it is expanded to others.” Her voice began to grow in volume. “You think I do not wish to have revenge? You merely were threatened; I was cast into Tartarus itself with my sister and niece, unable to do anything while my ponies almost died at the hands of that centaur! If anypony should want him dead, it should be me!” She promptly stopped speaking for a moment to collect herself. “Tirek is imprisoned in Tartarus. He will remain so for the rest of his days. That is an end of it, my advisor. We will not speak of this again.”

Sometimes I forget I work for an absolutist diarch. I am meant to only advise, suggest and provide counsel. I am not supposed to make demands on policy, even if it does fall within matters of the law. Celestia had made her decision; that was an end of it. And to be fair, my reasoning was something of a kneejerk reaction to what had happened. I did my best to put aside my own protests and focus on my actual work. 

“Very well, your highness,” I answered, showing my acceptance. “I apologise for my conduct.” Celestia nodded in reply and the familiar maternal smile returned to her face. 

“You are forgiven, my loyal advisor. Now, let us move onto the next petitioner.” 

I reached over to my small desk and retrieved the rather large file. It was quite a thick and heavy thing, whatever this case was; I could expect it to be high profile. Opening the manila folder I began to quickly read to get the gist of the issue, allowing me to provide a quick summary for the princess. 

And damn if this wasn’t one heck of a doozy. It isn’t every day in Equestria that you see the words ‘International Arrest Warrant’ next to somepony’s name. According to the file, the defendant had been picked up by Royal Guards during recovery work in Appleloosa. They had been promptly arrested and detained for one night in the local cells before being brought up here. 

The charges were long and extensive, and pretty damn serious to boot. Conspiracy to commit high treason, corruption of local government, wrongful imprisonment, slavery charges, possession of illegal magical artifacts, criminal damage, the list went on and on. If they were found guilty, they would be going down for a long time. 

“Your highness, next petitioner is the CPS with a defendant for trial. Case has been deemed to go beyond local authority and has been submitted to this court for hearing. CPS wishes to block defendant’s bail request and charge the defendant with numerous charges relating to conspiracy against the crown.” Celestia nodded and took the file from me for a moment. 

“Very well, the case will be heard.” She turned to a guard at her side. “The court will close temporarily to hear a criminal case.” The guard saluted her and the large double doors of the throne room were closed and sealed. Nopony would be getting in or out. 





A few minutes later the CPS barristers and other representatives arrived and took their place on the left hand side of the court room, settling themselves down at the provided table. The counsel for the defence arrived shortly afterwards and took their place on the right. The defendant would be brought in directly from their cell into the throne room by the guards and held in the centre of the room. Now, allow me to briefly explain how all this will work.

In the Equestrian justice system, the people are represented by two separate, yet equally important groups; the Royal Guard, who investigate crime, and the Crown Prosecutors, who prosecute the offenders. Celestia, as the ruling diarch would act as the judge, hear the case of both counsels and then pass her judgement and sentence. I meanwhile, acted as an odd mix of clerk and a secondary, subordinate judge. My role was, as ever, to advise on the intricacies of the law, and ensure proper procedure was observed by all parties, including Celestia. Buttercup, the court’s bailiff announced the case.

“Next case: Crown vs Beatrix Lulamoon. Plea and case management hearing.” This wasn’t the trial itself, this was just to determine if there firstly, was a case for the CPS to prosecute, take the defendant’s plea, and to determine whether the defendant should be bailed and allowed to remain at liberty until the trial began. There was more than a case to answer, so the next step was to take the defendant’s plea.

Beatrix Lulamoon was a light blue unicorn mare with a crescent moon crossed by a magic wand for a cutie mark. She had spent the night in the cells but seemed none the worse for wear. After being brought up she was placed so that she stood between the opposing counsels, flanked by two intimidating Royal Guards. Oddly, she seemed to be somewhat enjoying being at the centre of things. Celestia settled herself in her throne. I had the first line today. 

“Beatrix Lulamoon. You are charged with conspiracy against the crown and the illegal possession and use of forbidden magical artifacts in contrary to common law. How do you plead; guilty or not guilty?” I asked. The unicorn looked at me with a strong air of disgust before replying.

“Trixie pleads not guilty, Minotaur.” Celestia promptly stepped in.

“Ms. Lulamoon, Mr. Owen is my legal advisor and his species is human. You will show him proper respect whilst you are in my court.”

With her not guilty plea entered, not the smartest move if you ask me, the next step was to see if it was a good idea to grant her bail until the trial sometime next week. The defence moved first. A typical Canterlot unicorn, with a grey coat and silver mane. A pair of spectacles rested on his snout.

“My lady,” he began, addressing Celestia as a judge rather than a princess. “My client was arrested mere days after a national near catastrophe by officers who were supposed to be aiding those affected by the actions of Tirek. She herself had only recently recovered her abilities. She is relatively poor and would be unable to fund a trip to Canterlot, never mind pay her way to escape custody. I would therefore request that the defendant be granted bail in order for her to take time to recover.” Celestia listened in silence before turning to the CPS barrister; a good friend of mine named Wrought Steel.

“And what is the view of the Crown?” she enquired. Steel quickly began his rebuttal.

“The Crown strongly objects to the defendant being granted bail, my lady. On the two previous occasions where she has been known to commit wrongdoing, and where these charges originate from, she has fled the scene. The crown wishes this to be noted as evidence of bad character and indication that she poses a flight risk. Additionally, given the seriousness of the charges against her, she ought to be remanded in custody. The defendant is also known to be something of a con artist. It wouldn’t be too great of a feat by her standards to talk her way onto a train or airship out of Equestria.”

“Objection, my lady,” Defence chimed in. “Prejudice against the defendant.”

“Sustained,” Celestia concurred as I nodded in agreement. “However, I am forced to agree with the Crown concerning the defendant’s risk. Ms. Lulamoon will be remanded in custody to be tried on Monday next. Take the prisoner down.” Celestia stamped her hoof, acting as a gavel. “Court is adjourned until that time.” Trixie was led away by two guards back to her cell.





By the beginning of next week, I was somewhat calmer. With the occasional brief interference on the part of Princess Luna, my nightmares had ceased to bother me and I was steadily, like everypony else, putting the whole horrid business behind me. The trial that was due to begin today would provide a welcome distraction; a real opportunity to test my knowledge of the law. 

At ten in the morning everyone had taken their places, apart from Celestia, who would enter the throne room last. When Celestia walked in, the court was ordered to rise as a sign of respect. Settling down she turned to ‘Trixie’s’ defence. “Would you care to make your opening statement?” 

“My lady, as previously stated during the earlier hearing, my client is a relatively poor travelling magician. Twice she has visited the town of Ponyville. On both occasions she has had to face damning allegations against her character by the simpleton townsfolk, including her being wrongly blamed for leading an Ursa Minor into the town with the intent to cause property damage. I wish to enter this incident as evidence of bad character against several of the witnesses for the prosecution.” Wrought Steel promptly stood up.

“I must object to this, my lady. The matter involving the Ursa Minor has been previously settled with the defendant being found to be at least partially to blame. If the defence wished to exclude evidence it has had plenty of opportunity to do so this last week. This is merely an attempt to unsettle the prosecution’s case.”

“Sustained,” Celestia said. “Counsel, I suggest you stick to the matter at hoof of conspiracy.” The grey haired barrister bowed.

“My lady, I was just coming to that. Witnesses from Ponyville will almost certainly testify that Ms. Lulamoon was entirely at fault for that incident. It seems highly likely that they would also inflate other claims. In addition, I have testimony from several residents stating that the whole matter was settled by Princess Twilight Sparkle.” Not exactly a strong play, but possibly workable if it came down to it. The impetus now switched to the CPS and their opening. Wrought Steel stood up.

“The Crown wishes to see the defendant prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, my lady. There is extremely strong evidence, as well as multiple witness testimonies that clearly identify the defendant using an illegal magical artifact known I believe as the ‘Alicorn Amulet’, a magic enhancing device. With this artifact she then attempted to exact her vengeance against all those who had perceivably wronged her, including Princess Twilight Sparkle. Furthermore, she forced several members of the town of Ponyville into servitude after she forcibly took over the administration of the town. Respectfully, my lady, I fail to see what my learned friend hopes to accomplish with this petty smoke screen of a poor magician. And whilst individual wrongs may have been forgiven, that does not allow the defendant to escape the penalties of the law.” 

Prosecution definitely had a stronger case here. From what Twilight had told me when I asked her about the incident over the weekend, Trixie had used the amulet. However, a side effect was that it affected how a pony thought, causing her to do what she did. Were I back in my old job, I would aim for diminished responsibility to reduce the charges. But hey, the crown doesn’t guarantee the quality of opposing counsel.





The next few days saw the steady stream of evidence being brought forth by the CPS. The argument put up by the defence began to look increasingly weak. The artifact itself was brought into the court, under heavy guard, and personally examined by Celestia, as was the false amulet which Twilight had used to get things under control again. 

After that, there were the various reports from the Royal Guard which quite clearly showed a sort of magical bubble covering the majority of the town. This was a difficult spell to pull off. Twilight can do small ones around the odd building, but one of that size is more Shining Armor’s speciality. A young magician with no prior training certainly couldn’t do it without assistance.  

Then came the witness testimonies; lots of them. Mayor Mare testified, citing Trixie to have entered town and clearly utilised the amulet. We also heard testimony from a zebra shaman, Zecora, one of the few residents of Ponyville I had not met. Various other townsfolk came forward, all saying the same thing. Trixie had the amulet in her possession, used it to augment her own magic, and then caused absolute chaos until Twilight returned and beat her in a magic duel. 

Of course, defence cross-examined each of these witnesses. But apart from the odd bit of mudslinging from the Canterlot barrister, which resulted in objections from Steel and severe reprimands from Celestia and I, there was very little he could do to discredit them all. So, it looked like Trixie’s goose was cooked. The penalty for merely possessing the amulet was a stretch in a dungeon. But the conspiracy charges could see Trixie banished, for a set time or for good. But you know what they say, don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. Defence had one last trick up its sleeve.  

So far, Defence had been returning the serves, not giving them. CPS was putting forward its case, and Defence was doing its best to put a hole called ‘reasonable doubt’ in it. Now though, all Crown evidence had been heard. So the impetus shifted to the defence and their case. They didn’t seem to have that much going for them. As I said, the evidence so far appeared overwhelming. But then, they dropped a bombshell. They called a witness. 

“My lady, the defence calls Princess Twilight Sparkle to the stand.” Instantly ponies attending all began to whisper amongst themselves and Steel and the other CPS barristers began scrambling. 

“My lady!” Steel protested. “The Crown was not informed of this witness being called for the defence; we have received no application or prior written testimony!” But this silver maned unicorn was one step ahead. 

“I have the application here, my lady. I apologise for the sudden nature of this witness’ arrival, but it only came through my office this morning.” While arguably a bit underhand, there was nothing wrong technically with what he was doing. Celestia and I both looked over the witness statement. 

“Very well, the witness may testify. Your objection is overruled, Mr. Steel.” Steel sat back down, glaring daggers at his opponent. 

Twilight was led in by one of the bailiffs and took her place in front of the two of us, facing Counsel Row. She was promptly sworn in by Buttercup and the defence immediately began to question her. 

“Princess Twilight, is it fair to say that my client held something of a personal grudge against you?”

“Yes, Trixie blamed me for her problems after the Ursa Minor incident that caused her show to fail,” Twilight answered, nodding. 

“And for that reason, she returned to town; to take her revenge on you personally.”

“Yes.”

“She subsequently challenged you to a magic duel; a talent contest of sorts. And upon defeating you, she forced you to leave Ponyville temporarily.”

“Yes.”

“Did this contest extend to anypony else besides yourself?”

“No, but she did threaten to harm my friends if I refused to face her in the duel.”

“So, in your opinion, this was a vendetta against you personally, not the town of Ponyville as a whole.”

“Yes.” Ah, I think I could see where he was going with this. 

“Princess Twilight, could you please describe to the court some of the side effects of long term use of the Alicorn Amulet?” Twilight promptly gave a brief explanation, luckily one which was understandable even to a layman such as myself. 

“The dark magic found in the amulet has a corrupting effect on the wearer. With prolonged use, it can cause feelings of paranoia, irrational behaviour and eventual psychosis.” Yeah, they were definitely taking the route I would, albeit being a little bolder. Rather than go for a reduced sentence by reason of diminished responsibility, they were going straight for the dismissal. Twilight, as an expert witness on the amulet was good leverage. If a psychiatrist would confirm that Trixie was not in control of her actions whilst wearing the amulet, then Celestia would have to find her not guilty. Defence quickly finished up.

“So this amulet would have magnified her dislike of you and cause her to take drastic actions that she would normally view as wrong?”

“Yes, given how she initially behaved, and how she behaved when I defeated her, it was easy to see the personality changes. When the amulet was removed she was immediately apologetic and remorseful.”

“Thank you, Princess Twilight. I have no further questions.”  He then sat back down and began to peruse his notes. 

Right, now it all rested on Steel. He had the unenviable task of trying to discredit Twilight as a witness. Not a job for volunteers, the mare is a bally national hero for getting rid of Tirek, never mind the part she played in several other serious incidents. Still, undeterred, Steel stood up and began.

“Princess Twilight, you were just relating to my learned friend the effects of the Alicorn Amulet. I note that the effects that occur do not set in immediately. Could you just confirm that for us?”

“Yes, I suppose that is the case,” Twilight replied, a little uneasily. 

“So a pony, when they apply this amulet, is initially in control of their actions?”

“Yes, initially.”

“So when do the various issues that you previously raised, the paranoia and delusions, set in?”

“That varies from pony to pony, depending on their strength of will. The issues come from the dark magic in the amulet itself. It affects a pony’s ability to reason. A pony who usually acts in an irrational manner will succumb more quickly than a pony with a logical mind that can stay grounded for longer.”

“And of which school do you believe Ms. Lulamoon comes from?” Damn, Steel, rein it in on the poor girl! No matter what Twilight said she was incriminating Trixie. If she said she believed her to be rational, then it could be argued that she was in control of her actions. And if she said she was mainly irrational then she discredited any evidence of good character the defence had been able to find. Defence tried to step in.

“My lady, I fail to see how the princess’ view of my client’s personality affects this case.” Steel quickly retaliated.

“On the contrary, the witness has just told us that a pony’s mental state greatly affects how quickly this amulet begins to affect a pony. It has a great deal of bearing on this case, my lady.” Celestia thought for a moment and consulted with me briefly before giving her answer.

“Very well, but you will step lightly in the future, Mr. Steel. Please answer the question, Princess Twilight.” Twilight was sweating buckets by this point and looking around uneasily. Finally though, she found her voice. 

“I believe…that Trixie has an exceptionally strong will.” She paused briefly. “Even after everything that happened to her, seeing her caravan destroyed and being forced to work on a rock farm for over a year, she never gave up. Even if that was misguided.” I’d seen this happen before, Steel had managed to break her and knock down defence’s argument. It wasn’t a done deal, but there was now enough reasonable doubt to suggest that Trixie was in full control of her actions when she took over the town. It would be a difficult decision. 





With all the evidence heard and the closing statements and summing up dealt with, Celestia and I left the court to consider the evidence and try to reach a verdict. 

On the one hand, we had a bucket load of testimony from ponies stating that Trixie used the amulet. On the other though, we couldn’t be sure whether or not Trixie was in her right mind. As back home, if a defendant was not compus mentis at the time of the crime, then they cannot be held to account. At best, despite Steel’s work, it was still not clear whether or not Trixie was corrupted when she walked into town. That was reasonable doubt. I turned to Celestia, who looked equally conflicted. 

“What do you think then, Tia?” I asked. Celestia had been sitting down in one of their plush chairs provided in these chambers, looking at the small statue that sat in a recess. It was of a pony, blindfolded, holding a sword in one hoof, and balanced scales in the other. A reminder that we could not afford to take sides. Celestia had initially considered asking Luna to take the case due to her relationship to Twilight, but Luna had refused, saying that she believed Celestia could be fair. Sighing, she turned to me. 

“It is a difficult case; by no means clear cut. There is no proof for certain that Trixie was in her right mind one way or the other when she walked into Ponyville. But at the same time, your friend Wrought Steel showed Trixie knew what she was doing when she bought the amulet.”

“Then we have to go half-and-half, don’t we?” I replied. “CPS hasn’t put forward enough proof to show Trixie was in her right mind when she used the amulet. But, we do know that she was made aware of the dangers of the amulet when she, illegally, bought it. That makes her guilty of possessing an illegal magical artifact. That ties her to the conspiracy charge, but defence has testimony that it was just Twilight she was after. Realistically, I can’t see any way of finding her guilty of any of the crimes she committed in Ponyville. But we still have to send her down for buying the amulet.”

“Possession of an illegal magical artifact carries a custodial sentence. Without anything else, I’ll only be able to impose a two year sentence, and then add a release on licence,” Celestia countered. “Although I imagine that is probably what Twilight wants. I suppose she would say Trixie has suffered enough, and that everypony should get a second chance.” That decided it then. I had no problem with it insofar as the law was concerned. So, after several hours, we returned to court. 





“The defendant will stand,” Buttercup ordered. Trixie got to her hooves for the sentence. Celestia would be the one to speak. 

“I have fully considered the evidence of both parties in concert with my legal advisor. On the charges of conspiracy against the crown, corruption of local government, wrongful imprisonment…” Celestia in short read out all the charges bar the one. “I hereby find the defendant, not guilty.” Instantly there was an uproar in the public stands, mainly from the assembled Ponyville population. Trixie meanwhile breathed a sigh of relief. Celestia banged her hoof on the marble for order.

“However, on the charge of possession of an illegal magical artifact, I hereby find the defendant guilty.” The shouts now changed to belated cheers before eventually being silenced. Celestia turned to address Trixie. 

“Beatrix Lulamoon, you have been found guilty of possessing an illegal magical artifact. Due to the severity of this offence, I am compelled to impose a custodial sentence. It is the judgement of this court, that you be detained at the diarchy’s pleasure for a period no less than two years. After which time, you shall be eligible for release on licence. Take the prisoner down.”

Trixie was quietly led away, down to the cells again. Two years was not that terrible, but it was still a fair stretch. The court was promptly dismissed. Thankfully, as it was getting on for five o’clock, Celestia agreed not to take any further petitioners from Day Court. 





It was by now late evening, and I was heading down to the station. With the case settled and all of the relevant paperwork done, I could turn my attention to other matters. Before I left the court, I had paused to examine the large doors. The repaired doors that had been installed only a fortnight ago. Tirek once again re-entered my thoughts. If there was anything close to Satan in this world, I’d say he is it. No matter how much I tried, it wasn’t easy to distract myself and put it all behind me. Strong Shield has been very much the same. The whole business certainly didn’t help him; hell if it wasn’t for a lucky happenstance that he was alone, others might have seen him in his true form. Still, it was no use dwelling on it. I just wished that something more had been done. 

Just then, at my side, there was a flash of light and a signature pop sound.

“Your wish is my command, my friend,” Discord said as he appeared beside me. While I hold great animosity against that centaur, I hold no such disdain for Discord, despite him coming over all Italian. He’d never admit it, but when you look at everything, his behaviour was highly inconsistent. No matter what anypony says, I still think he was on the level, only his own plan came unstuck. I turned to look at my oddly mismatched friend.

“And what wish would that be, Discord?” I asked. He waved a lion paw.

“Oh come now, your thoughts may as well be floating above your head. Our mutual problem is on your mind.” I’d known him long enough to know what came next.

“You have a plan?”

“Indeed I do. I thought you might like to come with me, have a look in the proverbial basement.” I smiled to myself.

“Why not.” Discord snapped his talons and we both vanished from Canterlot. 





Contrary to my expectations, Tartarus was actually a little chilly. It certainly bore no resemblance to the fire and brimstone I had been brought up to fear as a child. Few being were deemed vile enough be stuck here, but Tirek definitely belonged. Were I a psychiatrist, I’d say he’s a sociopath, with a massive inferiority complex and anger issues. His mother probably didn’t hold him enough. 

Discord led me along several pathways, and eventually to the small ‘island’ that held Tirek in his cage. I’d like to say cell, but it was just a cage. For good measure his hands were shackled too. Stripped of everything he had stolen, he was as weak as a kitten and had the look of a starving man. His eyes however, for he looked up as we approached, still retained that cruel intent and dare I say, pure evil, I had seen before. 

“Discord,” he rasped. “Come to mock me?” it was not obvious, but I could tell Discord was fighting mad just being near Tirek and consciously holding himself back. 

“Oh, Tirek.  That’s hardly the act of a good friend now is it?” he replied, equally ridiculing. 

“And I see you brought the magicless ape with you too.”

“Hello, Tirek.” I replied. “Enjoying your new accommodation?” The centaur snarled angrily. 

“Oh come on, don’t be like that,” Discord continued with false encouragement. “After all, the two of us have come with a little gift for you. Something to help occupy yourself in here.” Discord snapped his talons and Tirek was briefly covered by a bright flash as Discord did his thing. Hang on a minute though.

“Discord!” I half-shouted. “Don’t use magic on him. The bastard will absorb it!” Discord merely rolled his eyes.

“Do you really think so little of me, my friend?” he asked. Snapping his talons again, a small device, looking somewhat like a Geiger counter appeared. It began to click. “Everything in Equestria is saturated with background magical energy; you, me, even Tartarus itself. But there is one exception.” He moved the probe into Tirek’s cage. The counter promptly fell silent. “See? Absolute zero. Whatever Twilight and her friends did completely neutralised even his own magic. Inside that cell it is as if we’re on your old world.”

“So, what did you do then?” I asked perplexedly. Discord smiled in that way he does when he knows something you don’t. 

“Pinch his arm, will you?” he said. Tirek growled angrily at the prospect. 

With some trepidation I put my arms inside the cell. Deciding to have a bit of fun, I used one hand to grab that bull ring of his on his nose, and use it for its intended purpose. That stopped him trying to snap at me. I then pinched his arm. 

And wouldn’t you know it. It squeaked. Like say, oh I don’t know, a dog toy? I have to say Discord is anything if not creative. 

A short ways off, Cerberus, the large three headed dog that guards this place, looked up excitedly. His tail wagged as he eyed Tirek. I repeated the process a couple of more time. The great dog promptly bounded over and began to paw at Tirek’s cage. The centaur quickly retreated, but every move he made caused yet further squeaks driving Cerberus into a frenzy. 

“Well,” Discord said over the noise of Cerberus’ barking. “I think that should stop him getting out unnoticed again.”

“I’d say so. How long do you think he has before Cerberus chews through the cage?”

“Ten minutes?” The two of us laughed. “Tell you what, how about I save you on a trip home? I’ve got a couple other loose ends to tie up down here.”

“Sure, why not.” Before he did that though, he returned to Tirek’s cage, waving Cerberus away for a moment, though the great dog continued to bark and whine. Leaning down, he eyed the centaur, who now knew what was in store for him. 

“You twisted freak!” Tirek snapped. “Just kill me and be done with it or leave me to rot!” Discord smiled though, and laughed cruelly. 

“No, Tirek,” he replied. “As you can see, my friends and I have done far worse than kill you putting you down here. We have…hurt you. And I wish to go on…hurting you.” Discord stood back up to his full height. “Enjoy your new toy, Cerberus.” The dog quickly returned to its attempts to break into the cage. 

Before I had a chance to comment on anything, Discord snapped his talon and sent me back to Ponyville; right into my own living room, in fact. I managed to startle the wife, more so when I remained speechless. 

I knew Discord had once been ‘evil’ but I always believed it was just his chaotic nature. I knew he was mad at Tirek too; most ponies in their right mind were. But I didn’t realise how mad. I’d never seen him act like that, genuinely malicious in his actions. I guess my son is not the only one with an unhealthy fixation on revenge.