Tales From Day Court

by Blade Star

Chapter 4 - Playing the Game

About a week or so after the incident at the dam, my suspicions about Troubleshoes were confirmed. Somehow, by luck, wit, cunning, or random act of chance, he had survived the fall and made his way to Appleloosa. However, it was then that things took a turn for the odd. It was not the local sheriff that brought him in. Nor was it the famed Appleloosian Rangers. It wasn’t even a posse that had been raised by the locals. No, believe it or not, the ponies who found Troubleshoes were the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’. They’re a group of foals from the school in Ponyville where my wife works. One of them, Apple Bloom, Applejack’s younger sister, lives with my son on Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack had gone down there with them to participate in the rodeo. Through a series of incredibly complicated events, they had found Troubleshoes and managed to exonerate him.

You see, when he first appeared on my radar, I understandably attributed all of his acts to a malicious intent. After all, he had been going around wrecking rodeos up and down the country. But when those fillies explained, it came to light that it was actually him being a bit…well, clumsy. Yep, I guess for a stallion as large as Celestia, it wasn’t too hard to cause accidents like that.

Anyway, I quickly realised that at least some of the blame could be attributed to my…shall we say slightly overzealous, manhunt. He’d panicked and run, our pursuit had only made things worse. In light of the revelations brought forth by those fillies, it was decided to drop the charges. Okay yes, technically, I still had a case, but I had no intention of kicking a pony when he’s down.

With his wanted status being lifted, I hear he’s actually doing quite well for himself. He’s gone to work with the rodeos as he always wanted. He’s one of the rodeo clowns. And I must say, having seen his act, he is the only clown that I do find genuinely funny, rather than deeply unsettling.

The successful closure of that case then left me with something of a void in my schedule. The Grand Galloping Gala was not too far off, about a fortnight or so away. But there were no major cases, no important visits, or anything else really that required my attention. So, I fell back into the monotony of paperwork for a few days. Troubleshoes’ case certainly made for an interesting report.

---

A few days later, I found myself heading out of the castle to go for a walk around Canterlot. Having caught up on the bureaucratic side of things, it seemed a little pointless to just sit in my office. I wasn’t playing hooky, mind you. Before I left the castle, I stopped by the Royal Guard barracks looking for Buttercup, to let him know where I would be going. If a case did come up that required me to be in the throne room, he could easily find me in Canterlot proper.

However, before I had a chance to find him, I ran into Shining Armor, who had also just stepped out of his office.

I count Shining Armor amongst some of my closest friends. Given my position in the Equestrian government, the two of us regularly cross paths on a number of matters. We first met when my family and I arrived in Canterlot to meet with Princess Celestia. When we got out of the chariot that had flown us there, Shining was there, along with a few guards to escort us.

Initially, I didn’t think much of him. His general personality gave off that vibe of ‘high school jock’, you know the type. The one who fails every class, yet still graduates and gets a better job than those who worked hard, and gets a hot wife to boot, all because he captained the football team. I’d seen enough of that type on Earth.

The only bit of that that turned out to be true was the part about the wife. He has managed to net himself the lovely Mi Amore Cadenza. Aside from that though, I misjudged him greatly. He was actually quite the nerd as a colt and not particularly popular. He’d joined the Royal Guard as soon as he could and had steadily risen through the ranks, eventually becoming their CO. Working with him, I’d found him to be extremely able and talented; particularly when it came to magic. In that area, I suppose he takes a little bit after his sister.

He also holds the title of Prince of the Crystal Empire, his wife being the princess. As a result of holding these two prestigious offices, he frequently commutes between Canterlot and the Crystal Empire as and when he needs to. He’d just gotten back the week before, after having been up north for almost a month, helping Cadance in negotiations with Yakyakistan.

“Shining, good to see you again,” I greeted as I spotted him. Shining seemed to have been lost in his own thoughts, as he suddenly started, producing a sharp whinny.

“Oh, you spooked me,” the white stallion replied, doing his best to appear unruffled.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to.” Since he didn’t seem busy, I started up a conversation. “So how’s life for the Captain of the Guard then?”

“Oh you know, the usual,” Shining replied, smiling. “Training, paperwork, training.” We both laughed at that. I will say this; Shining does have a fondness for practice drills. Canterlot has been ‘attacked’ no more than twelve times this month. And each time it has been successfully defended I might add.

“And how’s Cadance been? I know there’s been a fair bit of chatter about the political situation up there.” While Shining is an accomplished soldier, Cadance is just as an accomplished politician, presumably from her time with Celestia.

“The Yaks are giving us a bit of a hard time, but she managed to convince them to send a delegation down at some point. I sure am glad she did, their army is quite legendary. After all, not even Sombra bothered them when he was in power.” I could see why we would do well to have them as allies, along with the griffons. “How about you anyway? I heard you almost captured Troubleshoes near Ponyville.”

“Close but no cigar, though,” I replied. “We chased him right into the dam before he got away.” Shining nodded.

“I heard that he took a jump off the end. And that everypony else figured he wouldn’t be coming back. Never pays to bet against you does it?” I smiled at that.

“Anyway, so what are you up to now?” I asked. “I was just looking for Buttercup; let him know I was going to head into the city for a bit.” Shining pointed to the courtyard outside the barracks.

“Today’s inspection day. I get to walk up and down the line and make sure everypony is up to standard on how a guard behaves. You can come along if you like. It shouldn’t take too long.” Why not?

“Yeah, sure. It’ll save anypony having to head down to the city to look for me.” With that, I followed Shining out onto the courtyard.

---

The Royal Guard is Equestria’s first line of defence. It’s an odd mix really; on the one hand it’s merely a police force, protecting ponies domestically. But it also acts as an armed force against foreign threats, with much greater force. Hell, Shining once showed me the sheer number of plans they have for various eventualities. Everything from another coup attempt, a second changeling incursion, all the way to war with the Crystal Empire (in the event Sombra had managed to retake the place) was planned for. Unfortunately, it is a rare thing that Equestria has to deal with a conventional foe on equal footing.

Still, while not recognised as much outside Canterlot, they are the pride of the city. Like my mother country’s own royal guards, they took great pride in the way they presented themselves and in the exact correctness of every procedure. Anypony wondering needs only to watch Celestia’s birthday celebration to see the level of perfection they practice.

I peeled off and stood near the archway Shining and I had come through, whilst the captain himself began the inspection.

The courtyard was filled with around forty ponies in full armour, as well as one griffon exchange officer. The moment Shining entered, they all, as one, snapped to attention and presented their weapons for inspection. While ponies have not developed firearms, aside from the odd canon, they are still a fighting force to be reckoned with. The ceremonial spears are plenty sharp and the ponies who wield them are skilled in their use. Unicorns also have a number of spells to call upon, while earth ponies can rely on their brute strength rather than weaponry.

Keeping his face serious and neutral, Shining made his way along the line. With a practiced eye, he examined each pony that he passed, taking in every detail. Every now and then, he would stop, either citing a pony for a minor error, or simply quizzing a pony on their knowledge of procedures. For the most part, things went perfectly smoothly. Until he reached one pony.

It had been a while since I’d last seen that orange pegasus, it took me a moment or two to recall his name. Flash Sentry stood out like a sore thumb in the formation. A lone blob of orange amongst a sea of white and grey. He was apparently a temporary transfer from the Imperial Crystal Guard. Up there, the enchantments on the armour that altered a pony’s coat and mane were not in common use; the spell had, after all, been introduced some five hundred years ago, when the Empire was still absent.

I’m not quite sure why, but for some reason Shining, as well as my son if I’m honest, seem to have something against this particular pegasus. As I said, he stuck out like a sore thumb visually. He was also a little undersized next to his comrades, and didn’t really give off the impression of a pony that it would pay to get on with. This slight bias became apparent when Shining passed him.

With little to no warning, Shining paused in his inspection, wheeled round and seized Sentry’s spear from his hooves.

“Four inches from your chest, Sentry!” he yelled, referring to the way he held his spear. “Four inches!” The pegasus, who now looked quite frightened, further dispelling his guard image, quickly corrected himself. Shining scowled at him before moving on. Finally, he passed the last guard in line. Turning around, he addressed them all.

“Excellent work, everypony,” he said, keeping his tone professional. “I’m glad to see that,” he lowered his voice a moment. “Most of you continue to uphold the highest traditions of the Royal Guard. Dismissed.” With that, the assembled ponies dispersed, either back to their barracks, or to their postings in the castle. Shining meanwhile returned to me.

“You’ve got some good lads there,” I commented. Shining removed his helmet before he responded.

“They’ve all been taught well,” he replied. “And aside from that foal Sentry, they carry themselves well.” I nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, what was the deal with that just now?” I enquired. Shining sighed and put a hoof to the bridge of his snout before he replied.

“I’ve worked with lots of ponies over the years, Roger. Some good, some bad. But that foal can sometimes be in a class of his own. You know, the other night, I caught the idiot sleeping at his post. Just standing there, snoring!” Shining tossed his head in irritation.

“I’m sure he’ll come around eventually,” I offered. For Flash’s sake I hope he did.

It was at that moment that we were interrupted by the arrival of somepony else.

Off to the side of us, there was a sudden bright, white light and the signature sound of a teleport spell. I quickly found myself wrapped in a bear hug.

“Roger, there you are!” a voice declared happily. “I thought you might be down here with soldier boy.” Shining bristled at that. Another way he can be a little like my son, is that he can have a short temper at times. Releasing me from his grip, I turned to face my assailant.

“Hello, Discord,” I greeted.

Standing before me was the serpentine, mish-mash form that was Discord. He is a draconequus; a being of pure chaos that holds the title of Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, the polar opposite to the Elements of Harmony, and possibly one of the most dangerous beings in the world.

Also my best friend. Yes, you read that right.

“What brings you down here, old man?” I enquired. Like Sombra, Discord tends to bother me when he wants something, or he’s bored and needs entertainment.

“Why it’s time for games, my friend,” the draconequus replied. “Cellie sent me down here to look for you. I don’t suppose you’ve seen the gyroscope have you?” Ah yes, the game.

Every now and then, when we have time, Celestia, Luna, Discord, and I all get together to play Mornington Crescent. It’s a nonsense game, but nonetheless a fun way for the four of us to relax. Discord enjoys it half due to the game’s chaotic nature, particularly under the 1976 rule set, and also due to the number of rumours ponies have come up with trying to explain it.

Shining, like most ponies, was quite confused by our conversation. After all, how many games need a bloody gyroscope?

“I think Twilight should have one in her castle, Discord,” I replied. “But if not we ought to be able to manage without it.”

“Hang on, hang on,” Shining broke in. “What the hay are you two talking about?”

“Just part of a game Discord and I play with the princesses,” I explained. It was then a thought occurred; Shining was technically a senior government official. I suppose we could include him in the game. Twilight had quickly stopped playing after she realised the true nature of the rules, whist Cadence didn’t usually have the time for a full game. Yes, it couldn’t hurt to let him have a go. Plus, it was always fun to watch a new player find their feet.

“Tell you what, Shining,” I said. “If you aren’t going to be too busy for the next hour or so, why don’t you join us? We could always use a new player, right, Discord?” Discord however, seemed far less accepting.

As I said before, Discord is my best friend. However, our relationship is an odd one. The best way I can describe it is that it’s similar to that of House and Wilson. Take a guess which of us is Wilson. At times, the millennia old draconequus can be quite jealous; friendship is a new concept to him after all. The two of us have maintained a strong ‘guys’ relationship for a while, since Discord spends most of his time interacting with females, as do I. As a result, he can get a bit uncomfortable with anything that potentially threatens that unique friendship.

“Oh, come on, Roger,” he said, nose turned upward. “This oaf couldn’t cross Tower Bridge if everypony else was in the Nidd.” Whilst this served to only further confuse Shining, I merely rolled my eyes.

“Discord, don’t be like that,” I implored. Still, he kept his back to me. “Hey, don’t make me call Fluttershy down here. Because I will.” The fear of Fluttershy being disappointed in him is one of the few things, aside from re-imprisonment, that can bring him to heel. Quite a feat considering he is the physical embodiment of chaos. Still, I got no response, so I tried a different tack.

“You don’t think he’s going to beat you, do you?” I asked slyly. That quickly got a rise out of him. He wheeled round to face me.

“What?!” he exclaimed. “Him beat me? Me who has no less than fifteen championship victories across six dimensions? Bah!”

“Then let him join us for a game. Don’t be so childish.” Discord turned to study Shining for a moment, with the captain staring straight back at him, something few ponies manage to do without their knees knocking.

“Fine,” Discord said at last. Honestly, for a creature supposedly thousands of years old, he acts like a six year old at times. I quickly moved to capitalise on this success.

“Good,” I said triumphantly. “Now that that’s sorted, shall we head on up. I’m sure the princesses are getting impatient.” This, however, let Discord back into his element.

“Ah yes, allow me,” he said. Before Shining or I had a chance to object, he snapped his talons and we were teleported up to the dining room.

---

A moment later, the three of us rematerialized at our destination. I quickly felt a sudden sense of sea sickness; teleports and me don’t mix very well. I staggered for a moment before finding my balance.

“Dammit, Discord!” I complained. “How many times have I asked you not to teleport me? You know it plays havoc with my stomach!”

“Oh don’t be such a drama queen,” Discord replied. “Come on, the game’s afoot.” Summoning himself a deerstalker, he sidled over to the table where the two princesses were sitting.

Celestia was, as ever, calm and collected and contentedly sipping a cup of tea. Luna, meanwhile, despite looking a little tired, was raring to go it seemed, having already set up the board and chosen her playing piece.

“Yes, yes, do get along,” she said, encouraging Discord no doubt. It was then she noticed Shining at my side. “Captain Armor? You wish to play do you?” she enquired.

“Er, do I?” Shining asked. Having little to no idea of what he had agreed to do, Shining was still at a loss.

“Don’t worry, Shining,” Celestia reassured him. “While it may all seem complex and intricate, any foal with a halfway decent imagination can play, and even excel. Right, Roger?” I nodded in agreement.

“Yes, you’ll have a great time, Shining. This is a game of strategy after all.” That seemed to perk his interest, as well as his ears. Ponies are so easy to read sometimes.

Discord summoned forth a fifth cushion for Shining, and we all settled ourselves down around the board. Before us was a map of London, with the Tube network superimposed over it. There were, of course, a number of appendices and context sensitive playing parts that would take far too long to list here. In addition to the gyroscope, there was a pocket watch, twelve dice; six six-sided, two twelve-sided, three eight-sided, and one colour coded die, as well as a jubilee sovereign, a harmonica, a pack of playing cards, and of course, the all too necessary rule book, in the event there was a dispute.

We each chose our playing piece and starting station. Personally, I went for the Aga oven and Woolwich Arsenal; it lets a player use a variety of different openings and allows you to control most of the rightbottom wing stations for at least the first fizzbin, plus it gives you easier access to the bus routes for the end game. I doubted this would be an overly long game so I didn’t have to worry about advanced shunts. Everypony else quickly made their own selection, leaving Shining, as the newcomer, to take the bishop and start at Bank.

“Right, Shining,” I said. “Allow me to clue you in. This is the game of Mornington Crescent. It’s a game from my old world. It’s set on an underground railway network in a major city. Each player takes their turn moving between various stations. The object of the game is to reach Mornington Crescent.” I pointed to the station in question. “Here. The only catch is that you cannot move to Mornington Crescent, you have to get there via alternative means.”

“Okay,” Shining said, still quite befuddled. “So how does the game work then?” I allowed myself a small smile.

“That you have to work out for yourself,” I replied. “We’ll all happily tell you if a move is valid or not. But you have to discern the rules yourself.” I then addressed the other players. “Alright, everypony. Celestia is the main dealer today. We’ll be playing with the Amsterdam rule set; Docklands Light Railway is out of bounds and double hop captures are only valid if the offside rule isn’t in effect. Your move, Luna.”

With that, Shining’s foray into the London Underground began.

---

Thirty five minutes later, and we were in the end game. We had been for a good thirty five minutes. It often confuses new players that the end game begins after the first move. Still, at least we didn’t have to worry about teams; the game can be played in a team fashion with up to thirteen players per team, including senior conductors and sergeants.

As was often the case, us four veterans were locking each other out rather than moving forward much ourselves. I’d been stuck in the topside rightbottom section of A6 ever since Celestia played that Hullender’s Defence against my move on Shepherd’s Bush. That’s what I get for trying to claim three territories though.

Shining meanwhile, had done quite well as the new boy. Okay, he had naturally lost a few points when he dithered at the start. But that is common for new players. There are after all hundreds of openings to choose from. Though I don’t know what made him think he could go to Chalk Farm when the N76 was out of service for the night. Still, he had been quite shrewd when he took Putney Bridge. It had thrown Discord in the Nidd and brought into play the Nijmegen Exception.

There had been one minor disagreement though. Luna had been called out of order under the offside rule. She went straight from Euston to Aldgate in one move. That of course meant there was only one base between her next but one shift zone. As the Amsterdam ruleset incorporated Morton’s Convention (only the 1867 Quebec system disallows this, hence why it is disliked among grand masters) this was an entirely illegal move on her part. As a result she was declared under-struck and called out of line and out of order, leaving her consigned with only seventy six points before final scoring in addition to taking a Bakerloo Redress and missing a turn. I leaned over to talk to Shining.

“Well, things are heating up aren’t they?” I said. “It’s going to be either Celestia or Discord who takes this one I think. You’ve done quite well so far though. What do you make of it all?” Shining looked at me with an expression that could probably be described as a thousand yard stare.

“This is the single most complicated game I’ve encountered in my entire life,” he replied in a monotone. “I can see why Twiley didn’t care for it.”

“Don’t worry, Shining. You’ll catch on soon enough. You’ve actually given quite a good account today. I certainly didn’t do as well on my first go.”

“Roger, in this one half hour long game, I’ve heard no less than thirty four different references to conventions, exceptions, redresses, diagonals, offsides, and something called the topbottomrightwing. Not once have any of them been repeated, or shown any indication of a pattern. It’s all complete gibberish!” I nodded.

“Exactly,” I replied. And with that, the penny dropped at last.

“Your turn I believe, Shining,” Celestia stated. “Here’s a jack of hearts for you.” Shining grinned, finally understanding, and possibly enjoying the fact that he’d learned something his younger sibling had been defeated by.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll trade the jack for The Knowledge so I can use roads for the next three turns.” He paused as Discord whistled in surprise. “And I’ll head for Dagenham East.” He promptly moved his bishop chessman across to the District line. “That puts you in the diagonal I believe, princess.” We all turned to Celestia, who studied the board carefully. I had expected her to win this game, but Shining’s move had released the wing topside diagonal which reversed the direction of travel for the Victoria line.

“An interesting tactic, Shining Armor,” she commented. “But it shan’t stop me. I’ll take Morden, and thanks to Roger putting Discord in the Nidd, I can use my remaining fare to coast all the way to…” She triumphantly moved her potato piece. “Mornington Crescent.”

The rest of us cheered in approval; it was a clever move after all; I sure hadn’t spotted it. Still, it was lucky; before long we would all need to get back to work, or bed, as the case may be.

“Well, good game, good game,” I said as I began to collect the various flotsam and jetsam from the board and pack everything away. “I think we should certainly consider including Shining Armor in our next game.”

“Here, here,” Luna declared. “He is a fine tactician and a worthy opponent.” Celestia and Discord also voiced their agreement. Shining meanwhile, took the praise with a quiet dignity.

“Thanks, everypony. It certainly was an…interesting experience.” That got a laugh from everypony.

“Just remember though, Shining,” I warned gravely. “The rules of this game cannot be divulged to anypony, with the exception of Rule 1 and 77A. Otherwise it would be most boring.” Shining, of course, gave his word to keep quiet. I’d hate to see all the rumours go after all. With that, our party broke up. Shining headed back to the barracks, Celestia returned to court, and Luna headed off to bed. As for Discord and I, we had little to do, and headed off to go for a wander.

---

“So,” Discord said as the two of us wandered through the maze in the castle gardens. “I hear that you took Celestia up on that second job offer.” I nodded.

“Yes, it certainly helps me sleep easier at night. Knowing that everyone down there is still safely under lock and key,” I replied. Discord meanwhile, was wringing his talon and paw.

“So I suppose you see Tirek every now and then?” I was surprised at that; usually, Discord loses his temper if you so much as mention Tirek’s name near him. It was odd that he brought the subject of the imprisoned centaur up.

“I tend to make a habit of checking on him first. He doesn’t do much though. He just throws a few idle threats out and tries to frighten me. Frankly, at this point it’s starting to become quite tragic.” I stifled a giggle. “Why do you ask?”

Honestly, Tirek was the very definition of a Saturday morning cartoon villain. He didn’t want to rule Equestria as Chrysalis or Discord had. He didn’t want to enslave ponies for his own gain like Sombra either. His entire plan consisted of stealing all magic, destroying all of Equestria and then ruling over the ashes.

How he planned to do that last part is beyond me. His continuous rhetoric about how worthless friendship is just adds to his cringeworthiness. I really have a hard time taking him seriously now. Hell, the only reason my son despises him is because he blew up the library.

“I just wondered how he had been spending his time,” Discord replied. “Does he say much about me?”

“Every now and then he swears vengeance on you for giving Twilight the clues to defeat him. But he does that to everypony. Me, you, Twilight, the princesses, anypony really. Honestly, you ought to stop thinking about that idiot. He’s utterly harmless; he’s had his one chance and blown it. Keeping this whole issue going just wastes your time and messes with your head.”

Like my son, Discord is the type to hold a grudge. Though at least he personally knew the being he held a grudge against. For most of the first year we were here, my son had a serious problem with changelings. He even went after Strong Shield when he found out he was a changeling. It all came to a head when he was inadvertently sent back to when the whole problem with changelings began; the Royal Wedding. He never told me exactly what he did, but it caused a paradox that sent him back. Afterwards, he was a changed pony, and promptly let go of the whole matter, even patching things up with Strong Shield. I hoped the same could happen to Discord.

“You know,” I said. “Before I took the job, Celestia told me that you had been the one she originally intended to use. But you turned it down. She said that you said you ‘wouldn’t be held responsible for your actions’ if you went down to Tartarus.”

“Yes,” Discord replied. “I didn’t want to do something I’d later regret.” I posed the obvious question.

“What would you do?” I asked him. “If we went down there right now, what would you do? I mean, you’ve been keeping up the constant torment for months now. But what would you do? Kill him?” Discord remained silent. “Beat him up; knock six bells out of him? Would that make you feel better?”

Discord stopped walking and summoned himself a chair to recline in. Leaning back, he closed his eyes and formed his talon and paw into a steeple. He stayed in this state of deep thought for quite some time. Eventually he came to again.

“Alright,” he said quietly. “I know what I need to do.” I looked at him curiously. “I can see the point you’re trying to make, though did you have to make it all sound like an after school special?” I laughed a little at that. “I’m going to go down there, and do what I should have done months ago.”

“And that is?” I asked.

“Forgive him, and then forget him.” With that, he snapped his talons and the two of us appeared in Tartarus.

---

I expected this to go a number of ways. Most of which involved a quick visit to Tartarus, a couple brilliant one liners from Discord, and then leaving Tirek to himself.

That was not what I got.

As soon as we arrived, we could hear the screaming, no threats, no shouted demands, just screaming.

“Jesus, Discord! What did you do to him this week?” I asked over the noise. Discord had been continuously changing the method by which he made Tirek’s existence hell, but he’d never made him scream in such agony before.

“It’s not me,” he replied. “Or he’s having a very severe reaction to Pinkie Pie singing at him on a looped tape.” Were we anywhere else, I would have found that funny. Running towards the source of the screaming, we quickly found our way to Tirek’s little island.

The centaur was still in his cage, but instead of leering through the bars as he usually did, he was now on the floor of his cell, rolling around and screaming almost constantly. Getting closer, I could see tears streaming down his face, he was crying. As we hurried over, he began to shout again.

“Scorpan, please no! Please don’t leave me here! Scorpan! Scorpan!” He then rolled around to face us, and I saw what was wrong. Tirek’s eyes were usually unsettling enough, being yellow points in a black abyss. Now though, the whites of his eyes were green and purple vapour poured from the sides.

“Dear God,” I muttered. I’d heard about this, this was the work of Sombra, his infamous fear spell. Twilight had once been caught by it, as had Spike, when they inadvertently triggered a trap in Sombra’s castle. It was also the way he prevented the crystal ponies from remembering anything prior to his rule. Tirek was currently being forced to see his worst fears over and over.

“Well, there goes my plan,” Discord said quietly. Sombra had evidently beaten him to the punch. The two of us quickly went to find Celestia.

Author's Note:

Proofread by The Batmane of equestria and EnderHooves.

Sorry for the cliffhanger, everypony.

Comments

[Kichi]

And he was thinking that Prometheus idea was good.

[Seeking Dusk]

So Sombra is getting back at Tirek for causing his incarceration?

[harts fire]

well this is not going to be good.

[SWEETOLEBOB18]

Silence of the Lambs? or the sequel? (Never saw either so I get them muddled)

[BenRG]

I've got a feeling that Sombra did a Hannibal Special on Tirek. Maybe Tirek insulted Celestia's sexual history in Sombra's presence or something else similarly uncouth that Sombra simply wouldn't permit to be said about his marefriend (in his mind, at least) without response. I suppose that the Equestrian authorities should be grateful Sombra didn't show off by simply talking Tirek into swallowing his tongue or something.