@TheOtherPinkiePie  
What drama? We’re having a civil discussion here. :P

@Tyler_Cunn  
Discord wasn’t really destructive, just manipulative. Tirek lives to feed off of pony magic, Discord is a reality bender or something, and a jester. Yes, it could be used wrongly, and it was, but it also could be helpful, Tirek, on the other hand, only has destructive magic, and sucking magic from ponies.

This really escalated quickly. Let the drama commence!
 

@Mike  
They could have done one of their Mane Six pep talks, the same thing they did with Discord, and Sunset Shimmer, and Starlight Glimmer…

@Maulkin
 
I’m willing to bet that Scorpan in particular would want to give Tirek the chance for redemption.
 
…Which is why we actually need to see Scorpan for once.

@Mike
 

 
Literally me, circa 2012. 50 yen says they bring Tirek back in season 9 and friend him on Facebook too.

I’m not even involved anymore.
 

@Background Pony #F4C3  
Nope, no way he would accept it after being betrayed by someone close to hi-oh wait.

What they did was a mercy; there is, after all, still hope for his redemption. It would have been absolutely just for them to kill him outright for his crimes. Locking him away for the foreseeable future was the most merciful they could be without putting innocent ponies in danger.

@Background Pony #F4C3  
What would you rather they do? Off him like Sombra?  
What would they have done to make him learn something?

Tirek can’t be trusted with something as powerful as friendship

@Mike  
In my opinion, the least they could have done was not punish him like that. I realize how terrible Tirek was, and I also realize that they couldn’t have used a reforming spell because that would lead to a Clockwork Orange paradigm of “isn’t forcing someone to become good a kind of evil in its own way?”. But my point remains, hopefully Tirek would learn, but shoving him away into a cage completely contradicts the diplomatic nature of the Mane Six. There could have been other alternatives, and in a great season finale, this is an itch that begs to be scratched.

@Mike  
Let’s just wait for the season 6 finale.

@Mike  
This is My Little Pony: FRIENDSHIP is Magic. Of course they need to, or else this show wouldn’t be called that.

Ok, I’m might sound contradictory myself, because of Starlight, but OP, you gotta understand how truly terrible Tirek was. They had to force him to give in.  
You really think a big disastrous centaur like Tirek is going to bow to “friendship”?

@MezzoDragon  
Well, we’re in a new season right now. I’ll bet the finale would have them use it again.

They got a new power… and only used it once (the dream thing doesn’t count).

It’s not bait, but it’s still drama fuel.