Wish Gone Awry. Enter Equestria! Enter New Life!

"Hmmm, something isn't quite right," Twilight hummed as the group watched the match. "The moves are impressive, but are they physically possible without magic?" She asked as Iron Claw hit Feathered Storm with a modified powerbomb. "Like that. Griffons might be strong, but to flip a pegasus up like that, and I think I saw Feathered Storm's hind legs push off."

"Twilight, darling, you don't quite understand theater, do you?" Rarity knowingly asked. "This is functionally theater. The two creatures in the ring are working together to tell a story without words. It's not about being possible; it's about looking good and telling a story," she explained.

"So, all this is fake?" Twilight asked as Julius, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity all looked at her.

"No!" The three exclaimed at the same time.

"The athleticism is real," Rainbow Dash started to say, "the strength and conditioning are also real, and some of the moves are very real," she said as Feathered Storm gave Iron Claw several extremely hard wing chops. "Like those, they were real. Ask any pegasus who's done any combat; wing chops making that sound aren't fake."

"While most of the moves require your opponent to cooperate, these are still moves that hurt, even if you take them properly, like that powerbomb. Feathered Storm took it perfectly, but even so, I can promise you he felt every bit of it. Then, there are weapon moves. I doubt we'll see any chairs or anything like that, but even gimmicked, a steel chair to the back still hurts like hell," Julius explained as Feathered Storm reversed a suplex into a flight-assisted piledriver. "Wait, a piledriver? Ok, nevermind; we might see weapons if they'll pull that out," he said in surprise as the ref counted to three.

"Why is that surprising?" Twilight and Rarity both asked.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash agreed, "it looked really strong, and if it weren't done safely, it'd definitely end a fight."

"You answered your own question," Julius flatly said. "The piledriver is dangerous; mess it up, and you can easily break someone's neck. Some promotions in my world banned it for this reason," he explained as the two creatures left the arena and the next two entered.

"This match is set for one fall," The announcer stated. "In the red corner, standing at five foot five inches, weighing at one hundred seventy-seven pounds, Lightning Shock! In the blue corner, standing at seven foot nine inches, weighing at three hundred eighty-three pounds, Sharp Horn!" He announced as the crowd roared.

"If this were a real fight, it'd be a complete mismatch," Rainbow Dash flatly stated. "Both the size and weight are such a mismatch that there's almost no chance that Lightning Shock could win."

"Agreed," Rarity said. "Although, the contrast between the sizes does make for an exciting story. A smaller, more nimble unicorn trying her best to take down a large, imposing minotaur. It really is a storybook tale," she stated as the two competitors started the match.

"It's a pretty common match-up in wrestling," Julius stated. "Put a small guy against a giant; tell a David vs Goliath story. If the small guy wins, well, everybody loves an underdog story. If the giant wins, well, it's realistic," he explained as Sharp Horn easily threw Lightning Shock across the ring.

"I'll admit, I have read a few books with that kind of match-up. Usually, some pony fighting a giant monstrosity to save a prince," Twilight said as Lightning Storm went through a hope spot before getting shut down. "Sometimes, I'd read them to Spike before bed."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Julius nodded. "I kinda want to flip through a few of those books. See what these monstrosities are. In my world, they're usually something like a dragon, but with dragons being sentient here, I can't imagine they'd be the big bad," he said as Lightning Storm bounced off the ropes and knocked Sharp Horn down.

"Looks like Lightning Storm is going to win," Rainbow Dash said as Lightning Storm started to go off on Sharp Horn.

"Maybe, but I doubt it," Rarity replied. "We might be in Canterlot, but if only ponies win, it would tell a bad story. You can't give the audience everything that they want; you have to keep them thirsty, keep them wanting more so that they'll come back. I'd say maybe a sixty-forty split," she hummed.

"Yeah, but remember, we're in Canterlot. That might work better in border cities and smaller cities. But in these old, traditional cities with old bits and nobility in them, it wouldn't go over as well, trust me," Rainbow Dash responded.

"You do have a point. But business sense remains the same. Good business sense always gives the audience a bit of what they want but not all of what they want. It keeps them returning and gives you plenty of room to keep improving," Rarity firmly stated.

"Honestly, I'm a bit surprised at how soft the heels are," Julius interjected. "It's difficult to tell who the bad guy is. I think it's supposed to be Lightning Storm, but it's a tough call with how she's being cheered. Maybe it's from being in Canterlot," he trailed off.

"If heel means bad guy, then it's definitely Lightning Storm," Rainbow Dash confirmed.

"Oh indeed," Rarity reinforced. "Her tactics and moves are not something a sophisticated pony would use."

"Yeah, besides, she keeps trying to cheat when the ref isn't looking," Rainbow Dash slightly spat. "She's probably only being cheered because they're in Canterlot."

"Why the disdain?" Rarity asked. "I thought that you would be able to relate to Lightning Storm. You know, with the running of the leaves and all," Rarity giggled.

"Hey, I never technically cheated!" Rainbow Dash defensively exclaimed. "Well, ok, at the end, I did, but I didn't in the Iron Pony contest! I followed the rules to the letter; it's AJ's fault for not saying that I couldn't use my wings before we started! Besides, why do you like Lightning Storm so much? Hmmm," she shot back. "Got a thing for bad ponies?"

"In theater, yes," Rarity calmly said. "In theater, when there's a good guy and a bad guy, the good guy sells merchandise, while the bad guy sells the show. I can think of quite a few plays that the bad guy carries. The play suffers if the lead antagonist cannot live up to the role, even if every other creature does. The idea here is very much the same," she said as Sharp Horn caught Lightning Storm and slammed her down.

"One, two, three!" The ref counted. "The winner by pinfall, Sharp Horn!" The ref announced as the crowd booed.

"Hah, we're in bizarro-land, and we aren't even in Canada," Julius laughed as the two competitors left the arena.

"What do you mean?" The three ponies asked.

"Just an insider joke from my world; don't worry about it," Julius chuckled as the show continued. Different matches took place as the show continued, several performers cut promos, and the announce team advertised upcoming matches and shows until the show reached the final match. Loud, lively, upbeat music started to play.

"I never heard this kind of music," Rarity giggled as she started to bop in place.

"I know," Rainbow Dash agreed, "it's very catchy."

"It sounds very exotic," Twilight said as she listened to the lyrics. 'Mentiroso, tramposo, robador. Mentiroso, tramposo, robador', the lyrics repeated. "The language isn't one I'm familiar with. Odd, I studied a bit of every language."

"You did?" Julius asked.

"Enough to ask for directions and to tell whoever that I only speak Equish," Twilight clarified.

"I see," Julius said as a relatively small, stout zebra walked out. 'No soy débil, viniendo de la calle. Provenientes de la Tierra, desplumando a los tontos con engaños.' "I think this is Spanish; it sounds like it. If nothing else, the music is salsa; I'm very sure about that," he said as the zebra swaggered into the ring. "Let's see if anything has changed," Julius laughed as the music died down and another song started. This time, a well-built, younger dragon walked out.

"This match is set for one fall," The announcer stated as the dragon entered the ring. "In the red corner, standing at eight foot three inches, weighing at three hundred twenty pounds, Flame 'Hunter' Scale! In the blue corner, standing at five foot even, weighing at one hundred thirty-four pounds, Eddie 'The Warrior Agave!" He announced as the crowd roared.

"Zebra vs dragon, normally a wash," Rainbow Dash confidently stated. "It'll be interesting to see how they make this interesting."

"With the difference, it'll definitely be a challenge," Rarity agreed. "But I've seen a few plays that have pulled off similar things before. It's definitely possible," she said as 'Hunter' easily rag-dolled 'The Warrior' around the ring.

"With the sheer difference in strength, 'The Warrior' can't afford to try to match up with 'Hunter' in a straight-up fight," Rainbow Dash stated as 'The Warrior' gave 'Hunter' a few solid hits. "On a non-dragon, those would hurt, but to a dragon, with their scales, I doubt he really feels it."

"Seems kind of pointless," Twilight said as 'The Warrior' jumped up and uppercut 'Hunter,' knocking him back to the ropes. "That had to be a hard hit," she said with a wince.

"It was," Rainbow Dash confirmed. "With how his head moved, I don't think the 'The Warrior' pulled his buck; if he did, it wasn't by much," she said as 'The Warrior' strutted around the ring. "Come on!" Rainbow Dash yelled down at the ring. "Pin him already!"

"Oh, what the hell?" Julius chuckled as he leaned slightly out the window. "Nah ese!" Julius yelled down. "Lie, cheat, and steal! You know you have to!" He yelled down with a chuckle as 'The Warrior' locked eyes with him for a second.

"What the buck stallion?" Rainbow Dash asked as Twilight pulled him back.

"Yeah!" Twilight agreed. "I thought that you'd like the heroes!"

"Normally, yes," Julius told them. "But in wrestling, I'm all for the heels; they carry the show," he chuckled as a wry smirk grew across 'The Warrior's face.

"It's so nice to find another creature who appreciates a well-played antagonist," Rarity stated. "It's so rare to find one who understands the whole point and reason for them. Most ponies only really like the heroes," she said as the 'Hunter' and 'The Warrior' continued the match.

"I know," Julius sighed. "The world might change, but everyone will always pay good money to watch a prick get the ass beat."

"I wouldn't exactly word it that way, but I agree," Rarity nodded in agreement. "And finding creatures who can play a good villain is so difficult. Every creature wants to be a hero," she slightly chuckled.

"Well, yeah," Rainbow Dash firmly said. "No creature what's to be booed and hated. We all want to be heroes."

"We might all want to be heroes, but this is a play, darling," Rarity told Rainbow Dash. "You're not a villain for real, just in the play."

"Yeah, that may be, but you're still getting booed, and creatures still hate you," Rainbow Dash insisted. "It doesn't matter if it's a play or not, boos and hatred are still boos and hatred," she emphasized as 'Hunter' and 'The Warrior' locked up, 'The Warrior's mane covering their faces.

"Shut up," Julius told Rarity and Rainbow Dash, "something big is being planned," he said as they all turned their attention to the ring. After several seconds of being locked up, 'Hunter' picked up 'The Warrior' and threw him across the ring, knocking down the ref. After a few seconds of 'The Warrior's mane covering both their faces, 'The Warrior' rolled out of the ring.

"What's happening? Why is he leaving?" Rainbow Dash asked as 'The Warrior' pulled a chair out from under the ring.

"There is no way we're going to see a chair shot," Julius said as 'The Warrior' chucked the chair into the ring. "We're going to see a chair shot," Julius said in mild shock as 'The Warrior' swiftly hit 'Hunter' directly in his eyes. As 'Hunter' backed up in pain, 'The Warrior' picked up the chair and had a wry smirk on his face. After teasing a chair shot a few times, 'The Warrior' smacked the mat hard with the chair before throwing the chair at 'Hunter.' As 'Hunter' caught the chair, "The Warrior" fell, and the ref got up. Hearing the smack, seeing 'The Warrior' down, and 'Hunter' holding the chair, the ref called the match.

"The winner by DQ, Eddie 'The Warrior' Agave!" The ref announced as 'Hunter' protested. 'The Warrior' fake limped out of the ring as he mocked 'Hunter'

"Hah," Julius laughed. "Lie, cheat, and steal," he continued to laugh.

"Oh, that's very clever," Rarity giggled. "Brava!"

"Come on, 'Hunter' clearly had that won! What a load of oats," Rainbow Dash huffed.

"While I can appreciate the cleverness of the win, I still disapprove of it," Twilight flatly stated.

"I think the show's over. They're just cleaning up now. We should try to beat the crowd out," Julius said as the arena slowly cleared out.

"Good idea," Twilight agreed as the group swiftly got ready and started to leave. The group managed to get out of the halls before most of the ponies; as the group got to the exit, they were stopped by several imposing minotaurs and dragons.

"Security," one of the imposing creatures said. "You're requested backstage," they flatly said.

"Why?" Julius slowly asked.

"No idea," they responded. "All I know is that you're requested backstage. Asking questions is out of my pay grade. Now, come with us," they commanded. Looking at his guards, they shrugged at Julius.

"Alright," Julius said slightly nervously. "Lead on."