A Risky Wild Bet
“My word,” Chancellor Cinch said. “I don’t believe what has happened underneath our fair city.”
Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Chancellor Cinch stood in horror as they saw what was in the basement of Wild Bet. A giant gated fence was placed in the center, shaped like a ring. There were seats that surrounded the fence ring. A number of kennels laid on the floor nearby. There was even a makeshift stand nearby, and a bulletin board placed on a wall that had random names on the list.
“An illegal dog fighting ring, right under the capital of Equestria,” Princess Celestia shouted. “How did we not see this at all?”
“This is a serious matter, without a doubt,” Chancellor Cinch said. “The public needs to know about this.”
Immediately, Chancellor Cinch pulled out her video phone and began taking pictures of the entire room, from the ring in the middle to the kennels. Princess Luna immediately walked up to the bulletin board and observed every name on there.
“Sister, take a look at this,” Luna said as Celestia walked up to her. “This is a list of every dog that partook in these fights, plus the owners themselves.”
“Not to mention either the prize money they made or how much they lost,” Celestia said. “And take a look at the top of the list.”
“That’s Karen the Alicorn Bulldog,” Luna said. “And her owner is Wild Bet. All this time, Karen was nothing more than a dog bred for illegal fights.”
“Chancellor,” Celestia shouted. “Come take a few snapshots of this.”
Chancellor Cinch walked up to the list as Celestia and Luna stepped aside. Cinch held her phone up and took a few snapshots.
“Never thought that the very bulldog who gave the Man’s Cub and her sister a hard time would be used for these despicable forms of entertainment,” Cinch said. “But it’s also not surprising that Gold Banks would be behind it.”
“Wait,” Celestia said. “Did you say Gold Banks?”
Cinch pointed to the bottom of the page and said “Right at the bottom. Gold Banks was listed as the main sponsor of the dogfight.”
Celestia looked down at the page and said “You’re right. This may explain why we haven’t learned of this illegal dogfight, until now. Gold Banks must have figured out how to cover this whole thing up.”
“Right now, Gold Banks is still on the run,” Chancellor Cinch said. “But by your recent experience with her, she’s become far more dangerous than she currently is with that amulet of hers.”
“That means we can shut down this operation before she returns to Canterlot,” Princess Celestia said.
“That’s correct,” Cinch replied. “But there’s still the matter of Wild Bet to deal with. I will remain behind to gather evidence. Locate the despicable fiend and put him under arrest.”
“We’re on it, Chancellor,” Celestia said.
Immediately, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ran up to the lift before they leaped upwards, exiting through the ceiling. Chancellor Cinch turned towards the rest of the room, taking more photos of the entire vicinity.
“Best of luck to you both, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” Chancellor Cinch said.
Meanwhile, back at the Canterlot Sugar Cube Corner, Wanda sat next to Karen the Bulldog with Abigail lying on her lap, petting the dog with her left hand while eating her cake with her right. Pinkie Pie was back in her kitchen, preparing a new batch of sweets, while Spike and the rest of the ponies were eating their cakes.
“So how horrible do you think the owner of Karen is?” Sunset Shimmer asked.
“That’s something I don’t want to know,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “If the owner of that dog mistreats Karen like that, imagine what would happen if we ran into this monster.”
“Ewww,” Misty said. “I can only imagine what this owner would be like. About as despicable as Miss Honey Twist from Daisy Joy Tech.”
“Don’t bring that up,” Golden Lace said. “I still get nightmares thinking about that stuff.”
“Same here,” Starlight said. “In fact, I still remember when Wanda was forced to surrender to Miss Honey Twist because she tortured me and Misty with this horrible device.”
“I still remember how many times I was tortured that way,” Misty said. “Powerful supersonic waves that go into my mind, resulting in flashbacks to our very nightmares.”
“You know,” Danged Spell said. “If there are so many sick, twisted ponies that exist across Equestria, it makes me wonder if any of us are actually safe.”
“That’s a good point, Spell,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I wouldn't be surprised if one of those misfits were to step through that door and give us a hard time.”
Suddenly, the sound of a door opening caught the attention of everyone in the room, especially Pinkie Pie and Wanda. At the front, Wild Bet the stallion looked down at Karen, who hid behind Wanda and Abigail.
“You,” Wild Bet said. “You’re the one who took my dog.”
As Wild Bet walked up to Wanda, Abigail jumped off her lap before she got up and glared at Wild Bet.
“This is your dog?” Wanda said in a stern tone.
“It is, and you took her away from me,” Wild Bet said.
Sunset Shimmer got out of her seat and marched up to Wild Bet.
“If this is your dog, then why do you neglect to feed her?” Sunset said.
“That’s none of your business,” Wild Bet said before he swung his wing back and smacked Sunset Shimmer aside, knocking her down.
As Pinkie Pie placed her finished cake on a kitchen table, she marched right up to Wild Bet in a huff and glared up at him.
“Now you listen here,” Pinkie Pie shouted. “This is my shop and I set the rules. Either you get out of here this instant or I’m gonna call the royal guard on you.”
But Wild Bet just picked up Pinkie Pie with his wing and held her up by the tail.
“No, you listen here you simple-minded brat,” Wild Bet said. “Either you stand aside and let me teach this dognapper a lesson or two about respect, or you’re gonna get it.”
With that, Wild Bet tossed Pinkie Pie aside, sending her flying right into Golden Lace, knocking them to the ground.
“Oooh,” Pinkie Pie said, struggling to get up. “That really hurts.”
“Something tells me I’m gonna need to call out my Wolf’s Breath curse,” Golden Lace said.
Wild Bet turned to Wanda, who held herself in front of Karen and Abigail.
“You’re not taking this dog back,” Wanda said. “You’re a bad pony who would mistreat animals.”
Suddenly, Wild Bet picked up Wanda with his wing and slammed her on top of a table. Though some tears formed in Wanda’s eyes, she remained focused on Wild Bet’s face.
“You’re not in any position to tell me what to do,” Wild Bet shouted. “This is my dog, and it is also my property. I get to do whatever I want, and no one, not you, and not your spoiled, entitled moocher of a mother, can tell me what to do.”
As Wanda was held down by Wild Bet, the other fillies and colts, along with Spike the Dragon, hid behind a table, looking a bit scared at the big, scruffy stallion pegasus.
“What do you think he’s going to do to Wanda?” Sunburst asked.
“Whatever it is, it’s not good,” Moondancer said.
“There’s got to be something we could do,” Twilight Sparkle said.
“I wish I could,” Sunset said, pointing to the equinox ring on her horn. “But I can’t use any magic.”
Slowly, Wild Bet picked up Wanda and thrusted her into his face. But Wanda, despite her tears, remained hardened.
“Now you’re going to let me take this dog back to my home, and you and those other wretches are not going to tell anyone about this incident,” Wild Bet said. “In return, I won’t have to kidnap you.”
“That’s not fair,” Wanda said. “You want to take her back just so you can treat her like dirt. Why do you have to be so mean?”
“Because,” Wild Bet yelled. “Being mean is the reality.”
With that, Wild Bet flung Wanda across the room until her back hit a wooden pillar. She screamed loud before she dropped to the floor, looking as if she were on the verge of crying.
“WANDA!” Sunset yelled.
Immediately, Danged Spell and Golden Lace’s eyes turned bright as they began to crowl at Wild Bet.
“Now he’s gone and done it,” Pinkie Pie said. “Abusing an animal and one of our friends. That’s just cruel.”
“Get your party cannon fired up, Pinkie,” Twilight sparkle said. “You’re going to need it.”
“Roger that,” Pinkie Pie said before she ran towards the kitchen area.
Wild Bet marched up to Karen the Bulldog, who slowly backed herself up. But the big stallion reached down and yanked Karen by the collar.
“Come on you filthy, pathetic mongrel,” Wild Bet yelled as he pulled Karen by the collar. “You’re coming with me.”
Suddenly, Abigail ran up to Wild Bet, jumped into the air and scratched the stallion right in the face. Wild Bet screamed in horror as he held his nose in pain, releasing Karen from his grip. Karen immediately back up a bit as Abigail stood in front of the Alicorn Bulldog, growling loudly all while Wild Bet directed his gaze at the kitty cat.
“You no good, alleycat,” Wild Bet said as he swung his wing back. “I’ll make dog food out of you.”
But before Wild Bet could swing at Abigail, he felt two pairs of teeth bite his leg. Wild Bet screamed loudly as he jumped into the air and landed on his face.
“WHO DID THAT?” Wild Bet yelled as he got his face up. “WHO BIT ME?”
Wild Bet looked down at his leg to see Danged Spell and Golden Lace bite right into it. He swung his wing back and hit both colt and filly with it, causing the two Wolf’s Breath ponies to leap off.
“You have a lot of nerve to besmirch me with that,” Wild Bet said as he got up. “Guess I’ll have to teach you brats a lesson.”
But Danged Spell and Golden Lace just stared at Wild Bet, growling loudly with their eyes glowing brightly, much to Wild Bet’s amusement. Nearby, Karen looked at Danged Spell and Golden Lace, and her eyes began to pop.
“Wolf’s Breath,” Abigail explained. “Brave ponies.”
Karen nodded at Abigail before turning her attention towards Wild Bet, who laughed at Danged Spell and Golden Lace.
“What do we have here, a colt and a filly pretending to be dogs,” Wild Bet said. “Maybe you two would make perfect replacements for my useless mutt.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Wanda said as she slowly got up. “But you can’t have them. After all, they have the Wolf’s Breath curse.”
“Wolf’s what?” Wild Bet said, confused.
But before Wild Bet could make another move, Danged Spell and Golden Lace leaped into the air and bit into each of Wild Bet’s wings. The stallion yelled loudly as the two held on tight.
“LET ME GO YOU MONGREL WANNABES!” Wild Bet yelled. “I’LL TEACH YOU TO MESS WITH WILD BET!”
Suddenly, Wild Bet felt his other leg take two more bites, causing him to scream even loud. Wild Bet looked at his other leg, where Karen the Bulldog and Abigail Albright bit right into it.
“THAT’S IT!” Wild Bet yelled. “I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS CHARADE!”
Wild Bet leaped into the air and spun around like a twister. In a flash, Danged Spell, Golden Lace, Karen the Bulldog and Abigail Albright lost their grip and fell to the floor. Wild Bet landed on the ground as Lace, Spell, Karen and Abigail got themselves back up before glaring at Wild Bet.
“Now you’ve gone and teed me off,” Wild Bet snarled as he approached Danged Spell and Golden Lace. “I’m gonna have to teach you some manners.”
But before Wild Bet could make a move, a cake flew out of nowhere and hit Wild Bet right in the face, catching him off guard. Twilight Sparkle turned to the kitchen area, where Pinkie Pie had a few cakes and pies right next to her.
“Pinkie,” Twilight said. “I thought you were going to get your cannon.”
“I did,” Pinkie Pie said. “But these are for you to pay that party crasher back. Besides, these are a failed batch that came out wrong.”
Wanda, Sunset, Twilight, Spike, Starlight, Sunburst, and Misty ran up to the pile of ruined cakes and pies before picking each one up. Wild Bet directed his attention to the rest of the group and began to march towards them.
“Ready, Aim, FIRE!” Sunset yelled.
And in an instant, Wanda, Sunset, Twilight, Spike, Starlight, Sunburst and Misty flung the botched up pastries right at Wild Bet, covering him in the undercooked baked goods. Wild Bet struggled to get up as the younglings continued to fling desserts in his face.
“I CAN’T SEE!” Wild Bet yelled. “I CAN’T SEEEEE!”
Pinkie Pie hands Wanda two pairs of whipped cream canisters, who shocked them up and pointed them at Wild Bet. The stallion wiped the mess off his face, only to see Wanda point the cans right at him.
“This is for the way you treated Karen and for wrecking our party,” Wanda said.
And with that, Wanda sprayed Wild Bet in the face with the whip cream, once again blocking out his vision. Wild Bet screamed in agony as he ran helplessly around the room before he tripped and fell on his face.
“He’s dazed and confused,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Let him have it, Pinkie.”
With that, Pinkie Pie pulled her party cannon right from behind the counter and pointed it right at Wild Bet, who looked up and saw the cannon barrel right in his face.
“Get out of my shop this instant,” Pinkie Pie said in a harsh tone.
Outside, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ran down the street towards the Sugar Cube Corner in a hurry.
“Sister,” Princess Luna said. “Why are we heading to the Sugar Cube Corner?”
“Something tells me that Karen the Alicorn Bulldog went to this area because of her fondness towards Wanda,” Celestia said. “And that means Wild Bet may be taking his rage out on my daughter.”
“Then let’s hope he didn’t do anything bad to her, or her friends,” Princess Luna said.
Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the city as Wild Bet flew out of the Sugar Cube Corner and right into a nearby tree, much to the surprise of Celestia and Luna. Wanda, Pinkie Pie and Karen stepped out of the door with Danged Spell and Golden Lace right behind them, growling at Wild Bet.
“You better leave this dog alone,” Wanda yelled. “You don’t deserve her at all.”
Wild Bet backed up for a bit, staring at Wanda and her friends in fear, all while Spell and Lace looked like they were about to leap at him. But when Wild Bet turned to his right, he saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna nearby, who were both surprised by his presence.
“THAT’S IT!” Wild Bet yelled. “I’VE HAD ENOUGH!”
Immediately, Wild Bet ran up to Celestia and Luna and got down on his knees.
“I GIVE UP! I SURRENDER!” Wild Bet begged, holding his arms in front. “I STARTED A DOGFIGHT RING JUST TO RAISE MONEY FOR GOLD BANKS’ POLITICAL AMBITIONS! JUST PLEASE, KEEP ME AWAY FROM THOSE HORRIBLE BRATS!”
Celestia and Luna just looked at each other in confusion before Luna pulled out some hoof cuffs and slapped them on Wild Bet’s arms. Wanda looked up at Celestia before walking towards her with shame in her eyes.
“Mommy,” Wanda said. “I’m sorry I…”
But Celestia just put her hoof on Wanda’s mouth, silencing her.
“What matters is that you’re safe, Wanda,” Celestia said. “I would have been disappointed in you. But judging by the condition of Wild Bet, and the fear of what would have happened to you, I’m just glad you were able to make it out. So I’ll make an exception.”
Immediately, Sunset Shimmer ran out of the Sugar Cube Corner and up to Princess Celestia and Luna.
“Care to explain what happened?” Luna asked.
“Karen the Bulldog came up to our place for some reason and we noticed she looked abused,” Sunset said.
“That’s because Wild Bet treated Karen like a fight dog,” Celestia said.
“A what?” Wanda shouted.
“There was an illegal dogfight ring under the streets of Canterlot,” Luna explained. “Wild Bet was the head of this organization, and Gold Banks was the original sponsor.”
“Banks of all ponies?” Wanda said. “That’s despicable.”
“The good news is that thanks to Chancellor Cinch,” Celestia explained, “The whole ring has been shut down for good, and we’re going after his clients.”
“WHAT?” Wild Bet yelled.
“You had the audacity to turn innocent animals into your own form of entertainment, for a mere wager of bits,” Luna scowled. “For that, we’re going to put you away for a very long time.”
The only thing Wild Bet could do was to lower his head in fear as Wanda glared at him.
“Wanda,” Celestia said. “Was there anything else that Wild Bet did at the Sugar Cube Corner?”
“Yeah,” Wanda said. “He slammed me on the table.”
Immediately, Celestia’s eyes shrunk down. She turned towards Wild Bet and picked him up with his magic before slamming him down on the ground. Princess Luna just backed up in complete fear of her sister.
“YOU DID WHAT?” Celestia yelled.
“Honestly,” Wild Bet said. “She was trying to keep my dog. I had to do what I…”
“YOU HAD THE AUDACITY TO HURT MY DAUGHTER?” Celestia yelled. “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH TROUBLE YOU ARE IN, WILD BET?”
As Wild Bet screamed really loud, someone shouted “Princess Celestia. Don’t do it. You’re setting a bad example for the Man’s Cub.” Celestia calmed down as she turned to the right, where Chancellor Cinch ran up to her.
“But Chancellor,” Celestia said. “What Wild Bet did to my daughter…”
“That’s no reason to sink down to his level,” Cinch said. “You’re better than this, Princess. Think of what kind of message you would send to her.”
“Yeah,” Wild Bet taunted. “Maybe then, you mares will learn your place, just like how I threw that monkey aside for besmirching me.”
Those words caught Cinch off guard. She turned towards Wild Bet and glared right at him.
“You had the audacity to hurt the man’s cub for your own amusement?” Cinch snarled as her eyes glowed a bright red. “Be lucky I am trying to hold myself back, for if I cut loose, you would be in a full wing and hoof cast, drinking through a straw. Do I make myself clear?”
Wild Bet just looked at Cinch before nodding in agreement. Cinch’s scowl turned into a smile, much to Celestia’s surprise.
“That’s how it’s done,” Cinch said. “And I take it your daughter was the one who brought him down.”
“She was, along with her friends,” Celestia said.
Cinch turned towards Wanda and said “Give him those words and I’ll take him away.”
Wanda nodded to Cinch before turning towards Wild Bet, who looked like he wanted to run away.
“Wild Bet,” Wanda said. “As Princess of Equestria, and on behalf of every dog that you abused, you are under arrest.”
With that, Celestia handed Wild Bet to Chancellor Cinch before she dragged the stallion away. But she paused for a moment before turning towards Wanda.
“Tell your friend Pinkie Pie to save me a piece of coffee creme cake,” Cinch said. “I’ve been dying to try some out.”
“I will,” Wanda said.
“NOT ME!” Wild Bet said as Cinch dragged him off. “I’M GOING ON A CAKE-FREE DIET FROM HERE ON OUT!”
“Don’t think you’ll be getting off that easy,” Cinch said. “The judge may make you eat cake if you keep whining like that.”
As Cinch dragged Wild Bet off, Wanda wiped the sweat off our brow before turning to Celestia.
“Wanda, I have to apologize to you twice,” Celestia said. “First, for my behavior that I displayed in front of you. It was wrong for me to be that upset. Second off, I never thought I’d say this, but today, I put you and your friends in danger. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, mommy,” Wanda said with a smile. “I think I’ve gotten too used to danger, especially after that trip to Mount Aris.”
With that, Celestia pulled Wanda over and gave her a big hug.
“I’m glad that’s over with,” Luna said. “Especially after that encounter with Wild Bet.”
Immediately, Danged Spell and Golden Lace approached Princess Celestia with Karen right behind them, whimpering in sorrow. Wanda pulled herself away from Princess Celestia as she walked over to the two younglings.
“Oh dear,” Celestia said. “Now you’re both stuck in your Wolf’s Breath curse. I’ll take care of that.”
Princess Celestia tapped both Danged Spell and Golden Lace on the foreheads. Immediately, their eyes returned to normal as they both shook their heads.
“Thanks,” Danged Spell said. “I thought I would have to be stuck as a wolf for a long time.”
“Now I know how Danged Spell feels like being stuck in that curse,” Golden Lace said.
Immediately, Princess Celestia walked towards the Sugar Cube Corner, where Pinkie Pie waved towards her. Next to her were Abigail Albright, Starlight Glimmer, Twilight Sparkle, Spike the Dragon, Sunburst, Moondancer and Misty Brightdawn.
“Princess,” Pinkie Pie screamed. “I have a special cake with your name on it. Come on down.”
“What do you say,” Princess Celestia said. “I’m in the mood for a bit of cake with some coffee.”
“Sounds fine to me,” Princess Luna said.
As Celestia, Luna, Sunset, Danged Spell and Golden Lace walked towards the Sugar Cube Corner of Canterlot, Wanda looked down at Karen and scratched the dog behind the ear.
“Mommy,” Wanda said, turning to Celestia. “What are we going to do with Karen now?”
Immediately, Celestia came to a stop before turning to Wanda.
“I know that Karen was used for one pony’s selfish desires,” Celestia said. “And we have a policy that helps retrain dogs into being happy pets again. So tell you what? We can look after Karen for the time being.”
“Alright,” Wanda cheered.
As Wanda walked up to Princess Celestia with Karen right behind her, Abigail ran up to the Alicorn Bulldog and walked alongside her.
“Karen, friend?” Abigail asked.
Immediately, Karen licked Abigail on the face, causing the kitty to giggle.
“Friend,” Abigail giggled.
To Be Continued in….
A New Day, a New Hope