Sweetie Belle was happily trotting down the hall to the playing grounds. Ah, life is good. Spark came back a few days ago, and the team managed to register. At the last minute, too!

Hey! said a familliar voice. Sweetie Belle turned, but saw no one there.

"Huh. Must have been my imagination." Sweetie resumed her walk, failing to notice that her eyes glowed a brilliant violet the moment before.

"Huh? What do you mean we get a pass to the final round? That sounds too convenient!" Sweetie Belle said, shocked.

"Apparently, somepony named Filthy Rich sponsored us." said Spark Light. "I don't agree with this, but we don't have any other options. They said they'd boot us out if we didn't agree."

The three fillies' jaws dropped. Diamond Tiara's dad sponsored them! There was obviously something wrong about this.

"Well... Are the other fighters cool about this?" said Babs, sounding annoyed.

"Fortunately, they are. However, they think of us as an extra prize for winning this." Spark said, gritting his teeth.

"Dammit! We got messed with by Diamond Tiara again!" Apple Bloom punched a wall in anger.

"Don't worry. We'll probably be strong enough to beat whoever comes at us in the finals." Sweetie Belle said, voice dripping with confidence. "They won't stand a chance."

Apple Bloom and Babs Seed shot worried looks at each other, while for Spark Light shot an unreadable look at her.

"And now, the moment you've been waiting for!" suddenly boomed the MC, who was a tan Earth Pony mare with a dark brown mane, and was sitting in an elevated stall with another mare. "I'm MC Mia, and joining us today is the one and only, DOCTOR O!!!"

"What's up?" said the white pony with a curly pink mane. "You may know me as Doctor O, or my nickname Moondancer."

"Thank you Doctor O for that short intr-O-duction!" The MC yelled, right before giggling at her lame attempt to copy Moondancer's former gimmick.

Doctor O just shot her with a glare. "You're pushing your luck, kid."

Sweating, Mia just said, "O-Okay! Let's begin the Vanguard Fight Extra Tournament! Three! Two! ONE! STAND UP THE VANGUARD!!!"

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CcjFhrPugVs

Team Crusader watched as multiple teams battled it out, trying to get a chance at fighting them.

In the west wing, a purple dragon wielding kunai was duking it out with a golden beetle that had scythes as arms.

In the east wing, a red robot wielding an assortment of weapons was wiped out by a living suit of armor that looked as if it was a combination between a samurai, a knight, and ball lightning.

The north and south wings had dinosaurs and fire dragons fighting, shooting bullets and fireballs left and right.

The amount of chaos happening would make Discord proud.

Suddenly, a loud honk resonated in the south wing, catching everypony's attention.

"Let's go, Blockade! VANISHING FIELD INCARNATE!!!" A dark red dragon covered in seals shot a burst of demonic fire at the golden Dinodragon covered in golden blades exploded, as a sixth damage landed in its respectful place.

"And the finals of Block B have ended! Rumble of Team Get-Backers defeated Manager of Team Entrepreneur!" yelled MC Mia, shocking Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. Rumble was here? They had some competition.

"I guess you can say the manager... got fired." said Moondancer, putting on shades/sunglasses.

"YEAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" yelled Mia, before brohoofing with the Doctor. "Lame puns aside, Rumble is a sure-fire rising star! His teammates, Dinky Doo and Ruby Pinch, aren't slouches either!"

"Guys." Sweetie Belle said, catching her teammates' attention. "Can I go last? I still have to finish adjusting my deck."

"Sure. Whatever floats yer boat." Apple Bloom shrugged.

As Sweetie Belle went to the team's room, Spark leaned in and said, "Have you noticed anything off about her behavior? She seems more... Confident. Conceited, even."

Apple Bloom just shook her head. "Probably just hormones and stuff that they teach at school."

Babs snorted. "Yeah. You should've seen Cuz AJ during her last heat. She snapped an apple tree in half like it was a small twig."

"Hell hath no fury like a mare on her heat cycle." Spark Light said, receiving a nod from the two mares.

Sweetie Belle looked at her deck. She had received a few new cards from boosters, such as a certain Grade 3 <Salamander>.

Hey hey hey! It's me again! A voice said, before Sweetie Belle felt her surroundings melt around her and was forced to close her eyes. Opening them, she found herself in a pure white room, perfectly symmetrical.

"Like it? Designed it all by myself." Sweetie Belle turned to face the source of the voice, who was... herself!?

"W-Who are you!?"

"Aw screw it. I'm not doing that cheesy 'I'm your worst nightmare' line again. I'm just going straight to the point." Her doppleganger said. "I'm you."

"How c-can you be me?"

"Simple. I'm a manifestation of all your inner hopes and fears." The doppleganger then grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "Aren't I? Or am I a physical form given to your true self? Who knows."

The doppleganger started trotting towards her. "W-What are you doing!?"

"I'm just going to unlock your true potential, therefore causing a chain reaction and," Her double flashed another roguish grin. "Releasing myself."

"W-WHAT!?"

"Don't worry." shrugged the double. "I'm just going to see what happens when all of your feelings get realeased start boiling over, and giving rise to your real power, also known as me."

"N-No! I w-won't let that happen!"

The double's ears drooped. "Aw. I thought you wanted to get stronger."

"I... Do... But..." Sweetie Belle stuttered.

"Then go for it!" chirped her double. "Just imagine how happy Apple Bloom, Babs, Scootaloo and Spark would be when they realize you've gotten stronger! Scoots might even come back!"

Hearing this, Sweetie's eyes widened. "... Are... You sure...?"

"Yeah." nodded the clone. "Scootaloo is probably gonna watch the finals, and Sparky will totally like the fact that you've become stronger! Who knows? You might even get to challenge him to a real match!"

"O-Okay..." Sweetie's mind raced through all of the situations. They'd win the Nationals. They'd get back at Foo Fighter PSY. Rarity and the others would applaud her new power. She'd gain Scootaloo, Rarity and Spark Light's respect.

"I'll do it."

Before these words were scarcely out her mouth, a bright lavender light enveloped her. Before she blacked out, she could've sworn she saw her doppleganger grin.

"Stern Blaukluger's skill! Breaking through the galaxy, STERNEN BLITZ!!!" A blue robot shot all of its weapons at a mare with a pink kimono.

"I nullify with Battle Sister, Chocolat (G1/6000/Shield: 0)!" Dinky said, sending a copy of Sakuya to the drop. A young unicorn mare with glasses in a nun outfit appeared, levitating and using her gatling gun to somehow destroy the lasers shot by the blue robot.

"Next, Brutal Jack attacks with a boost from Tough Boy!"

Dinky sighed. The only card in her hand was her trump card, a mare with an orange kimono carrying a mirror. "No guard. Damage check, no trigger. I lose."

Brutal Jack shot a barrage of beams at the mare, causing an explosion as a copy of Oracle Guardian, Wiseman (G2/10000) ended up as the sixth card in the damage zone.

"And with that, Apple Bloom of Team Crusader wins it!" Mia yelled. "Babs lost earlier, so they have to send out another fighter! Who could it be!? Their ace Spark Light, or the leader, Sweetie Belle!?"

"I guess they'd send out Spark Light. He's the ace-in-the-hole." Moondancer said. "He hasn't been beaten by anyone, as far as we all know."

Apple Bloom and Babs snorted.

"Guys." Sweetie came out of the hall, surprising her team with her total poker face. "Is it my turn yet?"

"Yeah! Good luck, Sweets!" Babs affectionately ruffled her mane, but Sweetie Belle remained emotionless.

"Uh... Are you okay, Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked. Sweetie nodded, before trotting towards the stage. Spark just looked on.

"Is this normal for her?" Spark asked the two, eliciting a 'No' from both.

This behavior... Could it be...? No, I need to observe what happens first...

"Hey, kid! Here's your coffee!" yelled a gray stallion, who was holding out a cup. An orange hoof took it.

"Thanks." The orange pegasus mare said. Her face was obscured in a brown hoodie, since she couldn't afford to be noticed. A stray lock of her pinkish-violet mane stuck out from the hoodie, prompting her to brush it away. She noticed something on the CV. "Huh?"

"And here's the two fighters of the Extra Tournament Finals!" said the MC. "On the left, we have our rising star Rumble, from Team Get-Backers! On the right we have Team Captain of the Crusaders, Sweetie Belle!!!"

The hooded mare gasped before turning to the storekeeper, the stallion from earlier. "I need to watch this. Can you keep ot on this channel?"

"Who are you to say that?"

The mare brought her hood down, revealing herself. "Don't tell anyone."

The storekeeper's eyes widened, before he dumbly nodded. Scootaloo turned back to the CrystalVision.

"Oh, hey Sweetie Belle!" Rumble said, grinning. "You're my opponent, huh? Let's make this a fun Fight!"

"You bet." Sweetie Belle said. They put their Starting Vanguards down, but before the drawing and redrawing sequence, Sweetie Belle held up a card. It was Swordsman of the Explosive Flames, Palamedes (G3/10000).

"This is the card I'm going to defeat you with."

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BO5dGJlhuL8

Author's Notes:

(OOC: DAAAAAMMMMNNNNNN.)

Apple Bloom: What!? She's predicting her victories now!?

Babs Seed: This is getting out of hand, cuz!

Spark Light: (What!? How can she... Have that...!?)

Babs Seed: O-Okay... She needs to pull it off, or we'll be the laughingstock of this entire tourney...

Sweetie Belle: (*giggles) Alright. Time to prove my strength! Next time on Cardfight!! Vanguard - Equestria Arc: Coepit! It's time.

Spark Light: (Damn it... Is it happening again!?)