http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV25QVdVAZE

"Wish you were here," muttered Spark Light darkly. "Midnight."

"Uhhh... Spark? What're you talking about?" questioned Sweetie Belle, breaking free from her friends' hugs. The colt stayed silent and ignored her.

"Hey bud!! Answer Sweetie Belle's question!!" said Scootaloo, pissed off. "She saved the darn card shop you ungratefu-"

"Fillies and gentlecolts! May I have your attention?" yelled Card Keeper, amplified by a microphone. "The Shop Qualifiers are about to begin!!!"

"SHOP QUALIFIERS!?" yelled our three main mares in surprise. They didn't even know that this shop even held them in the first place.

"Anypony may join." Card Keeper continued. "The only requirement is to have a legal Vanguard deck and passes that record your wins, which are being handed out right now."

A brown mare gave the trio of Crusaders a piece of enchanted paper. "That paper will automatically record all of your legitimate wins, and it will take 4 wins to advance to the next stage, but if anypony gets 10 or more wins, the top 3 get picked to be Ponyville's representative team, and the fourth member is chosen by the team by choosing three fighters, one of them at random, and making them fight each other in a free-for-all battle royale!"

Sweetie Belle gulped. A minute ago, she was just saving the card shop. Now, she was competing in the Qualifiers, which would lead her to an all-expenses-paid trip to Canterlot, and a pass to the regionals if she/her team won that.

"And now, LET THE QUALIFIERS BEGIN!!!"

At the instant these words were uttered, Tartarus broke loose. After a few (6) fights, which she all won, Sweetie Belle found herself looking for a familiar face or someone to fight, and that's when she saw her. A face she hadn't seen in a few years. An orchid unicorn mare with a shiny golden mane, with six crystalline bubbles as her cutie mark.

"Hey Dinky Doo!" squeaked Sweetie Belle. "Long time no see!"

Dinky Doo turned to see her former classmate standing behind her. "Hi, Sweetie Belle! I just got here!"

"I thought you were at that private school?"

Dinky shrugged. "Oh. That. The girls there are all snobs and bullies."

"Oh... Then how do you co-"

"Excuse me! NEW SUDDEN DEATH RULE!!! TAKE TOO LONG TO FIND ANOTHER FIGHTER AND YOU'RE OUT!!!"

Sweetie Belle tensed. She had to find another fighter and she was about to run away to find another fighter, when Dinky placed her hoof on Sweetie's shoulder.

"Uh, Sweetie? Can I cardfight you?" said Dinky nervously. "I haven't... tested out my deck yet... if that helps."

"Sure!" said the white unicorn mare. "Let me set us up."

Sweetie found an unoccupied table, and both of them took opposite sides, with Sweetie Belle taking the left, and Dinky the right.

"Stand up..."

"... my..."

"Vanguard!!" both said, as they flipped their First Vanguards.

"Picture it in your mind... You are the vanguard on Planet Cray..." said Sweetie as she closed her eyes, glimpsing Dinky do the same. Sweetie imagined herself as an astral being, floating on the surface of Cray, near a valley where the battle was happening.

"Barcgal!!!" A silver robot dog wielding a dagger suddenly appeared on left perimeter of the battlefield.

"Lozenge Magus!!!" Dinky suddenly manifested herself in the valley as a snow-white mare, wearing a pink, diamond-patterned set of clothes, while holding a staff with rubies in it.

"My turn! I draw!" Dinky said, picking up the top card of her deck. "Ride! Oracle Guardian, Gemini! Lozenge Magus moves! Turn end."

(RC) (Gemini) (RC)

(RC) (Lozenge) (RC)

Hand: 5 Damage: 0 Soul: 0

"My turn!! Draw, and I ride Little Sage Marron!!! Barcgal moves!" said Sweetie Belle as she took form on Planet Cray as herself, albeit clad in blue robes and wearing glasses. (Hand: 5) "Barcgal's skill! I rest him, and I call Flogal! Call, Future Knight, Llew!!"

(RC) (Marron) (RC)

(Llew) (Barcgal) (Flogal)

Hand: 4 Damage: 0 Soul: 0

"Marron attacks!" (Power: 8000)

"No guard!"

"Drive check! No trigger!" Sweetie Belle added a card with the illustration of a white and blue dragon to her hand.

"Damage check! No trigger." A copy of Battle Sister, Maple was sent to the damage zone. (Damage: 1)

"Turn end." (Hand: 5 Damage: 0)

Dinky drew the top card of her deck. "I ride, Oracle Guardian, Wiseman!!! (Power: 10000)" The cybernetic peach-colored filly robot turned into a coal-black statue of a stallion with glowing eyes. "I call! Dark Cat! Sword Dancer Angel!"

(Sword Dancer Angel) (Wiseman) (RC)

(Dark Cat) (Lozenge Magus) (RC)

Hand: 2 Damage: 1 Soul: 1

"Dark Cat's skill! I draw!" (Hand: 3)

"Me too!" (Hand: 6)

"Sword Dancer Angel's skill! She gets Power +1000 (Power: 9000)! Call, Psychic Bird! Skill, put into the soul for a draw (Soul: 2)! Sword Dancer's skill! (Power:10000) and I call! Luck Bird! Soulblast! I draw (Hand: 4)! Sword Dancer gains Power +1000!" said Dinky, panting. "Dark Cat boosts, Sword Dancer attacks (Power: 18000)!"

"Tsk... No guard." (Damage: 1)

"Lozenge boosts, Wiseman attacks!!" Wiseman's eyes start glowing, and shoot a golden beam of energy towards Marron/Sweetie. "Lozenge's skill! Wiseman gains Power +3000! (Power: 16000)!!"

"I guard with Epona (Hand: 5)!!!" A red-maned filly riding on a golden beetle takes the attack for Marron and dissolves into golden spakles.

"Drive check, Dream Eater! Draw Trigger!!!" (Hand: 6)

"Damage check. No trigger." A copy of Knight of Silence, Gallatin ended up in the damage zone. (Damage: 2)

"Turn end. Lozenge Magus returns to my deck and I shuffle."

"My turn! Stand and draw (Hand: 6)!!!" Sweetie Belle flipped a card of damage. "Llew's skill! All to the soul! Superior ride, my avatar! BLASTER BLADE (Soul: 4)! Call! Gallatin! Marron! Gallatin! (Hand: 2)"

(Gallatin) (BB) (Gallatin)

(Marron) (RC) (RC)

Hand: 3 Damage: 1(flipped)/2(total)

SP Counter - Soul: 4

"Gallatin attacks!"

"No guard! Damage check, draw trigger!" (Hand: 8 Damage: 2)

"Blaster Blade attacks! Drive check, critical trigger get!!" (Hand: 4)

"Damage check, once; no trigger. Second check; Critical get!! All effects to the vanguard (Power: 15000)!!" (Damage: 4)

"End turn."

"My turn. Stand and draw (Hand: 9)." Dinky looked at the card she drew and smiled. "Shining goddess of divination, the ancient petal storms you create shall change the destiny of Cray! Bloom, Goddess of Flower Divination, Sakuya!!"

Dinky suddenly appears on the surface of Cray, wearing a pink kimono tied with a blue ribbon, while her some of her mane are in loops. "Her- no, my skill! ANCIENT CHERRY BLOSSOMS!!! I return all rear-guards to the hand (Hand: 11)!" Dink said, before pausing to breathe.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Continuing, I call, Wiseman!! Dark Cat! Her skill! I draw (Hand: 10)! Call, Battle Sister, Cocoa! I check the top card of my deck. I place it back. I also call Maiden of Libra and Gemini. Sakuya's skill, too! She gets Power +4000!!!"

(Wiseman) (Sakuya) (Libra)

(Dark Cat) (Gemini) (Cocoa)

Hand: 7 Damage: 4 Soul: 1

Sweetie Belle tensed. Even if she was able to survive this turn, Dinky had an INSANE hand advantage. She needed to destroy that hand, but how? Oh wait, she had that card...

"Cat boosts, Wiseman attacks!!!"

"No guard. Damage check, no trigger." (Damage: 3)

"Gemini boosts, Sakuya attacks!" (Power: 22000)

"Hmmm..." She kept the top card there... Should I? Sweetie thought. Dang it, I'll take a risk!

"No guard!"

"Oh?" Dinky asked, amused. "Think it was a bluff? Let's see... First check,-"

Moment if truth. Sweetie gulped.

"- CRITICAL GET!! All effects to the vanguard!"

Buck.

"Second check,-"

Well, at least it couldn't get any worse.

"- Critical get!!! (Power: 32000 Critical: 3)

Uhh.......

"I d-damage check... First.. No trigger... Second, draw trigger! I draw.... Third.."

Well, there's still some hope for a heal-

"... King of Knights, Alfred."

Or not.

Sweetie Belle sighed and smiled. "Well, I lose."

"Yay!! First cardfight in real life and I WIN!!!"

"Wait, WHAT!?"

"Umm.. I usually play online instead.. Hehe..." chuckled the orchid mare, rubbing the back of her head.

Sweetie was going to reply, but she was interrupted by Card Keeper's announcement. "OKAY!!! THE PRELIMS ARE DONE!! First place with his fiery destroyers, we have SPARK LIGHT!!!"

Most ponies clapped in applause, but some gritted their teeth and muttered obscenities.

"Second, with her Murakumo, we have Scootaloo!!"

Now, most ponies cheered, save for a certain duo of pink and silver watching from outside, who vanished from sight quickly.

"And third, we have Apple Bloom!"

The audience had the same response as earlier with Scootaloo.

"Now choose the fourth-"

"Sweetie Belle!" said the two ex-Crusaders, and Spark grumbling the same thing.

"And then-"

Scootaloo pointed at Sweetie Belle's right, which caused a pegasus colt with a red mane and golden coat to flinch. "Uhhhh....."

"Name!"

"Err... Rocket Blaze, ma'am!"

"You have the next largest amount of wins to Sweetie! You're in!!"

"O-Ok!!"

"And finally, the random one is-" Card picked up an envelope, tore it open and read what was inside. "Rumble."

A certain gray pegasus with a dark mane in the crowd did a brohoof with his companion, a pink unicorn with a blue mane.

"And now..." Card began, as the three competitors began advancing towards an illuminated table with 3 ports. "Let's take a break!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRVoHUEPzuE

Author's Notes:

Pardon my OTT playstyle. Like Dinky, it's my first time using/writing Oracle Think Thank! XD
For that certain somepony who requested OTT. Here. ya happy? She broke Sweets' current 6-win streak. And this is her first time using cards in real life, since Dinky usually cardfights online instead.