10 Months Later, February 26th…
It felt like only yesterday that Izuku and I talked about being heroes together… and it felt even quicker when this day came; The day that the two of us were supposed to take our U.A. entrance exam. Ten months of training went by in a flash… for me, I was able to learn some new spells and techniques that Mom taught me. As for Izuku, I could see a change in his body… He was getting stronger everyday and made sure to stick with the program that All Might gave to him. Mom's also been bringing All Might to Equestria every month as promised… Speaking of Mom, she's been acting a little strange… she told me something about getting a new job and not much else other than it pays more than being a librarian. Even this morning she left before I even woke up.
I grumbled a bit looking at Spike who was reading a comic book. Of course he took notice of this. "O-Oh! Hey Crystal!" Spike said in japanese nervously.
"You still won't tell me where she works now, will you." I mused.
"You know I can't do that… Twilight said she'd tell you what it is when she was ready." Spike answered. "Besides, I get the feeling that you'll find out really soon." He smirked before going back to his comic.
I just sighed and made myself breakfast before heading to U.A. Since I wasn't in that much of a rush, I decided to use my magic to fly over there, rather than teleport. Saving me a little energy before the exam. The early morning was always beautiful here. And when I'm flying through the air, the early morning breeze felt so refreshing. Eventually I found my way to the school gates and landed right in front of it. When I got there, I could already see Izuku standing near the gate, panting as if he just got there. "Hey! Izuku!" I exclaimed smiling.
"H-huh?" Izuku said turning to me. "Oh, Crystal! You made it!"
"Are you kidding? This is what we've been preparing for!" I shouted before hugging him. "It's so exciting! The two of us are gonna be heroes!"
"E-easy!" Izuku grunted. "I'm still pretty sore…"
"Oops!" I said blushing a bit before letting go. "Sorry… I guess you would be sore after the kind of training that you did." I said. "How'd it go by the way? Did you get… uhhh… you know."
"Um…" Izuku stammered a bit.
"Eat this!"
Izuku grimaced a bit thinking back to how All Might had to transfer his quirk. "Well he did do it… I just don't feel anything yet…"
"Stupid Deku…"
"Huh?" I said as both of us turned to see an angry looking Katsuki toward us. "Katsuki…?"
"Oh… hey, Ka-chan." Izuku said trying to be polite.
"Get out of my way before I set you both on fire." Katsuki responded coldly.
Not wanting to even push his buttons even more (this time), I simply moved out of the way. As did Izuku. "L-let's both do our best in there okay?? Good luck!" Izuku responded nervously as Katsuki walked by silently.
"Yup, he's just as pleasant as ever…" I said sarcastically.
"I wonder if he's still thinking about what happened with that slime villain…" Izuku said.
"Yeah… he really got a lot of attention after that. Especially from some pro heroes." I added. "Don't know why he's still so angry… you think he'd be happy about the extra publicity."
"Honestly though… ever since that day, Ka-chan's been taking it easy on me… so I guess that's a step up." Izuku said. "C-come on. We better hurry before the exam starts." He said before leading the way into the school.
However, as he was walking… somehow he tripped on his own two feet. "I-Izuku!" I exclaimed about to catch him. However, before I got the chance to, a girl who was next to us placed a hand on Izuku, making him float. "Huh…?"
Izuku just flailed about in the air in confusion. The girl just giggled a bit. "Are you okay?" The girl asked as she helped Izuku by bringing him down to the ground. "I stopped you with my quirk." She said putting her hands together. "I'm sorry I didn't ask first, but I figured you wouldn't mind me catching you."
"Eheh…" I responded. "Well thanks for that then." I said which got the girls attention. "I'm Crystal, and the boy you just saved from falling on his face is Izuku." I said holding out my hand.
"Oh! Nice to meet both then!" She said in a cheerful tone as she shook my hand. "I'm Ochaco Uraraka... Isn't this all like way nerve wracking?"
"Yeah totally." I said keeping a smile on my face. "Izuku and I have been preparing for months for this exam.
"Well I hope it all works out for you two!" She Ochaco smiled before heading in the school. "I'll see you inside!"
"U-uh… Thanks!!" Izuku finally spoke as Uraraka walked into the school.
"Jeez Izuku, what was that? You acted like that was the first time you were levitating off the ground." I chuckled.
Izuku just chuckled nervously. "I guess I just get nervous when I meet someone new… especially if it's a girl…" he muttered the last part.
"Well that's enough standing around. We have an exam to take!" I smiled, taking his hand as we ran into the school together. "Let's go!"
"T-take it easy Crystal!!" Izuku shouted as he got dragged. "We still have to go to the orientation first!!"
~~~~~~~
Inside the auditorium for Orientation…
Katsuki was sitting to the right of Izuku and I was sitting to his left. There were so many kids who were applying to U.A… I don't even think I could see an empty seat. "What's up U.A. candidates?" A blonde haired man said as he walked up to the mic. "Thanks for tuning into me, your school DJ! Come on and let me hear ya!!" He shouted… though he was only met with silence. "Keeping it mellow huh? That's fine, I'll skip straight to the main show! Let's talk about how this practical exam is gonna go down, okay? ARE YOU READY!?!?" Once again, silence. "Yeah…!"
"Oh my goodness, it's the voice hero Present Mic… So cool…!!" Izuku said starting to go on a fanboy tangent again. "I listen to his radio show everyday of the week! It's so nuts that all the U.A. teachers are Pro Heroes!"
"Will you shut up…" Katsuki huffed.
"Like your application said," Present Mic continued. "Today you rockin' boys and girls will be out conducting ten minute mock battles in super hip urban settings!" He said as the screen changed behind him, showing some letters. "After I drop the mic here, you'll head to your specified battle center! Sound good?"
"Hmm…" I said looking at the card that was given to me. "Says here I'll be in sector C… What about you, Izuku?"
"I got Sector B… I guess they're doing this so that we don't take the exam with anyone we know." Izuku said looking over at his over his own card before looking over at Katsuki's who was on Sector A.
"Get your eyes off my card." Katsuki said venomously which scared Izuku away. "Damn… I was really looking forward to crushing you."
I just sighed at that. "Okay Okay! Let's check out your targets!" Present Mic continued. "There are three types of faux villains in every battle center. "Your points are based on their difficulty! So better choose wisely!" He said as the screen behind him changed, showing a pixelated version of himself. "Your goal in this trial is to use your quirk to raise your scored by shredding these faux villains like a big song guitar solo! But check it: Make sure you're keeping things heroic! Attacking other examinees is a U.A. no no, ya dig?"
"Excuse me sir, but I have a question!" Exclaimed one boy as he stood up from his seat in front of us.
"Hit me!" Present Mic said enthusiastically.
"On the printout you've listed four types of villains, not three." The boy said in an annoyed tone. "With all respect, if this is an error on official U.A. materials, it is shameful! We are exemplary students! We expect the best from Japan's most notable school! A mistake such as this won't do!" He said before turning around and pointing straight to Izuku. "Additionally, you with the unkempt hair!"
"H-huh…?" Izuku asked pointing at himself.
"You've been muttering this entire time." The boy continued. "Stop that. If you can't bother to take this seriously, leave! You're distracting the rest of us!"
Izuku just covered his own mouth in embarrassment. "Sorry…" He whimpered through his hands.
Jeez, I didn't even realize he was muttering… I thought to myself. I guess he does it so much that I just tune it out.
"Alright, alright…" The pro hero said trying to calm the situation down. "Examinee number 7111! Thanks for callin' in with your request!" He said as another faux villain appeared on the monitor. "The fourth villain type is worth zero points! That guy's just an obstacle we'll be throwing your way. There's one in every battle center… think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid. It's not that it can't be beaten! But there's kinda no point. I recommend you examinees to try to ignore it."
"Thank you very much." The boy said with a bow. "Please continue." He then sat back down in his seat.
"Huh… So I guess they're kind of like traps then." I said to myself which could be heard by Izuku and Katsuki.
"It… looks that way…" Izuku said still looking embarrassed.
"That's all I got for you today!" Present Mic announced. "I'll sign up with a little present: a sample of our school motto! A true hero is one who overcomes life's misfortunes. Are you ready to go beyond?? Let's hear a PLUS ULTRA!" he shouted as the words 'PLUS ULTRA' appeared on the screen.
Eh, screw it. "Plus Ultra!!" I exclaimed standing up from my seat, shocking Izuku a bit.
"There's the enthusiasm I was lookin' for!" Present Mic said happily.
"Idiot…" Katsuki grumbled looking at me.
"Good luck! Hope you practiced more than hitting just books!" Present Mic concluded.
I smiled looking down Izuku. "Good luck, Izuku!"
Izuku shakily stood up as well. "Y-you too, Crystal…" Izuku nodded.
I just looked over at Katsuki who just got up and walked away without a word. "Uh… good luck… Katsuki…"
"I don't need luck." Katsuki responded coldly. "Not like Deku does." He said before continuing on.
Izuku just looked down and sighed, feeling worried. "Don't listen to him…" I said trying to cheer him up. "I know you'll do great out there."
"Crystal!!" Shouted a familiar voice.
When I turned to see where the voice came from, I could see clothes floating in the air… oh! "Toru!" I smiled.
"This is so crazy, right??" Toru said excitedly.
"Not gonna lie… even though I had a lot of practice, I'm still pretty nervous." I chuckled rubbing the back of my head.
"You… know her, Crystal?" Izuku asked.
"Oh right!" I smiled. "Toru, this is Izuku. Him and I went to the same school together and he's one of my closest friends." I said started. "Izuku, this is Toru! We kinda met one day when I went shopping." I giggled a bit.
"Whoa… so you have an invisibility quirk?" Izuku asked Toru.
"Yup! Always!" Toru answered cheerfully. "I uh… can't turn visible though."
"Really? That must be a little tough..." I answered.
"Oh, it's not all that bad." Toru said. "Always being invisible does have its advantages."
"Well I'm glad you can work with it." I smiled. "Which battle sector did you get by the way?"
"Sector C!" She said holding up her card.
"That's awesome! That's the sector I'm in!" I exclaimed. "Glad I'll know someone there."
"Wanna head over there together?" Toru asked excitedly.
"Sure!" I said walking with Toru before turning back to Izuku. "Good luck, Izuku!"
"You too… Crystal…" Izuku gulped heading his way to his sector.
______________________
Meanwhile, inside the staff viewing area…
I just let out a deep sigh looking at the Sector C area. "Something the matter Miss. Sparkle?" Asked Principal Nezu who noticed my expression. "You seem nervous."
"Well… my daughter is going to be here taking the exam, so yeah… I am pretty nervous. She's been preparing herself for ten months straight! I'd hate to see her fail…" I said not taking my eyes off the section.
"Her quirk is the same as yours, right?" Aizawa asked from the corner of the room.
"It is… in fact, one might argue that her magic is stronger than mine…" I answered.
"Then I'm sure she'll do just fine." a familiar voice said before placing a hand on my back… It was All Might in his normal scrawny form. "If she's prepared as much as you claim she has, then have faith."
I slightly smile at him. "Thanks Toshi." I said before looking at all the students gathering in each sector… then all my focus went back onto sector c as soon as I could see Crystal. "Do your best out there…"
______________________
Back with Crystal near Battle Sector C…
Toru and I both marched to the front of the get after we had gotten changed into proper clothes. "Sweet Celestia…" I muttered looking up at the giant facility.
"I wonder how much it costs to build and manage something like this…" Toru commented. "Must be a fortune…"
"I guess that's why this place is the best hero school out there, huh?" I smiled stretching a little bit. As I did, I looked over at the other students her were participating… Not really many students stood out. There was one guy whose face was about as jagged as a rock… but at the same time, he looked kind of shy. There was also a girl over there with green hair that kind of looked like vines… Wait… Are they vines? I thought to myself before noticing the door in front of us opening. When it did we all made our way to our sector, waiting for the signal to start...
"Right! Let's start!" Shouted Present Mic from a distance. "Get moving! There are no countdowns in real battles! Run Run Run listeners! You're wasting time here!"
And just like that, the exam started. Everyone of us ran in. Of course, with me having a magic 'quirk', I took the chance to levitate myself in the air, passing a bunch of the testers. When I did, most of them just looked up at me in shock but kept running. "Good luck, Toru!" I exclaimed separating from everyone. When I got enough distance, I could see the first faux villain moving about. "That looks like a 2 pointer…" I mutter before firing a magic beam at it, which shot right through it. "And the first 2 points goes to me!" I giggled getting excited. I then decided to get to my feet and started running around instead. I stopped when I saw multiple different types of faux villains in one area. "A 3 a 1 and a couple of 2's… here goes…" I huff using my magic to levitate each faux villain in the air one by one… and when I got them all together, I simply slammed them all down to the ground, with the impact destroying them. "And that's about 8 more points…" I say to myself. "That brings me to 10." I stop and look over to see another robot approaching me… however, right before I did anything, I notice bits and pieces of the robot coming off. After a little while, the robot simply shut down. "Uh… Toru?"
"Hey Crystal!" giggled the invisible girl.
"Hey!" I smiled. "I didn't know you could turn your clothes invisible too."
"Oh, I can't."
"Huh?"
"I can't turn my clothes invisible… I'm the only thing that's invisible."
I just blushed bright red realizing what that meant. "Y-You mean… you're… Nak--"
"Yup!" Toru exclaimed.
I simply shook my head trying to clear it. "W-well if it works for you, then awesome! Come on! We can't waste more time talking!" I said running again.
"Right!"
About halfway through the exam, I had managed to get about 42 more points, with a total of 52. I saw multiple students who looked like they were having trouble with the faux villains while some were taking them down with ease… Suddenly the ground started shaking… "W-what the…" I said to myself looking around the area… then quickly started sweating bullets from what I saw in the distance. It was an enormous robot that was practically the size of the buildings… and it was heading this way…! "That's the zero point villain!?" I exclaimed.
As the giant faux villain made its way this way, it caused parts of the buildings to crumble. All the students started to run in the other direction and I was about to do the same thing… until I heard a high pitched scream in the direction where the giant robot was coming from. "H-help…! I'm stuck…!"
"Toru!?" I shouted running over to where I heard the scream. "Where are you??"
"I'm over here…!" She called out again. I tried my best to find where she was based on where her voice was coming from… then I noticed a pile of debris slightly move. "I… I was trying to jump out of the way but I couldn't move fast enough… I… I think my legs are broken… It hurts to move…!" She said in a whimpering tone.
"Hang on…!!" I shouted running over to her. When I did, I tried to use my magic to lift off the debris… but with how much there was, it was too heavy for me to even budge. I could only move chunks at a time.
"Crystal just go…!" Toru shouted. "Don't risk failing the exam because of me!"
"I'm not leaving you!" I shouted started to get frustrated. "Heroes don't do that!" I exclaimed before my body started surging… Pushing even more strain on myself, I was slowly able to lift the pile of debris off of Toru, who couldn't help but stare. My eyes then went blank before I took the whole pile of debris and launched it at the Zero point faux villain.
It wasn't enough to stop it completely, but it did pause it momentarily. Giving me enough time to levitate Toru herself and run to safety. Of course she was invisible, so the only thing that could be seen was her shape in my magic aura. "H-holy crap, Crystal… what was that??"
I started panting a bit as my eyes went back to normal. "It's… part of my quirk… It usually happens if I get angry… or in this case, frustrated… besides this is nothing. Have you ever been struck by lightning before?" I asked in a joking but exasperated tone.
"What...!?"
______________________
Back inside the staff viewing area…
"Phenomenal…!" Principal Nezu shouted in excitement. "You're daughter certainly has a promising future as a hero, Miss. Sparkle!"
I just huffed smiling a bit, as if I'd been holding my breath the entire exam. I looked over at Toshinori who looked like his focus was more towards Sector B. It looked like Izuku was doing well himself from how Toshi was smiling. I just looked back at Crystal in Sector C and couldn't help but keep a smile on my face. "That's my girl…" I finally said to myself.
______________________
One week later…
I just huffed waiting on the couch in the living room. "Why does waiting always suck…" I groaned.
After the practical part of the exam was over, a school nurse came over to our sector and… to my amazement, was able to heal Toru's injuries fairly quickly. After that, all of us took the written part of the exam which I didn't really have any problem with… the only thing I was really worried about was Izuku. After the exam, he hadn't really contacted me. His mother had told me that he was basically as anxious as I was. Before the day of the exam, the two of us both agreed that we would open or test results together… maybe he's also waiting for that too.
"Oh Crystal~!" Mom said excitedly as she walked through the door. "Guess what came in the mail!" She said before showing me an envelope with the U.A. logo on it.
"My test results!!" I shouted quickly levitating myself over, grabbing the letter.
"Well come on! Let's see it!" Mom exclaimed.
"Wait! I have to go see Izuku first!" I exclaimed placing a finger on my head. "I promised I'd open it with him!"
"W-wait!!" Mom stammered. "At least take me with you! I've been wanting to see the results too!"
"Well hurry up and put a hoof on me!" I barked.
"Alright, alright!" Mom groaned before placing her hoof on my side. "Sheesh…"
When she did that, I quickly teleported the two of us in front of Izuku's ho-- "Gah!!" shouted a frightened mother, falling on the ground.
"O-oh my goodness!" Mom exclaimed. "We're so sorry Mrs. Midoriya!"
"I-it's… alright… Miss. Sparkle…" The frightened mother stammered as she went to pick up the letters she just dropped.
I just figured to help her and levitate the letters together, giving them all to her… When I did, I noticed one of the letters had a U.A. logo on it. "Oh, it looks like Izuku got his test results too!" I said excitedly. "Is he inside?"
"He is…" Mrs. Midoriya. "He's been so worried about his test results all week that it's starting to make me worry…"
"He didn't even tell me anything about his exam… do you mind if we come in?" I asked.
"Not at all… i-in fact." She said before handing me Izuku's test results letter. "You give this to him." She said smiling a bit.
"O-oh… alright." I nod taking the letter. The three of us just go inside to see Izuku sitting on the couch. "Hey Izuku!" I said smiling at him.
He just looked over at me with a shocked expression. "C-Crystal…? And… Miss. Sparkle?" He asked looking back at my mom. "What are you both doing here?"
"Well…" I started before showing him both our letters. "It's the moment we both have been waiting for!"
"O-oh…" Izuku said not really sounding that excited.
I frowned at him. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing…" He said before walking over to me to take his letter.
"Come on, let's see both your re--" Mom coughed into her hoof. "Er… b-both of your letters."
I just looked at mom curiously before Izuku and I sat at the living room. Both moms followed us. "Which one of us should go first…?" Izuku asked.
"I think you should." I nodded. "I'm really excited to see how you did!"
Izuku just looked at his own letter and sighed before ripping the letter open. When he did, a disc like object fell out… right before coming to life. "Booyah! I am here, as a projecting now!"
"W-what the--!?" I stammered.
"All Might!?" Izuku continued. "But this is from… U.A… Isn't it?!" he stammered.
"I know it's been a while, but with great power comes a great amount of paperwork!" All Might said coughing into his hand. "My apologies young man! The truth is, I didn't come to this city just to fight villains. You're looking at newest U.A. faculty member!"
Second newest. Mom thought to herself.
"He's seriously gonna be working at U.A.??" Izuku asked. My mom just giggled a bit in response. Okay… what's going on here… I thought to myself.
On the projection it looked like All Might was talking to the cameraman. "...Wait, I have to do how many of these things??" All Might just huffed. "Right! Anyways! Moving on! Even though you passed the written test… you got 0 points on the practical exam… sorry."
My heart just sank as soon as he said that. "Z-zero…!?" I exclaimed.
Izuku just looked down shaking a bit. "Yeah… I didn't get any points during the practical part…"
"Fortunately there were other factors!" All Might continued which caught both our attention. "But before we get to that, I have another surprise! Here!" He exclaimed pointing at the T.V. behind him. "A short clip for your viewing pleasure!" The T.V. behind him suddenly turned on, revealing Uraraka talking to Present Mic.
"Wait… huh?" I asked.
"Do you know that girl, Izuku?" Mrs. Midoriya asked.
"That's Uraraka… I… sort of saved her from the zero point villain during the exam…" Izuku answered.
"Um… do you have a sec? Sorry to interrupt." Uraraka started in the video.
"She showed up after the exam to talk about you, young man!" All Might cut in. "What did she have to say? You'll have to stay tuned to find out!" He said before cutting back to Uraraka and Present Mic.
"You know that boy with the really messy hair and all the freckles? His name is Izuku." Uraraka started. "I was wondering… would it be possible to give him some of the points that I earned in the exam?"
"Wait, huh…?" I asked.
"She… she did that for me?" Izuku added.
The clip continued. "I heard him saying something about getting one point in… But it just seems crazy! How could somebody who took down that huge villain all by himself not have any points in the end!? He would've had a better score if he hadn't stopped to help me! He saved me! I have to make it up to him! Please Sir! Can't you just give him my points??" Uraraka begged before All Might paused the video.
"You have a quirk now, yes…" All Might continued. "But it's your actions that inspire others." Looking back I could see Izuku's mother who was in tears. "And that's why I am here! You see the practical exam was not graded on combat alone!"
"Thanks for showing up to the station with your request." Present Mic said to Uraraka. "But there's no reason to give him your points. The kid's done well on his own."
Once again the video paused as All Might stood in front of the camera. "How could a hero course reject someone who is committed to save others no matter the consequences to themselves? Call that lip service? Bring it on! This is a job that requires risking one's life to put that lip service into practice! And that's why we have rescue points! A panel of judges watches. And they reward points for heroic acts beyond just fighting villains!" All Might shouted as the screen behind him showed that he had 60 hero points…! Even I was in tears a little bit… "Izuku Midoriya! 60 rescue points!! Uraraka! 45 rescue points! You both passed the exam." That was enough for tears to start running down Izuku's face as well. "Welcome Izuku… You've made it… you are now part of the hero academia!"
"Aaahh!!" Mrs. Midoriya and I cheered hugging Izuku. "You did it! I knew you would…!!" I smiled rubbing the tears out of my eyes.
"R-really…? You really believed in me that much?" Izuku stammered trying to rub his own tears away.
"Of course I did! I never doubted that you'd make it in!"
"I'm so proud of you my baby…!" Mrs. Midoriya exclaimed with tears in her eyes.
I just smiled looking back at Mom who also had a smile of her own. "Now it's your turn sweetie… let's see your letter."
"A-alright!" I stammered ripping open my letter, which showed another projector disc… but when the projector started…
"Surprise!!" exclaimed a familiar purple alicorn.
"W-w-w-w-..." I stammered.
"WHAT!?" Izuku and I both shouted at the same time.
"M-Mom!?!? What are you--!?"
"Shhhh…" My mom giggled. "Just keep watching."
"I know you must be pretty shocked to see me on this recording…" Mom on the projection continued. "In fact, it was originally going to be All Might who was going to give you this message, but I insisted on wanting to do it since you're my daughter." She just giggled a bit. "I know you have a lot of questions right now, but I'm pretty sure this will answer one of them: You're looking at U.A.'s newest faculty member!... Still an assistant. Sorry I kept it from you for so long, sweetie. I just wanted to surprise you." She giggled rubbing the back of her head.
"W-w-...What!?" I shouted. "Your new job… is at U.A.!?!?"
"Still not done~!" Mom chimed.
"First off, I want to say that you did an excellent job on both the practical and the written part of the exam… it was honestly really exciting seeing you fight like that." The Mom on the projector continued… Wait, she actually saw me fight!?!? She then levitated a remote and pointed it to the T.V. behind her. When she did, it showed two scores. "I know you probably recognize the 52 points from your exam, but I'm assuming you're wondering what the 41 is… that's assuming your friend hasn't told you about it already. The practical exam wasn't judged based on taking down villains alone… but also your heroic actions." She said before an image came up. "Like when you risked yourself to save someone who was in danger… To be honest, I was pretty nervous when I saw you running toward the giant robot… but that was probably just my motherly instincts kicking in at the time… You're a really brave and strong girl Crystal… Which is why…"
The video stopped as Mom walked in front of me with tears in her eyes. "I'm proud to be the one to welcome to U.A. High School!"
I just jumped up and ran over to her, wrapping my arms around her tightly. "Thanks so much mom…" I said as more tears dripped down my face. I then turned to Izuku smiling even more. "Let's both do our best… and not let the people we love down!"
"Together!!" Izuku exclaimed with tears still streaming down his face.
I look forward to watching you grow with my own eyes… Mom thought to herself.