Izuku was walking through the camp. He was now wearing a camp shirt with green short sleeves along with blue jean shorts. He still had his red shoes on.
He felt rather insecure about what Timber Spruce had given him. The shirt was showing off scars on his arm and hand. He glanced at them and shuddered at the memory of how he got those scars. The stares from a lot of the students didn't help either.
Soon, he arrived at the lake where he noticed that the Rainbooms were working on the dock… cautiously? Curiously, he approached them. “Um… hey, girls,” he said. “Why the extra caution?”
Rainbow, who was holding some planks, turned her head and looked at him. “Let’s just say that… we’re not very normal at the moment,” she said.
“What do you mean?” Asked Izuku. Rainbow slowly turned around so she could talk to him better. Suddenly, she slipped and the planks went flying up!
Before the girls could react, Izuku did something that shocked them: His body glowed brightly as green electric energy surrounded him. Then, he held out his arm and some black tendrils shot out, catching the planks! Carefully, he lowered the planks and ran over to Rainbow.
“Rainbow, are you okay?” He asked as he helped her up. Rainbow just gave him a look of shock.
“Whoa, nelly,” exclaimed Applejack as she ran towards the green-haired boy. “How in tarnation did you do that? Did the magic affect you, too?”
"Magic?" Asked Izuku. "What do you mean?"
Sunset approached them and explained. "Izuku, here's the thing. Ever since we arrived at the camp, my friends and I have discovered that we have magical abilities. I think they're too nervous to use them."
Izuku glanced at the girls with concern. "Why are you too nervous to use them?" He asked. "Are you afraid that you'll hurt someone?"
"Well, some of us are," answered Rarity.
"What are your qu- I mean, magical abilities?" Asked Izuku.
Applejack spoke first. "Well, I was tryin' to help Rarity here with the rock wall when the rope got stuck. Suddenly, I yanked on it and felt extra strong."
"You almost killed me," said Rarity with a scowl. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Applejack. To be fair, I ended up throwing you into the river with a crystal shield. Beautiful as it was, it wasn't lady-like of me to do that."
"I was baking some cookies with Fluttershy when the sprinkles glowed," said Pinkie. "I threw them onto the dough and they exploded!"
"I went to grab some paper towels to clean up the mess, when a bird landed on my finger," said Fluttershy. "The next thing I knew, I was able to understand what he was saying."
"I was running normally to find some wood when suddenly I became super fast," said Rainbow. "I ended up in the middle of town. I ran back to the camp and crashed into the wall of the cabin."
"I discovered mine not too long ago," said Sunset. "If I touch someone, I can see their memories."
Izuku glanced at her. But before he could say anything, Sunset placed a finger on his lips and used her other hand to zip her lips. Then she pointed to him and the Rainbooms, indicating that he could tell them himself.
Izuku nodded with a blush before looking at the other girls. "So you all have these amazing powers and you're scared to use them?" He asked. They nodded in response. Then he smiled widely. "Your powers are amazing! Think of how much you could help others out! Don't be afraid to use your gifts!"
"But… how can we?" Asked Fluttershy. "More importantly, how did you do that thing with the black tendrils?"
Izuku took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of the dock. "Girls," he said. "I'm… not from this world. I'm from a world where eighty percent of all humans have a unique ability called a Quirk."
"You're from another world?!" Asked Rainbow incredulously. "Whoa! Wait, what's a Quirk?"
"A Quirk is a very special power that a person can have. It could be something that increases your strength, your speed, or your agility. It could also be something that allows you to use fire, ice, or explosions. It could even be something that turns your body into steel or rock."
"So… a super power?" Asked Twilight. When Izuku nodded, she smiled a little. "Very interesting."
"So… what's your Quirk, darling?" Asked Rarity.
Izuku was hesitant to respond. "Um… my Quirk is rather… complicated," he stuttered. "It grants me incredible strength and the ability to use those tendrils you saw. I can use them to swing around and grab objects from a distance."
"That's some amazing power," said Pinkie with a big smile. "So… are you a superhero in your world?"
Izuku turned to the cheerful girl and smiled widely. "Yeah," he said. "Well, sort of. It's always been my dream to save people with a smile. To reassure them that everything is okay because I am here!" He stood up and raised his fist to the sky. "I want everyone to smile! So, I will protect their smiles and their happiness! No matter what, I'll be a hero who saves everyone!!!"
The girls stared at him in awe. Fluttershy stood up next to him with a soft, but sweet smile. "That's a very big heart you have," she said. "I wish I was brave like you."
Izuku blushed a bit. "Well, you don't have to be like me exactly," he said. "I believe that you can all be heroes. You just need to figure out how to use your abilities to help people. So, come on! Use those abilities to fix the dock!" He gave them an encouraging smile. "Don't hold anything back!"
Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy felt very nervous. Meanwhile, Twilight ended up slipping away. Then, Sunset stood by Izuku with a smile of her own. "He's right," she said. "I believe that you can use your magic to make things better!"
Izuku glanced at Sunset with a smile. Then she began to sing a song of encouragement.
As Sunset continued to sing, the girls slowly began to feel better about using their magic. Pinkie used her explosive sprinkles in small amounts to make holes in planks for nails to be put in. Rainbow grabbed the boards and ran at top speed to build a bench while Pinkie provided the paint. Applejack used her strength to carry a heavy pole for the sign over the dock.
Izuku decided to lend a hand by using his Black Whip to help bring up the other pole for the sign. He glanced at Applejack and gave her a smile and a thumbs-up. Meanwhile, while she was working on a dress for an upcoming fashion show, Rarity saw a grey-skinned girl with blonde hair and crossed eyes about to fall off the boat. Thinking quickly, she threw a diamond shield onto the lake and prevented her from falling into the lake. Izuku approached her and smiled while patting her shoulder. Then he used his Black Whip to help the girl back into the boat.
As Sunset continued to sing, she sat next to Fluttershy and nuzzled her as encouragement to use her magic to communicate with some birds. The birds helped out by putting a vine decoration onto the sign. In no time at all, the dock was finished. Izuku smiled at all the girls as their work was complete. But then, he noticed something.
Where's Twilight? He wondered. She must be back at her tent. I better go check on her.
So, he went straight to Twilight's tent. As soon as he got there, he called out to her: "Twilight, may I come in?"
"Izuku?" Said Twilight. "Um… sure, come on in."
Izuku came into the tent and saw Twilight just sitting on her bed with Spike. He saw that she looked sad and scared. So he sat on the bed with her.
"Twilight, are you okay?" He asked kindly.
Twilight looked up at the boy and shook her head. "No," she answered. "I'm scared. I'm scared to use this magic that I have."
Izuku looked at her with concern. "Um… can you tell why?" He asked. "I would like to hear the whole story, if that's okay."
Twilight looked up at him. "Look, I appreciate that you want to help me," she said. "But why do you want to help me? I mean, look at me. I'm a monster!" She started to tear up.
Suddenly, to her surprise, Izuku pulled her into a hug. "Twilight," he said in a firm but gentle tone. "Don't ever call yourself a monster. Listen, where I'm from, I'm training to be a hero."
"A hero?" Asked Twilight, blushing at the hug. "Why do you want to be a hero?"
"Being a hero has always been my dream," Izuku answered. "I've always wanted to protect people from danger. But most importantly, I've wanted to do so with a smile. A world without smiles is a scary place. If I can't help you smile again, then how can I be a hero?"
Twilight looked up at the green-haired boy with surprise. "You… you really want to help me smile again?" She asked. "But, we just met last night. We hardly know each other."
Izuku broke the hug and gave her a warm smile. "I know," he said. "But that doesn't matter. I still want to help you. So please, tell me what happened."
Twilight felt calmed by the boy's warm smile. "Okay," she said after taking a deep breath. "I suppose I can tell you. Not too long ago, I attended a school called Crystal Prep Academy. It was a rather toxic place. I was always walked on by pretty much all of the students. Even though I was considered to be the smartest student in the whole school, no one wanted to be my friend. I was lucky to have Spike and Dean Cadence. Anyway, the Friendship Games were coming up. Principal Cinch wanted me to help the school win the competition, no matter what it took."
Izuku had a look of sympathy on his face. Just hearing that this sweet girl was walked on by every student at her former school made him feel sad.
"At the time, I had heard that Canterlot High School had some mysterious magical incidents," Twilight continued. "I was curious about it. So, I made an amulet that I hoped would help me understand the magic happening there. Once we got to CHS, I started to look for the magic. Long story short, the magic came from my future friends. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all had magic. Unfortunately, things went horribly wrong as my amulet began to absorb their magic one by one."
She started to shake uncontrollably. Izuku placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "It's okay, Twilight," he said. "Because I am here!"
Twilight calmed down a little and continued. "The final event of the games came up and Principal Cinch told me to release all the magic I had collected. I didn't want to do it, but she told me that she would prevent my chances of going to Evergreen University if I didn't do what she said. So, I opened the amulet, and… and…" She started to shake and was on the verge of crying. "I got absorbed into the magic and turned into a monster. M-midnight Sparkle. I lost control of myself and nearly killed some of the students from both schools. Sunset turned into a magical being, defeated Midnight Sparkle, and saved me. However, I've been having nightmares lately. In every nightmare, Midnight Sparkle comes at me and tells me that she'll come back and take over my body. Then, she'll take all the magic for herself! I don't want that to happen!"
She struggled to hold back her tears, but she was slowly losing the battle. "I don't want her to come back," she whispered. "I don't want her to hurt my friends. That's why I can't use this magic! I'm a curse!"
Twilight shut her eyes, expecting Izuku to walk away from her. But, to her shock, Izuku gently grabbed her and pulled her into another hug.
"Twilight," said Izuku gently. "Don't ever call yourself a curse. I know how it feels to have people walk all over you."
"Y-you do?" Asked Twilight.
Izuku nodded. "Like I said, I come from a world where most people have an amazing super power," he explained. "However, I was born quirkless."
Twilight looked surprised. "You had no Quirk?" She asked. "Then, how are you so strong?"
Izuku sighed before answering. "Before I tell you that, you have to keep it a secret for now," he said. Twilight gave him a nod before he continued. "Now, since I was Quirkless, a lot of the kids at my school started to make fun of me. My former childhood friend called me 'Deku.' A word that means 'worthless.' For ten years, I was bullied and tormented for being Quirkless. Even more so when I decided to apply for UA, a school where teenagers are trained to become heroes."
He smiled for a moment. "One day, I met my favorite hero. All Might, the symbol of peace. He saw that I had tried to save my former friend from a sludge villain despite being Quirkless. When he asked me why I did that, I told him that my legs acted on their own. And so, he told me that I was worthy to wield his Quirk."
Twilight looked surprised. "What do you mean by that?" She asked.
"Well, as it turns out, he was Quirkless at first," Izuku answered. "But then, he received a Quirk that could be passed down. A Quirk that gets stronger and stronger every time it's passed one. The name of that Quirk is 'One For All!' As soon as he told me about his Quirk, he said something that I waited ten years for someone to tell me: 'You, too, can be a hero!'"
Twilight stared in awe at the boy as he continued. "Soon, he started to train me so that I could get strong enough to wield his power. Long story short, he passed his Quirk to me and I started to learn about the many things that make up a hero."
He then held her by the shoulders with a serious expression. "I don't believe that a power is a curse," he said. "I've met a lot of people who were ashamed of their Quirks. I've told them the same thing: It depends on what you use it for. Twilight Sparkle, this is your magic! Yours, not hers!" He gave her a reassuring smile. "Therefore, your magic is a blessing!"
Twilight gasped when she heard those words. Then, she started to shake. "I-izuku," she stuttered. Finally, she clung onto the kind hero and cried uncontrollably. Her tears stained his shirt as she cried, but Izuku didn't mind. He understood that she was hurting a lot and had every right to cry for as long as she needed.
After ten minutes of crying, Twilight calmed down and looked up at him with a small smile. "Izuku," she whispered. "Thank you."
Izuku simply nodded. "Anytime, Twilight," he said. "No matter what happens, I will always be your hero!"
Twilight nodded gratefully when suddenly her phone went off. She quickly picked up and her eyes widened. "It's Sunset," she said. "She said to meet her by the rock quarry!"