//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6: Our Hero 
// Story: Equestria Girls: Plus Ultra!!! 
// by TriforceAndroid 
//------------------------------//

Twilight took Izuku to the back of the cave. She glanced at him with a deep blush. “S-so… there’s something I’ve been meaning to say to you,” she said.

“What is it, Twilight?” Asked Izuku.

Twilight tapped her fingers together while looking up at him. “Um… I just want to say thank you for encouraging me to use my magic,” she said. “You and Sunset really helped me out. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to overcome my fear.”

Izuku smiled at her. “It’s no problem at all,” he said. “You know, your fear of using your magic reminded me of a friend of mine back home.”

“Really?” Asked Twilight as she looked at him with curiosity. “How?”

Izuku took a deep breath and explained. “His name is Shoto Todoroki,” he began. “He has two Quirks. He has a fire Quirk on his left side, and an ice Quirk on his right. However, much like you, he didn’t want to use all of his power.”

“What? Why?” Asked Twilight. “Surely with fire and ice at his disposal, he could be very powerful.”

Izuku looked down sadly. “His fire Quirk came from his father,” he said. “The Number 2 Pro Hero, Endeavor. He may have been considered to be a good hero, but as a father… he was rather abusive to Shoto. You see, he wanted a child who could be even stronger than All Might.”

“All Might?” Twilight asked. “Is he also a hero?”

“Well, he was,” said Izuku sadly. “He was the Number 1 Pro Hero. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be just like him.” He smiled a little. “Saving people with a smile on my face. Reassuring them that everything is okay because I am here!” Then his smile disappeared. “But then, he was forced to retire.”

“Oh, dear,” said Twilight. “What happened?”

Izuku hung his head and remained silent for a while. Even now, the thought of his favorite hero being forced to retire made him feel so much hurt. He then felt a warm and gentle touch on his hair. He looked up and saw Twilight giving him a gentle smile.

“If it’s too painful to talk about, then I won’t force you to tell me,” she said. “Anyway, you were talking about Endeavor and All Might?”

Izuku nodded. “Well, Endeavor was really tired of being the Number 2 Pro Hero,” he explained. “No matter what he did, he was always second best. So, he married Rei, a woman with an ice Quirk. When Shoto was revealed to possess both Quirks, Endeavor decided to train him so that he could be even stronger than All Might. However… His training led to abuse. He pushed Shoto way beyond his limits to the point where Shoto would throw up. One day, it got so bad that Rei became scared of what would happen to Shoto.” His face turned a little angry. “Shoto heard her on the phone talking about him. When he called to her, Rei turned towards him in fear and accidentally spilled boiling hot water over his right eye.”

Twilight gasped in horror as she covered her mouth. “Oh, my gosh!” She said, “That’s terrible.”

Izuku nodded. “As a result, she was put into a mental hospital,” he continued as he clenched his fist. “Shoto ended up hating his father. And so, he decided that he would never use his left side.”

Twilight couldn’t believe what she heard. “Whoa,” she said. “That’s extreme!”

Izuku nodded with a scowl. “Honestly, I was angry at both Endeavor and Shoto,” he said. “I was angry at Endeavor for putting his own son through such abuse. But I was also angry at Shoto for refusing to use his flames.”

"Huh?" Twilight asked. "Why?"

Izuku looked up and said, ”Because a hero needs to give it their all when fighting villains. During this event called the Sports Festival, I was against Shoto in a battle. He vowed to defeat with only his ice. But, I kept pushing him to fight me at full strength. He kept saying that he wouldn't use his father's flames. So I yelled at him and told him that the flames were his Quirk, not his father's." He then smiled. "Finally, he used his flames. I was happy that he was now embracing his full strength."

"Using your full strength against villains, huh?" Twilight asked.

Izuku nodded. "It's part of my school's motto: Go beyond! Plus ultra!"

Twilight smiled. "Ooh! Catchy!"

Izuku nodded with a big smile. "Yup," he said. "But there's a deeper meaning to it. As heroes in training, my friends and I have to push ourselves beyond our limits to get stronger. The stronger we get, the better our chances are against villains."

Twilight suddenly took his hands into her own, making him blush. "Izuku, there's one last thing I want to say to you," she said, leaning close to his face. "Izuku Midoriya… you're my hero!"

Izuku blushed with a smile. But before he could say anything, Twilight wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheeks and forehead. She soon pulled away and smiled shyly. 

Izuku was about to speak, only for Twilight to place a finger on his lips. "You don't need to say anything," she said. "I'm not entirely sure about these feelings that I'm experiencing right now. So… I hope that as we continue to be friends, we'll see how things go from there."

Izuku nodded with a blush. "Um… yeah," he said timidly. "I don't want to rush anything." Without thinking, he pulled her into a hug. "But I promise to always be your hero."

"Well, ain't that adorable," said Applejack from behind Izuku. The two teens turned around and saw the rest of the Rainbooms smiling at them warmly. 

Applejack approached him first. "Considering that you helped us out with the camp, the dock, and even our powers, I think it's safe to say that yer a hero to all of us," she said as she hugged him. 

Pinkie Pie joined the hug, nuzzling the boy's cheek. "Yuppers dupper," she said. "You're our hero!"

Rarity walked up to him and stroked his hair before joining the hug. “You’re very special, darling,” she said. “You’re strong, courageous, and just so amazing!”

Fluttershy gave him a kind smile and rubbed his shoulder. “You have such a big heart,” she said sweetly before joining the hug. “You deserve to be called a hero!”

“So true,” said Rainbow as she patted him on the back. “So, what do you say to joining our little group… hero?”

Izuku blushed. “Um… w-wouldn’t that be a little awkward?” He asked timidly. “A boy i-in an all-girl group?”

“Not at all,” said Sunset with a smile. “Consider this as our way of thanking you. Not only for helping us save our camp from danger, but also for helping me save Twilight from her fears!”

Izuku glanced at all seven girls before smiling shyly. "Well, okay then," he said. "I guess I can join your group for now."

Pinkie jumped up and cheered happily. "Yay," she cried before hugging the boy tightly and nuzzling his cheek cheerfully. "Now we've got a cinnamon roll in our group."

Izuku blushed in embarrassment while the rest of the Rainbooms giggled at him. They could tell that their friendship with him would turn out to be very amazing!


*****

Soon, the dance came to an end and Izuku was hanging out with Sunset and Twilight. He smiled and blushed at how lovely they looked in their dress. They each had a drink of fruit punch. Suddenly, Sunset had a thoughtful expression.

“What’s wrong, Sunset?” Izuku asked.

“There’s something that’s been on my mind ever since we found the magic here,” she said. “Where exactly did the geodes and the magic come from?”

Izuku suddenly looked thoughtful. “That’s a good question,” he said. “Is there a portal here? If so, are there other portals around? If so, how dangerous can they be? I think we might wanna be careful around. Who knows how much danger they could provide? If they get out of control, who knows what sorts of trouble could be coming from them? What if…?”

He was silenced by a finger on his lips. He looked up and saw Sunset giving him a playful smile. “I think you shouldn’t mutter right now,” she said teasingly.

Izuku blushed. “S-sorry,” he said. “I have a habit of muttering my thoughts out loud.”

“Don’t be sorry,” said Twilight with a sweet smile. “I think it’s cute!”

“So do I,” said Sunset with a giggle. “Why do you mutter your thoughts like that?”

Izuku shyly rubbed the back of his head. “I’m pretty observant,” he said. “Whenever I’m against a foe, I analyze them to figure out how to beat them. Raw strength alone isn’t enough to win a battle.”

“Wow,” said Sunset. “Strong, smart, and adorable! How much more amazing can you turn out to be?”

Izuku just blushed heavily in response. Though, deep down, he felt a lot of concern about any magic portals around Canterlot City.