Chapter 3

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Twilight rose and squinted through the light the explosion from her and Tirek’s magical blasts had caused.

A roar made her eyes widen as a massive red hand filled her vision.

She was lifted into the air, then slammed to the ground, hard.

She gasped in pain, blood spurting from her mouth.

She lay on the ground, struggling to breathe, the action so sudden she hadn’t the thought to enact a barrier around herself, the impacted having winded her.

Damnit. I think he broke one of my ribs, Twilight thought, blood trailing down the right side of her mouth.

“Impressive show, I must say. But, now,” an orange a black sphere glowed between Tirek’s horns, “I’ll shall take what is rightfully mine.”

“Sydneigh…” shouted another voice unfamiliar to Tirek.

“What?” Tirek glanced up in confusion.

“SMASH!”

Twilight watched from her place as Deku seemed to come out of nowhere, landing a hard kick in Tirek’s chest, sending him hurtling back and smashing into a pile of rocks.

___________________________________________________________

I wince as I land, before hurrying over to the downed Alicorn and helping her up.

“Deku,” Twilight says, her voice slightly raspy. “Where have you been?”

“Sorry I’m so late,” I say, glancing in the direction where Tirek is buried under rubble, suddenly recognizing the scene. “Had to help a dragon in her Molt get home. I’ll explain later,” I add to her questioning look.

She closes her mouth, nodding, then winces.

Shit. This wasn’t in the show. Twilight can’t do anything in this state. Tirek will easily take advantage on this kind of injury. Her breathing will make it impossible for her to fight.

If only I could heal her like I had a healing Quirk instead! I grit my teeth. Then I could at least… Wait, what the hell?

A blue light is shining where my hand is placed on Twilight’s chest.

Within maybe a minute, Twilight gasps, sitting up quickly, looking to me is disbelief.

“The pain,” she says, awe in her voice. “The pain in my chest is all gone. Deku… how did you do that?”

I look down at my hand. “I… I have no idea.”

The sound of movement turns our attention to where Tirek crashed as he rises from the rubble.

“Interesting,” he says, looking at me. “That didn’t hurt too much, but for such a weak looking creature to hit me that hard… you must have quite powerful magic indeed.”

“It’s over, Tirek!” Twilight gets into a defensive stances, glaring, her horn glowing.

Tirek looks at the Alicorn in confusion, clearly wondering why she doesn’t seem to be in pain, then glances to me, seeming to mule something over.

“It seems we are at an impasse,” her smirks, snapping his fingers. “How about a trade, Princess Twilight?”

Soon as he snaps his fingers, bubbles holding the rest of the Mane 6, Spike and Discord appear, floating in the air above him.

Tirek clenches a fist in front of himself. “Their release for all the Alicorn Magic in Equestria!”

Twilight gasps and the others, save the depressed Discord, plead with her not to give up her magic.

Tirek chuckles. “What’s it going to be, Princess?”

“Don’t do it, Twilight!” Dash yells.

“We’re not worth it,” Fluttershy adds.

Discord starts his heartfelt words about learning friendship, while Twilight glances to me.

“Deku,” she says, her expression pleading, “you’re from a world of heroes. What should I do?”

“Enough!” Tirek slams his front hooves on the ground, not even giving me a chance to correct Twilight that it’s only my body that came from that world. “I want an answer and I want it now! And you,” he points at me, “interfere at all and I will end them right here and now!”

I snarl, but say nothing.

Damnit. Not only do I know he means that, but, he has Discord’s magic right now. Granted, he barely seems to be thinking about it, but, with all the magic inside of him, if he actually focused, I bet he could somewhat use it.

The only reason he was against the idea later is because he didn’t… have it?

I cock an eyebrow. The heck was that train of thought about? Did Tirek come back at some point in the show?

Damn, these fragmented memories!

I have to watch as Twilight agrees to give up her magic in exchange for everyone, including Discord’s, release, followed by her magic being drained.

The moment she falls to the ground, Tirek starts growing immensely.

Suddenly, I remember all the destruction he caused in that form and the fact things could go differently.

Twilight didn’t break a rib in her fight with Tirek in the show, so Tirek might actually not ignore the ponies and outright attack them.

Though, with the magic of four Alicorns, Discord and the countless other ponies he’s drained, my maximum of 22% won’t be nearly enough.

Heck, I had to go beyond that to 30% just to get here in time to save Twilight.

If Tirek could tank a Smash at 30% before he had all the current Alicorn Magic in Equestria, now that he’s got it, that would be likely no more than a fly hitting him.

I look to the others. “You all help Twilight!” I yell, charging up to 70%, wincing through the pain. “I’ll hold Tirek back as long as I can!”

I propel myself upwards, leaving the others to tend to the fallen Alicorn.

Tirek’s still basking in the power flowing through him, so hasn’t noticed me yet.

“Saddlelaide Smash!” I yell, landing a left-handed punch just as he’s turning around.

He yells as his face is knocked back.

Suddenly, something weird happens.

For a split second, Tirek’s face is replaced with a similar looking one, though human.

The hell?

Tirek’s face returns to normal, a black bruise on his cheek and he glares at me.

“Aw crap— YAH!” I cry out as he wheels around, his fist coming down on me.

I don’t even want to think about what will happen if that fist is still making contact with me when I hit the ground.

Thinking fast, I grab the fist and climb over it, running up Tirek’s arm.

“What?!” he yells in shock.

“Since 70% didn’t do it, let’s go all out!” I yell, my body feeling like every cell is on fire. “One For All: Full Cowling: 100%!”

“Full what?” Tirek shouts, trying to swat at me with his other hand, but I dodge around it, my aim focused, aiming punches along his shoulder as I go, making it hard for him to focus through what should be at least some kind of pain.

Whatever happens, I have to keep his attention on me.

Not just so he doesn’t go after Twilight and the others before they can open the crystal box, but because I need to prevent him from remembering he has Discord’s power.

He only used Discord’s magic for brief teleportation and bubbles before, but, bolstered by the magic of so many ponies, along with that of four Alicorns, there’s no telling just how bad things would get if he really tried to use it now.

I need to keep him focused on brute strength. As long as he doesn’t try using magic, he’s less likely to try Discord’s magic again.

“You’ve never heard these words before, Tirek, but I’ll teach you what they really mean!” I yell, reaching his shoulder and leaping up, aiming for his chest, my right fist pulled back, surging with so much power blue electricity is flaring off it. “Go beyond: Plus ULTRA! AUSTAILIA SMASH!”

My fist collides with his chest and he’s sent backward, the wind push back almost throwing me away, but my forward momentum is enough to keep me in place.

I’m in so much pain. Was this how it felt before I passed out back in Canterlot? Fuck, I’ve never hurt so much in my life!

My eyes I shut from the pain, but I can tell the force of my Smash was strong enough to crack the ground beneath us, since I felt Tirek move down a second of two after my fist my contact.

It takes a few seconds for me to realize it through the pain, but… something’s wrong.

Struggling to open my eyes, Tirek looks a little winded… but he’s not down.

He’s wincing, but only a little.

His eyes whirls to look me and he snarls.

He moves too fast for me to react, too distracted by the pain surging through me, grabbing me in his right-hand and pulls me up so his face is in mine.

“That was not pleasant, small creature!” he hisses.

I just glare back at him, though I know the impact of it is weakened by the pain no doubt on my face, and the fact my right-eye is closed from said pain.

Tirek smirks. “Though your power wasn’t too much, it is interesting. I think I’ll take your magic as well.”

He opens his mouth, using the spell… but nothing happens. It’s the exact same result as when he tried to take the princesses’ magic, only to learn they had none to take.

Tirek’s eyes widen. “What?! Why can’t I take your magic?!”

I manage a sneer through my pain. “I don’t have magic, Tirek. I’ve a Quirk.”

Inside though, I’m so confused.

I thought magic was altering One For All, that’s why I was somehow able to heal myself while I was unconscious and Twilight just a little while ago.

If that were the case, Tirek would’ve gotten some kind of magic out of me just now… but he didn’t.

If magic isn’t the reason healing has somehow become part of my Quirk… what is?

A bright light comes from nearby and Tirek throws me away, likely in shock.

It takes literally all my focus to move my body and try pushing One For All through me, barely making 1% flow.

It’s barely anything, but it’s enough to help me move enough to not crash into the ground, though I do tumble, rolling away until I stop, my body refusing to move.

From my position, I watch as Twilight and the others come out in their Rainbow Power forms and blast Tirek, removing all the magic from him and sending him back to Tartarus… which I suddenly can’t help finding amusement in, since that’s the name of the maximum prison in MHA.

I think I blacked out for a bit, because, next thing I know, I’m standing alongside Twilight and the others as they stare up in awe at Twilight’s new castle… and I feel fine.

I look myself over frantically, beyond perplexed.

This can’t be. I used 100% and could barely move, but that had to be less than a few minutes ago. How am I completely fine now?

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“Need a hand?” I ask Fluttershy and Applejack, lifting the box they’d been struggling to push up over my head.

Applejack gives me a frown. “You sure you were injured t’ the point ya couldn’t move a few hours ago?”

I walk over to the other side of the room and put down the box, dusting my hands and turning to look at the pair. “Yes. Trust me, AJ, I’d like to know what’s going on myself.”

It’s been about three hours since Tirek was defeated and Twilight got her castle and took the title of Princess of Friendship.

After the initial shock of everypony seeing the castle, we all set about getting Twilight and Spike’s things (I didn’t really have much aside from clothes) from the charred remains of the Golden Oak Library and have been moving everything into the castle.

Despite how much we all could’ve really used a break after the fight with Tirek, if Twilight, Spike and I want to sleep tonight without having to bum at somepony else’s place, we need to get this all done.

“We already agreed, darling,” Rarity says from her throne as she polishing one of the arms, “the Elements are what healed dear Deku. It only makes sense, since their magic was spreading all across Equestria to return magic to all those who’d had it taken from them.”

“Sorry, Rarity, but I’ll have to agree with AJ on this one,” I say, folding my arms. “Sure, I guess we could excuse my being healed by the Elements, but that’s not the only odd thing here.”

“You’re referring to how you managed to heal me,” Twilight says from her place in the centre of the thrones.

I nod. “I can’t heal, Twilight. That’s not one of the powers One For All provides its user. If it were, All Might would never have needed to give his Quirk to the previous Deku, because he’d have been able to heal himself.”

“What about One For All’s users before him?” Rarity asks. “Couldn’t one of them have had a healing Quirk that merged with One For All and now is yours?”

I shake my head, lifting another box and moving it to join the one from before. “If that were true, there would’ve been some kind of hint. Plus, I’ve a gut instinct none of them had a healing Quirk. None of One For All’s users before Deku and All Might could use healing Quirks.”

“What about after?”

We all turn to Pinkie as she pulls one of the balloons off her Cutie Mark.

…

Nope. I am not going to question what I just saw. I would like to keep my sanity, thank you very much.

Twilgiht cocks an eyebrow. “Pinkie, what are you talking about?”

“Nana said that guy in her dream mentioned her dad gave her her Quirk, right?” Pinkie glances around at us.

We nod slowly. Where is she going with this?

Pinkie shrugs. “Well, if her dad had the Quirk before her, maybe he had a healing Quirk too.”

I blink, before glancing to Twilight.

That… would actually make sense. I’d totally forgotten that the only reason my body has One For All was because Nana Midoriya’s dad died in a car crash, giving her One For All just before he died to ensure it didn’t die with him… but what kind of healing Quirk could he possibly have possessed?

“My healing didn’t seem the work of any regeneration based Quirk,” I say, looking at my hands. “I know those kinds of Quirks do exist, but I don’t really recall anyone close to Deku’s family… wait.” My eyes widen. “Katsuma? Katsuma was Nana’s dad?”

To the confused looks from the ponies and dragon, I give a brief summary of the Heroes Rising movie, specifically Katsuma Shimano, a little boy Deku inspires to be a hero… and his Quirk: Cell Activation.

“Does how ya’ll got healed feel like that Cell Activation?” Applejack asks, cocking an eyebrow. “Ah mean, ya healed fr’m sum pretty nasty injuries that first time. From what ya told us, that Quirk couldn’t possibly have healed ya that well and that fast,”

I shake my head. “I… I don’t know. I don’t have any of Nana’s memories of if her dad ever used it on her before he got One For All.” Assuming he actually was the one Deku passed his Quirk onto at all and it wasn’t just some other healing based Quirk user. “As for the strength of my healing, remember, if I do have Katsuma’s Cell Activation Quirk, it’s power is now being magnified by One For All.”

“If One For All is increasing Cell Activation’s power, when it normally activates cells to increase the regeneration of the body's cells and healing… it could be possible that it would heal much better and faster,” Twilight rubs her chin in thought. “Of course, we can’t really know, since Deku here is the only one with a Quirk we know of in Equestria.”

Sadly, she’s more right than I’d like to admit.

There hasn’t been hide nor hair of The League of Villains in all the time I’ve been in Equestria.

True, Equestria’s big, but surely some creature would’ve noticed something.

Celestia even reached out to the other nations, even those yet to become allies with Equestria to warn than of the League and even they haven’t noticed anything to suggest The League is anywhere.

It’s as if that just vanished from the world altogether.

I blink. Wait a minute. The world?

“Excuse me, Princess?” a voice pulls all our attention to the scruffy Earth Pony who was part of the moving service we were using. “Where do you want all these books from Princess Celestia?”

At once, my eyes widen as several things click at once.

First, I can see the glowing and vibrating book that links to Sunset’s, meaning the events of Rainbow Rocks have already started.

Second, that means Rainbow Rocks happens literally after the season four finale, not even giving a few days between them.

Third, we’re going to have to go into those events without even a good night’s sleep… though that would explain Twilight’s lack of thinking at the beginning of the movie.

However, fourth, and most terrifying of all, I’d completely forgotten about the second portal to the EQG world and The League of Villains must be over there!

I wait as patiently as I can for Twilight to build the portal device so she and Spike can go through the mirror.

When they insist the others stay behind so things don’t get too confusing with two pairs of them at CHS, I point blank say I’m going.

“Uh, are you sure that’s wise, Deku?” Spike asks. “I mean, what if you run into the you from there?”

I fold my arms, deadpanning. “Spike, I come from another world. Think about it.”

He opens his mouth to argue, pauses, thinks it over, then nods. “Fair point.”

“Besides,” I say, my grim tone causing them all to realize something’s up, “I’ve figured out why we’ve not heard from The League of Villains. They’re not in Equestria.”

“They’re in the other world!” Applejack cries in alarm.

I nod, bitting my lip. “And, since I’ve no idea how long they’ve been there, there’s no telling what could be happening over there. The Sirens could just be the opening act for something far worse.”

Twilight smiles. “In that case, Hero Deku, I request you join us.”

I nod, clenching my fists. “Just gimme a second.” I charge up 10% and zip to my room, grabbing some casual clothes. “Can’t go walking around in my Hero Uniform all the time if the League’s around.”

Twilight and Spike nod, we say goodbye to the others and run through the portal.

Look out, League of Villains. I’m coming for you.

Author's Note

I'm kinda torn.

I knew i couldn't just have Deku fighting Tirek be all this chapter had, especially since, if Deku could go toe to toe with Tirek after he'd absorbed the magic of four Alicorns, it would make her struggling at all in the fturue against far weaker opponents feel like a cop out, but i feel like the battle was also too short.

I realized the fight with Tirek taking too long would undermine where i'm going with this story, so had to find a way to cut it short, while still making it feel reasonable enough.

I hope I did okay there.

Anyway, I don't know when i'll upload the next chapter, though it will be obviously taking place in Rainbow Rocks, with some interesting differences here and there.

As for what i plan on updating next?

Well, actually, it's a fic i've been meaning to continue, but couldn't figure out how due to not being able to figure out how to get to where i wanted that story to go... until i was rereading this fic for inspiration for this chapter and got to the Soul Replacement Quirk part and it hit me.

As for which fic i'm returning to (and will hopefully upload an update to next week), i'll give a hint: A cute pair of sisters.

i leave you to guess what that means.

Til then, i hope you enjoyed this chapter and, til next, stay safe, stay clean and see you later everybody