The Mane 6, as the six friends were often called, were currently panicking as they tried to figure out why Izuku would just grab All-Might like that and be dragged several feet into the air at rocket speeds.

"That silly little filly!" Applejack cried. "Why would he go and do somethin' that dangerous!"

"We gotta find him! He could get hurt!" Rainbow Dash panicked, a pair of light blue feathered wings spreading out from her back as she prepared to take flight.

"Wait, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie cried, grabbing her friend's leg. "This is an important plot point!"

The girls all looked at Pinkie. Every now and then, she'd have strange bouts of insight about 'plot points' and 'fourth walls'. Naturally, they just saw it as Pinkie being her usual silly self.

"We still need to find him!" Fluttershy said worriedly before a pigeon flew down and perched on her finger. "Oh, Icarus! What can you tell us, sweetie?"

The bird chirped as Fluttershy nodded, deciphering its hidden words before turning to the rest of the girls.

"Izuku is 30 meters south that way!"

"Then let's get going!" Twilight said as she created a magic sphere around herself and her friends, which levitated them toward where Izuku and All-Might flew off.

Meanwhile, the bottle containing the Sludge Villain had been dropped by All-Might mid-flight. As it lay there, an inky black portal appeared from a nearby wall as an armored hand reached out and a pair of green eyes peeked out of the void, purple wisps of miasma emitting from them.

The Sludge Villain gasped as he recognized the owner of those evil eyes.

"I-It's you!"

The hand grabbed the bottle and unscrewed it, letting the Sludge Villain free as the mysterious figure cackled.

Meanwhile, Izuku was trying to recite his vowels as he processed that All-Might had become this sickly skeleton of a man.

"WHAT?! HOW?! WHY?! I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIOOOOOOOOOOOONS!"

All-Might sighed. "Suppose I should start with the obvious; What you're seeing is the effect of my Quirk. It increases muscle mass and subsequently physical ability. I can hold it for about seven hours at a time. It would have been three hours per day, but luckily a friend of mine was able to heal a few injuries I got battling a dangerous villain."

Izuku was still in shock, his mouth opening and closing but no words coming out. All-Might sighed as he made his way over and slapped the freckled youth across the face, snapping him out of it.

"Thanks..."

"Don't mention it."

"THERE YOU ARE, MISTER!"

Izuku cringed and turned around to see Twilight and the others coming in from inside a magic bubble, which dispersed as they all landed down.

"Do you have any idea how worried you made us?!" Twilight snapped. "What kind of bonehead do you have to be to grab a guy who can jump faster than Apollo 13?!"

"I-I'm sorry, Twilight!" Izuku cowered. "I-I just wanted to ask All-Might a really important question and...well..."

Izuku gestured to the skeletal man in front of them, who casually waved to the Mane 6. The girls all took a few seconds to process this before realization hit them.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAA?!" Rarity gasped, her hands cupping her cheeks. "All-Might, dear, what happened to your perfectly chiseled form?"

All-Might sighed as he tiredly slumped down against the railing of the building they were on and lifted up his shirt, revealing a grievous crater-like scar. Fluttershy almost fainted at how serious the wound must have been when he first got it.

"Ugly, isn't it? Five years ago, this had my guts spilling out of it. I was in a fight with the villain to end all villains. I still won, but it nearly cost me my life. Luckily I was teamed up with Celestia. With her powers, she replaced my missing organs. Without her, I'd be running on fumes by now."

Twilight perked up, recognizing the name. "Celestia...You don't mean Taiyo Amaterasu, right?"

"Yes, that's her real name. Though she likes to be called Celestia since before it was her Hero Name, it was her nickname by her friends." All-Might said.

"She's actually my tutor!" Twilight excitedly smiled. "I had no idea she was friends with All-Might himself!"

"Wait..." Izuku realized something. "Five years ago... Wasn't that the fight with Toxic Chainsaw?"

All-Might chuckled. "You sure know your stuff, kid. But no, that lowlife couldn't even hope to do this kind of damage to me. This was actually a fight most of the world never even heard of. A villain that was known only to me, and a select few individuals. Even among the highest members of the Japanese government, it's a closely guarded secret."

"Wow, that must have been really scary..." Fluttershy said sympathetically.

"That's the mark of being a Pro, kid. Smiling even through the tough times." All-Might said. "And when I'm like this, just call me by my real name; Toshinori Yagi."

"Whoa...on a real-name basis with All-Might!" Rainbow Dash whispered.

"Hold on now, what in the hay was Izuku even wanting to ask ya?" Applejack questioned.

"Well...it's just..." Izuku said nervously. "I just wanted to know if...could someone like me who's Quirkless be a Hero?"

Toshinori hummed. In any other circumstance, he would say being a Hero without a Quirk would be quite dangerous but he could see the look in Izuku's eyes and saw something familiar in them; a need of someone to truly believe in him.

"Heroes can come from anywhere. It's not just about fighting villains. But fighting villains does require a power of some kind since they tend to have their own Quirks. So while a Quirkless person could become a Hero, they would mostly be limited to rescue and evacuation. When Thomas Jefferson penned that all men are created equal, what he meant was that all men, and women, are equally entitled to the same rights. They aren't necessarily born equally capable."

"I can appreciate an honest answer." Applejack nodded, putting a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "But Izuku's one of the smartest people out here. And none of us would have been able to reach for our dreams if he wasn't there for us."

"Yeah! No matter what, I think he's a Hero already." Rainbow Dash said, slinging her arm around Izuku, making him blush at the close contact.

"You've got good friends, Young Midoriya. It's often those that believe in you that can help you find the hero inside." Toshinori chuckled, respecting the camaraderie between Izuku and the six girls. "

Speaking of which, I should get this guy back... To..."

It was then that Toshinori realized the bottle with the Sludge Villain was gone. He quickly checked his pockets before slapping his forehead.

"I knew I should have fastened him tighter!"

Suddenly, an explosion was heard going off on the other side of the district.

"Could this have been my fault..." Izuku weakly asked. "I-I grabbed onto All-Might's leg and..."

"Hey! It's no use getting worked up about it if we still have a chance to do something!" Twilight said. "Come on, I'll get us there in a flash!"

"How do you propose we do-" Toshinori began, only for Twilight to concentrate real hard before a massive flash of purple light engulfed the eight and soon, they found themselves near where the explosion occurred. "-That?"

Twilight breathed heavily as she fell to her knees, Izuku and Fluttershy moving to make sure she was okay. This was the power of her Quirk, [Alicorn], which granted her the ability to use magic and grow wings for flight. However, if she used too much magic at once, it'd exhaust her.

"Celestia did tell me that she had a pupil who had a Quirk that was practically magic..." Toshinori thought before smiling. "You kids rest up, I'll handle things from here!"

With that, Toshinori buffed back up into his All-Might Form before leaping off. Izuku watched his hero go before clenching his fists and following after him.

"Izuku, where are you going?!" Rainbow Dash asked as the girls quickly followed after him, Twilight regaining her bearings enough to join them.

The newly-freed Sludge Villain was wreaking havoc in the area, trying to invade a new victim's body. Several Pro Heroes were on the scene but they were distracted by keeping civilians out of the line of fire.

"We need to do something!" Kamui Woods said urgently. "That kid can't hold the villain off forever, he'll suffocate soon enough!"

"You sure?" Death Arms asked. "The villain was only marked as a robber. I was under the impression that this was a hostage situation."

"It's clear as day that the villain is trying to body snatch him to try and get away!" Pointed out Slugger, a Baseball Player-themed Pro.

Death Arms grimaced and considered his options. "I can try getting him out of there. I should be able to grab the kid."

"Last I checked, your Quirk was simple [Super Strength], not being fireproof," Backdraft said, using his Quirk to dose the growing flames. "If I can just get past these flames, I can spray the villain to get him off the boy."

"Where did these flames even come from?" Asked Air Jet, who was firing gusts of wind to blow out some of the easier-to-manage flames with his Quirk, [Air Blast].

"It's the kid. He has an Explosion Quirk." Backdraft explained.

Izuku and the Mane 6 had arrived ahead of All-Might, already checking out the situation. As Izuku got a closer look at the person the Sludge Villain was holding hostage, his eyes widened in realization; It was Katsuki Bakugou, his former friend.

Now, ever since meeting Twilight, Izuku had realized that sticking around Katsuki and his growing ego was a bad idea. It was why he transferred schools with Twilight the first chance he got. However, by no means did the green-haired boy wish to see the explosive blonde suffer like this.

Without even thinking, Izuku rushed past the flames, much to everybody's shock.

"IZUKU!" The Mane 6 all cried.

"Kid, what the heck are you doing?!" Death Arms called out. "It's too dangerous!"

Izuku's analytical mind went into overdrive as he grabbed at his backpack and threw it at the Sludge Villain's large and obvious eyes, which remained solid no matter what form he took.

The Sludge Villain let out a cry of pain, loosening his grip on Katsuki as Izuku grabbed him and began pulling him out with all his might.

"Deku?!" Katsuki asked when he recognized the boy he hadn't seen in years. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"

Izuku looked at his former friend with tears in his eyes, which gave Katsuki pause, especially the words he said next.

"I don't know...we may not be friends anymore but...y-you looked like you needed saving!"

The Sludge Villain began to recover, growling angrily at Izuku and Katsuki as he prepared to attack but he got cut off by a sudden impact, slamming into the ground.

"You certainly have what it takes to become a hero, Young Midoriya! Not just anyone would rush headlong into danger like that to help another!"

All-Might had arrived just in time to see Izuku's courageous act and, feeling inspired by the boy's bravery, decided to leap into the fray.

"DETROIT SMASH!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The Sludge Villain cried, realizing history was repeating itself.

With a massive punch, All-Might created a shockwave tornado that reduced the Sludge Villain to pieces of himself. Air Jet quickly used his Support Jetpack to boost through the air and gather up as many pieces as he could, Kamui Woods moving in to catch any that he missed with his branch tentacles.

A sudden rainfall occurred, created by the tornado when it caused the clouds to move, everyone gazing in wonder.

"Whoa, "I had no idea All-Might was strong enough to change the weather." Rainbow Dash muttered.

Rarity immediately ran over to Izuku and began checking up on him, making sure every part of him was unharmed while also tidying up his clothes and hair.

"Darling, you really need to take better care of yourself."

Izuku blushed and nodded. "Sorry, Rarity..."

Meanwhile, Twilight was rubbing her chin in deep thought. Not even improving one's muscle mass and physical strength could account for what All-Might had just done. There was another force at work here. Still, with a smile on his face and his fist raised to the heavens, he was able to reassure the people that the danger had passed, as the onlookers cheered.

The Pro Heroes on the scene had given Izuku a thorough scolding for his reckless disregard for his own safety. However, they also praised him for his courage and how he was able to do what they were unable to.

Katsuki had said nothing throughout everything and before anyone could ask if he was okay, he had skulked off, his hands in his pockets. Izuku wanted to go after him, but he was met by Toshinori, who had turned back to normal.

"By now I'm sure you've realized... A Quirk alone cannot accomplish what I did today. I normally wouldn't be saying this, but there's a reason I'm explaining everything. You see... Five years ago, I decided to contemplate retirement."

"WHAT?!" Pinkie Pie screeched in disbelief.

"RETIREMENT, THE SYMBOL OF PEACE?!" Izuku cried.

"The villain who nearly ended my career, and life, is one that has been fought before," Toshinori explained. "And only I ever came close to truly ending his threat."

"WHAT?!" Pinkie Pie screamed again.

"However, I've been warned that he may not be gone for good. And I only barely survived against him the first time... Which means I need to pass the torch so that my successor might have greater success."

"WHA-?!" Pinkie was about to scream again before Applejack slapped her hand over her mouth to shut her up, an unamused look on her face.

"Thank you, Young Applelane." Toshinori quickly said before turning to Izuku as he continued. "And that is why I have chosen you, Young Midoriya, to inherit my true power."

"True power...?"

"There are stories behind every hero, how they become great. Rising up from adversity, or just finding a reason to fight evil. But most have one thing in common... Their bodies moved before they could have a chance to think. Tell me something... did your legs move on their own when you went to help that boy?"

Izuku nodded. "I don't know what was happening. I recognized him from my childhood. He used to be my friend before he started being a bully...but seeing him in danger, silently pleading for help...everything was a blur."

Toshinori smiled. "I thought so. I saw your eyes only seeing forward, towards your intended path. I need someone to take up my mantle when I retire, and I think you'd make the perfect hero to do so."

"You mean...?" Izuku asked.

"Believe it or not, my boy, I used to be Quirkless just like you," Toshinori confessed.

"PLOT TWIST!" Pinkie said, squishing her cheeks.

Toshinori rolled his eyes as he continued. "The Quirk I have now was given to me by another. It stockpiles power with each successive user. The strength I have is my own power, alongside the power of seven predecessors."

He held out his palm, glowing energy coming from it.

"The name of this power... This ultimate Quirk... Is... ONE FOR ALL!"

Here we have the beginning of Izuku's Hero Story with the Mane 6 by his side and All-Might there to help guide him. However, considering All-Might's plans for training One For All didn't work out in canon, how will they make things work out here?

You'll find out about that and more in the next chapter! Stay tuned, My Little Heroes and Bronies!