The Golden Apple was an incredible fruit - boosting one stats by +20. The only downside: you could only eat one per year.
Blitz's eyes sparkled at the fruit held in Alvin's hand.
Squeak.
Squeak!
He squeaked loudly, almost yelling at Alvin to hand the fruit over already.
"Haha, alright," Alvin chuckled, amused by Blitz's excitement. He set the fruit down on the bed in front of him.
It sat there, glowing softly, an apple of gold exuding warmth.
Blitz jumped closer to it, sniffing it. The smell was divine.
But how will I eat it? he wondered.
This was a big apple, and now he was a rabbit. He had no idea how to go about biting into it.
…Fuck it.
Chomp.
Blitz opened his little rabbit mouth and plunged his two large front teeth into the golden fruit.
The instant it touched his tongue, it melted like molten lava.
Mmmmmmm.
Sweet. Rich. Legendary. Tasted like an apple-but sweeter, juicier, and far beyond anything normal.
Blitz swallowed.
He waited.
Nothing happened.
Why is it not working?
Then - his stomach growled violently.
Pain exploded through him.
It felt like his stomach was tearing itself apart.
Blitz squeaked in agony.
Rivera's eyes went wide as she rushed to him in panic.
She shook Blitz gently, her voice trembling as she called out to him.
Then, she fiercely turned towards her father.
"Is the fruit poison?! Are you trying to kill my beast!?"
"No! It is really the Golden Apple, and it's not poison. Trust me!" Alvin stared at her dumbfounded.
Rose took a step forward, concern etched on her face as she gazed at Blitz. "Alvin… what is happening?" she asked.
"I-I don't know," said Alvin.
Rivera glanced between the two, disbelieving and fearful, before looking back to Blitz, who still writhed in his pain.
"Blitz! Open your eyes!" she shouted.
But Blitz's eyes remained shut, and his tiny body shuddered.
Blitz was panicking inside his mind.
What's happening to me? Why does it hurt so much?
The pain was unbearable -
Then it vanished.
A golden glow burst out from his stomach. Lines of gold sprouted outwards, branching through his body, like veins of shimmering precious metal. They expanded, blooming across his entire rabbit form in glowing patterns.
The lines reached his eyes. It turned green, then purple, then crimson, then gold.
The pain was gone, replaced by something else.
Power.
Raw, thrumming power.
It surged through him like a roaring current.
Ohhhhh yeah… this is the good stuff.
The glow gradually faded.
Then-
[Ding!]