//------------------------------// // Course 3 // Story: Harmonic Gourmet // by Robomac //------------------------------// Someone once said ... there are great fields where corn shaped like the face of an elderly man grows in the middle of a perfectly formed plot of grass and when a person steps upon the grass, the corn pops into popcorn as light as air and the phrase, "Get off my Lawn," can be heard with each pop: Pop's Popcorn. This is the Gormet Age; an age where all of mankind spends their lives seeking yet undiscovered and untasted culinary delights. Twilight Sparkle having been pulled from her home in Equestria and being dropped into the Barron Archipelago ends up meeting Toriko and Komatsu. After Toriko defeated the Garara Gator they were there to hunt, the three spent the night talking and eating. Near the end of the feast, Twilight decided to follow Toriko to his home so she could use the free space to practice controlling her enhanced magic. Three days have passed since then. Twilight's eyes twitched underneath her eyelids as she woke without wanting to get up. She instead decided to start nibbling upon the blanket that was covering her, or at least what remained of it. It had a sweet taste, a silky texture, and melted in her mouth like cotton candy yet worked like a normal blanket when not being eaten. She shouldn't have been surprised when Toriko's home and everything in it was edible. One more morning and the blanket won't be big enough to cover her. Twilight forced herself out of bed and stretched out her stiffness. With a glance to her right, a smiled made a way to her face at the sight of morning's newspaper resting on the coffee table; it's a table made completely out of coffee flavored hard candy. The newspaper proved to be one of Twilight's favorite parts of the morning as it allowed her to be completely aware the most recent events. It didn't hurt that it too was edible. Unfortunately, or fortunately in the case of when she read the section about new ingredients being discovered, the newspaper had yet to provide any information or rumors on anything that could be her friends. Even with it being only three days, Twilight's patience was starting to wear thin. She teleported outside of Toriko's Sweets House with the news paper and a chunk of the house; he did say she could have as much as she wanted. She began eating the large chunk of cookie and scanned the horizon for her target. It was only when she took to the skies that she was able to find him jumping down the side of a cliff. With her newly enhanced and mastered teleportation, she ended up at the edge in time to watch him walk into a cave. Twilight decided to eat and read while she waited for him to come back out. It only took around half a minute before the fat body of a dragon-like creature made out of the cave. Sharkenodon Draconic Beast Capture Level 4 Twilight would have certainly entered a panicked state if she ever saw something like that happen a week ago; but she knew that worrying about Toriko's well being was simply a waste of time. "Hey, Twilight! Can you help a guy out?!" She glanced away from an amusingly ironic story of the world's top corporation IGO managed to enact selective Garara Gator breeding programs. She looked down at Toriko and his catch then teleported them near her position. "Man, I can get used to that! I would have had to climb back out carrying this guy." "Trust me when I say that you shouldn't use magic to solve all your problems. I've learned that the hard way, twice." "Says the pony who's been using magic for everything since she got here." "I already told you that I am practicing my magic so I know that I can control it when I need it." Toriko smiled back widely. "Then it works out both ways. You get to practice and I get a little help; two birds with one stone if you ask me." Twilight sighed at Toriko's response. She was quickly learning that there was much more to him than gluttony and cheerfulness. He also possessed decent intellect and logic that has managed to trump her own at least a third of the time. A grumbling from the fat-bodied dragon startled Twilight from her thoughts. "That thing is still alive?!" "Yep," he said patting its belly. "I only did some knocking on it. He won't be moving until after he gets to market." Twilight decided weighed her options. Either she could stay at Toriko's house for an undetermined amount of time or she could follow him to a heavily populated area and try to pass herself off as and exotic pet. The growing sense of curiosity and restlessness managed to be the deciding factor for her. Additionally, being seen in public may trigger hidden rumors. While the trip to the Central Gourmet Wholesale Market was quick and uneventful, walking between all the stalls and through the crowds was not. True to what would be expected in the Gourmet Age, the place was full of all different kinds of foods and huge crowds trying to find the best they can afford. Also as expected, everyone's attention was drawn to Toriko and Twilight like moths to a flame; it isn't everyday that anyone gets to see a gourmet celebrity carrying a 1.5 ton dragon and accompanied by a small multi-colored alicorn. "Is that Toriko?" "He's carrying that Sharkenodon around like it's nothing." "What's that purple horse thing? I've never seen anything like it." "I don't know, but it takes a real man to walk around with something like that." The woman fanned herself with her hands while the man next to her pouted. Twilight couldn't help but feel somewhat insulted at that last one. She already planned to play the part of a pet, but being regarded as one still felt degrading. This was made only worse when they started talking about how girly she was. "Horsy" Twilight's gaze was pulled towards a girl who was a head taller than Spike running towards her. "Hina!" came the shrill yell from who was certainly the girl's mother just as she wrapped her arms around Twilight. The girl looked up at Toriko with the most adorable and pleading smile she could muster. "Kwan I lwide the horsy mlister?" Toriko returned the child's smile with his own. "Sure, she won't mind." Twilight gave him a glare that said 'I will have vengeance for this.' Toriko only chuckled in response. Twilight gave him an exaggerated roll of her eyes before lowering enough to allow the girl easy access. Once she felt her new mount get her balance, Twilight stood and started walking around. "Weeeee!" Twilight looked back at her smiling face and couldn't help feel the need to smile as well. She then saw the sight of a worried mother preparing to give Toriko a piece of her mind. At that moment, she developed a grin that would make Discord proud; her revenge would be coming sooner than expected, but she needed to check something first. "Hey," she said in a whisper only the girl could hear. "Are you scared of heights?" The mind behind Hina's wide eyes worked to process the talking horse while her head shook no automatically. "Then hang on," she added even though she planned to use magic to keep her on board. Twilight put on a show of lowering her stance and spreading her wings. Only when she heard the loud gasp of the girl's mother did she take flight. Her following scream would have cut into Twilight's heart if it wasn't for the gleeful laughter from her daughter. "We're swoo high." She looked at Twilight with a set of eyes that would be hard to say no to. "Can you willy talk." "I can, and it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Hina. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle." Her eyes only grew wider. "You're a pwincess." "Yes, but that's a really big secret," she replied with a hoof to her lips, "so keep it hush hush." Hina mimed zipping her lips while Twilight made the decision to return to the ground. It wasn't long before she could make out the image of Toriko being yelled at by the mother. She also spotted the form of her other human friend. She touched down near Toriko and allowed the panicked mother to retrieve her child. Twilight felt some guilt towards her, but Hina had the experience of a lifetime and Toriko learned not to volunteer her for anything. Two for three isn't bad; the ratio still holds strong. She turned her attention back to Toriko who had already started talking with Komatsu. Tom was also there, who she rememberd from him ferrying them away from the islands. "You certainly know how to draw attention to yourself Toriko. On top of your purple friend, you've got a Sharkenodon that looks like it's over a ton." "Yeah it is. That's 40 grand per kilogram. I just refreshed his knocking." "Make it 30. I've got poor customers... and are you sure she's not for sale?" he said with him pointing at Twilight. "Not. A. Chance." "Hey Tom, can you sell Skarkenodon some to the Hotel Gourmet." "Sure thing Komatsu." "Hold on!" Twilight's gaze was drawn to some sort of official in a suit and wearing sunglasses. "If you ignore the prices set by IGO, the prices of all foods could change for the worst." Tom smirked in response. "You can take that up with the provider." Twilight chuckled when the suited man took one look at Toriko and his stern expression dropped. He apparently let the subject drop as well and walked towards Toriko. "I've heard the rumors that you've defeated the Garara Gator; as would be expected of one of The Four Kings. You even managed to find a previously unknown beast. I wish the other three would contribute to The Gourmet Age as you have." "Nah, they're a little more interested in their own goals right now." "I suppose so. Putting that aside, I've got a job you might be interested in." Toriko simply waved him off. "Don't you always. Why don't you use one of your own Gourmet Hunters?" "The fruits of the rainbow are ripe." Twilight's ears perked up at the mere mention of the word rainbow. Toriko also froze in place. It was Komatsu who broke the silence. "You couldn't mean the Rainbow Fruit; the legendary fruit that has seven different flavors depending upon temperature and humidity!" Twilight's ears fell upon realizing that the weren't talking about the brashest member of her friends. Twilight had been seriously expecting to hear of her first. While she was lost in thought, the conversation progressed to Tom taking over. "They say that its juice is so concentrated, a single drop can turn a Olympic sized pool into a reservoir of thick luscious juice." "I've heard that someone can goof off their whole lives off the price of one fruit, but I thought they were extinct." "Yeah, Komatsu is right. How do you have one?" "They are only extinct in nature." Toriko smiled knowingly towards the IGO official. "I get it. You IGO guys managed to cook one up in one of your science projects." "Yes, but there is a problem. None of our people can get close because the king of all gorillas have nested around the tree. We've dispatched heavy weapons tanks to try and retrieve the fruit; none returned. The beasts are estimated at around Capture Level 9." This fact shocked Komatsu into silence. Tom however glanced towards Toriko with a smirk. "Level 9, can you handle it?" Toriko only smirked back. "Like I'd let that stop me getting my hands on that fruit." "Then I take it that you accept the request." "Yeah yeah, let's get going right away." He looked to Tom and patted the Sharkenodon. "I'll leave this with you." "Sure thing Toriko. I'll wire the cash over after I get this thing weighed." With that conversation over, Twilight followed the group three towards an object she recognized as a car from seeing it in the newspaper, but this particular car looked unnecessarily long. The man opened a door and gestured for them to enter. They did so in the order of Toriko, Komatsu, then Twilight. To Twilight's disappointment, the man joined as well. As soon as the car started moving, the man drew Toriko's attention. "I understand that who you bring with you is your own business, but are you sure about letting these two tag along? They look as if they'd only be a liability." Komatsu chuckled a little while Twilight felt herself seething at the comment. Toriko only smiled back at the man. "Act now and its your lucky day; do nothing and luck will never find you. How they live their lives is their choice." "Yes, I believe that this may be true for Komatsu, but I wonder if this little horse is simply following you without any understanding of the risks." Twilight began glaring holes into the man; which was something that he failed to notice. Toriko on the other hand did notice. "Hey Johannes, can you keep a secret?" Twilight's eyes widened. The now named Johannes seemed to take offense to this. "Toriko, you seem to have forgotten that keeping sensitive IGO secrets from getting out to the public is one of my many tasks. How classified would you consider this secret?" Toriko scratched the side of his face as he pondered the question. "I don't really remember all those classification levels." He stopped scratching then smiled from the decision he made. "It'll be best if you only tell the old man about this." Johannes adjusted his glasses and developed a small prideful smirk. "That would place this secret at the highest level of classification. I am honored that you would trust me with something of that caliber." Toriko leaned back and adopted a relaxed smile. "Yeah, but it's not my place to tell it to you." While Johannes' expression fell, Twilight carefully considered what Toriko was obviously implying. With all option's considered, it was ultimately her trust towards her friend that tipped the scales; if Toriko trusted this man with the truth, then so should she. "Ahem." The sound of a throat clearing cut Johannes off from questioning Toriko further. "Who was that?" Twilight raised a hoof and smiled. "That was me." His gaze snapped towards Twilight. His jaw slowly lowered and Twilight could see his eyes widening behind his glasses. It wasn't long before it started getting uncomfortable for her. "Will you please stop staring at me?" He fell back as much as he could which resulted in the two men chuckling at his reaction and Twilight sighing in exasperation. He stopped staring at Twilight to look at the chuckling pair, though mostly towards Komatsu. "You already knew about this?!" Komatsu chuckled nervously. "Yeah, we ran into her in the Baron Archipelago. She's a really nice, um, pony." Johannes took a cleansing breath then turned towards Twilight with his cool-headed demeanor mostly restored. He then dropped to his knees and bowed towards her. "I apologize for any prior rudeness; I was not aware." Twilight felt herself blushing from the display. "It's alright. I was trying to hide it." He rose then returned to his seat. "I understand. ... If you don't mind me asking, what is your story?" The next half hour was spent with Twilight telling Johannes what she told the other two that night with Toriko or Komatsu pitching in on any missed details. He kept his attention mostly on her with a perfectly neutral expression through the entire story. When she finished sharing every major point from after being taken from her home, Twilight needed to take a deep cleansing breath. "That's all." Johannes took notice of numerous different points of interest from her story, but there was something that took precedence over his own curiosity. Johannes pulled out something she recognized as a cellphone then looked her in the eyes. "Ms. Sparkle, are you willing to allow me to ask the president to assist in locating your friends. I am sure he will not hesitate to accept should he hear your story." After piecing things together, Twilight figured that the president and the old man Toriko mentioned were most likely the same man. She nodded to him with a sense of hope welling up. He returned her nod and began his call. "Don't get your hopes up yet. He rarely answ..." The sudden interruption was proof against what he planned to say. "I am sorry for calling so suddenly, but I have something important to ask of you sir." ... ... "Infirmary? Why are you there?" ... ... "And this individual is still alive?" ... "The injuries are only minor; that is even more surprising." ... "Yes. I am here with a special individual that has befriended Toriko and a chef under my employ. I ask that you not be too surprised by this, but this individual is a small purple horse that can understand and speak our language." Johannes distanced his phone from his ears with a grimace on his face. The reason became clearly due the loud sound coming from the earpiece. "Is he laughing?" asked Twilight with some confusion. That confusion quickly changed to irritation. "Is the idea of something like me really that ridiculous?!" Her expression fell into one of defeat. "Don't answer that question." Toriko narrowed his eyes. "Let me talk to the old man." Johannes handed him the phone just as the laughter died down. "Old man, what's the big idea?" ... "Yeah it's me. Why are you laughing about my friend." His angry expression was replaced by a raised eyebrow. "Then why?" ... "Really?!" he yelled excitedly. ... "It's Twilight Sparkle." Toriko soon pulled the phone from his ears and held it to Twilight. "He wants to talk to you." Twilight wanted to ask about the grin on Toriko's face but she felt that it would be rude to keep the IGO president waiting. She levitated the phone into position; the action got a raised eyebrow from Johannes. "Hello." ... "Yes, this is Twilight Sparkle." ... "Okay, I'll hold on," she said with a confused expression. "What's going on?" asked Komatsu expectantly. "He asked me to hold on for a moment while he puts someone else on the pho..." Twilight's jaw dropped and Toriko's knowing grin grew. "Applejack?!" Tears began to form on the edges of her eyes. "I can't believe it! I thought it would take at least a week before I'd even have a chance of hearing about any of you! Where are you?!" She became worried. "Are you okay?!" She let out a sigh of relief. "What happened?" Twilight proceeded to nod regularly with a proceeding angered expression. "I can't believe anyone would do that! Just how unreasonable is this Zebra?!" Twilight was pulled away from the phone by the sound of Toriko's laughter. "Is there a reason you're laughing?" Toriko wiped a tear from his eye then waved his hand in a placating manner. "Sorry Twilight, but asking 'is Zebra unreasonable' is like asking 'is the sky blue.' She stared at him wide eyed until she suddenly and literally shook herself out of it. "I'm sorry Applejack. A new friend of mine just confirmed that this Zebra is as crazy as you make him sound." ... "I'm glad you're okay. I just wish I knew where the other's are." Twilight soon took on an excited smile. "Really?! She's safe?!" She let out a highly relieved sigh. "That's good. She's the one I was really worried about." Twilight chuckled. "That's true." She immediately sighed again. ... "I want to see you all as soon as I can, but I'm in the middle of something right now. Let's stay split up for now and try looking for everypony else." ... ... "Yeah, see you later." She levitated the phone back to Johannes with a smile that was both relieved and sad. "We're done." He took the phone and looked at it for a second before putting it away. As if it were perfectly planned out, the limousine stopped at that moment. "We've arrived at our destination." He left the car and held the door open for the other's to follow. Once they stepped outside, Komatsu and Twilight craned their necks up so they could attempt to make out the top of the massive wall in front of them. It had to be at least 150 stories high; if someone were to provide a low estimate of the height that is. Marked on the massive front door was the text 'IGO BIOTOPE GARDEN No 8: NO ADMITTANCE.' "This wall is huge." Twilight whistled in agreement to Komatsu's comment. If she kept running into things like this, she'd have to start redefining the word big; its synonyms as well. "What kind of place is this?" Johannes who had already stepped ahead looked back at him. "This is an artificial habitat that is ideally suited for performing accurate research on plant and animal behavior." This caused twilight too look on at the wall with even greater admiration; she is a pony who has a strong love for any form of non-invasive research. They soon reached the guards at the doors who Johannes approached. "Can you open the gates for us?" "Our apologies, we cannot." Before anyone could question why, a powerful booming sound that shook the air echoed all around them. "Wha... what was that?!" asked a panicked Komatsu. Twilight was more confused as she never heard anything like it before. The calmest one of them was Toriko. "We cannot allow you entrance because a Troll Kong has been spotted near the gates." "Are you serious?! Does that mean that sound was it knocking on the door?!" While that was a possibility, Twilight didn't believe that the previous sound came from knocking on wood, stone, or metal. Their eyes widened when the sound occurred again, except this time it was behind them. They looked and found Toriko's smoking fist against his chest. "Toriko, you scared me!" Toriko only chuckled back at him. "That sound was the Troll Kong drumming its chest. It's one of the ways they use to intimidate others. I think it wants us to back off." Komatsu's knees started trembling. "Are you saying that sound was the Troll Kong beating its chest?" Johannes nodded in confirmation and gazed warily towards the gate. "They say that a Troll Kong's drumming can be heard from tens of kilometer's away. It must be within five if they won't open the gates for us." "That doesn't matter to me," said Toriko as he approached the wall. "Open up the door." "We can't Toriko; the Troll Kong is too close." Toriko simply stepped well off to the side of the gates with a smile. "So it won't matter if it's scared off when the door opens." Toriko stopped right at the wall and spread his legs into a stance. "Gorilla's also like to intimidate by throwing or breaking something. This should get the message across loud and clear. Twilight's eyes slowly widened as she realized what Toriko was planning while also not believing he would be capable. "THREE FOLD " he pulled back his arm and flexed all his muscles " "SPIKED PUNCH!" Toriko struck the wall with enough force to leave a massive crater. "One." The widened eyes and dropped jaws of all the others all grew when a new much larger crater formed over the first. "Two." The third inevitable blow finished the job; punching a building sized hole clean through the wall. "Three. Let's go." Toriko had already walked through the path before Komatsu regained enough of his senses to follow. "Wait for me!" It took Komatsu's exclamation for Twilight to follow after them. Once she reached Toriko, the scolding she prepared vanished at the sight of five serpents with tri-pronged mouths clamped onto Toriko's arms, legs, and torso. "Zombie Taipans; their venom is deadly!" Zombie Taipan Reptile Beast Capture Level 1 Twilight's concern overwhelmed any other thought as she ran for him. "Stay back!" yelled Toriko with his palm held out to her. She stopped in place but her panic continued to raise. "We have to help get those off you!" "Don't worry, I'll be fine!" Toriko relaxed his stance and sighed. "I was saving this to celebrate a successful hunt." He pulled out a thick stick and lit it with a snap of his fingers, then he put the unlit end into his mouth and sucked on it until the entire thing burned up. After a few moments, all of the snakes let go and slithered off. "There you go. You must have been pretty surprised being thrown like that." Twilight walked up to Toriko after the taipans slithered off; concern was still evident on her face. "How did you..." She scrunched up her muzzle. "Ah, what's that smell?!" "Acetic acid. It looks like you like it about as much as those Zombie Taipans" "What about the venom?!" "Don't worry; I've got the antibodies for it." She stared in disbelief for a few seconds then sighed. "So what you're saying is that you're immune?" When he nodded, she looked back towards where they came then looked up at him with the most disapproving glare she could manage. "Well since you're okay, why did you punch a hole in the wall?! I could have easily teleported us through!" Toriko chuckled and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Hehe, sorry." She flew up to look him face to face and poked his chest with a hoof. "This is no laughing matter! Do you have any idea how much work fixing a hole like that can be?!" He hung his head in defeat. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have destroyed it." Twilight nodded in acceptance of his apology. "Good. Make sure you pay attention to the consequences of your actions from now on." She drifted back to the ground and turned towards the wall. Her horn started glowing in a way both men recognized as her preparing a spell. Soon, all the rubble from Toriko's act of destruction floated towards the hole. All the pieces fell perfectly into place and fused together; the wall was fixed within half a minute, leaving an astonished expression on the human pair's faces. "It looks like that spell has been amplified as well." "That was amazing!" Twilight blushed and averted her gaze. "Thanks, it was a while before I could learn how to do that one right." Toriko found himself smiling at her display of humility. "Can you teleport us across that moat. You need all the practice you can get right?" Twilight rolled her eyes then performed the spell. Just over five kilometers away, a single large figure watched the three making their way towards. A flash of lightning lit up and revealed a green furred gorilla with a large mouth filled with countless sharp fangs. Troll Kong Mammal Beast Capture Level 9 It tightly gripped the four large bolder's it held in each of its hands. The fact that throwing the snakes at them didn't work failed to bother him at all. He would not be letting them reach the troupe. The biggest one was a threat, but small one was a mystery. Both would have to be dealt with. "Toriko, Twilight, I found some bacon leaves. I've never seen them growing in the wild." They looked back at him and the thick pile of leaf shaped meat he carried. Twilight's gaze betrayed mild disbelief. "So there are plants in this world that grow meat for leaves? ... I give up on figuring out your ecosystem." "Man this tastes great with these banana cucumbers," Toriko said with the bacon wrapped around the cucumber. " You want one Twilight?" "Just the cucumber please." He tossed one over that she easily caught with her levitation. Once she took a bite, her teeth were treated to the crunchy texture of crisp cucumbers while her tongue enjoyed the sweetness of a ripe banana. "These are delicious. I'd never be able to have something like this back home." In the moment after she said those words, she hung her head. Both men took notice and looked at her sympathetically. She stomped her hoof and shook her head. "No, I can worry about that later." Toriko's frown turned into a smile. "Well I'm willing to bet that some Rainbow Fruit will cheer you up." He jumped down a small ledge with a sandpit below. The sand gave way under his weight then a large four-armed gorilla jumped out from nowhere and threw four large boulders down at him. "Toriko!" With the first attack made, the beast could not afford to waste time. The trajectory of his jump was planned to carry him straight to his second target. The purple one was focused on the fate of the of the other; that was a costly mistake. He pulled back a arm and backhanded it with all his strength. He only barely registered its glowing figure sailing away. All that left was the weak one. "Knocking!" A piercing pain and muscles locking up alerted him that the first was still active. He lashed out but missed. With how his body was locking up, he only had one option left. Meanwhile, Twilight sailed away still covered in the defensive aura she thankfully cast just before getting hit. She flared her wings to stop and flew as fast as she could back where she came. She needed to stop that thing before it could get Komatsu too. She prepped a teleportation spell to bring her right over the Troll Kong. She then prepped an unpracticed magic beam and took aim, but her target collapsed before she could fire. "Huh?" "Gross!" She looked down to see Toriko in front of the gorilla's mouth covered in a slimy liquid. He sniffed his arm then immediately recoiled form the action. "It smells horrible!" Twilight hovered down near Toriko then hopped back and covered her muzzle with a hoof. "I'm glad you're okay, but you smell like you've been dead for a week." "Ha ha," he laughed sarcastically. "This guy decided to vomit on me when I brought him down. Now I'm covered in his stink." He suddenly smiled from his own idea. "Do you have a spell that can clean me off?" Twilight chuckled and shook her head. "Sorry" she looked up at the sky "but I could bring a cloud down and make it rain on you." "That sounds good." Both of their eyes widened. "You can do that?!" "Yes." Lighting struck somewhere in the air which Twilight reacted to by chuckling nervously. "Though I'm not too good at it. I might trigger a lightning strike instead." Toriko raised his hands defensively. "Yeah, no lightning please." This got them all the chuckle. "Still, this weather could be a problem. The Rainbow Fruit tree is pretty tall; it'll be bad if lighting strikes it before we get to it." Komatsu glanced nervously towards the paralyzed Troll Kong then looked back at the others. "Lets go. I don't want to be here when he gets back up." They nodded in affirmation then left. Komatsu followed but first hazarded on last look back; he wanted to know why Toriko would use the more difficult Knocking rather than simply kill it. The next quarter-hour proved uneventful as they made their final approach. Twilight continued to grow more and more silent as they got closer to their goal; she became gradually less aware of the other two as all her senses gave way to her sense of smell. She missed them talk about how other animals are driven to eat the Rainbow Fruit; they even do so by forfeiting their own lives. Once the fruit entered their sight, even the rain that began to fall failed to be noticed by her. Toriko was left unaware of Twilight's state of mind due to focusing on the 30+ Troll Kongs guarding the Rainbow Fruit; he grunted in frustration. "It doesn't matter how much strength I project; I smell like their weakest. They won't hesitate to attack me. Twilight..." His voice was caught by the sight of Twilight's power projection. The blue flame-like aura was giving him the first true look at her ability which was easily on par with his own. She began to walk straight for the Rainbow Fruit without any concern for the swarm of Troll Kongs. They took notice of the new creature and froze. This one was completely different from the countless prey that were drawn by the fruit's scent. The individual was small, but the demon that followed was not. Sharp blue eyes, jagged sapphire protrusions that included a sharp horn, massive near-black wings, and two white fangs sticking up from the lower jaw: these were the only traits they could make out. Anything else was shrouded in darkness. Everyone of the troupe that stood in its path stepped aside for fear of its wrath. They had numbers, power, and intelligence, but their instincts warned them that they were outclassed. Toriko followed Twilight's approached with Komatsu clinging tightly on his back. It was thanks to Twilight's powerful presence that they were completely ignored. This safety allowed them both the freedom to take in the full picture. It was then that they simultaneously took notice of a single gorilla overlooking them from a high ridge. Rather than being short and green, its fur was shaggy and white. Troll Kong Silverback Mammal Beast Capture Level 10 The Silverback suddenly looked towards the sky; he felt a new greater threat coming. There was no time to warn the troupe; he only had enough to ensure his own safety by hiding below the ridge. Meanwhile Twilight was feeling more powerful than ever. She wanted that fruit and no force on the planet would be able to stop her from reaching it. Anything that would dare stand between her and the treasure ahead would do so at their own peril. That fruit will be hers. Little did she know, nature was set on doing what the Troll Kongs couldn't. A flash of light, blast of sound, and sudden pain brought Twilight's other senses back. Even with her vision blurred, one eye made out a sea of startled Troll Kongs while the other could only see the ground. She realized she was laying on her side, but her consciousness faded before she could wonder why. Twilight's eyes fluttered open in response to a gentle jolt of movement. Even while groggy, she noticed that the side of her face was damp. The floor had a velvet red carpet and the walls were painted gold. Her vision slowly refocused until she was able to make out a number of humans in black suits like Johannes's and a massive table covered in many empty plates and some with food still on them. She looked around and noticed Johannes sitting next to her. "So you are awake?" The moment she tried to speak, a small bit of drool leaked out. She promptly swallowed with some embarrassment. "What happened, where are we, how did I get here?" "I was told that you lost yourself to your desire to eat the Rainbow Fruit and approached it. You were making progress until a lightning bolt struck you directly." "That explains why my horn's throbbing," said Twilight while rubbing her horn. Johannes raised an eyebrow, which Twilight took as a sign to elaborate. She thought for a moment on how to best explain it with no knowledge of pony anatomy. "Ponies with wings are more resistant to electric shock. Due to the electrical resistance of air, being struck on the ground is hardly a nuisance to them. A unicorn getting struck on the horn never survives on the other hoof. I think having both traits allowed a direct shock to only knock me out." She nodded more to herself at her own explanation of her survival. "What happened after I was knocked out?" "Of course. Toriko was fortunately able to retrieve both you and the Rainbow Fruit without issue. Also fortunate was that you suffered no permanent damage. You were brought here along with a small portion of the Rainbow Fruit. It has been a little over two hours since" She nodded then made out Toriko sitting at the end of the table wearing a pure white tuxedo and having his blue hair combed back. She looked at the growing piles of plates then back at Johannes. "How much has he eaten?" "I lost count after sixty servings; that was thirty minutes ago. I imagine that the Rainbow Fruit will be coming out soon." Only a second passed before they were assaulted by a powerfully sweet aroma. Twilight was forced to swallow constantly just to keep the drool from leaking from her lips. An agonizing amount of time passed until Komatsu put one of two trays in front of Toriko. She immediately teleported to a seat near them; she couldn't care about all the others who would see. They were all startled by the sudden action with the exception of those familiar with her abilities.. Toriko glanced at her with a knowing smirk and drool leaking out. "I knew you couldn't sleep through this." Komatsu put the other tray in front of Twilight but said nothing. Even with the professionalism he was trying to show, he was also drooling. Aside from that, he looked at her with joy and relief that she was okay. Twilight appreciated the sentiment then looked at Toriko. With a shared nod, they removed the lids off their plates. What was revealed immediately reminded Twilight of whenever she and her friends used the Elements of Harmony. An actual rainbow formed between the two pieces of multi-colored jello. The nostalgia she felt was the only thing keeping her from diving in. She noticed Toriko spread his arms out and look down at the desert. "I give my humble thanks to the vast bounties this world provides." Twilight used this moment to bow. "It is time to eat." Twilight levitated her spoon and scooped out a piece of the desert. She took a few moments to admire its softness and density before eating her piece at the same time as Toriko. Within a second, they were treated to the taste of hundred concentrated mango's, a tartness that was well beyond any lemon, and two other flavors that were simply beyond description. As they prepared to swallow, their sinuses were met with the fragrance of roasted chestnuts. Once they swallowed, a flood of energy pulsed through their entire bodies. At the finally step, all the flavors combined and felt like every cell in their bodies could taste it. They started to cry tears of joy. "So good," said Toriko "Amazing," said Twilight without any concern for who would hear her. Toriko chuckled. "It's been three years since he predicted this. I've decided. This will be the desert in my full course." He stood up and looked at everyone in the room. "Everyone should have a taste. Food like this is meant to be shared." After hearing this, the room erupted in cheers. While a part of Twilight didn't want to share, she agreed completely with Toriko's assessment. She counted 23 individuals in the room then used her magic to cut the Rainbow Fruit Jello into 21 equal pieces with the two others being the parts she and Toriko ate a piece from. What followed was yet another party she would have to tell her friends about. The staff were sworn to secrecy however.