It was late afternoon in Canterlot and rain was pouring down. It struck the windows of the small loft apartment with a sound like tiny hooves running over the glass. The room looked dim and shadowy in the gray light that filtered through the curtain-less windows. Even if the light had been brighter, it would not have improved the room’s appearance. The bed, which sat in a far corner, had not been made. A mess of balled up note paper, broken quills, and empty water glasses littered the floor around it. A small drop-leaf table that marked the dining area was piled with food stained books and half-empty bags of All Purpose flour.
Only the kitchen nook was clean and spotless. Next to the kitchen area, on the same wall as the oven, sat a gas lit fireplace. It was nothing fancy, just some fake logs lying on a fake stone hearth. The flames gave off a cozy yellow glow.
Cinnamon Roll sat on a blanket close to the warm flame. She could feel the heat on her dark brown fur and cream-colored mane. It reminded her of winter evenings back at Sweet Apple Acres, with her family gathered around the fireplace drinking hot apple cider and talking about their day. Of course, this fire didn’t crackle or have the homey smell of wood smoke. There were other smells in the air: the brown smell of fresh baked bread and the oily scent of frying. She caught her breath as she felt a warm body lightly press against her back.
“Is the blindfold on tight enough, Cherie?” a voice rumbled low in her ear.
“Yes,” she whispered. Her heart was pounding in her chest.
“Good,” the voice murmured. Cinnamon Roll jumped as she felt a light nibble on her ear. “No cheating, now.”
“No cheating,” she answered, licking her lips. “I promise.”
The voice chuckled. “Eager, are we?” Cinnamon shivered as a talon lightly traced her cheek. “Are you ready to begin?”
“Oh, yes! Please!”
“Very well. Here we go!”
Cinnamon Roll felt something press against her lips. Eagerly, she opened her mouth and felt something drop on her tongue.
“Hmmmmmm,” she hummed, rolling the object along her tongue. “That is…a walnut!”
“Humph! Too easy!” the voice grumped. “How about…this!”
Cinnamon Roll tasted the next offering. It was nut-like but much smaller and there was more than one. She chewed thoughtfully.
“They’re small. They’re seeds. Not sunflower. I’d have to say…pine nuts?”
“Ha-ha! You’re good at this!”
Cinnamon Roll giggled. “Well, you are the one who introduced me to pine nuts, Gulliand. You got anything more challenging?”
“But, of course! Now, this one,” he said, holding the object so it just brushed her upper lip. “Has layers of different flavors.”
Cinnamon took the object into her mouth. She did not chew but ran her tongue over it, exploring its flavor. It was another nut…a nut any member of the Apple family would recognize…but there were other flavors with it. Sweet… Salty…
“It’s a pecan. Nicely toasted, by the way. Salted. With butter…” she paused.
“And?” Gulliand prompted.
Cinnamon smacked her lips. “Honey.”
“Ha! Perfect!” the griffon applauded. “Very good, my little sweet bun. But you need to mind your pronunciation. The word is ‘pe-CAHN’, not ‘pee-can’.”
Cinnamon rolled her eyes under the blindfold. “Well, that’s the way I was raised to say it! Granny and Ma always said it that way and so did all the Appleloosa kin!”
“Yes, Cherie,” Gulliand sighed, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. “But in the rest of Equestria it is called ‘pe-CAHN’. A ‘pee-can’ is…well, something else.”
Cinnamon snorted. “Oh, all right! Pe-CAHN! Yeesh! I sound like a Canterlot snob.”
“Not at all, my little bun,” the griffon chuckled. “Now, are you ready to up the ante?”
“Ooooh! You mean combos?” cried the little mare, clapping her hooves eagerly. “Oh, yeah! Gimme!”
“All right. Try this first but don’t bite the fork!”
“Mmmmmm! Your lemon-blueberry pancakes with maple syrup!”
“Mm Hmm,” he hummed. “Now, taste this.”
“Whoa!” said Cinnamon, smacking her lips. “That tastes like goat cheese but it feels very creamy!”
“You are right! It is creamed goat cheese.”
Cinnamon made a face. “You’re gonna feed me lemon-blueberry pancake with maple syrup and GOAT CHEESE?”
“Oui!” Gulliand chuckled as he placed a healthy dollop of the whipped cheese onto a bite-sized piece of pancake. “Try it. I think you may be surprised.”
Cinnamon Roll wasn’t very convinced. Pancakes with goat cheese sounded like something Discord would eat for breakfast! But, she and Gulliand had played this game many times and the griffon had never steered her wrong. Reluctantly, she opened her mouth and let him feed her a forkful.
“Oh, my gosh!” she said, her look of doubt blooming to one of wonder. “This is delicious! The goat cheese offsets the sweetness but doesn’t overpower it. It’s like cream cheese with a kick!”
“I knew you’d like it, Cherie,” Gulliand murmured. “You are not afraid of new things.”
He reached over to brush a crumb off her lip. Cinnamon bit down on his talon.
“Yeow!” he cried, snatching his hand back.
“Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry, Sweetheart!” cried Cinnamon, horrified. “I-I-I thought you were feeding me another sample! Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, Cherie,” he assured her. “It was just a little nip.”
“Oh, good,” she sighed in relief. After a moment, she started to giggle. Gulliand narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“What’s so funny?”
Cinnamon grinned. “That tasted like griffon!”
She squealed as he pushed her onto her back and began to tickle. “Infernal female! How can a mare with such a sweet name be so full of salt?’ he asked.
“You need sugar and salt to make a good pudding,” she shot back.
“True.”
Cinnamon Roll felt his talons untie the blindfold and slip it from her eyes. Gulliand had tawny brown body with a white head and chest that glowed golden in the fire’s light. She stared up at him lovingly, her hoof softly stroking his neck. Slowly, he lowered his beak to her lips, his thin tongue lightly licking, begging for entrance. Her lips parted eagerly, her own tongue meeting his in an intimate dance.
Gulliand sighed in bliss. He felt her hooves slipping under his wings to caress the sensitive joints. He slid his hand down her side, the talons barely penetrating her fur. Cinnamon shivered at the delicate touch. She felt his hand reach her flank…then stop, just short of her cutie mark.
That was as far as they went. Cinnamon Roll had let him know when they first started dating that she preferred they not get…physical. Gulliand respected that.
“I love you, my sweet bun,” he murmured.
“I love you, too,” she whispered back.
Gulliand lay down on the blanket beside her and cuddled up close. For a long time, neither one spoke. Cinnamon Roll lay still, watching the fire light dance across the griffon’s face as his talon absently played with her mane.
“So,” he said softly, breaking the silence. “Graduation is next month.”
Cinnamon Roll stiffened.
“Yes,” she replied quietly.”
“Are you going to miss college?”
"Yeah," she nodded. "It was kinda hard at first, but I wouldn’t trade my time there for the world.”
“Neither would I, Cherie,” whispered Gulliand, pressing his cheek against hers. “What do you plan to do after you graduate? Go back to Ponyville and find work as a chef?”
The question stung her heart. “Maybe,” she shrugged. “I’ll probably just help around the farm for a while. You know, bucking apples, helping with the planting. I might help my brother and his wife with their muffin shop…”
“Why not have a restaurant of your own?” Gulliand asked. “You have the talent for it.”
“Yeah, I thought of that. The answer is there’s just too many restaurants and bakeries in Ponyville. There’s no way I could stand out.”
And there ain’t much point if you’re not gonna be with me.
Gulliand nodded. “And you are not interested in opening a restaurant in another city?”
“Not really,” replied Cinnamon. “I’ve had enough of big city life here in Canterlot. Besides, I’d need money to get started and…I really don’t want to ask the family for a loan right now.”
“I see.” The two of them lapsed into silence. Gulliand’s talon idly played with her mane, winding and unwinding a lock of hair around his finger.
“I am planning on going to Griffonstone,” he said slowly.
“Griffonstone?” Cinnamon Roll felt her heart drop to her stomach. “That’s…a long-ways off. I thought you might stay in Canterlot and work for your Uncle Gustave.”
“I considered that. But, Cherie, I am not a pastry chef! I enjoy creating savory soups and tasty dishes!”
“But, I didn’t know there was a restaurant in Griffonstone.”
“There isn’t! That is the whole point,” Gulliand explained eagerly. “There are no restaurants in Griffinstone and almost no bakeries. Mine would be the first!”
Cinnamon regarded him doubtfully. Sighing, Gulliand explained.
“This is an opportunity to bring something good to my hometown. Something that could give griffons a place to meet and eat good food. Maybe…help promote togetherness and friendship. I can even introduce them to dishes from all over Equestria! Be a cultural ambassador! There is so much good that food can do, Cherie! Our professors taught us that!”
Cinnamon Roll nodded. She could not disagree with his logic, but her heart still felt heavy. Griffinstone was a very long way from Ponyville. Gulliand took her hoof and gave it a squeeze.
“I…I have been thinking,” he said quietly. “If I do open this restaurant…I will still be needing someone who excels at baking desserts.” He paused and regarded her nervously. “And you, Cherie, are an excellent baker…”
Cinnamon caught her breath, unable to believe what she was hearing. “You…you want me to come with you? To work for you?”
“No,” said Gulliand, his voice husky with emotion. “I…I want you to be my partner.”
The little mare watched with wide eyes as he took her hoof and held it to his soft, feathery chest.
“Cinnamon Roll Apple-Dragon, will you marry me?”
Cinnamon choked back a sob as her heart leaped for joy in her chest.
“Y..yes! Sweet Celestia, yes!”
Gulliand gave a triumphant griffon screech-roar before gathering her into his arms. Her hooves locked around his neck as she happily sobbed into his feathers. They lost track of time as they shared the embrace. Only when the gray light coming through the window became dimmer and the shadows darker did they take notice.
“It’s getting late,” murmured Gulliand. “I should be returning you to the dormitory.”
“Umm Hmm,” Cinnamon hummed in agreement.
Neither made a move to rise.
“Gulliand?”
“Hmm?”
"I just thought of something."
"Yes?"
Cinnamon swallowed. “What do we tell my parents?”