//------------------------------// // More Memories // Story: My Big Fat Griffon Wedding // by LunaJack //------------------------------// The rain had slacked off by the time Gulliand and Cinnamon Roll arrived at the Canterlot Culinary College campus. The rain-soaked ivy that covered the arched entrance shimmered like diamonds in the pale light of the street lamps. The griffon gallantly covered the mare with his wing as they darted under the dripping vines. Cinnamon rolled her eyes. She was a hard working farm pony, thank you very much! She wasn't going to melt like brown sugar! Still, she did appreciate the gesture. “Good night, Cherie,” said Gulliand, giving her a nuzzle. “Good night, Sweetheart,” she murmured. "You still want to meet at the bakery tomorrow?" The griffon nodded. "I'm not looking forward to it either but it would be best if we told him as soon as possible." "I know," Cinnamon sighed. She reached up and kissed the end of his dangerous beak. "Good night." "You are stalling my little sweet bun," Gulliand teased as he returned the kiss. "Good night." Cinnamon stepped back as he launched himself into the air and disappeared into the darkening sky. She sighed deeply, wishing Gulliand had not moved off campus last year. She missed their late night get-togethers in the dormitory kitchen, sharing their thoughts over cups of hot cocoa and cookies. “Well, hello there, Cinnamon Roll!” a beige-colored unicorn colt wearing big, round, black-framed glasses greeted her loudly as she stepped into the foyer. He was seated behind a small wooden desk next to the door. Behind him was a series of pigeonholes with students’ names printed over the top of each one. “Hey, Trotter,” said Cinnamon Roll, grinning. “How are you doing this evening?” “Oh, fit as a flea and twice as jumpy,” he replied with a cheeky wink. “And how about you?” he added, leaning over the desk to leer at her meaningfully. “How did your date go?” Cinnamon gave a nonchalant shrug. "Oh, it was nice, I guess." “Nice?” Trotter’s face fell. His eyes opened wide in dismay. “Nice? J-j-just nice?” Cinnamon nodded. The unicorn bit his lip, looking considerably paler by the second. She let him stew a moment longer before deciding to let him off the hook. “You talked to Gulliand, didn’t you?” she asked with a smirk. “You knew what he was going to do.” Trotter blushed crimson. “Well, yeah! When he came by yesterday, he asked if I thought you’d be willing to marry him. And I told him ‘Does a manticore sit in the woods? Yes, she’ll marry you in a heartbeat!’” A worried look crossed his face. “You did say ‘yes’, didn’t you?” he asked plaintively. “Yes, I did!” she snorted, lifting her hoof to show off the new addition to her Promise Bracelet. “So, you don’t have to worry about a ticked off griffon any time soon.” “Ooooo!” cooed the unicorn as he pushed up his glasses to look at the beautiful diamond hanging from her bracelet. “That is one gorgeous rock! I'll bet he went to Mare-ods!" "Thank you," replied Cinnamon Roll, drawing her hoof back. She glanced at the pigeonholes behind the desk. “Any mail for me?” “Does Starswirl have a beard?” Trotter snorted. He retrieved a white envelope and a small box wrapped in brown paper. “You get more mail than any student here!” He grinned hopefully as he held the box to his ear and gave it a gentle shake. “Sounds like cookies!” Cinnamon Roll snatched the box from his aura. “Thank you.” “Another care package from home, Cinnamon Roll?” asked a cool voice behind her. Cinnamon turned towards the speaker. She was a soft pink unicorn with a long creamy mane that shined like pearls. She was slightly taller than Cinnamon with an elegant, delicate figure that marked her as a member of the Canterlot elite. She looked down her muzzle at the little brown Earth filly and grinned derisively. “What’s the matter? Has your precious scholarship money run out and you can’t afford the meals here? I mean, the food is high priced, but that’s no problem... for those who can afford it.” Cinnamon’s face burned with anger, but she managed to keep her voice calm. “Thank you for your concern, but I’m doin’ just fine. My Ma just likes sending me sweet things to remind me of home.” She tore the wrapping from the box and opened the lid. The warm, rich smell of Applejack’s apple-raisin oatmeal cookies filled the air. “Hmmmm! Nothing like lovin’ from the oven! Care for one?” she asked, nodding towards the box. The dainty unicorn wrinkled her nose. “I wouldn’t dream of eating peasant food,” she said disdainfully. Cinnamon shrugged. “Suit yourself.” The aristocratic pony turned her impervious gaze onto Trotter. “Do I have any mail today?” “Perhaps,” the beige colt replied in a cool, businesslike voice. “May I have your name, please?” The pink unicorn’s face turned a darker shade of fuchsia. “You know who I am, you little working class worm!” she snarled. “Stop pretending that you don’t know!” “Sorry, but it is a rule that I have to ask,” replied Trotter calmly. “So, may I have your name?” The pink unicorn ground her perfect teeth. “Pearlescent Glow!” she spat. “Glow, Pearlescent…” The beige unicorn turned to the mail boxes behind him and made a big show of searching for her name. He went down the line slowly, reading each name aloud. At one point, he paused to push up his glasses and squint to read the name plates. Cinnamon stuffed a cookie in her mouth to keep from laughing. “Ah, here we are,” said Trotter finally returning with a few envelopes in his aura. “About bloody time!” Pearlescent huffed, snatching her mail. She rudely brushed past Cinnamon and trotted upstairs to the dormitories. Once she was out of earshot, Cinnamon Roll was able to release the laughter she had been holding back. Trotter grinned. “That never gets old,” he said. “You are so bad!” Cinnamon Roll gasped between guffaws. She held out her box of cookies. “Want some?” “I thought you would never ask!” The eager unicorn immediately levitated three cookies. He brought one to his mouth and took a bite, moaning in bliss, his eyes rolling up into his head as he chewed. Cinnamon thought for a moment he might actually flip on his back and float away like a balloon. “Great Celestia,” he gasped. “Your folks are amazing bakers!” He reached over the counter and tenderly took her hoof in his. “Forget Gulliand and marry me, Cinnamon Roll! I simply must be a part of this incredible Apple clan!” Cinnamon chuckled. They had been through this before. “I thought you were into stallions,” she whispered. “I am,” said Trotter, shrugging. “But for food of such quality, I would gladly make an exception. Unless…you happen to have some stallion cousins who can cook, too?” he added hopefully. “All the Apple males can cook,” said Cinnamon Roll proudly, drawing her hoof from his grip. “I’m just not sure if you’re their type.” The beige unicorn sighed. “I can always dream, can’t I?” Cinnamon chuckled. “Good night, Trotter. I’ll see you tomorrow.” “Good night, my dear! And thanks for the cookies!” Cinnamon trotted up the staircase to the girl’s dormitory on the second floor. The college building had once been a mansion with many large rooms. Some of these had been converted into classrooms. The ones on the first and second floor had been divided into dorm rooms. Hers was the fourth on the right. The room was small but not cramped. It contained one bed, one desk, one chest of drawers, and one small closet nook covered by a curtain. A light green fuzzy rug lay on the hardwood floor next to her bed. The bed was covered with a bright red and green apple patterned quilt with two plump goose down pillows at the head. Cream-colored curtains hung in the window next to the bed. Cinnamon Roll gently laid the box on her desk then turned her attention to the white envelope. She smiled as she recognized her Ma’s neat mouth writing. Carefully, she slit it open and pulled out the letter. It was only one page long; a little surprising for Applejack who felt it was her duty to keep Cinnamon Roll informed on every little thing going on in Ponyville. “Must be a slow week,” she chuckled and began to read. “Dear Cinnamon Roll, I can’t believe it! The big day is almost here! The day my baby girl graduates from college! We’re all so proud of you! Your Pa’s been strutting like a rooster, bragging about how he always knew you had it in you. I swear, if he keeps it up I’m gonna put him in the henhouse! I just keep thinking about that day we got you and your brother from the orphanage. We were so worried ya’ll wouldn’t like us because your Pa and I were so different. You don’t know how happy I was when I saw you weren’t scared. You just crawled up in my lap, like you always belonged there. To celebrate your graduation, we’re hosting a dinner party at Sweet Apple Acres next week. The whole gang is invited! I even managed to get the Cutie Mark Crusaders to come. Your Aunt Apple Bloom is dying to see you! Well, I love you darling. Pa, Granny, Applespike, Cinnamon Stick, and Dinky send their love, too. We’ll see you next week. Love, Your Ma, Applejack. PS: You can bring your friend Gulliand if you like. We’d be glad to have him. Cinnamon Roll grinned as she carefully folded the letter and put it in a drawer with her other keepsakes. Well, that was convenient! A party with all her family and friends would be the perfect time for her and Gulliand to make their little announcement. She squealed in delight. She couldn’t hardly wait to see everypony’s face when they broke the news! Happily, she snuggled down in her bed and turned off the light. It was raining again. She could hear the drops striking the window sill…just like they would outside her bedroom window at Sweet Apple Acres. The sound was comforting…very unlike it had been on her first night away from home... “Oh, my! You look like you're lost, little filly!” said a sky-blue unicorn filly, sidling up beside Cinnamon. “But don't worry. I can help you.” Cinnamon Roll, who had just said goodbye to her parents, frowned as the unicorn turned her so she was facing the exit. "Now, just go through those doors. Turn left, and walk until you reach Wheelwright Street." Cinnamon looked at the unicorn suspiciously. "Uh...Why would I do that?" "Because that's where the Canterlot Trade School is, silly!" A group of unicorn mares, each boasting a different pastel colored coat, tittered at the joke. Cinnamon frowned. “I ain’t in the wrong place,” she replied coolly. “I got a four-year scholarship to this here college…” “Oh, listen to her!" giggled a unicorn with buttercup colored fur. She mimicked Cinnamon's accent. " ‘Ah ain’t in th' wrong place. Ah gotta four-year scholarship ter this here school!'" “Oh, please, Darlings, don’t tease her,” said a light pink unicorn with a pearly mane. “She is one of Princess Celestia’s charity cases, after all.” Cinnamon Roll rounded on the unicorn furiously. “It ain’t…I mean... it’s NOT charity! I EARNED that scholarship.” “Of course, you did, Dear,” replied the pink filly condescendingly. “It’s all part of the Princess’s Diversity Initiative.” “To assist Earth ponies and Pegasi in having a chance at positions traditionally dominated by Unicorns,” said a lavender filly, as if she was quoting a news article. “A Culture of Inclusiveness, I believe is the catchphrase.” “Silly if you ask me,” snorted the sky-blue filly. “If Earth ponies and Pegasi were actually capable of being chefs, I wouldn't mind. But, I'm afraid short order cooks and bakers is as high as they can reach." Cinnamon growled into her pillow as those words went through her head. She ought to have bucked that sky-blue hussy in the teeth for saying that! Earth ponies were not mere cooks and bakers! The Cakes produced delicious original masterpieces all the time. So did Pinkie Pie! And Miss Bon-Bon...well, she was more of a candy maker... but she wasn't afraid to experiment AND her confections were the best! "Humph!" huffed Cinnamon as she flopped on her dorm bed. "Ouch!" The mattress was not as comfortable as the one at Sweet Apple Acres. In fact, nothing about the room was comforting. There was no moonlight streaming through the window. There was no sound of creaking floorboards and bumping shutters. The only light was the yellow glow from under the door. The only sounds were the occasional clopping of hooves on their way to the bathroom. "Humph!" she huffed again as she threw off the covers and turned on her bedside lamp. Next to the bed was a large box Applejack had left her. She pulled up the lid and smiled at all her Ma had packed inside: a small bag of apples, a half-dozen biscuits with a tub of apple butter, a caramel apple pie, a tin of sugar cookies, and a jar of peanut butter. She picked up the pie. Mmmmm! Yes! A nice slice of hot, syrupy apple pie was exactly what she needed right then. According to the school map, there was a communal kitchen on the first floor, near the boy's dormitory. Quietly, she made her way down the stairs. Everything was quiet and the lights were dimmed. She looked around until she saw a swinging door on her left. The words "Dormitory Kitchen" where printed in black beside it. All right, she thought as she eagerly pushed open the door. Shouldn't take long to warm this up. Humph! Wish Ma had left some cider to go with it--OH! Cinnamon started. She wasn't expecting anyone else to be up this late, but the lights in the kitchen were on and somepony was busy stirring something on the stove. "Excuse me," she said, blinking in the sudden brightness. "I need to use the oven and..." Her next words dried up in her mouth as the other "pony" came into focus. Standing in the kitchen was a creature she had never seen before and yet (mainly due to the stories told by her Aunt Rainbow Dash) she recognized immediately. Its head was like that of a great eagle. Snow-white feathers covered its head, neck and chest and its front legs ended in a pair of sharp-looking talons. The body and back legs were like those of a lion with tawny brown fur and a long tawny tail with a fuzzy tuft on the end. An enormous pair of wings lay folded against its sides. It was a Griffon! Cinnamon froze, her heart pounding in her chest as the Griffon cocked his head and stared at her with piercing golden eyes. She recalled Aunt Rainbow Dash telling about how bad-tempered Griffons were and hoped this one would not be too angry. "I...I am so...sorry," she stammered. "I didn't mean to intrude. I was just..." “Oh, no! It’s no problem,” the griffon replied kindly. He had a low voice with just a hint of a Prench accent. “I was just fixing myself some warm milk. I couldn’t sleep.” Cinnamon sighed in relief. “Yeah. I couldn’t either.” Slowly, she walked up to the oven. The Griffon stepped to one side and watched as she slid the pie inside and shut the door. “That looks delicious," the Griffon murmured appreciatively. "What kind of pie is that?" “Just a caramel apple pie my Ma left me,” replied Cinnamon. “It’s good cold, but I just felt like having something hot.” The Griffon nodded knowingly. “Hot food can be very comforting.” Cinnamon smiled shyly. “I guess you could say that.” She held out her hoof. “My name is Cinnamon Roll. I’m from Ponyville.” The griffon took her proffered hoof in one of his large talons. “I am glad to meet you Cinnamon Roll. My name is Gulliand, from Griffonstone.” Cinnamon watched as he lowered his head and lightly tapped his beak against her hoof. She blushed at the charming gesture. “Would you care for some warm milk?” he asked. “I flavored it with a little nutmeg and cinnamon.” “Oh...Um...I…” she started but Gulliand was already pouring her a steaming mug full. She looked at it uncertainly. She had never had spiced warm milk before. “Something wrong?” asked Gulliand, cocking his head questioningly. “Oh, no!" said Cinnamon quickly. "I'm just not used to...well...hot milk. Unless it's hot chocolate." The Griffon shook his head. “It’s not good to drink or eat chocolate before bedtime. The caffeine in it would keep you awake.” “Yeah, I know," she shrugged. "My family and I usually just drink it on cold winter days. The rest of the time, I drink apple cider." She gave her mug an experimental sniff. "So, why are you having trouble getting to sleep?” Gulliand grimaced. “It's that room they assigned me. It's so small and there's so little natural light. It’s like being trapped in a cave! I thought a little warm milk would help me relax." He sipped his mug and licked his beak thoughtfully. "Ah! Perfect! What about you?” he added, looking at her over his mug. "Why are you up?" Cinnamon looked down at her mug and shrugged. “Homesick, mostly. This is the first time I’ve ever been away from any of my folks. I mean, I used to spend a few weeks each summer visiting my Uncle Braeburn and his family in Appleoosa...but this just ain't the same." "I understand," the Griffon nodded. "It was hard for me when I first left home to study in Maris." "You've been to Maris?" cried Cinnamon, her eyes lighting up with delight. She had never met anyone who had been to Maris! Not even Aunt Rarity had been to Maris! "What was it like there? What did you study?" Gulliand grinned. "It was very nice. The whole city is lit up at night, so it looks like the night sky on the ground. And the food!" He gestured with his talon as if he was blowing a kiss. "Magnifique! There are cafes everywhere! They had the best sauces, breads, and cheeses. That is why I went there to study to be a chef." "Wow!" Cinnamon breathed. Prance's culinary schools were ranked among the best! "That's amazing! But, how did you end up here in Canterlot?" A moody look crossed the Griffon's face. "My uncle," he said bitterly. "He lives here in Canterlot. He offered to pay for my tuition here if I would work for him in his bakery. My parents saw it as a great opportunity to save some bits, so they transferred me here." "Oh," said Cinnamon quietly, realizing she may have touched a nerve. She sipped a little milk from her mug as she thought about what to say to that. "I...I...guess you're lucky. I don't have any rich relatives to help me. I'm here on scholarship." Gulliand blushed, or at least the feathers on his cheeks turned light pink. "Yes. I suppose I am lucky," he conceded. "And I do like this school. Except for the dorm room..." he shuddered. "I should be grateful. It's just that..." "What?" The Griffon sighed rubbing his temples with his talon. "My uncle wants me to be a pastry chef like him and...well...I...don't want to!" He sighed again as if relieved to get that off his chest. "I like baking, in fact I'm quite good at it. But I prefer cooking other things like stews, soups, and sauces. I can make one mean gumbo!" Cinnamon giggled. "Maybe I could get you a copy of my Pa's Apple Soup recipe. It's really good." "Apple Soup?" Gulliand laughed incredulously. "Apple pie. Apple cider. Apple soup. You must really LOVE Apples." Cinnamon Roll smirked. "You have noooooooo idea!" Further comments were interrupted by the sweet syrupy smell of the warmed over pie wafting from the oven. Cinnamon Roll carefully took it out and laid it on the counter to cool a bit. She noticed the Griffon leaning forward, his eyes closed in bliss as he breathed in the sweet aroma. "Care for some?" she asked, chuckling. "Madame," he replied with a grateful smile. "It would be an honor!" Over the next hour, the two sat in the kitchen talking like old friends between bites of pie and sips of warm spiced milk. Gulliand told of his life in Griffonstone while Cinnamon related her life growing up at Sweet Apple Acres. The Griffon was especially intrigued with the love story of Applejack and Spike. It was almost midnight when the last of the pie was eaten. Cinnamon carefully washed the pie plate while Gulliand cleaned the pot and mugs. As they worked, Cinnamon told him what the unicorn mares had said to her. "You've been to Maris. Do you think an Earth pony stands a chance of being a chef?" "Oh, yes. Definitely!" he said, gazing seriously into her face. "Don't let those merde mares get to you. You are not here because of charity. You are here because you have talent! In fact..." he added with a smirk. "No one thought a Griffon could become a chef and YET my uncle is now one of the best pastry chefs in all Equestria!" "Wow! What's his name?" Gulliand grinned. "Gustave LeGrande!"