Cutting Edge looked up from the magazine he had been reading as the door to the doctor’s office opened. When Gilda emerged with a smile on her face, he sighed with relief. He got up to greet his fiancée and they met in a hug.

“I gather that the examination went well?”

She nodded and nuzzled him. “The doctor says we’re in fine health. She gave me a list of recommendations for diet and a referral to a gynecologist.”

“That’s great to hear, love. Anything we need to get you immediately?”

“Nothing that can’t wait until we go shopping again.”

“Okay. Then I suggest we head home to drop off the stuff we’ve already bought and then I’ll take you around town to show you the highlights.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Gilda picked up a couple of their bags while Edge took the remainder.

Upon reaching the apartment, the griffoness got to use her new key for the first time.

“Now I know I belong here!” she exclaimed. “I get to let my mate into our home.”

Edge grinned. It made him feel wonderful just to hear her say that.

They put away the groceries and Gilda’s personal acquisitions, then immediately headed out once more. They flew hand in hand as Edge guided her around the township. He pointed out the shops and services that they had not encountered earlier before he took them to the town hall to apply for a marriage license and make an appointment with a Justice. Then, they stopped at a cafeteria for lunch. After a relaxing meal, he led her to the western side of town where shops and houses gave way to a landscaped lake. Gilda noted the stream that fed the lake emerged from a rugged gorge spanned by a suspension bridge for the benefit of those without wings.

“This is Cataract Gorge Reserve,” Edge informed her. “It’s a very popular picnic and recreation spot, but what I like most about it are the hiking trails that extend from it. There are walks ranging from giving people of all ages some pleasant exercise to challenging hikes and rock climbing for the more adventurous.”

“I bet you come here frequently to keep fit,” Gilda stated confidently.

“You got it. It’s a great place to relax after the working week. We don’t have time for a long hike, but would you like to do one of the scenic walks with me?”

“And have all those ponies stare at me hanging out with you?” She gave him a flat look then broke into a smirk. “Of course, I would. Let those mares be envious!”

Edge chuckled. “That’s my girl!”

They put words into action and strolled arm-in-arm along one of the many paths winding among the trees and flowers. They did garner some curious looks but no one spoiled their walk.

The sun was getting low on the horizon before they wended their way home. As they stepped into their apartment, Edge said, “I don’t know about you but I’ve worked up quite an appetite.”

“Me too, and if I remember correctly, it’s my turn to make us dinner.”

Edge recalled that sad and uncomfortable final evening spent at his camp at the lake on his first visit. They had both worked together for meals upon his return, so he assumed Gilda just wanted an excuse to do something for him. “Okay, but if you need any help, just holler. I’ll attend to a couple of chores. Got any clothes you want laundered?”

Gilda gave him some things to wash before she headed to the kitchen. Edge busied himself with various household duties before looking in on his fiancée to see how she was doing. To his surprise, he found her dressed in a pink apron… and nothing else. She noticed him staring and smiled sultrily.

“Like what you see?”

Edge gulped and nodded. Gilda had obviously expected him to look in on her and had dressed accordingly. “You sure know how to cook, Gil.”

She laughed and turned to wave her bare backside at him before returning to her preparations. “That’s for dessert later,” she said with a sly smile.

“I’m hungrier than ever,” he replied.

Edge exited the kitchen before he could succumb to temptation.

Gilda eventually called him to the dining table and she served up their meal of cottage pie, green beans, and roast potatoes. She sat down still dressed in only the apron.

“Did one of your previous marefriends leave this behind?” she asked, hooking a talon under a strap, ‘accidentally’ showing more cleavage.

“Yeah. She tried to impress me with her cooking which, admittedly, was great. Unfortunately, that was her only real virtue. She threw the apron at me when she left in a huff.”

“I’ll just have to make sure my cooking is better than hers so that you forget her completely.”

“Works for me,” Edge replied as he tucked into his meal. He did not bother telling Gilda that he had already forgotten about the mare until reminded by the apron. “I don’t think I’ll even be able to recall what she looked like now that I’ve seen you in that anyway.”

That was exactly what the griffoness wanted to hear and she made sure she gave him plenty of dessert afterward.

The alarm that woke both the next morning irritated Gilda. After spending so much time by herself, sleeping until she came awake naturally, she was not used to the rigid structure of schedules. However, Edge had to go back to work and he had promised to take her along to introduce her to his work colleagues. The pegasus also felt he had to prove that she was not a figment of his imagination.

Edge turned to give her a kiss. “No time to dawdle, love. We’ve only got time for a quick preen and breakfast.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she grumped, although the kiss had already improved her mood a lot. “Go wash up – I’ll get the food started.”

Edge did so and then took over from Gilda while she took her turn in the bathroom. They ate their breakfast promptly and left the cleaning up until later. Gilda insisted that she would do it while he was away, and besides, they wanted to get to his workplace early so that he had a chance to show her around before needing to start his job. With lunchbox in hand, Edge led his fiancée from the apartment to the factory.

The pegasus was pleased to run into his manager the moment they stepped in the door. “Hey, boss! Guess who’s with me!”

The earth pony stallion looked around to see the eagle-lioness griffon that followed his best employee inside. He grinned. “So, this is the gorgeous bird who I heard snared Edge. I gotta ask – how’d you do what no mare has been able to?”

Gilda blushed. “Actually, he was the one who caught me. I just put up too much of a struggle, otherwise I’d have been here with him long ago. Thanks for letting him have the chance to come back to get me, Mister…?”

“Reliable Crafts. Call me Crafty. And if I recall from the hundreds of times that Edge has mentioned it, you would be Gilda Griffon, right?”

“Just Gilda will do.”

Well, Just Gilda, welcome to my humble little factory.”

“I’d like to show Gil around, if you don’t mind, boss?” Edge asked.

“As long as she puts on some PPE and is out of here before the shift starts, go for it. Have a great day, Ms. Gilda.”

“Thanks, Crafty,” the griffoness replied as the stallion headed for his office. She then looked to Edge. “What’s PPE?”

“Personal Protection Equipment,” he replied as he ushered her toward the workshop.

There were hi-vis vests, safety spectacles, earmuffs, and other gear located by the door for visitors. Because work had not begun yet, Edge settled for just the vest and specs, although finding a model suitable to be worn by a beaked face took him a moment.

“No griffons work here, I take it?” Gilda commented.

“Nope, but we do occasionally have visitors like you.”

“Any reason why not?”

Edge shrugged. “Just a coincidence. You saw how Crafty reacted to you – he’s not prejudiced. He’d employ a griffon if they were the best fit for the job.”

The pegasus led her onto the floor of the factory where she was shown the various equipment. Machines for cutting, folding, heating, and lifting occupied about two-thirds of the space, but a row of sophisticated lathes was where they ended up.

“These are the CNC machines that I operate, and I oversee this department.”

“What’s CNC stand for?” Gilda asked as she peered in bewilderment at the complex device.

“Cantrip Numerologic Control. We enter a carefully devised number pattern into the devices and the enchantments interpret it to control all the subsystems for drilling, turning, or routing the material to produce the desired good. The skill is in the creation of the patterns, not to mention maintaining the machine in optimum working condition. The beauty of the system is that, once you set it up correctly, it can repeat the actions as many times as you want it to, and do it perfectly each time.”

“And you were better at doing that than anypony else?”

“Yep. My most important innovation was to tie sensor inputs into the pattern creation algorithm, setting up feedback loops to perform position and velocity control on each axis and the stock feed.”

“… I’m sure that meant something to someone… else. You’ll have to explain that to me later… with smaller words.”

Edge laughed. “Will do. Anyway, that’s how I got to be the lead and receive the pay raises that bought my cool camping gear.”

Just then, a bell started ringing.

“What’s that?” Gilda asked.

“Five-minute warning. It lets the staff having coffee in the break room know that it’s time to get to their workstations to begin their shift. It’s also time for you to head out, I’m afraid.”

“Okay.” She gave him a nuzzle. “Thanks for showing me around. I’ll have dinner ready when you get home.”

Edge kissed her back. “I look forward to it, but give yourself time to go exploring or do whatever.”

Gilda gave him a punch in the shoulder. “Knock it off, dweeb. If I do anything, it’s so it makes more time for us!”

The pegasus grinned as he led her back to the entrance. “Sounds good. Love ya, pretty bird.”

“Right back atcha, dork.”

Edge chuckled as his fiancée waved a wing and exited the workshop.

Gilda’s first task was to deal with the laundry that had been put in the wash last night. Next, she rearranged the apartment to better suit a couple rather than a single stallion. She hoped he wouldn’t mind. With those out of the way, she sat down to read one of the pony cookbooks that she had picked up yesterday. While there was some overlap in the culinary arts, especially in the baked goods that she excelled in making, she made herself a goal to get more familiar with pony tastes in cuisine. She bookmarked some interesting recipes that she wanted to try and set to work on the first. By lunchtime, she had created several dishes, all of which she stored in the stasis cupboard. The last was a meat dish that she had prepared for her lunch. She figured that it would be best to confine her carnivorous needs to the times when her mate was absent.

With her meal completed and everything cleaned up, the griffoness decided to head out for a flight and fresh air. Besides, she wanted to pick up some specific ingredients for some other recipes that had caught her interest. She locked up the apartment and went on a leisurely flying tour of parts of the town that she and Edge had not covered the previous day. She capped it off with a walk around the Cataract Gorge Reserve, marveling at how much the activity had grown on her since Edge had come into her life. Then, she made a visit to the local grocer to pick up her ingredients before heading home.

She had just alighted in front of the apartment door and was fumbling with the key when a sharp voice came from behind her.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”

Gilda turned and frowned at the ancient earth pony mare scowling at her. “None of your business, pony.”

“Don’t tell me that it’s none of my business! I know what you’re up to, catbird! Breaking into pony homes and stealing their stuff. I’m onto you!”

“Listen, you old nag, I ain’t stealing nothing. This is my home!”

“Don’t think you can fool me! I know that a pegasus stallion lives there, not some thieving griffon.”

Gilda rolled her eyes before waving the key under the mare’s nose. “See this? It’s a key. To my home. Where I live. Now bugger off and leave me alone!”

“I bet that’s a lock pick. I’m calling the City Guard!” the mare declared as Gilda opened the door to let herself into the apartment.

“It’s obvious you’re an idiot and hopefully the Guard will see that too,” the griffoness retorted as she shut the door in the mare’s face.

Gilda’s good mood was thoroughly soured by then. She stowed away her shopping, having lost interest in cooking for the moment. She took a soothing shower and felt better. She looked at the clock and realized that it was time to make preparations for the evening meal that she had promised Edge. She was halfway done when there came a loud rapping on the front door, followed by a loud voice.

“Open in the name of the City Guard!”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! You gotta be kidding me,” Gilda groaned.

Wiping her talons on her apron, she walked to the door and opened it to see a unicorn stallion in City Guard armor. Behind him, the busybody mare could be seen with a gloating expression on her face. She scowled at her before turning her attention to the Guard. “Yeah? What do you want?”

“I have a report of breaking and entering by a griffon hen at this address. Would that be you?”

“Of course it is, you dweeb. I’m standing here right in front of you in the doorway. But I sure didn’t break into my own home.”

“Can you show proof that you live here, ma’am?”

“I moved in only the night before last – I haven’t had time to get anything put in my name yet.”

“Don’t believe anything she says!” interjected the mare. “I’ve never seen her before today.”

Gilda rolled her eyes. “Thankfully, I haven’t seen you either, but that’s hardly surprising since I’ve been here less than two days, as I just said.”

The Guard said, “I confirmed with two neighbors that a pegasus stallion lives in this apartment before I came here. Neither mentioned a griffon hen.”

“Edge and I haven’t exactly had the time to invite them to a housewarming yet because, and I can’t believe I have to say it again, I just moved in the night before last! I came to join my fiancé and we’re going to get married soon.” She held up her hand to show him the ring. “And in three months, we’re going to have his foal.” She ran a hand over the swell of her belly.

“HA!” spat the mare. “Everypony knows that griffons and ponies can’t have foals. You just proved what a liar you are.”

“The mare has a point,” the Guard said with a nod. “Sounds suspicious to me.”

Gilda groaned in frustration. “I thought that it was impossible too until I fell pregnant. Just ask Doctor Diagnosis why it can happen.”

“I’ve never heard that and I’ll have to confirm it. You must come with me to the station so that we can sort this out.”

“Like Tartarus, I will! I’ve done nothing wrong and the onus is on you to prove otherwise. So, piss off and let me get back to cooking dinner for my mate.” Gilda stepped back and began closing the door, only to have it suddenly come to a halt due to an armor-shod hoof blocking it. Then the glow of magic enveloped her arm and began dragging her out. “What the fuck?!” Let go of me! You don’t have the right to drag me out of my home!” She grabbed hold of the door frame with her free hand and pulled back.

“I’m arresting you on suspicion of breaking and entering. Stop struggling or else I will add a charge of resisting arrest too.”

“You goddamn idiot! Let me go! You can’t do that on the word of a bigoted old biddy!”

“I believe a pony over a griffon any day,” the Guard replied, redoubling his efforts.

Gilda’s blood ran cold as she realized that the Guard was just as prejudiced. Her talons tore grooves in the door frame as her grip was overcome and she was pulled outside. She felt the tingle of magic encircle her to bind her arms and wings and lift her off the ground, rendering her helpless. The Guard turned around and began to trot off with her when a pony slammed into the ground in front of him.

“What in Tartarus are you doing to my mate?!” Edge growled in the Guard’s face.

The Guard was taken aback for a moment before recovering. He frowned and said, “I’m arresting this griffon on suspicion of breaking and entering. Are you the owner of this apartment?”

“I am. And on whose suspicion? This racist mare’s? That’s Idle Gossip, the neighborhood busybody who causes nothing but trouble for everypony in this apartment complex.” He turned to the mare, scowling heavily. “When are you going to learn to mind your own business? Nopony appreciates you sticking your muzzle in their private lives.”

The mare huffed and turned up her nose. “This is the thanks I get for looking out for your interests, Mr. Edge!”

“Don’t think this is over, Mrs. Gossip. You’ve gone a step too far this time.” Edge turned around to see that Gilda was still being held by the Guard. “What the fuck are you still holding my fiancée for? Let her go now! She’s done nothing illegal. In fact, I saw you drag her out of the apartment against her will as I was flying home. I couldn’t get here fast enough to stop you. I’ll be submitting a complaint to your superiors for that blatantly illegal act.”

The Guard released her. “I had reasonable suspic—”

“YOU DID NOT, YOU BIGOTED PRICK!” Gilda yelled. She turned to Edge. “He said outright that he believes a pony over a griffon anytime. He chose to believe that mare over me despite having no evidence.”

Edge glared at the Guard. “I think we should head to the Guard Station to file a charge of false arrest.”

Gilda nodded. “Yeah, but not now. Dinner’ll be ruined if I don’t get back to the kitchen.”

Edge drew a deep breath and released it before nodding. “Okay, but you’ll be hearing from us, Constable…” He peered at the Guard’s name badge. “…Snare. And if my foal has been harmed by your actions, may Princess Celestia have mercy on you!”

The Guard returned the pegasus’ glare for a moment before turning abruptly and hurrying off, scowling at the mare that had caused the altercation.

Gilda said, “Come on, love. I’ll pour us a drink and we can both calm down.”

Edge put his arm around her and they stepped inside, closing the door behind them. “No alcohol for the foal, remember? Here’s something instead.” He then kissed her thoroughly.

Gilda enjoyed the attention for a long moment before she gently pushed him back. “I’d better check on dinner. I don’t want my efforts to go to waste.”

“Was your day that bad?” Edge asked, concern etching his face.

“Actually, it was quite good until that idiot turned up,” Gilda said as she walked into the kitchen. “But I want to know if that’s going to be a thing from now on.”

Edge shook his head. “I know it’s hard to ignore what just happened, but Idle Gossip and that Guard are the exceptions. Most ponies either have no problem with griffons, or at least tolerate them without causing problems. You saw how everypony acted yesterday.”

Gilda stirred the nearly ready vegetable stew. “True.” The griffoness shook the wooden spoon at Edge, causing a few drops of liquid to fly about. “I’m not surprised it happened. I told you when we first met that griffons aren’t exactly popular with ponies. You can see now that I knew what I was talking about.” She sighed and returned the spoon to the pot. “Still, I suppose I could have handled that better. If I had let the Guard inside and shown him evidence that I live here, maybe it would not have blown up like that.”

“Maybe,” Edge conceded, “but it still paints you as guilty until proven innocent. The Guard had no right to assume criminality on the basis of Idle Gossip’s complaint. That was plain prejudice. You had every right to refuse him entry, and cooperation is not an obligation when you’re innocent, although it might have diffused the situation.”

“And ruined dinner,” Gilda added.

“And ruined dinner,” Edge echoed. “Thank the stars that didn’t happen. That stew smells heavenly.”

The griffoness smiled at last. “Still want that drink before the meal?”

The pegasus grinned. “I have a bottle of wine saved up for a special occasion, but I’m waiting until we can both share it, say in three months?”

“Sounds good to me,” she replied with a matching smile. “Go clean up. Dinner will be waiting for you.”

# # # # # # #

Author's Note

Cataract Gorge Reserve is based on a place of the same name in Launceston, Tasmania, which I visited in 2021.

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