I really like that word.
"Xenial".
It's not a word a lot of ponies know. And why would you need to know it, anyway? Its meaning is very specific. Few would ever be able to use it properly, and those few can find another way to express this feeling without much trouble.
But that's why I like it. The specificity. Not many words are that specific, you know? Maybe favillous. Or psithurism.
What does xenial mean?
It means hospitable. But it's more specific than that; it refers, very precisely, to the relationship between a host and their guest. It is the nicest you can be without breaking that barrier. The best an interpersonal relationship can be without becoming… close.
This was the only word I could think of to describe what Vinyl was to the rest of my friends. Or, at least what Vinyl felt like my friends thought of her.
It wasn't on purpose. It couldn't have been.
My friends were welcoming of Vinyl. But she wasn't one of us… she just couldn't be.
And that made her feel alienated.
Which made me feel like the world's worst marefriend.
Vinyl spent the night before the wedding following me around, like a lost puppy, trying to figure a way into the work I was doing. To her credit, she was very subtle about it. She diligently changed the CD in her radio to curate the perfect party-planning atmosphere. She followed me at a distance, attempting nothing more than polite conversation with myself and the others.
Cadance spoke excitedly with her for a while, as if interviewing her. She was more like a mom than a sister-in-law, just grilling my marefriend in an effort to "approve" her. I guess Cadance didn't really know what to do, exactly.
Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were warm and welcoming. But not too welcoming. They knew Vinyl, but it was clear that they didn't quite understand what she was doing here.
I did my best to stay positive. But the longer we worked, the more worried I grew that Vinyl would never mesh with everypony else. Could never.
By the time we made it back to our hotel room, the stone in my stomach had swelled to the size of a softball.
"Ugh," Vinyl said as she moved the comforter. "Does this whole bed smell like mothballs to you?"
I sniffed the air. "Just… hotel-y."
Vinyl made a face. "I'm not a big hotel pony. I've stayed in a lot, and they're all sort of… grimy."
"What about the Walhorse? You seemed to like that one," I commented snidely.
Vinyl scoffed. "That was not a hotel. That was like staying in the spare bedroom of a billionaire."
I laughed in agreement.
Vinyl snuggled under the covers with some trepidation, but it all seemed to vanish once she was actually laying down.
I scooted up next to her, wrapping a foreleg around her barrel.
"Hey, princess," she murmured. Her eyes were so wide as she started at me, taking in every but of my face.
I giggled. "Hey."
"Excited for tomorrow?"
I sighed. "I want to be. But I'm really nervous. You think everything looked okay? You didn't say much."
Vinyl looked a little caught by this comment. "Oh, yeah. Everything looked great. I'm just not much of a decorator is all."
"Hm."
I pulled Vinyl in close to me, poking my snout into my mane. Vinyl nuzzled my neck gently.
"You don't feel awkward, do you?" I asked.
Vinyl seemed to stiffen in my embrace. "Why would I feel awkward?"
Not wanting to say why, I just mumbled "I dunno."
Vinyl was quiet. Her hooves were folded up near her chest, and she started to shuffle them slightly.
I pulled back and looked at her. "You okay?"
"Oh, y'know. Just…" Vinyl tucked her snout down low. "Tired."
"Okay. You wanna go to sleep?"
She nodded. "Don't worry we can mess around tomorrow night."
"Vinyl!"
She chuckled, if sleepily. "Gotcha."
Vinyl rolled over and pressed her back into my chest. I pulled her into a gentle embrace with my foreleg. If I tilted my chin upwards the tiniest bit, I could put my snout in her mane.
Our back hooves tangled together. Vinyl always kicked her back legs slightly just as she was falling asleep. Often I would wait for this, as Vinyl had complained regularly about my snoring keeping her up.
I waited. She did not kick.
I waited, too. My grip around her barrel loosened.
Eventually, we fell asleep. But there's no way of knowing for certain how long that took.
Once again, Vinyl and I were woken by Pinkie's frantic pounding at the door.
Vinyl shot up, but did not fall out of the bed this time.
It was good to know that some things had improved.
"Wake up, Twilight! It's bridesmaid time!" she was shouting, or some variation thereupon, over and over into the door. "Let's go! Up and at 'em!"
I moaned softly into the pillow. "Not again…"
Vinyl brushed her bangs out of her face. "How is this the second time she's done this?"
I hung my head. "I'm coming, Pinkie!"
Vinyl looked at me expectantly.
"Why don't you try to catch a little more sleep?" I suggested, putting a hoof on her shoulder.
Vinyl put her hooves over her eyes. "Ugh, what if my alarm doesn't wake me up?"
I chuckled. "That's easy. I'll just send Pinkie back up."
Vinyl pulled down her lower lids with her hooves, casting me a long, lingering gaze. "Hilarious."
"Come in, Vi. Go back to sleep," I said, applying some gentle pressure to her shoulder. "I'll come get you in plenty of time, okay? Promise."
"Twilight?" Pinkie called, pounding rhythmically on the door a few more times. "Are you in there?"
Vinyl stood stubbornly against my hooves for a moment, then allowed herself to be lowered back into the bed. "Yeah, alright…"
I leaned over to give Vinyl a peck on the cheek as she turned away. Using my magic, I tugged the blankets back up over her shoulders.
The hotel room was pretty drafty, and I shivered as I trotted to the door.
I opened the door a crack. "Hey, Pinkie."
"There you are, sleepyhead!" Pinkie beamed at me. "Why aren't you in your dress?"
I blinked slowly. "Pinkie, I woke up a few seconds ago."
"Well, you'd better get moving!" Pinkie said. "It's time for the pre-wedding primp-n-chat!"
"You got it, Pinkie," I muttered, closing the door gently.
It's not that I wasn't excited. It's just that, moments after waking up, nothing seems as exciting as crawling back into bed. That, and… well, concerns about Vinyl fitting in were still looking large in my mind.
I loved her. I loved my friends.
I was starting to wonder if I could really do both.
The bridesmaid dresses that Rainbow and Applejack had selected were fairly plain. Rarity, of course, had thrown a fit when she saw their choice--out of all of her notebooks, they had to choose the option without any lace at all?--but had managed to work her usual magic and create something gorgeous.
My dress was a dark purple (a color Rarity chose to match her own mane) with a spray of yellow and orange flowers at the neckline. I checked it carefully in the mirror.
This dress would be in a lot of pictures, after all.
"Twilight!" Pinkie hissed from the other side of the door. "Are you done yet?"
I sighed and flashed one last smile to myself in the mirror. "Yep! I'm coming."
Pinkie Pie was vibrating anxiously outside the door. She was wearing her own purple dress, but her neckline was decorated with a cluster of blue and yellow bows. "So!"
I was taken aback by the sudden shouting. "Uh… so?"
"We flipped some coins, and you're with Rainbow Dash," Pinkie said.
I furrowed my brows. "You flipped coins?"
Pinkie sighed wistfully. "Rainbow Dash and Applejack couldn't decide who would walk them down the aisle… so we flipped some coins! You and Fluttershy are walking Rainbow dash, and me and Rarity and walking Applejack!"
I chuckled. "Very creative, girls."
"Rainbow's just down the hall thataway," Pinkie said, pointing down the hall to the right. "And you'd better get moving!"
"You got it, Pinkie," I said.
"I'll see you soon!"
I chuckled. "See you soon, Pinkie."
We parted ways. She went down to the left, and I went down to the right.
For a moment, I worried that I wouldn't be able to find Rainbow Dash's room. I turned to ask Pinkie for a room number, but quickly heard Rainbow's signature scream of joy.
I broke into a light canter in the direction of the sound.
Rainbow's door was propped open, ever so slightly. Through it, I could see the brilliant morning sunlight, illuminating the dust motes floating through the air.
I pushed the door open gently. "Knock, knock…"
Rainbow was standing on, fittingly, an apple crate. This was the first time I had seen her dress, I realized; it was a long, silky affair-- streamlined, one might say. Peeking out from under the train were a few layers of sheer, colorful fabric, imitating the colors of a rainbow.
Rainbow shuffled her hooves excitedly when she saw me. "Twilight!"
Fluttershy looked up, too, mid-stitch on Rainbow's train. Her bridesmaid dress was decorated around the neckline with blue and pink embroidery. "There you are! I need an extra hoof."
I came to Fluttershy's side and knelt down. "What happened?"
"Oh, Rainbow Dash got a bit too excited when she put her dress on," Fluttershy explained, as if recounting the actions of her new puppy. "It's just a little tear, but I'm afraid I'm no good with a needle and thread."
Rainbow Dash seemed to be in her own little world, for once oblivious to the teasing of others. Her mouth was moving minutely, yet rapidly, and making not a sound-- rehearsing her vows, I supposed.
"No problem, Fluttershy," I said, taking the needle from her with my magic. In just a few moments, the tear had vanished.
I looked up at the bride-to-be. "How're you doing, Rainbow?"
She looked down at me, pausing the recitation of her vows. Her eyes were huge and glittering. "I didn't think I'd be so excited-- but I am so excited!"
"How could you think you wouldn't be excited?" Fluttershy asked sweetly. "Weddings are just so wonderful! The music, the food, the expressions of love and commitment--"
"That's exactly why," Rainbow said. "It's just so cheesy, y'know? But it turns out it's not cheesy at all when you're the one getting married!"
I rolled my eyes. "I'll remind you of that at our next wedding."
Rainbow blushed, knowing she would regret her moment of weakness. I winked at her, and she smiled back at me.
"Ugh. I like the dress and all, but I'm already excited to get out of it," Rainbow complained, rolling her shoulders. She suddenly looked guilty. "Is that bad?"
I laughed. "I'm sure your fiance is feeling just the same, Rainbow."
Rainbow's face broke open into a gigantic grin when I said so. "Gosh, in less than an hour I'm gonna be able to call her my wife… isn't that awesome? I always wanted a wife to talk about."
Fluttershy furrowed her brows. "Just to talk about?"
"Yeah, y'know, like an action hero," Rainbow said. She leapt into a powerful stance, her wings unfurled. "That's my wife! Stay away from my wife!"
I snickered. "You would find a way to make this about Dating Do."
Rainbow scoffed. "I never said Daring Do specifically. Just that it's totally something she would say if she had a wife. Ohmigosh!'
Fluttershy put a hoof to her chest at the sudden exclamation.
"What?!" I asked, looking for the source of Rainbow's shock.
"I'm gonna have more wives than Daring Do!" Rainbow informed us. "How cool is that? Your old pal Rainbow's got more game than Daring Do herself."
The three of us laughed together for a while, but the laughter faded away after a minute or two.
The quiet rushing of the falls filled the room, soothing as the summer rain. In the distance, a bird was singing a joyful song. I could have sworn I even heard Octavia and her quartet tuning up.
"Hey, guys?" Rainbow murmured.
"Yes?" Fluttershy responded.
"Things aren't gonna change too much, are they?" Rainbow said. She was looking down at her hooves, picture perfect in the filtered sunlight. "I just… I want us all to still be friends. Like always."
"Oh, Rainbow, of course we'll still be friends," I said.
"It won't be weird?" Rainbow asked. Her ears were pinned to her head.
"Never!" Fluttershy said. She rushed in to embrace Rainbow.
I joined her.
We were probably all crying at least a little. To be honest, I'd been crying a little pretty much constantly since we got here.
While we stood there, cuddling Rainbow Dash in silent congratulations, there was a quiet knock at the door.
We drew apart a little and looked towards the face peeking in at us.
"Aw, you girls having a moment?" Discord said with a smarmy grin. "I can come back later."
"What is it, Discord?" Fluttershy asked.
Discord sighed deeply and folded his arms. "Oh, nothing much. It's just that the wedding is set to begin any moment. You won't be late, will you?"
I knew Rainbow was happy, because she didn't even make time to say something snarky to Discord.
Rainbow leapt off the apple crate and sprinted out the door, a streak of rainbow-tinted light trailing behind her.
"Oh! I'd better grab Vinyl," I said, making for the door.
"Don't be absurd, Twilight!" Discord exclaimed. "I'll fetch your fetching beau."
"Uh…" I looked Discord up and down, remembering the myriad of ways moments just like this had gone wrong.
"Come on, guys!" Rainbow called from the hallway.
Fluttershy put a hoof on my shoulder. "Let Discord get her. I'm sure it'll be just fine." She turned her gaze to Discord, glaring fiercely. "Right, Discord?"
Discord looked bored, if nothing else. "Whatever you say, Fluttershy."
He vanished with a snap of his claws.
I gave Fluttershy a worried look, and she merely shook her head knowingly.
We galloped together out into the hall, finding Rainbow Dash all but jogging in place. "Let's go!"
"Slow down, or you'll have another tear!" Fluttershy warned, though she was laughing to herself.
"I can't!" Rainbow said, beaming at us. "Too excited!"
Rainbow took off at a faster-than-average trot, and Fluttershy and I struggled to keep pace with her.
Once we were out of the hotel and in the morning sunlight, everything became simultaneously real and fantasy.
The ceremony itself was set to be held outdoors, an easy decision for the blushing brides. Back in Ponyville, it would have been cold. But here, surrounded by mist and in direct sunlight, it was like a perfect spring day. Just after the rain… the smell of petrichor and flowers strong in everypony's noses.
There were many, many wooden folding chairs set up in rows just at the bottom of the hill. On one side, Applejack was accompanied by her sister, her brother, and two of her closest friends. Pinkie seemed to spot us from all the way up here, waving wildly.
On the other side, awaiting us very anxiously, was Scootaloo.
Sweetie Belle was in position at the start of the aisle, holding a basket of flower petals.
Octavia saw us approaching, and her quartet began to play. Not the traditional wedding march, of course-- this was something that had been carefully chosen. It was little and airy, heavy on the fiddle. The sound of laughing over a family photo album in your attic, or perhaps the soundtrack for a gleeful flight through cotton-candy clouds.
A sudden explosion of magic within the seats, and Discord appeared. Then, again, disappearing and reappearing a few rows back. In his initial landing position was a very dazed and confused Vinyl Scratch.
I chuckled to myself, just imagining how that conversation must have gone.
"You ready?" I asked Rainbow, nudging her gently.
Rainbow took a deep breath, then let it out. "I was born ready."
We started our walk down the hill, listening only to the light and celebratory music of Octavia's quartet.
As we grew closer, I was finally able to get a look at Applejack's dress. It evoked the "southern belle" aesthetic quite cohesively, but without sacrificing Applejack's more masculine side. Puffed sleeves, a full skirt, and a bow at her back… but all of it tailored to show off her broad shoulders, and her dappled coat. She looked just as happy as Rainbow Dash, in her own Applejack way.
When we at last reached the aisle, Sweetie Belle set off at a skip, sprinkling flower petals as if she were born to do so.
Applejack went first, led by Applebloom, tailed by Rarity and Pinkie Pie.
Scootaloo looked up at us expectantly. I nodded for her to start down the aisle.
She set off at a skittering trot, her wings propelling her forward like a hummingbird.
The walk felt shorter than it was. Before we knew it, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were standing before Princess Cadance.
The music ended softly, gently.
"Mares and gentlecolts," Cadance announced, her voice clear and strong. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union…"
My gaze drifted into the crowd, as Cadance spoke to them. Once again, the familiar faces and friends and family alike stared back at me… and then, shunted off to the side, Vinyl and her old friends.
Not that they didn't look happy, of course.
But it still made my stomach go cold.
"Applejack and Rainbow Dash have prepared their own vows," Cadance said. "A romantic and deeply personal gesture, which they will now share with all of you. If you would?"
"I-I'll go first," Applejack said. She cleared her throat and locked eyes with Rainbow Dash, a light shade of blush creeping over her cheeks. "I'm not the world's greatest public speaker, that's for sure. But I always speak the truth. And so, Rainbow Dash, I hope you know just how deeply I mean it when I say that I love you. And that I intend to spend the rest of my life with you."
Pinkie Pie sniffled loudly, earning a playfully glare from Rainbow Dash.
"If you'll have me, that is," Applejack added hastily.
Rainbow laughed tearfully and nodded.
Cadance looked over at her. "Rainbow? Do you have your vows prepared?"
Rainbow laughed again. "Uh… k-kinda." Rainbow closed her eyes for a moment, as if retrieving the memory, and then looked at Applejack. "You really stole my opening line there, AJ. I suck with words, too, and I did a lot of research trying to write something really good."
Applejack looked to me for confirmation. I nodded.
"Anyway, I found out that the word 'true' is actually a synonym for 'honest' and 'loyal'. So, when I say that my love for you is true, I mean that it is both honest and loyal," Rainbow said, a little smile teasing at her lips. "I hope that's not too sappy."
Applejack chuckled, a deep and rich sound. "Just sappy enough, RD."
Cadance looked to Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie? The rings, please?"
Sweetie Belle quickly traded her basket for a well-stashed pillow, upon which rested two simple necklace chains, each holding a gold wedding band.
Cadance lifted the necklaces with her magic. Rainbow Dash took one, and placed it over Applejack's bowed head. Applejack returned the favor.
"With these rings," Cadance said, "we celebrate the union of Applejack and Rainbow Dash. We celebrate their joy, their love, and their trust. You may kiss the bride."
When Rainbow and Applejack kissed, the falls seemed to glow that tiny bit brighter.
The crowd erupted in stomping and hollering, but the newlyweds couldn't have cared less. They were only looking at each other, grinning like fiends.
I cast a glance at Vinyl, just in time to see her wipe away a tear.
The reception was just as wild as you'd imagine. And, as much as I hate to do this, I must once again pass off the story to Vinyl.
You see, for most of the night, Vinyl took it upon herself to stay out of the way. She hung out with her old friends, and seemed to try to mingle a bit with some overly-friendly members of the Apple family, but ended up spending most of the night watching quietly from the sidelines.
When I could, I ran to her and invited her onto the floor for a dance. But, as a major player in the wedding’s organization, I found myself being pulled away to help with a number of issues, such as Discord’s emotional outbursts, or Rarity’s sudden desire to put Applejack and Rainbow through an emergency costume change.
But those are stories for another time.
While Pinke, Fluttershy, Rarity, and myself were entirely wrapped up in keeping the newlyweds happy, the newlyweds themselves were left to their own devices.
And they sniffed out Vinyl’s unhappiness in no time.
Vinyl was in the middle of a fairly lackadaisical paper hoofball game with one of the Wonderbolt reserves when Rainbow came up behind her.
“Hey, Scratch,” Rainbow said. “How’s it hangin’?”
Vinyl looked over her shoulder just long enough to miss her shot. “Oh. Hey, guys!”
“Hey, Silver. Mind letting us chat with Vinyl, here?” Applejack asked.
Silver Lining looked a bit caught-in-the-headlights, but shrugged and trotted off.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash pulled up some chairs, sitting across from Vinyl.
Vinyl chuckled. “What is this, and intervention?”
“You’re, like, totally alone,” Rainbow said. “What gives?”
Vinyl shrugged. “This isn’t exactly my scene.”
Applejack scoffed. “Oh, it is too. Weddings are everypony’s scene, they just don’t wanna admit it. So, like Rainbow said, what gives?”
Vinyl sighed. “I didn’t mean it like that. This is fun, and all, don’t get me wrong-- but it’s your guys’ world. I’m just visiting, y’know?”
“Uh, this is more than just a visit,” Rainbow said. “You’ve been hanging around with us for, like, a whole year now.”
Applejack nodded.
“Yeah, but…” Vinyl trailed off.
She looked into the crowd of happy, dancing ponies. All of them seemed to know one another somehow, like some crazy, mixed-up family that had at last been reunited. Things which seemed to be perfectly normal to them were giving her heart palpitations; such as, for example, her brief encounter with Discord.
“Look, Scratch:” Rainbow said. She leaned across the round table towards Vinyl. “I know that all this stuff can be kind of intimidating, but I swear, we’re totally normal ponies. You’re always welcome hanging out with us.”
“I know I am.” Vinyl nodded once, curtly. “But being welcome isn’t always enough, y’know? I feel like an outsider.”
“Vinyl, we--”
“And it’s not your fault!” Vinyl blurted. “Celestia, it’s your wedding day… just, never mind.”
“Vinyl.” Applejack stared down the mare across the table. “Who do you think all these other ponies are?”
Vinyl looked around the room again. And I think this time she saw it differently.
What better place than a wedding to see it, after all? The way friendship, family, love, and hate all tangled together into one giant, mish-mash of a relationship. The way Pinkie Pie was dancing wildly with Shining Armor, the way Fluttershy and Coloratura were entertaining a group of school-aged ponies with a duet, the way Rarity had turned business contacts into valued guests. And, of course, the way I worked so tirelessly to please all of them.
“We’re a family,” Applejack said. “And families always have to grow sooner or later.”
“I won’t lie to you,” Rainbow said. “You’ll never be one of the elements. But, if Twilight loves you… then I do, too.”
Rainbow looked at Applejack, and some sort of unspoken moment of clarity passed between them. As if they could finally see that love, friendship, and family were merely brushstrokes in the great painting of life, notes and themes upon the ballad that we all sung.
For a moment, Vinyl saw it, too.
Vinyl Scratch is in many photos from the wedding. If you didn’t know any better, you’d say she was an element bearer herself.