"A bajillion high class establishments literally floating directly above us," Lyra Heartstrings grunted, "And we all decide to go to a Chineighs Buffet?"
"You really think there's a better way to get filled up?" Bon Bon remarked.
Lyra raised her hoof, lingered, and ultimately shrugged. "You have a point there." She pointed across the table in the center of the bustling restaurant. "Pass me another spring roll."
"Nuh uh!" Bon Bon blurted between munching bites. "These are my spring rolls! I waited for three minutes behind a pair of fat donkeys to pluck them from the bar!"
"For one. It's 'a pair of fat asses.' For another... friggin' gimme."
Lyra tried reaching across the table, only to have her hoof slapped by a rolled up napkin.
"Now now, Miss Heartstrings," Caramel boldly exhaled, tilting his chin up. "Be nice and mannerly."
Lyra blinked at him. "... ... ...did you just friggin' swat me?"
"We're all here in Las Pegasus to enjoy ourselves and we can't very well do that if we're all lunging across the table without asking."
"Holy frickin' Tartarus in my orifices—I think she just swat me!"
"Mrmmmff..." Bon Bon munched on her rice. "You're lucky she didn't deep fry you. My goddess, this stuff is good."
"Someone call the newspaper roll police!"
"Simmer down, for crying out loud," Rainbow Dash grumbled. Flapping her wings, she lifted off from the booth and floated towards the central bar of the establishment. "I'll go fetch us all some more spring rolls. Luna on a bicycle..."
"Now that's the spirit!" Bon Bon smiled, swallowing her meal down with a glass of soda. "See? Now if only you showed that sort of loyal initiative, Lyra."
"My loyal initiative is not suplexing you through the nearest table for faux waterfall display." Lyra smirked. "Speaking of which, are we going to pay a visit to that Total Neighstop Action Wrestling Event that's in town?"
"Not on your goddess-dayum nelly," Bon Bon grunted.
"Heyyyyyy!" Lyra winked across the table at Caramel. "The mare's learning!"
"Hehehehe..." Caramel meanwhile giggled. "'Luna on a bicycle.' I like that!"
Rainbow Dash floated past multiple tourists of varying amounts of obesity. At last, after scaling a veritable sea of oily living detritus, she reached the shiny green bar of the buffet.
"Okay, let's see..." She cradled a plate in her forelimbs and leaned her head forward, squinting through the translucent sneeze guard at the various edibles on display. "Pasta... garlic bread... broccoli and noodles... fried rice... ah ha! Spring rolls." She grasped at a pair of salad tongs... but fumbled. The mare bit her lip, flexed her forelimb, and reached it further.
A magenta glow encased the untensils. A voice calmly droned from the sidelines: "Allow me..."
Rainbow Dash clenched her eyes shut. She took a deep breath, then reopened them. "So... uhm... thanks..."
"For what?" Vinyl asked, standing suddenly beside the levitating mare. Decades' old muzak crackled in the background speakers of the restaurant as the DJ levitated the tongs, grasping spring roll after spring roll and depositing them on Rainbow's platter. "For lending you a hoof? Or holding off from prattling to all our marefriends just how parapalegic you are?"
"Oh come off it, V," Rainbow droned. "It's not that bad and you know it."
"Isn't it?" The mare peeked from behind her shades. "Or was it the abominable snowmare who took your father from you?"
Rainbow frowned. "Not friggin' funny."
"I'm inclined to agree," Vinyl said. "Which is why I'm not laughing... especially now that I see that the horrible degenerative illness that I foolishly thought went away is still as alive as ever."
"I've got it under control," Rainbow muttered.
"Under control? Or staved off?"
"I've been taking some special medicine, okay?"
"Did you happen to bring any of this special brew with you?"
Silence.
Vinyl sighed, resting the tongs after stacking Rainbow's plate with edibles. "I knew this whole vacation thingy was a bad idea."
"Wasn't mine. I'll tell you that much," Rainbow grunted.
"You had your opportunity to jump ship back on the train ride," Vinyl said.
"Like I was really going to let you girls down by high-tailing it off that caboose," Rainbow exhaled. "Face it. You all need me more than I need to be here. Look at poor Caramel, for crying out loud! She'd be drowning in her own tears if I wasn't around to keep her off the ground!"
"We can take care of ourselves, Rainbow."
"And I can't?"
Vinyl sighed. "...the last time it was this bad, you fell into the arms of a mare whom... we don't particularly hold much of a positive opinion for."
Rainbow clenched her jaws tight.
"Lemme take you away from here, Rainbow," Vinyl said in a hushed tone, leaning towards the levitating pegasus. "I'll come up with an excuse and we'll make an exit. I have... connections in this city, Rainbow. Both upper and lower. I can get you looked at by a professional. They could—"
"Make the same assessment that every doctor has made about me since my dear old dad kicked the bucket." Rainbow shook her head, teetering slightly in midair. "No thank you, ma'am. I'd rather not deal with that horse hockey anymore."
Vinyl sighed, her ears drooping. "Why do you always do this to yourself?"
"Hrmmmff?" Rainbow casually plucked a spring roll off the plate and bit into it. "Do what?"
"Play the friggin' martyr," Vinyl grunted. "You should know by now that the only ponies who play into it are horrible, horrible jerks. You deserve better, Rainbow."
"I know that," Rainbow said with a nod. "Which is why I haven't let her play into it. Cuz I know she's the best."
Vinyl leaned back, preparing to sigh again.
"Look. I was brought here to let go of a bunch of crud and live in the moment. And that's what I intend to do! I think it's super cool that you care so much about me, Vinyl, but stop laying it on so thick, y'know? Sooner than you know it, it'll anchor me to the ground, and then where will I be? Huh?" She cradled the plate as carefully as she could and floated back towards the group's booth across the way. "Now, if you don't mind. spring is in session..."