Key Keeper placed Twilight, who had by now noticed she was being moved, into her place at the table, between Applejack and Rarity. Across from her sat Pinkie Pie, who was impatiently watching Sugar Belle place bowls of creamy broth in front of them. Twilight immediately went back to her book.
Twilight noticed the chair at the head of the table. "Is that for our host?" Key Keeper, pouring ice water in their glasses, answered, "No, but for our final guest, QC." Rarity piped up, "Our letters made it sound like this 'QC' was our host." Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow made sounds of agreement. "Who is our host, then?," questioned the ever-curious Twilight.
Key Keeper only smirked. Finished, he stood next to the door.
Pinkie Pie had ignored the conversation. She also ignored her spoon as she stuck her muzzle into the soup and began to drink it. Rainbow, sitting at her right, scooted away an inch when Pinkie began to slash the soup over her. Fluttershy simply ignored it and sipped her own soup delicately- using a spoon.
"Shouldn't we made for the other guest?," protested Rarity as the others began to reach for their spoons. Fluttershy stopped, looking embarrassed. "I'll leave something warm for him to eat," chirped Sugar Belle happily. That was all the encouragement the hungry ponies needed, and they all tucked into the hearty broth.
For about a minute, the only sounds were of five ponies sipping soup, one slurping it, and one book's pages being turned. Rarity stopped eating before looking around the room and bursting out, "Well, I'm used to having to start the conversation, so I might as well try to break the ice. I have no idea what were doing here- or what I'm doing here- but I am determined to make this a good night out," a sip of the soup, "Mm, this soup is delicious, isn't it?"
The other ponies had stopped what they were doing to look up at her.
"So, uh, what do you mean 'used to starting conversation'?," asked Rainbow. Rarity blushed. "Well, it's par for the course when you're the wife of ambassador." Rainbow mulled over this before calling, "OH! Now I remember! You're married to Capper Dapperpaws, that Abyssinian, aren't you?" After saying this, she stuck out her tongue. "You married a cat?"
Rarity huffed indignantly. "Well, now, this isn't the time of the Griffonstone War or Changeling Rebellion or…or the Dark Ages, is it? Lots of ponies start relationships with other species!" And she angrily slurped her soup. Applejack appealed to her, "I'm sure Rainbow was just surprised is all, no harm meant."
Rainbow huffed, "You shouldn't make light of the Griffonstone War so much- it was fairly recent, and some if us may have fought in it." Twilight, wanting the argument to end so she could read, motioned, "Well, since the Griffons never actually invaded Equestria, Celestia never needed to start a draft for an army, the 'war' ended after about a month and a half, and because it was actually a wendigo plot, lots of ponies probably overlook it, especially because of the Changeling Rebellion."
Pinkie blinked. "Wow Twilight, that was really smart! Are you a student? Or a professor?" Twilight rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, I do study a lot…I'm sort of a student..." And then she went back to her book without elaboration.
Rarity, trying to stop the silence, broke in, "So, what do you do, Applejack?" Twilight groaned and slammed her head into the table. Applejack, surprised at the sudden question, swallowed her food to reply, "Well, ah really just work on my family's farm." Rarity blinked. "Oh! Do you have somepony to help you with that? It must be a very big job." The corners of Applejack's smile became tight, as she answered, "Well, ma sister started to help after she graduated."
A clash of thunder rang out, and Fluttershy yelped and jumped, knocking her spoon into Pinkies lap. "Oh! I'm so sorry!," she said as she reached for the spoon. But Pinkie, who had drank all her soup, held up a hoof to stop her, before bending over and licking the soup off of her lap. Poor Fluttershy looked mortified, and all the others' faces became a shade of green.
Sugar Belle, noticing in a few minutes that all the guest had pushed their bowls of soup away, brought out the main dish- some kind of white, soft food cut into slices. Rarity dug into it, purring, commenting to her, "This is one of my favorite recipes!" Sugar Belle smiled in turn. The other ponies, seeing how she liked it, dug in, and discovered that the flavor, though odd, was actually pretty tasty.
Rarity tried to keep up the conversation still. "So where are you all from?" Rainbow huffed, "Why do you need to know?" Pinkie chirped, "Maybe she wants to hang with someone! Which she can do with you, since you work with the Wonderbolts in Canterlot! Or with Twilight, since she studies there!" The two ponies gawked at her.
"How did you know that?," they both snapped at once. She shrugged. "I'm situated in Canterlot sometimes, and I see Rainbow there. And where else would a super duper smart unicorn be a student?," she gave them all a bright smile. Fluttershy commented, "I'm in Canterlot a lot, too," and Applejack added, "And I do business there sometimes."
Rainbow leapt up. "Okay, so we're all connected to Canterlot- the capital- somehow, and we're meeting in a mansion right next to it." She whirled to Key Keeper, who had been stoically watching them from the door. "Where's our host and why have we been brought here?," she demanded. With perfect timing, the doorbell rang, and Key Keeper rushed to the front door. A hushed conversation was heard, and the ponies strained to hear.
"May I take your bag, sir?" A snort. "I'll just leave it here for when I need it. Don't. Touch. It," snarled a new voice. The sound of two sets of hoofsteps echoed into the quiet Dining Room.
A minute later, he walked back in…followed by a changeling.
Not a colorful, friendly, pastel changeling, but a changeling with a black chassis, tattered green wings, and holes in his legs. He glared at them all with his pupil-less teal eyes, flicking his forked tongue at them.
As he glared, his wings began to buzz, accompanied by a rattling sound. Fluttershy squeaked and crouched low into her seat.
Key Keeper introduced him. "This is Quivering Chassis, also known as QC." QC turned to look at him. "What are they doing here?," he hissed. "Eating dinner. Do sit down, QC." The changeling took his seat at the head of the table and continued to glare at the now-uncomfortable ponies. Sugar Belle tried to place a plate in front of him when he snapped.
"I don't want your food!" He glared at her. "Only weakling pastel powderpuffs need to eat food. REAL changelings feed on emotion," he hissed. Sugar Belle, now looking quite scared, fled back to the kitchen.
Rarity coughed and shifted her chair away from him. Twilight, her back hooves shaking unseen, asked, "Why aren't you a pastel color? I though all the changelings shared love when," he glared harshly at her, "when, uh, t-they r-rebelled against their queen."
QC huffed. "Even if that…that Thorax found a way to share love after those rouge wendigos caused a shortage of it with that war, that was still no reason to rebel against our queen." Twilight gasped. "Queen Chrysalis is considered a criminal in Equestria, and in other countries, as well!" She gulped. "Do you…still support her?"
QC grinned, showing off all of his sharp fangs. Fluttershy squeaked again, and was almost completely hidden under the table at this point. His chassis began to shudder, producing the same rattling sound as before. "There is no proof," he stated calmly, hooves flooded together, "that I am associated with her."
Key Keeper, sensing the situation turning sour, stepped in. "I believe, since all of out guests are here, we can discuss what we are all here for." Out of his suit, he pulled out a neatly folded letter. He cleared his throat and read:
It will be to your advantage to be present on this date because a certain QC will bring an end to a certain long-standing confidential and painful financially liability.
He looked back up at them. "It is unsigned. I presume you all received similar letters?" The ponies nodded. The changeling grunted. "I received a letter, but it didn't say that." He quieted up, aside from the rattling sound. The glare he sent made the other guests unwilling to question him.
Key Keeper cleared his throat. "Can I interest anypony in fruit or dessert?" Sugar Belle peeked out of the Kitchen fearfully, shaking her head. The ponies needed no encouragement, as the rude QC had spoiled even Pinkie's appetite.
He continued, "Then I suggest we go to the Study, where I believe our unknown host will reveal his intentions." The ponies nodded in agreement, filing out of the room one by one. QC left after them, his chassis giving a shift as he got up. Key Keeper gestured for Sugar Belle to follow.
She shook her head violently, watching QC fearfully as he left. Key Keeper groaned and began levitating the reluctant unicorn with him, hoping this wouldn't become a regular thing.