If one were to look at the student body of Canterlot High, the first thing they would notice is just how well everyone got on with one another. Oh sure, there were squabbles and disputes every now and again, but for the most part, the students there got on perfectly well, far more so than most other High Schools. And so it was that they had all gathered for lunch in the school's massive cafeteria, discussing their day and just generally catching up with their friends. There was, however, one sore spot in all of this, and it happened as soon as the doors opened. For the one who now entered was greeted not with smiles, but with frowns and looks of distrust. Adagio Dazzle, leader of the exiled Sirens of Equestria. It had not been long since she and her sisters had been defeated at this very school, rendering them powerless, and since then, the three of them had been getting by largely due to the fact that their one-time rivals, the Rainbooms had opted to try and integrate them with the rest of the students.

Despite their best efforts however, many of the students still bore unhappy feelings towards them, as evidenced by the looks they were all giving Adagio as she made her way towards the food stations. It was something that bothered her, perhaps, more than anything. After all, what she and her sisters had wanted more than anything was to be adored, and that chance had been taken away from them forever, along with their powers. It was a bitter thought, but one Adagio knew she could not change, and thus, she simply tried her best to put up with her new circumstances. Aria and Sonata were not with her at this time, and as the Siren leader turned her head, she could see them already eating their lunch with the Rainbooms some ways away from her, on their usual table. But for now, she focused on getting her own meal, and it was not long before she reached the station. She did her best to ignore the looks she was getting, instead picking out a few lunch items, sandwiches and such, before finally reaching the payment counter.

Much like the students, the cashier was looking at her with some degree of disdain, but nevertheless did his job of taking note of Adagio's lunch before speaking to her.

"That'll be ten dollars, Miss."

Even a novice to reading people would have recognised that angry tone in which he'd spoken to her, but even so, she tried to put up with it. She reached into her pocket, pulling out her wallet soon afterwards, ready to pay the man. However, as she opened it, she let out a groan as she saw that she had little money in there. I remember now, she thought to herself, I forgot to pick up some cash before coming out today. Sliding her wallet back into her pocket, she looked up at the cashier and gave a small shrug of her shoulders. The man gave a scoffing sound before reaching forward, ready to take her tray away from her. However, much to the surprise of both him and Adagio, he was stopped by the sudden arrival of a hand at Adagio's right, holing a crisp, ten-dollar note. Adagio turned to see that it was a boy she had not noticed until now, whose eyes were fixed firmly on the cashier.

"No problem, Sir. I'll pay."

The cashier looked at the boy for a moment with some uncertainty, but nevertheless took the note off him, giving Adagio a final scornful look before gesturing for the next student. With her lunch now paid for, Adagio had a chance to truly pay attention to her lunch-time rescuer. He was about her age, at least in a physical sense, since she was technically a few thousand years older. He had a lean figure, fairly pale skin, short jet-black hair and an almost-piercing set of light-blue eyes. His attire seemed to have one common theme; A love of the colour black. Shirt, jacket, shoes and everything in-between was all a shade of that dark colour. His expression was difficult to read, though he maintained a small smile as he watched Adagio. The Dazzling regarded him carefully for a while, still clutching her lunch tray in her hands. Eventually though, she broke the silence, clearing her throat before addressing him.

"I appreciate the help, whoever you are. But I was perfectly capable of handling that matter myself."

The young man gave a chuckle before replying to that.

"Oh, I'm sure."

Whether he was speaking in jest, Adagio couldn't tell. And if there was one thing that got on her nerves, it was being unable to read people. So, instead, she simply began to move off, intending to head over to where her sisters and the Rainbooms were. However, it was not long before she found her new "friend" walking alongside her, his eyes never leaving her. After a while, she finally turned to look at him, at which point he spoke up at last.

"Would you mind if I were to join you?"

This was, needless to say, something Adagio had not been expecting. Ever since that fiasco at the Battle of the Bands, the students of this school had been avoiding her and her sisters like the plague. And now, here was this stranger, asking to join her at lunch as if it was the most normal thing in the world. As one might expect, Adagio was rather conflicted in this. Surprise, suspicion and general annoyance all vied for position within her mind right now. In time, however, she simply shrugged her shoulders at him.

"If you must."

Her words were short and to the point, but even so, that did not seem to damper her companion's smile one bit. She walked on through the cafeteria, the boy close behind her, and it was not long before they earned the interested of more than a few of the students they passed. With Adagio and her sisters being as unpopular as they were, many of them looked on with surprise to see this boy keeping her company. It was one of the few instances where Adagio felt that she had something in common with these people. Eventually, Adagio reached the table where the Rainbooms and her sisters were seated. However, she felt that it might not be such a good idea to expose her family to this newcomer just yet, and so instead chose to find somewhere else to sit and eat. As she passed the table, Aria and Sonata looked up to her, their faces bearing both surprise and confusion at her actions. Adagio shot them back a look that, with any luck, let them know that she would explain what was going on later.

And so it was that she and the boy made their way towards the outermost edge of the cafeteria where, thankfully, there was a lone, unoccupied table. Adagio placed her tray down, taking a seat at the table before picking up her sandwich and taking a bite. The boy sat opposite from her, taking out a can of soda that he'd been carrying since she first encountered him, taking a brief sip from it. There was silence between the two for a while, but it eventually broke when the boy spoke up at last.

"Well, I must say, I never thought I'd have the chance to speak to you."

Adagio raised an eyebrow at that.

"Really. And what, pray tell, is so important about speaking to me of all people?"

The boy let out a chuckle.

"Seriously? You're Adagio Dazzle! Leader of the Dazzlings! That alone makes you worth talking to!"

It was a tone she had not heard for some time. But she knew it all too well. The manner this boy had just spoken to her was unmistakeably one of admiration. He wanted to be here with her. Why, Adagio didn't know, but even so, it was the first time in a long time that any student here, save for the Rainbooms, had treated her like anything other than mud. But, rather than showing appreciation for his mannerisms, Adagio maintained her stoic appearance as she replied.

"If you know who I am, then I have to ask why you'd wish to sit here with me. My sisters and I aren't exactly popular right now. Being here is probably going to be social suicide for you, you do know that, right?"

The boy scoffed at that.

"Oh sure, I've heard what people have said. But I don't really care for that. After all, I remember seeing you and your sisters up on the stage during the battle of the bands. You were incredible, every single time."

Adagio watched him carefully as he spoke those words, still not quite believing what she'd heard. There didn't seem to be a hint of sarcasm or falsehood in his voice. And yet, there was something there she couldn't quite put her finger on. Even so, the fact that she was listening to someone who seemed to have nothing but positive things to say about her was a welcome change of pace.

"I appreciate the kind words, boy. But surely you know what I am? What my sisters are? What we planned?"

The boy nodded at that.

"Of course I do. I was there for the whole thing. But it doesn't matter to me. Just...hearing your songs, the way you outright owned the stage...how could I not love that?"

The Siren leader let out a chuckle at that, still unsure of what to make of all this. She regarded him carefully, trying to see if there was anything potentially wrong with him to make him say these things. He seemed perfectly healthy at first glance, no issues to speak of. If he was lying, he was very good at hiding it. And if it was true, that he meant what he was saying to her, then she could not help but feel some small measure of comfort in that. Whenever she and her sisters had received praise for their songs, it had always been from those under the influence of her magic. To hear it now, from someone seemingly free of that, was a new experience she had not known. She gave a small smile, but only briefly. For as her mind dwelt on his words, his compliments of her singing, she began to dwell on one very obvious fact of her recent life. As such, she raised a hand upwards and gently placed it upon her bare neck, turning away from him slightly as she spoke up.

"I suppose you'll have to do without hearing those songs now."

Turning, Adagio noted for the first time that the boy began to look somewhat stern. His eyes bore the clear signs of being angered by something, though it was not until he spoke that she began to understand why.

"It was a travesty, what was done to you. You had a great gift, and did not deserve to have it stolen like it was."

This was, perhaps, the most intriguing thing yet about him. If he was there, hearing her songs along with the rest of the students, then he was most likely under the same enchantment as they were. He was, Adagio had to admit, an outright victim of her and her sisters. And yet, not only was he praising and defending her, but also denouncing the decision to strip them of their magic and singing. The whole experience was quite surreal to say the least, and for the first time in a very long while, Adagio did not know how to react to all this. However, as she sat in silence, she began to notice something. It was subtle, but she could still sense it. Although she and her sisters had lost their powers, they still remained somewhat sensitive to magic, and here, in this place, Adagio began to feel it. The best way to describe it was that the air felt different, almost charged, like the air after a lightning strike. She had not expected to sense such things, but soon she began to realise that she had, in fact, been feeling this for some time now.

Realisation then dawned on her as she began to understand that this sensation, that had been quietly unnoticed in the back of her mind until now, only began when she met this youth. She turned her eyes towards him, seeing him sit there as he busied himself with his drink. Thankfully, he didn't notice as she began to study him. It took only a moment, but that was all Adagio needed to confirm that this boy was truly the source of the sensation. There was magic in him, and more importantly, it was a kind she recognised. Now that she realised that there was enchantment at work here, she could get a better feel for it, and soon enough, she felt that this magic was very much akin to the kind that Sirens used. At first, she suspected that this might explain his attitude towards her, that perhaps he might still be under their spell, praising her like the other students once did when they had their powers. But that suspicion was short-lived, as further concentration led her to realise that there were tiny differences in the magic within him. Whatever power this was, it was more than likely that it belonged to him, and not her.

Realising that there was more to the boy than she first thought, a terrible thought began to creep into her mind. Has he been trying to trick me this whole time? Luring me into complacency? It was not a thought that endeared itself to her, that much was certain. However, if there was one thing Adagio knew how to do, it was turn things in her favour. If this boy thinks he can outsmart me, he has another thing coming, she thought. So, with a new purpose in mind, she gently cleared her throat before assuming a different posture, with one hand carefully placed at the top of her chest, her face looking at him in the most innocent manner she could muster. On top of that, she began to speak in her "special" tone, the way she knew males like him enjoyed hearing from her.

"Oh, I do so appreciate you being so kind towards me. So many have talked down to my sisters and I...I just didn't know what to do!"

The boy turned back to her, his expression softening from what it had been earlier.

"You don't need to worry about anything, Adagio. I can promise you that."

The Siren had to resist the urge to smirk at that. Got him, she thought. Boys just can't resist wanting to help some poor, helpless maiden. Makes them feel all noble and heroic. Pointing her head downwards slightly, she aimed her eyes upwards towards him in the most convincing puppy-dog way possible.

"I cannot thank you enough. You truly are a blessing."

The boy gave chuckle at that briefly before speaking up again.

"Well...helping a special young lady like you...how could I not?"

Adagio let out a faux-giggle at that, which the boy seemed to smile at. Adagio also noted that he was starting to lean closer, perhaps feeling safer about approaching her. Once again, the Siren leader had to fight the urge to give away just how easy she thought this was going. Instead, she leaned forward like he did, looking at him in an increasingly-amorous manner. The boy gave a nervous chuckle, which Adagio noted was actually rather adorable, before looking right into her eyes, almost entranced by them. They grew closer and closer, like the kind of scene that would play out in a thousand cheesy romance movies. However, rather than end in a kiss, it ended with the boy being taken surprise by Adagio, as the latter swiftly raised her hand and grabbed onto the collar of his shirt, dragging him closer and glaring at him in an angry manner.

"Do you take me for an idiot?! I have lived far too long to fail to recognise manipulation when I see it!"

The boy, as one might expect, was rather taken aback by this turn in her behaviour, and briefly struggled against her grip. However, as it became increasingly clear to him that Adagio was not fooling around in this, his expression became more steely, and then, to Adagio's surprise, a small smirk appeared.

"I must congratulate you then, Miss Dazzle. I was hoping I would see this kind of talk from you."

Adagio raised an eyebrow at that.

"If you wanted to see me angry, there were easier ways of going about it."

The boy chuckled at that.

"Naturally. But after everything I've seen and heard of you, I knew I'd need to get a better feel of you, to get in closer. After all...out-of-town types like us cannot take unnecessary risks."

Those words caught Adagio off-guard immediately, and she released the boy from her grip, allowing him to lean back into her chair. After leaning back herself, she watched him carefully, as if seeing him for the first time. The way he looked at her now, not with admiration, but with sheer concentration, was quite a U-turn. But always, his words repeated themselves over and over in her mind, until finally, she broke the silence.

"You're...Equestrian? Like me?"

The boy nodded.

"My name is Vanidicus. And yes, I am from Equestria. But I am no pony, if that's what you're worried about."

Adagio considered that carefully, raising her eyebrow at him before addressing him yet again.

"Then...what are you, exactly?"

The boy, Vanidicus, gave a small smirk before leaning in closer again.

"Tell me. How much do you know...about Changelings?"