"A Changeling?"

The confusion and surprise in Sunset Shimmer's voice was clear as she looked to Adagio, who simply nodded in confirmation. The two of them, the Rainbooms, Aria and Sonata were all sitting together in various places in what was traditionally the Canterlot High music room. Nowadays, however, it had become the Rainboom's unofficial headquarters within the school, even though they mostly just practiced their music here. Since the Dazzlings had been accepted into their group, so to had they been permitted to join them whenever they met up here. But even so, despite this acceptance, there were still clear signs of division between them, evidenced by the fact that both groups largely kept to their own side of the room. The one notable exception to this was Pinkie and Sonata, who were sitting together in the middle of the room, quietly having a soda-drinking contest, oblivious to everything that was going on. Adagio, ignoring the two girls' antics, let out a sigh and replied to Sunset.

"I was as surprised as you, but I think he's the real deal."

Sunset considered that carefully, but was soon interrupted from her train of thought when Rainbow spoke up.

"Er...not to sound dumb or anything...but what the heck is a Changeling?"

The former unicorn regarded her friend, a concerned look on her face. It didn't happen often, but there were times when she forgot that her friends were not as versed in the lore of Equestria as she was. She looked around as all of her friends, even Pinkie Pie at this point, watched her with great interest. As such, she took a deep breath before starting to explain herself.

"Well...when I was growing up, they were only myths. Tales were told of creatures that could disguise themselves as anything. And with that power, they'd get close to ponies, imitating their loved ones. By doing that, they fed off the power of ponies' love for one another. When I was young, they were just children's stories. The kind of thing parents would tell their foals to make sure they behaved."

Sunset narrowed her eyes somewhat before continuing.

"But recently, that no longer seems to be the case. When Twilight visited us last, I got the chance to catch up and find out what's been going on in Equestria during my absence. Turns out, the Changelings were real. They launched an all-out invasion of Canterlot, our capital, and very nearly won. Thankfully, Twilight and her friends managed to drive them out."

With every word she spoke, the Rainbooms all looked utterly aghast as they began to understand the gravity of the situation. And Sunset could not blame them. To hear that such creatures existed was one thing, but to find out that one of them was here? Among their own people? That was something else altogether. The girls all looked to each other, showing clear concern about all this. Turning, Sunset noted that even Aria and Sonata were looking worried, which wasn't something that happened often. Meanwhile, Adagio kept silent, looking deep in thought over all this. Given that she was the one the Changeling approached, it was hard for Sunset to guess how she was feeling about it. However, her attention was drawn to Rarity, who spoke up after a long silence.

"I say, Sunset, those creatures sound utterly ghastly! But...if you say they waged outright war with your people...does that mean we have a full-on war criminal on our hands here?"

That was a question that caught everyone's notice, even Adagio's. Sunset thought long and hard about it before answering her.

"Hard to say. We know so little about their people. It could be that this one wasn't involved in the Canterlot invasion. We won't know until we question him."

The girls all nodded at that, seemingly satisfied with that. In time, however, a new sound could be heard. And as Sunset turned, she saw that it was none other than Adagio herself, who had been quietly muttering for a moment before speaking more loudly.

"Whether he was involved or not, I can assure you, Changelings are dangerous. Although there was never any real proof, our kind had often been thought of as distant relations. Both of us feed off emotions to some extent, and both of us used magic to make it happen, albeit in very different ways. We met a few during out days in Equestria, and let me tell you, they were most unpleasant creatures. Scurrying about like the insects they were. They were not the kind we wanted to stick around to find out about."

The Rainbooms listened to Adagio's carefully, all somewhat interested in hearing their old rivals' opinion on the matter. After all, the Sirens themselves had been more than a handful when they had access to magic, so if they, of all people, were providing a warning on these creatures, that was saying something. After this, Applejack looked towards Adagio and spoke to her.

"So...how'd you respond to this little revelation of his?"

The Dazzling leader gave a brief shrug of her shoulders before leaning back into her chair and folding her arms.

"I didn’t say a thing to him. After he told me what he was, I went straight to you girls."

Needless to say, that surprised them a great deal, but what was even more surprising was that it was Aria who ended up questioning her about it.

"Why? Didn't you think you could handle this little bug yourself?"

Adagio had not trouble detecting the slight tint of mockery in her younger sister's voice, and so shot her a dark look, prompting Aria to look away while quietly chuckling to herself. After a brief moment, Adagio turned to the otters, still frowning a little.

"My reasons are simple. After everything that's happened to the three of us, I wasn't about to risk inviting even more trouble by sticking around with that boy."

Sunset nodded at that. Wanting to keep out of trouble was probably a wise move, given the Dazzlings' history, but she wondered for a moment if there wasn't actually more to it. Adagio had not said it outright, but the former-unicorn had the distinct impression that her real reason for coming forward about this was to ensure the wellbeing of her sisters, Aria and Sonata. From the short time in which they'd known each other, the one thing that had always stood out about Adagio was how protective she was of them. As such, Sunset couldn't help but give a small and appreciative smile towards the Siren leader. However, she quickly looked away before Adagio actually caught sight of her. Thankfully, her attention was then drawn to Fluttershy, who began to speak up in that quiet and meek way she was so famous for.

"Um...where is he now? I mean...if you don't mind me asking."

Sunset shook her head a little before answering.

"It's fine, Fluttershy. When Adagio told me who it was we were dealing with, I asked some of the guys to stick close to him and keep an eye on him. Given everything that's happened to this school because of people like me and the Sirens over there, they didn't hesitate to volunteer to help keep him under control."

Fluttershy considered that for a moment before speaking up again.

"But...won't Principal Celestia get mad if we do that? I mean...he hasn't done anything wrong yet...right?"

Sunset knew Fluttershy had a point, but it was not her who comforted her on the matter, but rather Applejack.

"Don't y'all worry about a thing, sugarcube. We're just keepin an eye on the fella. If he don't do harm ta us or others, we ain't gonna do so ta him."

Fluttershy heard the honesty in her friend's words, and for a brief moment, she gave a smile that let everyone know that she was okay with that arrangement. However, that smile soon vanished once Rainbow spoke up, who first scoffed before addressing the group.

"Ugh! Are you kidding me! I mean, no offense Sunset..."

She then turned to the Dazzlings and gave a somewhat stern look at them before continuing.

"...or you girls...but every time something weird like this shows up at the school, things go crazy real quick. I say we just break out the guitars, sing a song and BOOM! Problem solved before it even starts!"

Many of Rainbow's friends groaned at that plan, with Sunset especially slapping her forehead with frustration over the sheer brashness of it. However, before she could speak about it, Aria interrupted her.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I agree with Rainbow. The bug is a problem, and you girls have the power to make that problem go squish. Case closed."

The word "squish" had been emphasised by a very dramatic clenching of Aria's fist, which was an image that caused Fluttershy to hide behind her long hair. As the shy girl was being comforted by Rarity, Sunset frowned at Aria, and then at Rainbow, before giving her response to that plan.

"Just because we have the power, doesn't mean we're going to use it for every problem that comes up. We have to be more responsible than that. This Changeling could have attacked Adagio to try and get whatever it is that he wants, but he didn't. Instead, he approached her like anyone else and spoke to her. Through deceit, I admit, but still not something to use magic against. I say we do the same. We talk to him, question him, and find out what he's after."

Aria let out another scoffing sound and leaned back into the wall she'd propped herself up against. After giving her sister a quick glance, Adagio addressed Sunset.

"Her could always lie about his intentions, dear."

Sunset nodded at that.

"Maybe...but it's still the right thing to do."

Adagio considered that for a moment before letting out a sigh, shrugging her shoulders and leaning back into her chair. It wasn't a gesture of agreement, Sunset knew that, but it was one that showed she was at least willing to go along with this plan. Not much, but a start, Sunset thought to herself. Looking around, she saw that all of her friends were looking equally unsure about all this. Sunset could not blame them, for this was a dangerous road they were going down. In truth, even Sunset had doubts about speaking to this Changeling. It reminded her of an old saying she'd read about once; Accepting a serpent means inviting poison into your heart. Those words had always made her shiver every time she thought about them, and for a moment, she wondered if this was truly the right thing to do. So, letting out a sigh, she stood up from her chair and addressed the whole group, Rainbooms and Dazzlings together.

"Alright then...let's bring him in."