If there was one thing the Rainbooms and Dazzlings had not been expecting during this interrogation, it was exactly what Vanidicus had just said to them. Many of them turned to each other, silently asking for clarification that they'd all heard the same thing. The whole room was so quiet at this point you could have heard a pin drop. But no, as with everything else, there was no hint of deception in the Changeling's face, continuing to stare at Adagio. He meant exactly what he'd said. When that notion finally began to sink in, a sound could finally be heard. However, that sound was actually the start of a snicker. Turning, Vanidicus saw that it was Rainbow, who had her hand clasped over her mouth in an effort to stop herself from laughing. Although somewhat annoyed by this, Vanidicus then noticed that Aria was close behind her. Then, as the moments passed, more and more of the girls began to look as though they were doing the same. In time, all of them, even Adagio, couldn't hold it in anymore, and so simply resorted to laughing out loud at what they'd just heard.

Vanidicus was somewhat taken aback by this, his face showing that he clearly wasn't expecting this to be the reaction to his words. Further still, this loud laughter had drawn the attention of the boys who had been stationed outside, with Flash poking his head inside to see what was going on. He looked on with an expression of outright confusion at the sight of the Dazzlings and Rainbooms united in shared laughter, looking to Sunset for clarification as to what was going on. While still laughing, Sunset waved him off, letting him know that everything was okay. Flash was still unsure about all this, but nevertheless retreated back outside, closing the door behind him. The Changeling, meanwhile, simply leaned back into his chair, his face bearing all of the tell-tale signs of annoyance. He waited for the laughter to die down, which, unfortunately for him, didn't happen for some minutes yet. However, when it did happen, it was slow, and by the time it was finally over, all of the girls took a moment to catch their breath, with Aria especially wiping a tear from her eye.

"Oh Faust! I needed that!" she exclaimed.

As the girls recovered, they all turned to Vanidicus as he let out a sound of clearing his throat, still looking annoyed at all of this.

"Are you quite finished?"

Even though a chuckle or two still escaped their lips, all of the girls nodded at him, with Sunset finally addressing him after all this.

"I'm...I'm sorry. It's just...wow...I was not expecting that!"

Vanidicus rolled his eyes so much that, for a brief moment, the girls were worried that they might pop out of his skull. However, when he turned to look at them again, his face bore that same serous look he'd been giving them through most of this.

"I was not aware that my words were so amusing. Tell me...what exactly tickled you so much about them?"

Sunset looked to the other girls, all of them showing the same expression, that being, they were all surprised that Vanidicus had failed to recognise what it was that he'd just asked of Adagio. Then, as time passed, Sunset began to wonder if it wasn't, in fact, them who had made an error of interpretation here. Stepping forward, she raised an eyebrow before speaking up to him again.

"Well...you asked Adagio to be your Queen, right? What does that mean to you, exactly?"

Vanidicus gained a look of confusion at that question before looking deep in thought over it. From the looks of things, he'd clearly been expecting this to be a fairly simple thing to understand. But, if they wanted clarification, then they were going to get it. Lifting his head up again, he began to answer.

"I am a Changeling. A solider. Literally bred to follow and obey commands. My life is that of one who obeys. For that, I require a Queen. One to rule me."

Whatever humour had been in this room until now had decidedly been swept aside with those words. The girls all looked to each other, with Adagio especially being rather taken aback by what she'd just heard from him. At first, they'd all assumed that he'd been asking, for all intents and purposes, a romantic partner. Now it turns out that, what he truly wanted, was a master. In one instant, the group looked at him in a completely new light, seeing him not as a threat, but as someone who had been serving for such a long time that he knew nothing else. It was a wake-up call, that much was certain, and for the first time during this entire encounter, none of them knew what to do or say to him. So, as one might expect, a massive silence had fallen over the proceedings, with nobody stepping forward or addressing him. That is, until Adagio herself broke that silence after a minute or so.

"I thought you said you've been in this world for centuries? If that's the case, then you've clearly managed to get by without someone lording over you."

Vanidicus frowned at that.

"Surviving isn't living. No Changeling, drone or soldier, wishes to go it alone. We need others. We need our leadership. Without it, we simply fall back on our instinct, day in and day out. Feed off love to survive. And so, that is what I have done. For years, I have merely been eking out whatever living I could get, feeding off scraps of affection that I could gain from whoever I encountered. And I assure you, without the powers I had back in Equestria, without my transformations, such gathering has been difficult to say the least."

Adagio's expression softened considerably after hearing that. Like everything else, she sensed no lie in his words. And if that had been his experiences here in this world, then for once, Adagio could actually sympathise with him. After all, both she and her sisters had also been scraping by for many centuries in this place, cut off from the great power they once wielded in their homeland. To hear of someone else experiencing that kind of plight was a strange experience for her. However, she had lived for far too long to allow one person's sad tale to sway her entirely, and so she regained her steely expression before placing a hand on her hip and speaking up to him.

"So you want me as you Queen? Your master?"

Vanidicus nodded at that.

"I need to serve. It is what I live for."

Adagio seemed deep in thought over that, turning to face Sunset, hoping she might have some insight that would help here. But the former unicorn merely shrugged her shoulders at her. Sighing, Adagio turned back to Vanidicus before speaking to him.

"But...why me? I mean, don't get me wrong, I appreciate people wanting to serve me as much as the next former despot. But why me specifically?"

Vanidicus looked at her as if she'd just asked the most ridiculous question in the world.

"Are you serious? I told you before. I saw what you were like during the Battle of the Bands. Your commanding presence, the way you swayed others to you. Trust me, Miss Dazzle, you are a perfect candidate."

There it was again, that genuine sense of praise and admiration he was giving her. It was the kind of thing Adagio couldn't help but give a smile at. He meant every compliment he was giving her, and for once, the Siren felt some liking for the lad. However, this pleasant moment was ruined for her by a sudden, and very loud, laugh from Rainbow.

"Ha! Hate to break it to ya, buddy. But Dazzle and her sisters aren't really in the market for world domination anymore. Because, ya know, they kinda lost."

Adagio shot Rainbow a dark look, to which the latter merely responded to with a shrug of her shoulders. Although it annoyed her a great deal, Adagio had to concede that Rainbow had a point. If she and her sisters had been victorious at the Battle of the Bands, that was one thing, but Vanidicus was seeking her out as a Queen even after knowing that the three of them had failed and lost their powers. It was something that inevitably caught her interest, as evidenced by the raised eyebrow she now gave him. Seeing this look, Vanidicus began to explain himself.

"Victory and ability are not the only things a Changeling requires of a Queen. There are also certain...qualities."

He turned and looked at Rainbow.

"Qualities you and your group lack."

Rainbow frowned at that, which Adagio had to resist the urge to smile at, but nevertheless kept on listening as the boy carried on.

"They require cunning. Ruthlessness. Ambition. A sharp mind. And Miss Dazzle has those qualities in spades."

Hearing yet another genuine compliment, Adagio let out a chuckle before brushing aside some of her massive hair.

"Well...one can't fault the boy on having good taste, I suppose."

Many of the Rainbooms, and even Aria, rolled their eyes at that, which Adagio did her best to ignore. After this, she stared at Vanidicus before speaking up again.

"So tell me, Vanidicus. Exactly what would I gain out of this little arrangement you're proposing?"

The Changeling’s eyes lit up slightly, perhaps sensing hope that his request might actually be taken up.

"You would gain my services of course. Whatever you desired of me, I would give."

Adagio raised an eyebrow at that.

"Anything?" she asked.

"Anything!" Vanidicus answered.

Adagio shifted her eyes from left to right a little before continuing, a sultry smile creeping onto her face.

"Even...you know?"

Sunset stared at her with her mouth agape.

"Adagio!"

The Siren shrugged her shoulders at that.

"What? He's offering!"

Sunset shook her head after hearing that, turning to look at Vanidicus.

"You know, you don't have to live like that. You could do whatever you wanted if you wished."

But the Changeling merely frowned at her.

"I have spent centuries without leadership, Miss Shimmer. I know what it is that I ask, and I know that I desire it."

The intense look he was giving her made it clear that he meant that. Seeing little way of convincing him otherwise, Sunset instead took a step backwards, after which, Vanidicus resumed his attention on his prospective Queen.

"But service is not all that I can offer. You and your sisters sought adoration, praise, the feeling of being desired. I may not be able to provide you with the negative energy you once fed upon, but I can at least shower you in the other things you wanted."

Adagio placed a finger to her chin, looking deep in thought over that. After having gone so long being the centre of everyone's ire at this school, having someone around to heap praise after praise on her and her sisters would be a very welcome change of pace for all of them. Plus, having a little helper attend to her every whim certainly sweetened the pot. However, as she dwelt on that, a new thought came to mind. A thought that very much reminded her of this creature's nature. As such, she focused her attention on his before addressing him.

"And this need of yours? Your impulse to feed off love? Do you, perhaps, seek to take that kind of power from me while you are in my service?"

Vanidicus looked as if this was not something he'd actually thought about until Adagio asked about it. After a few attempts where he fumbled his words a little, he finally managed to get out a coherent sentence.

"Well...I will still need love to feed. If, during my service, you were to gain some kind of affection towards me...I would consider that quite a boon."

Yet again, there was no lie in his eyes, Adagio saw that. But her mind thought over what she'd just heard from him. Feeling affection? It was not something she foresaw happening anytime soon. After all, while she'd experienced many lovers over the centuries, very few of them had gained any real affection from her. Whether she would feel as such for Vanidicus, she couldn't say. But regardless, she'd heard all she needed to, and took a step forward.

"In that case, my lad...let's see if you have it in you to make that happen. I accept."

All of the girls, even Aria and Sonata, looked to her with surprise and shock on their faces, but none more so than Vanidicus himself. His face soon broke out into one of pure joy however, as he bowed his head down before her.

"Oh! Thank you, my Queen! I promise I will not disappoint you!"

Adagio chuckled at that.

"See that you don't, boy. Because if you do, then my Rainboom companions here will be more than willing to ensure you don't cause trouble. Now then, do be a dear and run along, would you?"

Vanidicus nodded before getting on with his first official order from his new Queen. However, immediately, there was a problem, as he was still technically tied to the chair. But, rather than ask for help from one of the girls, he instead opted to try something that, frankly, was more ridiculous to look at. Grunting, he began hopping in the chair, inching it bit-by-bit towards the door, with the girls all watching with more than a little amusement. Eventually, he reached the door, but like everything else, was prevented from knocking thanks to his restraints. Instead, he simply banged his head against it a few times. This got the attention of the guys outside, who opened the door and saw Vanidicus in his chair before them. The boys all gave each other confused glances before looking up at the girls. It took a few moments, but they all just shrugged their shoulders at them, to which they interpreted as asking them to take Vanidicus away. So, they each grabbed a side of the chair and began dragging it out, closing the door behind them.

Many of the girls were still quite taken aback over what had just transpired before them, but Adagio still kept on smirking to herself, seeming rather pleased with how things turned out. However, she was then jarred from her train of thought by a tap on her shoulder, which she saw to be Sunset, who then spoke to her.

"So, just so I have this clear in my head, did you just get yourself a boyfriend...or a servant?"

The Siren leader gave a chuckle at that before walking away, swaying her hips in that manner she was so infamous for.

"My dear Sunset. When it's me...there's hardly a difference."

Continuing to walk away, Adagio was soon joined by her sisters, and together, the three of them left the music room, leaving the Rainbooms more than a little confused about how to take all this. However, as usual, it was Rainbow who spoke her mind on the matter.

"Did our beaten enemies just recruit an evil minion right in front of us?"

As one might expect, the only answer she got was a collective shrug of everyone's shoulders.