A Change in Heart

"Sooo…are you still mad at us?" Trixie asked, shifting nervously from hoof to hoof.

Daze shrugged. "Meh, I wasn't that angry in the first place. It's only my mane, anyway." He took a deep breath and continued.

"And as for the change in plans, we have company coming over about seven. Therefore, we should expect them here in about…"

"90 minutes." Trixie finished.

"Well someone's a smarty pants." Black Daze groaned, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"Would you rather I have said 'hour and a half,' Dazey?"

"Oh hush…" Daze sighed.

Trixie blew a lock of hair from her face. "Well I should take a bath too, wouldn't want to smell bad for the company now." She then walked off towards the creek. Daze considered following her secretly but thought better of it. He had surprisingly good control over those kinds of impulses. Not so much others though, such as the Applejack incident.

As Trixie walked off, he turned to Chrysalis and asked her, "So if company's coming over, would you like to get changed into a different look?"

Chrysalis answered. "Of course, but I'd like to stay this way a while longer."

"Fine by me." Daze replied indifferently.

"So Dazey, tell me about Fluttershy." Chrysalis asked Daze. Perhaps she could remember her.

"Well…" Daze began, "She's about as tall as the other mares, has a butter yellow coat, a light pink mane, huge cyan eyes, and a very soft voice. She had such a shy demeanor; I'd even say she was afraid of her own shadow. She seemed very nice though." Daze reflected.

"Well she sounds lovely. I she wasn't the one that took me down, so I have no quarrel with her. The purple one on the other hand…"

"Yeah, I'm not too fond of her either. At least she started to listen to me at some point in the fight we had. Trixie paralyzed her before I got anything else out of her though…"

"That's a shame, well perhaps they'll listen."

"They wanna make it up to me all the sudden. I wonder why that is…"

"That puzzles me as well. They didn't want to make it up with ME after I was defeated…" Chrysalis brooded.

"Perhaps that will be revealed." Daze responded.

After that they sat next to each other. Nopony was around, Trixie was bathing, and Chrysalis started contemplating kissing Daze. She didn't know why though, and she thought about it. Why did she suddenly want to kiss him? Let's see… He was nice to her, he took her in when she was down, he protected her, he seemingly complimented her in the hospital, and he risked his life for her every day she was with him. If anypony saw them together, things would most likely get ugly. So she wanted to kiss him because she cared for him, and he cared for her. Was it love? She didn't know. But she decided to test the waters first before doing something she might regret…

"Dazey?" She asked in an innocent voice with the same distortion that she always had.

"Mm-hmm?" He responded.

"We've only known each other for about 3 days now…but I really have grown fond of you, you know that." She said to him.

"That's…very nice, I'm fond of you too I guess…" Daze responded calmly. But on the inside, his heart was racing.

"Oh my gosh, maybe she likes me? I kinda do I guess, but I've never been in a relationship before. What if she doesn't like me like that! Then all these thoughts are pointless!" His thoughts whirled around in a maelstrom of emotions.

"And with that being said…I must ask you. What would you say If I were to…kiss you?" Chrysalis responded with a nervous tone. She normally wasn't nervous about this kind of stuff. Maybe it's because it's actually HER who's fallen in love and not trying to feed from love.

"Hm…"Daze thought carefully about his response to her. He wanted to kiss her, he was curious, but at the same time he was nervous and didn't want to kiss her out of the blue, so he decided to play it playful and safe.

"I dunno, would you like to find out?" He said with a wry smirk.

With some confidence coursing through her veins, Chrysalis responded by wrapping her perforated hooves around Black Daze's neck and looked deep into his eyes. "You bet your flank I do!" She cooed before locking him in a passionate kiss.

"MMMF!" Daze exclaimed, shocked by her actually doing it…but at the same time really enjoying it.

Chrysalis said nothing, she only continued kissing him.

After a few seconds Black Daze finally relaxed and started to thoroughly enjoy the kiss. For a stallion as new to kissing as he was, he thought he was doing a pretty good job judging by the relaxed look on Chrysalis's face. Her lips felt firm against his, but she was at the same time very gentle. It made sparks go off in his head, and he felt passion surge through his bloodstream as he wrapped his strong, scaly arms around Chrysalis's waist and slithered his long tongue inside her mouth.

Chrysalis shuddered with pleasure, she never felt the tongue of a dragon before. She thoroughly enjoyed it, though. It made her moan in ecstasy as she gave in to his kiss and hung on him as he continued to work his tongue in circles around hers.

It was Daze who finally broke the kiss after a few minutes. (Much to the dismay of Chrysalis) And they cuddled for a while. Daze held Chrysalis in his powerful arms and his snout was pressed to hers. He thought about how cute she looked with her eyes closed like that. She must have really trusted him since she was very close to sleeping in his arms. She knew that he would stop at nothing to protect her. It made her confident to be with him. She was also fairly sure she had the upper hand for Black Daze's heart. She knew that he liked her Stargazer form, and for that, she found it cute that he was easily impressed. Also, it somewhat bothered her since he was seemingly more impressed with her Stargazer form than her actual self. Oh well, you have to take what you can get right? Besides, he liked her enough to kiss her in her real form. That was enough for her right now.

They cuddled for what seemed like hours (but was really only about 50 minutes) when Trixie returned to see them in their gentle display of affection.

"O-oh um…I'm not interrupting anything am I?" She said, slightly red and secretly saddened that she wasn't in Chrysalis's place.

"Not at all! Heheh…" Daze chuckled nervously and got up, placing Chrysalis on the ground.

"We were just…falling asleep is all." Chrysalis said to Trixie, lowering her eyelids.

"Mhm. Well I'm done with my bath, are you all ready for this picnic?" Trixie inquired.

"I'm quite ready." Chrysalis replied, changing into Stargazer. Daze only nodded.

"Well good, because they will be here in less than 40 minutes." Trixie said matter-of-factly.

Stargazer noticed Trixie's saddened expression and said to her, "Trix, may I talk to you for a moment. Dazey, stay here."

Daze nodded again and laid his head down to rest. Stargazer then walked a few feet off to have a conversation when she thought Daze was asleep, which wasn't long since she heard snoring a few seconds after he laid his head down. That Daze, so lethargic. Trixie thought to herself.

"Trixie, do you happen to have a crush on Dazey by any chance?" Stargazer asked in almost a teasing voice.

Trixie's eyes widened and she said in an accusing tone. "W-why NO! What would make you think that? Just because he's cute and strong and cares about me doesn't mean I like him!" She quickly covered her mouth with her hoof after realizing what she just said.

"Oh come on Trix, don't be shy. It's ok, I do as well." Stargazer cooed, trying to calm her. She got a more serious look on her face and said, "And I think it's time that we both talked about our feelings, don't you think?"

Trixie only nodded. Then she said to Stargazer, "I…I've never had a relationship b-before. Every time somepony showed any interest in me it turned out that they were just joking or they only wanted to take advantage of me. Daze is the first pony...er…pony dragon that I cannot see doing that, mainly because he's rather clueless." She gave a playful smile at the end.

Stargazer smiled back and said, "So we both like him, that's interesting. Normally if you were any other mare I'd steal him from you and feed off of his love." Trixie frowned at that. "However," Stargazer continued. "Since I'm a changed Queen (Haha, CHANGEDling Queen, I'm so punny.) I will let Dazey decide who should be in a relationship with him. What do you say?" She held out her hoof to Trixie.

"So a competition, huh? I do enjoy competitions. You're on, and may the best mare win." They shook hooves and Stargazer winked at her.

Daze had heard the whole thing. (He only pretended to be asleep) And he was quite excited for once.

I'm liked by not one, but TWO mares? This is either one of the strangest or greatest things that has ever happened to me. But what to do? If they are in a competition for me, I have to pretend not to know. Ultimately, I'll have to choose one over the other…but I really don't want to hurt either of them by doing so… His newfound joy turned to concern as he lied down and thought. Perhaps…perhaps he could somehow date BOTH! How would such a relationship work? He didn't know. He didn't care however. He only wanted them both to be happy.

Meanwhile in Ponyville…

"Fluttershy, I'm glad your mission to get Daze to open up was a success and all but…do we really have to go on this picnic? It's just not gonna work out well for us." Rainbow Dash complained. She and Applejack were being dragged along with the other elements of harmony and Spike.

"Oh yes, you m-must go because if not, he won't accept the apologies you're going to give him." Fluttershy whispered in her signature quiet voice.

"Apologies? Now wait just an apple-pickin' moment. I ain't apologizing for nuthin 'less he apologizes too. What we did was not good, but he didn't do anything right neither." Applejack said honestly.

"Yeah, I won't apologize until he does." Rainbow Dash said stubbornly. Twilight only rolled her eyes.

"We aren't going to get anywhere unless we TRY to be his friend, everypony." She commented.

"An we will, I just want a little apology is all." Applejack responded, turning her head up slightly.

"Oh I'm sure he'll be happy to oblige, he seems very nice!" Fluttershy added. In truth though, she didn't really know. She only had to hope for the best. They were nearing the place the picnic was to be held and got ready to set it up.

Black Daze woke up (well, pretended to…) and stretched his back. He then turned to Trixie and said,

"So time-girl, how long until the picnic now." He didn't bother to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

"About five minutes, so we should go. Lead the way, Dazey." Trixie answered. She giggled when Daze called her 'time-girl.'

A few minutes later they reached the spot the picnic was to be held and were greeted with mixed results. Pinkie and Spike waved happily, Fluttershy waved shyly and hid her face partially behind her hair. Daze found it adorable because come on, who wouldn't? Applejack and Rainbow Dash didn't say anything and only looked to the ground. Applejack later looked up and tried to crack a half-smile. At least she was trying, Daze would have to give her a chance. Twilight gave him what looked like a forced smile. Twilight didn't bother looking at Trixie though, what happened that fateful night still haunts her to this day. Rarity gave a neutral wave. Trixie and Stargazer gave a polite wave and Stargazer put her arm around Black Daze, earning a glance from Trixie but she shook it off.

"So…shall we get started?" Rarity asked before using her magic to set out plates and evenly portioned out some hay fries for them all. Daze looked down at the plate, then he took the plate and vacuumed up all the hay fries and the plate with a single bite. Everypony looked at him, shocked that he was able to do it. Then again, his jaws could stretch at least 3 times as wide as theirs.

Black Daze then thought about starting some small talk. It seemed appropriate since he sort of wanted to get to know these ponies better...sort of… As the other ponies ate their hay fries, Daze spoke up.

"So…anypony here like…stuff? He asked awkwardly.

"Depends on the stuff yer talkin' about." Applejack responded neutrally.

"Alright, country pony, tell me what stuff you like then." Daze said in his best friendly voice. (which was pretty bad for the record)

"Well I like apples, herdin' animals, cookin' stuff, and workin' on my farm with Big Macintosh. He's mah big brother." Applejack said to him.

"Interesting…" Daze thought. He really didn't care though, at least she was being relatively friendly. Then he turned to the white Unicorn. "So what about you miss…"

"…Miss Rarity." She finished for him. "And you could say I'm a fashionista of sorts. I design clothes for ponies that need a change in style. Perhaps I can design something for you one day, It would be an interesting challenge to design an outfit for something of…your build…" She smiled awkwardly, afraid she might've offended him.

Black Daze lowered his ears. "Ahhh…thanks but no thanks, I have no interest in fashion. I'm flattered by your offer though…"

"Oh um…that's quite alright. And from what I heard your name is…Dazey?" She responded with a nervous grin.

Black Daze's ears lowered further and his irises shrunk. "It's not, my name is Black Daze and I'm a dragon-pony hybrid. I suppose I should tell you all why I'm like…this…before you say anything else." He pointed to himself at 'this.' Then he recounted his tale with Snuffles, the Dragon Bruial Chambers, Daravoc, being transformed painfully, getting rejected by his own family, and living in the Everfree forest for 8 years, dealing with Giant forest apes, King forest apes, Manticores, Cockatrices, and even the Hydra on a few occasions. He admitted that a few of the famous forest fires there were casued by him, and that the forest always regrew quickly due to Celestia's magic. He knew about her exsistence but she apparently didn't know about his. If she did, then it was good news that she left him alone. As he finished his story, he saw that everypony except Rainbow Dash looked saddened from his tale. Spike was even crying. He walked up to him and said, "No dragon OR pony should have to live like you did, without friends or family. Will you accept me, as your friend?"

Black Daze, somewhat touched by his kindness, responded with "Yea, I guess we can be friends." Then they bumped fists. Daze could not explain it, but he felt a certain kinship with Spike. As long as they were 'on the same side' he would watch his back. There were a few 'Awwwwhs' from the crowd, namely from Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Stargazer. Fluttershy then walked up to him and then hugged him as she said "I agree with Spike. If you're ever in bad shape or need a friend, feel free to stop by my cottage, the ponies in town will know where it is if you get lost."

"But that begs the question, will the other ponies help me when I'm like…this?" Again, pointing to his whole body at 'this.'

Fluttershy realized her mistake and whispered, "It's by the outskirts of town. Sort of hard to miss, but one of us will gladly point the way…" Daze was satisfied by this answer and nodded.

Applejack was next to come up. "Well uh…after that story I hafta say that I was wrong about you, you ain't no monster and I'm mighty sorry, I hope you can forgive me…" She said, taking her Stetson hat off. Black Daze wasn't ready to forgive so easily however, and he stared daggers into her eyes. After a short analysis, he could detect that she was sincere. Sighing in defeat, he gave her a reluctant hug.

"It's alright, and I apologize for beating you down." He said as he hugged her. This prompted a light blush from Applejack.

"Aw, shucks. Now you've gone and embarrassed me." She said playfully before they broke the hug. Daze never thought being nice was this…weird. He didn't mind it TOO much…but he figured that friends would only benefit him.

"And hey, we could use a strong one like you helping on the farm. Why don't you swing by one day and get some Apple Family Hospitality!" Applejack continued.

Daze lowered his ears again. "Don't push your luck, cowgirl." He grumbled.

Rarity dried her tears with her napkin then walked up to Black Daze and said to him.

"There wasn't any doubt in my mind that you weren't all bad, I'm glad to call you my friend." She smiled.

Daze thought about this for a minute... eventually he settled on 'Why not?' and shook her dainty hoof. Then Twilight, who walked up to him carefully, held out her arms awkwardly to indicate she expected a hug. This awkward display was mainly due to the fact that she didn't normally show affection towards other ponies in that way. Daze really didn't want to hug her, but seeing as how she eventually tried to listen he decided to not keep her hanging and gave her a VERY reluctant hug. He had to kneel down though since Twilight was much shorter compared to Black Daze.

A happy grin broke across Twilight's face when he hugged her. He was warm despite being part reptile and it felt pleasant. She then broke the hug and at this point Pinkie bounced over and tackled Daze to the ground in a hug. Rarity, Applejack, and Twilight all giggled. Trixie said nothing, as she still was not on good terms with Twilight and did NOT appreciate her hugging her Dazey.

"OH OH! I wanna be your friend too! Can I? please pretty please!" She gave puppy dog eyes to Daze.

Black Daze, still somewhat bitter about being stabbed by the pink pony, turned his head away from her and lowered his eyebrows. Pinkie frowned, her mane deflating again causing Black Daze to shout "Okay okay I will just don't kill me!"

Everypony looked at Daze with a confused face. Pinkie's mane went bouncy again and she exclaimed, "YAAAAY! But why would I kill you, silly?" She asked, completely oblivious to his implication.

"Because last time your mane did that bad things happened." Daze's irises shrunk.

"Oh yeah…I never remember what happens after that unless somepony tells me, but it also happens when I'm sad." Pinkie said.

"That begs the question however, what did Twilight say that made you do…that." He asked.

Twilight looked to the left, then the right. She sighed and figured it was time for an explanation. "What I said was…that you didn't like cupcakes."

"He doesn't like what…?" Pinkie whispered, her irises shrinking and her mane deflating.

"NO NO! He likes them, don't you Daze?" Twilight urged, hoping Daze would take her hint.

"Oh cra-uhh I mean yes! Nothing better than cupcakes! Heheheh…" Daze nervously stammered, hoping it was enough to save his flank, perhaps literally.

"Okie Dokie Loki! Just making sure." Pinkie Pie cheerfully sang, back to her old self.

Daze turned to Twilight and whispered "…The buck was THAT!"

"It's just Pinkie Pie. You'll get used to it." Twilight responded.

Rainbow Dash sat down stubbornly. All her other friends were willing to call him their friend except for her. She just didn't want to call him a friend until he apologized. Even after that though, it would be a while before she was ready for a hug of any sorts.

"What's the matter Rainbow, afraid he's going to bite?" Rarity teased.

Black Daze grinned evilly and flashed his teeth as if to play along with Rarity. Honestly, he had had enough hugs for today. He didn't need to be friends with the rainbow one, so he wasn't going to do much beyond maybe apologizing for her scar.

"I want him to say he's sorry for my back scar first." Rainbow muttered, as if reading his mind.

Black Daze heard this and sighed. She was as stubborn as he was. Daze decided to be the better man in this case. He walked up to Rainbow Dash and said in his best sincere tone…

"Although I am sorry for your back wound, I did warn you beforehand. So, my sympathy is limited. Truce?" He held out his large 4-fingered claw at Rainbow for her to shake. He shuddered at the apology he just gave. He almost choked on his own bile saying that.

Rainbow thought about this for a minute. Yes, he did warn her beforehand…. still shouldn't have done it though…It caused her to need stitches that still hurt. On the other hand, it was self-defense. If he was her friend though, he would be a powerful ally and someone she could race with finally. She had made her decision.

She shook Daze's claw. "Truce." She responded.

Now that they were all 'friends', it was time for some real conversation to begin. Twilight, not knowing Stargazer, decided to ask about her.

"So Stargazer is it?" Twilight nonchalantly asked.

"Indeed, that's my name." Stargazer replied.

"Where exactly did you meet Black Daze? And how does a relationship like yours work…?" She questioned.

"Oh me and Black Daze met one day while I was hiking through the forest by myself. It wasn't a smart decision mind you because before you knew it I was face to face with a Manticore. I thought I was done for, but Dazey here…" She nuzzled Black Daze, prompting a proud smile on his part. "Dazey saved me by beating the Manticore to a pulp. When it ran away, I asked why a beast like him would protect me…and do you know what his response was?"

"What WAS his response." Twilight asked, her curiosity piqued.

"He told me that with a mare as beautiful as me, she needed a guardian pony to protect her. And before you knew it, we were kissing under the starlit sky." Stargazer fibbed, she was pleased with the story she came up with on a split second basis.

"Well that sounds like a sweet tale, you must feel very lucky…you aren't mad about the whole hospital thing are you…?" Twilight asked sadly, her ears drooping.

"Oh don't worry about it sweetie, Daze has been through much worse. I'd say you did the equivalent of skinning his knee." Stargazer said, again lying. She was furious they hurt Daze, and even more furious at them because of the Canterlot Wedding incident. However, since she needed to not reveal her secret identity, she had to keep a convincing disguise. Even if that meant being friendly.

After a while of 'buddying up,' the Elements of Harmony and Daze found that some of them had some things in common with Daze. Applejack and Daze both liked a little competition, him and Rainbow Dash both liked to fly as fast as they could, him and Fluttershy both had a soft spot for animals (except for the ones Daze ate, which he did NOT mention to Fluttershy) Him and Rarity, well…they didn't have much in common. They were just friends. And him and Twilight liked to read.

"If you've lived out here for 8 years then what have you been reading?" Twilight asked.

"I don't read often, but sometimes some campers leave their books unattended and so I take them and read them if I'm ever bored. It beats fighting the creatures of the forest anyday." Daze replied with a chuckle.

"Hey Black Daze!" Spike called out.

"What is it, champ?" He called back.

"Do you like emeralds? Try this one!" Spike then held out an emerald to Black Daze, who stared at it quizzically. He had never had any gemstones before and perhaps his dragon blood allowed him to eat and digest it. He took the emerald in hand, studied it, then took a bite. It tasted sweet! And furthermore, he didn't expend much effort eating it. It was like a jolly rancher, comparatively. He actually liked it.

"Thanks little man, I've never had a gem before…" He said.

"No problem Daze! It was the least I could do for Twilight's trouble." Spike replied, glancing over at Twilight.

"HEY! You know what this calls for? A PARTY!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I know this GREAT night club we can go to! Vinyl Scratch is going to be there and everything!"

"Ummm…Pinkie, are you sure it's a good idea for Black Daze to be introduced to Ponyville already? He still is rather new to…our culture…" Rarity said worriedly.

"I think it's a great idea, what better way to learn what's hip and happening in Ponyville than a night club! I say we go!" Rainbow Dash proclaimed. She liked night clubs.

"Oh sure, why not. After all, if the other ponies aren't ok with his appearance, he'll still have us." Twilight agreed.

"I'd sure like to go, it seems mighty fun…" Applejack beamed, also keen on the idea.

"Well then it's settle…wait, what about you Fluttershy?" Twilight asked the shy Pegasus.

"Oh, n-night clubs are a b-bit too intense for me, you can go without me right?" Fluttershy whispered.

"Aw come on Fluttershy, if you're too embarrassed or scared, then hide behind Dazey! I'm sure he will protect you." Pinkie said while grinning widely. Fluttershy blushed…

"I'm a dragon-pony; not a chaperone. Sure, if she's in trouble I'll help out but don't expect me to get you drinks or tell you what to do next. Heck, I won't be sure what to do myself." Black Daze nonchalantly warned.

"W-well I suppose I can go for a little while…" She said weakly.

"Then what are we waiting for everypony? Let's be on our way!" Rainbow Dash beamed. Twilight and Rarity used their magic to gather their stuff and head out to Ponyville. "Meet us at the far edge of the Everfree forest OK?" Twilight called out. Daze nodded and waved goodbye. Then he turned to Stargazer and Trixie.

"Do you hear that? We're going to a night club!" Daze said rather excitedly, mainly because he loved the night so much and hearing that there was an entire club dedicated to the night unlocked his inner fanboy. He didn't want to show it around the Elements of Harmony, however.

"Correction, Dazey. You're going to a night club." Trixie retorted, winking at him.

"Wait…why aren't you two going?" Daze asked, his ears drooping a bit.

"In case you don't remember, we aren't on good terms with those mares… especially Twilight. I think that spending an entire evening with that bunch will not end well." Chrysalis answered, changing back to her true form. Trixie nodded in agreement.

"Well…ok, your loss…"

"Trust us, it isn't."

"Whatever, I'll see you guys tomorrow, I think I'll be up all night doing NIGHT STUFF!" Daze beamed happily.

Chrysalis and Trixie rolled their eyes. He was really really not going to like that nightclub…

Just then, Trixie began thinking about Daze. As far as she knew, Chrysalis really had the upper hoof for Daze's heart and if she didn't do something soon, she was going to be the 'other mare' that Daze wasn't dating. She decided to go to the club, purely to get closer with him. She started running when Chrysalis asked "Where are you going, Trix?"

Trixie grinned then responded with "I've got a nightclub to hang at!" She then took off after Black Daze, Leaving Chrysalis alone at the camp.

"Well I guess I'm alone again…" Chrysalis sighed, and then walked over to set up a fire in the camp.