Cursed

"Baaaaaaaaaaah!"

Jinx awoke with a start as Butler dropped a pile of books near her head.

"Chrysalis! Have to- TWILIGHT!!" he screamed and scampered up the slowly sloping wooden stairs.

"Oh for the love of-," Jinx muttered. "Twilight, it's just me."

After several minutes of coaxing, blackmailing, and bribing, Spike agreed not to tattle to the Princess only after a large fire ruby was given to him. He sucked on it while suspiciously glaring at Jinx.

"Spike," she said sternly. "It's me, Jinx."

"Yeah, Chrysalis said she was Cadence, too."

"And you didn't believe her," Jinx said bluntly.

"Hey, I was busy planning a wild bachelor party." he protested, misgivings forgotten for the moment.

"Enough," Twilight appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Spike, that really is Jinx. She wandered in last night, I saw her. She was almost Changed and now..." her voice trailed off and Jinx noticed for the first time the pleasant tingling sensation in her horn.

"You hungry?" Twilight's words interrupted the sinking feeling in Jinx's stomach.

"Er, no." Jinx said truthfully.

"Spike, if you'd like I can grind up that fire ruby and put it in your pancake."

Spike obliged, licking his scaly lips.

When the Dynamic Duo was in the kitchen, Jinx fluttered to the bathroom, afraid of what she would find lurking in the mirror.

She landed on the oak floor with a clatter of ragged hooves. Her tattered wings remained parallel to the ground.

The bathroom was small. It could barely squeeze in one pony, and that wasn't saying much.

Jinx slid into the narrow passage between the sink and the toilet. Her reflection in the sink mirror stared back at her with wide green eyes with dragon pupils. Jinx slid her tongue over her teeth and the reflection mirrored her movement over two sharp, pointy canines.

The green fire Jinx had associated with the Change was licking greedily at the tip of her now-ebony horn. As she watched in horror, the fire crawled forward, finishing the Change. Green fireworks spurted from her horn like water from a fountain. A blindingly bright flash of emerald and she was lifted off the ground by the sheer amount of magic that Jinx was possessed by.

The walls splintered, the toilet and sink crumbled into dust and the mirror cracked down the middle. It fell to the floor, the crash lost in the whirling green cloud.

Through the opaque lens that were her eyes, Jinx saw a panicked Twilight attempting to contain the destruction.

And then it was over as suddenly as it began. She collapsed to the floor like a ragdoll among pipes, sharp pieces of glass on pottery, and fractured wall.

It was eerily silent. Jinx shakily stood up, though she felt rejuvenated inside. Once again, her reflection caught her eye.

She was white, though it was fading quickly, giving in to the frosting black lacing over her body, returning it to the jet hue she had grown accustomed to. The charcoal lacings knit together, forming a hard chitin shell over her pale cream coat.

"J-Jinx?" Twilight asked as the dust settled.

"I'm sososososososoSO sorry, Auntie Twilight." Jinx pleaded. "I'll fix it!"

Twilight clicked her tongue in disapproval. "I don't want you overexerting yourself. I've got this, just get out of the way," she waved Jinx aside.

"I knew it!" Spike yelled triumphantly. "That isn't Jinx!" he pointed a purple claw at the Changeling.

"Shut it, Spike." Jinx said tiredly, hooves clacking across the, erm, wall into the kitchen.

Twilight braced her own hooves squarely on the ground, horn beginning to glimmer with a faint violet sheen. The pieces of wall mimicked the purple aura. They righted themselves and fit into their own little place in the now-erected wall, like a jigsaw puzzle.

The toilet and the sink reappeared in a flash and the mirror mended. The light in Twilight's horn diminished until it was completely quenched of all magical light.

"Wow, Auntie Twilight. What spell was that?" Jinx asked in wonder.

Twilight turned, a warm smile on her face. "The one I used as Mare Do Well."

Jinx nodded. "When you fixed the dam?"

"Yup,"

To her surprise, Jinx felt a little more than the usual smug emotion when she was right. This new feeling... it was like nothing Jinx had ever experienced. It was like a hot cup of cocoa on a cold day, warmth shooting through every vein and tissue. Yet it was a popsicle on a summer day, sweetly frigid inside.

She moaned at the sudden pleasure of this... feeling.

Twilight looked at her oddly. "Are you all right?"

Jinx shuddered, trying to leave the feeling on a shelf for now. "Yeah," she said slowly. "I'm fine."

"I think you need to lay down for a while." Twilight said firmly. "You can go in my bed."

Left without a choice, Jinx the Changeling trudged to Twilight's bed as fell asleep immediately on the soft comforters.

o~O~V~O~o

"Come one, everyone," Venom called across the mass of Changelings. "This way."

They groaned. They were miles away from the smouldering remains of the Hive and they didn't know where they were going, let alone what they would do once they got there.

Venom knew. But it would take some serious planning with the Queen. He sent out a telepathic message saying You okay?

Within moments, he got a reply.

There were some minor explosions.

He sighed in relief. We need rest and I can see a cottage.

A pause. What's it look like?

Has a green thatched roof. Tan walls.

**Don't knock.* Skirt around town through the apple orchards; Applejack and her family are in Appleloosa, I think. Be careful and knock three times on a house in a tree.* she ordered.

He was taken aback. She even sounded like a queen now.

"Okay everyling," Venom called again. "I've talked with our eh, Queen, and she said to sneak across town to meet her in a treehouse. Change into the most forgettable pony you can think of,"

With several flashes of emerald light, every Changeling that could shift resembled a mint green unicorn mare.

Venom facehooved. "Different ponies, please."

For once, they were able to abide his command. There were pegasi, earth ponies and unicorns, there were fillies and colts. The mint green one smiled smugly.

Venom himself changed to a white coated pegasus with a windswept blonde mane.

"A'ight," it was then he realized he was a mare, given his melodic voice. "Let's go through the apple orchard up here."

There were some rasping snickers, but for the most part the drones remained silent. Soon all that was left in the newly fallen snow was hundreds of hoofprints.

o~O~J~O~o

"Come on, Auntie Twilight!" Jinx pleaded.

"No," Twilight said sternly. "You are not going to the play."

"But the Cutie Mark Crusaders are the main ponies!" she complained. "I would love to see Scoots as Commander Hurricane."

"But," Twilight said lightly while bundling up. "Key word being would. You are not going and that is that. I'll be back late. Pinkie'll make a huge deal about it and have a after-play-good-job party for the actors and actresses."

Twilight closed the door behind her and shivered as the cold wind bit at her. She had a sense of déjà vu and wondered if she had done the right thing. She shook her head. Of course, she was protecting Jinx. Twilight trotted away into the gray dusk that was descending.

Jinx kicked a book. It was a boring old tome, so Twilight wouldn't care about it. She thought.

Jinx groaned and fluttered her dry insect wings. She stopped. Thinking, she remembered the argument she and Venom had a few days before. How he changed into the former and back.

She had to try.

Jinx tidied the library up; she didn't know if it would make a mess. Glancing out the window, she rushed through the rest. Owloysius would come soon and he was stricter than Twilight.

She planted her hooves in the center of the room and lit her horn. It was stranger than the other feeling she had when talking to Twilight. It was like pins-and-needles in her horn, except warm. A faint circle of green light glowed around her and...

Three knocks interrupted. She whipped her head toward the door.

"Come on in!" she yelled.

Venom- she guessed- fumbled with the door for a second and she rolled her eyes. Jinx unlocked the door and let him inside.

Except it wasn't him. A white coated pegasus mare led about a hundred ponies inside.

"Who- what-?" she stammered.

"Hey Jinx," the mare said, flashing a toothy grin.

"And who are you?" she asked. "Why is there-"

"Alright, everyone. We're clear." the mare called and in a flash, returned to the form of Venom.

Everypony- as she should say- everyling changed back to Changeling drones. Jinx's jaw dropped.

"How did you-"

"Snuck through the orchards and then through town."

"I'm not sure that 'snuck' is a word," Jinx informed him.

Venom rolled his eyes. "Now it is," his gaze shifted to the rowdy Changelings. "Better tell them now."

She sighed. "Fine," Jinx fluttered up above everyling else and settled precariously on a teetering bookshelf. She cleared her throat. "Attention, please."

But her words just glanced off their armor.

"Attention," she said louder.

Nothing.

"ATTENTION!" she said in the powerful and regal voice of Chrysalis. "Thank you," she added when the drones stopped their chittering and directed their attention to Jinx.

"I have something to say. As you know, there was a fire at the Hive. From what I can tell, it was set by the Royal Guard. We've ha many losses," she paused to scrap together her strength before saying the next few words that will change the course of Changeling history. "Including that of former Queen Chrysalis."

As she had expected, the Changelings squabbled in confusion and dread.

"SILENCE!" she thundered. "Queen Chrysalis saved my life. She ought to be remembered for her courage and honor, not for her folly. I was the last one in her presence before she- passed on."

This new bit of information brought more chittering.

"Must I say it?" she asked coldly.

They quieted down.

"I am the new Queen of the Hive." Out of the corner of her eye, Jinx saw Venom wipe a tear away.

"Queen Jinx!" Venom called, though his voice cracked.

"Queen Jinx?" Trap asked.

"Queen Jinx." someone said sadly.

They chanted her name repeatedly, though her frantic motions told them to quiet down.

"LOVE!"

They shut up, eagerly craning their heads to look for it.

"Sorry 'bout this, but I need peace and quiet for a while to-" she paused. "Sort things out. Y'know, better leader and all that."

All was quiet until, surprisingly, a Changeling she recognized as Arianna stepped forth.

"You heard her, let's go," she pushed them toward the door.

Some were still muttering about Chrysalis, but they complied.

Venom stayed, even as the door shut.

"So how're you taking it," he said quietly.

"It'll be tough but I was around politics my whole life. It's better than if a dog was Queen," she said, gliding down to the floor.

He chuckled darkly. "But are you ready govern a hundred some subjects?"

Jinx snorted. "I've been *ahem* eavesdropping in on my mom's court. I'm pretty sure..."

Venom rolled his eyes. "Fine. But... just remember, if you need anything..." his voice trailed off.

"Venom, you are my best friend. You can be like, high adviser or something," Jinx said kindly. Then she added "If I remember correctly, Celestia mentioned somepony named Spell Nexus to be her adviser."

He laughed a short, brisk laugh. "I'll do military stuff, too. Mom taught me that when I was little."

Jinx smiled. "Yeah, you can do that if ya want."

Awkward silence befell the duo. After several seconds, Venom spoke up.

"I should probably..."

"Yeah, they'll need you soon. But before you leave, how do you... you know..."

"Change?"

"Yeah."

He laughed again. "Imagine yourself as the pony you want to look like. Then just use magic after and it should work."

She smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"No prob." Venom walked out the door and took to the nearly-black sky.

Jinx started. Where was Owlo-

Owloysius soared through the open window and hooted a greeting.

Jinx hooted back.

"I cleaned up, so you can go read Anatomy of Draconequus. I have it upstairs for you."

Owloysius gave her a hard stare. He slowly lifted off his perch and flew upstairs.

She sighed in relief. Jinx imagined herself as well, herself, and closed her eyes in concentration. A tingling sensation grew in her horn as she channeled the magic and was soon tickled over her body. She shuddered with internal laughter.

Only when the tickling faded did Jinx dare open her eyes. Almost afraidof what she would find, Jinx tentatively raised a hoof to her line of sight. It was a soft cream.

It was strange, walking with  solid legs again. Jinx had grown used to her legs with a more swiss-like quality. But she quickly regained composure.

Cracking the door open, Jinx peeked out into the night. No Changelings were to be seen. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Jinx nosed the door ajar and flinched at the creak. It seemed like an explosion in the silence of the library. She pushed withher hooves. Somepony just dropped a nuke. She winced and scampered out the door, closing it behind her. It closed quietly behind her.

Backstabber.Jinx thought toard the smug door. She glanced around the frozen landscape, shivering. She wished she had remembered to bring a coat.

A flickering light in the distance caught her eye.

"...and they were torn apart. By hate."

Jinx smiled. Spike always loved narrating the Hearth's Warming Eve play. He'd done this for over twelve years, and didn't plan on stopping.

She plodded on, pausing to hear key lines.

"All I wanna know is why the Earth Ponies are hogging all the food!" Scootaloo shouted.

The open-air theater came into sight now. It was particularly large, for an open-air, and made of weathered gray stone. Ponies were sitting on plush striped cushions, many sipping steaming hot cocoa. She walked in, taking a seat near the walkway from where she entered.

Sweetie Belle's eye brightened when she saw Jinx. She frowned as she slipped back into her character.

"Us?! We're not hoggin' all the food- oh wait. You right, we ARE hoggin' all th' food. But only 'cause you pegasi are makin' it snow like dandruff from a salespony." Applebloom shot back.

"For the millionth time, it's not us! It's those crazy unicorns, with their psycho magic!" Scootaloo shouted.

Sweetie gasped. "How dare you! Unlike you pegasus thugs, we unicorns would never stoop to that level!"

Jinx chuckled throughout this scene and felt slightly embarrassed. Even the Cutie Mark Crusaders got theirs before her.

"Ah was elected 'cause Ah cain think outside the box. Which means Ah can think inside the chimney. Can you think inside the chimney?" Applebloom asked Diamond Tiara.

The theater was enveloped in a rolling, soft laughter. The memorable line from the Canterlot play had become a must-have line in Hearth's Warming plays.

The pearly pink mare was about to reply when the nape of Jinx's neck tingled. She glanced around the amphitheater. Her heart sank as she saw Twilight shaking her head in disappointment.

Her face burned as she straightened up and continued to watch the play, ignoring the sense that her heart was slowly melting into green slime.

She tried to enjoy. It was near impossible, but she managed tight chuckles at the corresponding lines. But near the end, the unthinkable happened.

"EEEEEEQUESTRI-" the cast cheered. They were interrupted by a shriek of fear.

Jinx glanced around in confusion, only to find every pair of eyes in the amphitheater were trained on one thing.

Her.

A cold, slithering feeling slid down her back. She looked at her hooves. They shone brightly in the lighting of the theater. But one thing stood out. They were to exact hue of obsidian.

"Oh horseapples," Jinx said in a brilliant moment of word association.