Keres opened her eyes and glanced around. She hadn't moved since she went to sleep and allowed Fluttershy some control over her own body. That was probably because she was too damn timid. She had probably been too scared to move at all.

The pegasus got to her hooves and started trotting off in the direction of Zecora's home. Now that the sun had risen, it was easy to see where she was located.

She grinned to herself as the hollowed-out tree came into view. If she was awake, she might as well have some fun. Ideally at the zebra's expense. Her knife wound would be a good excuse. She raised a hoof and knocked as loudly as she could. After a moment, she heard a muffled voice from inside:

"Wait a moment, please. Just let me find my keys."

The door unlocked and swung open, revealing a striped face peering curiously down upon the pegasus. Zecora smiled and invited her in. "Fluttershy, dear, this is quite a surprise. I love our little chats away from prying eyes. But I should ask, nay beg, what in Equestria has happened to your leg?"

Keres groaned inwardly as she kept the Fluttershy disguise up. She hated pretending to be that simpering pushover, but she had to lay low until the time was right. She whimpered and hid behind her flowing pink mane. "Ohhh, Zecora, I don't know what happened. I was walking through the forest, trying to find my way home when a manticore came rushing out of the bushes. I couldn't say anything, he was so fast. He scratched me and then ran away. I think he was scared. Can you help?"

Zecora nodded grimly and turned away, rummaging through her jars and vials of potions. When she turned back, though, the pegasus had vanished. "Fluttershy? Where did you go? You location I must know. For I cannot heal you if you leave, you must know this is not make-believe."

Zecora scanned the room, searching for a glimpse of her pony friend. She didn't see the particularly large rock even as it impacted with her head heavily. The zebra crumpled to the floor, not awake to see Keres standing over her body, smiling cruelly.

Now that the doting rhymer was out of the way, the pegasus could finally trash the place. Using her wings, she swept every single glass vial and jar from its shelf and ripped all the healing books apart.

Keres turned to leave when a truly depraved thought entered her mind. A wicked grin spread over her face as she flew back over to the heavy cast-iron cauldron. It was filled with a dark pink liquid; clearly, a potion Zecora had been creating. Even though the fire underneath had died out, the mysterious potion was still warm,

Keres scooped out the ashes underneath the cauldron and replaced them with fresh kindling. She would have to be quick; she had no idea how much time she would have before the zebra woke up.

As she blew on the sticks, coaxing a single flame into a crackling blaze, she heard a soft groan. The pegasus' eyes widened and she spun around to face her opponent.

Zecora was still on the floor and her eyes were still closed, but she was clearly waking up. Luckily, she was too weak to defend against what Keres had planned.

The wicked pony flew over the broken glass and shredded paper to Zecora. She was heavy, but Keres could manage. She lifted her up and slowly brought her over to the simmering potion. her wings beat powerfully as she lifted the bigger equine. As her mohawk brushed past the iron rim, Zecora's brilliant sapphire eyes opened blearily. She groaned, "Fluttershy... Why?"

Keres grinned again and let go. The zebra hit the liquid with a splash. Before she could surface, the pegasus grabbed the lid of the cauldron and slammed it on top. She then flew outside and selected a few heavy rocks.

As she systematically flew back and forth, piling the rocks on the lid, she heard Zecora's screams. The zebra clearly didn't appreciate being boiled alive, but Keres relished the sound. This was why she did what she did. Those screams were like music to her ears, like the sweetest ice cream on a hot summer day.

With a grunt, the pegasus hauled the last stone on top of the lid. Unfortunately, the lid wasn't see-through, so Keres couldn't gaze upon the horror she had wrought.

Oh well, she thought. It'll just make for a better surprise when somepony finds her, anyway.

And with that, Keres left Zecora's tree, not even bothering to wait until she had died. If she was honest with herself, she didn't even give that annoyance a second thought. Her mind was already full of what horrors she could bring about next.

Author's Note

I'm not dead! Now that winter break is over, I'm back to college. Which means that I can go back to writing while in class. I hope you guys like this new chapter. I realized I hadn't done one from Keres' perspective.

Let me know what you think! I don't expect this to be perfect, so constructive criticism is always allowed.