Doctor Jekyll and Mister Shyde

As Keres walked away from her cottage, she reflected upon herself.

Here she was, hauling a suspiciously filly-sized sack to the Everfree Forest. She was in the prime of her life. She was doing her favorite pastime whenever she felt like it

So why did it feel like it had lost its novelty?

These were the thoughts that she was dwelling on as she contemplated the sack's contents.

Perhaps I haven't been giving it my all.

Smirking, Keres turned around and began hauling her latest kill back to her cottage.

She had an idea and, by Tartarus, she would not stop until she was satisfied.

It was nearly midnight when Keres was satisfied with her work.

She had methodically dismembered Scootaloo's limbs, then chopped up most of the torso until it was finely minced.

Feeling inspired, she had shorn off the vibrant purple mane and tail. She intended to put it to good use. When she came to the limbs, she decided to go for a more theatrical approach.

Now, she stood proudly, holding a small box. She grinned as she trotted to the Castle of Friendship.

Keres was secretly glad that she had taken a shower and washed all that blood out of her fur. The streets of Ponyville were surprisingly busy, even though Luna's moon was high in the sky.

The box she was carrying had been wrapped with the utmost care. It sported a bright red bow while the box itself was a beautiful porcelain white. Keres wanted it to be perfect. It had to be perfect.

After leaving the "present" on Twilight's doorstep, Keres made her way back home with a spring in her step. She had some planning to do!

From somewhere deep within layers of fluffy, pink covers, Pinkie Pie awoke to find her entire body convulsing.

As she looked on, her body twisted this way and that. Her Pinkie Sense was acting up. And whatever it was predicting was going to be a doozy! No, a mega-doozy! "I've never had a Pinkie Sense this strong before! Something's definitely gonna go wrong! But where? And when?"

As quickly as her Pinkie Sense arrived, it left, not even bothering to answer specifics. Pinkie Pie groaned in annoyance. "Maybe in the next few chapters? But it could also mean a zillion chapters until then! No, no, the author doesn't have that kind of time or patience. Hmm, I guess we'll just have to wait and see!"

And with that, Pinkie Pie collapsed back on her bed, snoring before her head even hit the pillow.

Rainbow Dash awoke with a groan.

Great. The hospital. Again. Why does this keep happening to me?

She gingerly sat up, feeling significantly better than the last time she woke up in this position. The sudden movement woke Twilight up from her restless slumber.

"Rainbow! You're awake!" Twilight exclaimed, relieved her friend was going to be okay.

"Heh, yeah I am. Can't keep the most awesome pony in Equestria down for long! So, when exactly can I get out of here again? I'm already bored," the speedster half-whined.

Twilight smiled. "Not long now. But, this time, I'm waiting until you are 100% better before I take you out of here."

Nurse Redheart pushed the hospital door open, getting both girls' attention. "I'm sorry girls, but visiting hours are over. Twilight, I'm here to escort you out. Princess or not, this hospital has very strict rules."

Twilight nodded and trotted over to the door that Nurse Redheart was holding open for her. She turned back just before she left, "I'll be back in the morning before my schedule starts with a Daring Do book for you."

Rainbow Dash smiled again as they left, leaving her alone with her thoughts. The smile slipped from her lips as soon as the door clicked shut. This is gonna be a looong night.

It was way past midnight - in fact, it was almost dawn - when Twilight blearily approached her castle. Despite what she had on her schedule for the coming day, she intended to flop down on her bed and sleep until she couldn't sleep any more.

She almost walked past the box before her sleep-deprived brain finally noticed it. She looked at it curiously before levitating it towards her. She inspected it for a "From" tag but found none. It seemed harmless enough, so she untied the bow and peered inside.

There, resting on a bed of vibrant purple hair, was an orange pair of undersized wings. Right below those, four small hooves seemed to stare up at Twilight. She gulped and very calmly replaced the box lid. She steeled herself and turned away from her castle. Sleep could wait. She had to stop Keres before more lives were unnecessarily ended!