Twilight sat by a window in the empty train car and sighed. She'd never expected to use her authority as a princess for something like clearing everypony else out of a train car so she could mope in peace, but there were a lot of things that had happened that she hadn't expected recently.

She could still remember it so clearly. Walking to Sugar Cube Corner for her Saturday morning pastry but finding it surrounded by guards. The usual mob of gossiping Ponyville residents was nearby, but they were keeping their distance, and there was an air of tension surrounding everything.

The guards had attempted to stop her, but a flash of her wings quickly cut off their protests. She wished she had listened to them. Outside, the Cakes were sobbing and holding onto each other. Inside, she saw Pinkie Pie in hoofcuffs. 

She clenched her eyes shut. Other details were slowly starting to fog, but everything after this was burned into her memory. She tried to force it back down, but it refused.

"Hiya, Twilight!" Pinkie had said.

"Pinkie? What's going on? Why are you in hoofcuffs?"

Pinkie did that gigglesnort of hers that used to be cute. "Because I did something bad, silly!" She furrowed her brow thoughtfully. "Well, many somethings, really." That grin of hers sprang back onto her face. "You can go look at my works if you want! I'm really proud of them."

Twilight hesitated. "What... what did you do, Pinkie?"

"Just go down to the basement! It'll speak for itself."

Twilight nervously walked towards the cellar doors, currently closed and guarded by two unicorns. "Excuse me, sirs, I need to go down there."

They glanced at each other nervously. "Princess Twilight, I really don't think you should..." one started to say, but trailed off. He grimaced and looked to the side, turning a little green.

His companion continued for him, "It's horrible down there, princess. We can't stop you, but I strongly advise you to reconsider."

Her stomach felt like lead. She wanted to listen to them. She wanted to run back to her castle and bury her head in her pillows and pretend it was all a bad dream and that Pinkie hadn't done whatever unspeakably awful things that had affected all of these guards so deeply, but she had to know. She had to know what Pinkie had done.

Tears welling in her eyes, Twilight responded, "I need to see."

Resignation showing on the guards' faces, they stepped aside and opened the doors with their magic.

The first thing to hit Twilight was the awful stench. She had smelled rotting vegetables before, back in her student days in times Spike wasn't around to help her out. This was so much worse.

As she descended the stairs, she saw streaks and specks of brown which increased the more steps she took. At the bottom, the smell of rot made her eyes water, but it wasn't the worst part.

From floor to ceiling there was blood running the gamut from red to brown. Multiple carcasses in varying states of decay hung from meat hooks, mostly animals but some distinctly pony shapes as well. There were chains and shackles connected to tables and support beams and so many knives and—

Twilight couldn't fight the tide of vomit anymore. She stared at the way it splattered against the floor of the train and sobbed. She felt like a stupid foal.

[hr]

Canterlot was a stark departure from the somber air of mourning surrounding Ponyville. Locals buzzed with disdain that their great city would play host to the final hours of one of the worst criminals Equestria had seen in centuries. Newsponies kept flooding off of trains, turning a horrible event into a spectacle to get that big scoop so they could sell more papers.

Twilight stumbled through streets and crowds and guards and hallways and stairwells into the castle dungeons. As she walked to the cell of her friend, she wondered if Pinkie even deserved such a place in her heart now.

“Hi, Twilight,” Pinkie said, smiling at her.

Twilight stopped in front of her cell, staring at the bright pink mare sitting on the cobblestone floor. She still seemed so carefree. Twilight stared at her, struggling to find words. 

Finally, she asked, "Do you regret any of it, Pinkie?"

Pinkie Pie gigglesnorted. "Of course I do, silly! I mean, I didn't even consider that meat would go bad if I didn't use it fast enough."