The rest of the Open House was filled with unanswered questions and no end off tension. Everyone wanted to ask, but nobody wanted to be the one to do it. Fresnel didn't return to the Open House, and the Mayor ended it fifteen minutes early. The reporters were still filling in their notes after the arrest, and the Mayor was visibly nervous, or at least shaken. It wasn't every day that you saw someone get arrested at a public gathering, especially when the public gathering was about you. The rumors and gossip were already flying, and the Mayor, who was already just barely behind in the polls, was no longer sure she would be able to pull this out.

Twilight's head was not in the election. She sat at in front of Horte Cuisine, sipping at her Hay Milkshake (extra hay) and thinking intently about what had just happened. Twilight's decision about the election had not changed since the incident, though it had been shaken. And how was Fresnel involved? He was already rather aloof; was he somehow involved in the election, or was Tommy, and Fresnel was just hired to stop him? Twilight's curiosity about the whole thing made her want to investigate. But that wasn't her place; she was the town librarian and liaison to Princesses Celestia and Luna. Not the town busybody.

Still, they did seem to take the mayor for granted. Maybe there was something to what Tommy was saying. Twilight decided she would see what she could find in the public records about all this. It was just coming up to afternoon now; she had plenty of time before her dinner with Fresnel, if Fresnel was still in town.

Twilight didn't realize how fast she was drinking her milkshake, and, like Trixie the Magician, it gave her a great and powerful headache.

"AGH!" Twilight almost dropped her milkshake as she grasped her head.

"You have to be careful about that, Twilight! Taking too much sugar can be bad for you, especially all at once!" Pinky Pie declared. If Twilight hadn't been rubbing her temple, she probably would have screamed at Pinkie Pie's sudden appearance. Twilight blinked upon realizing what her friend had just stated.

"Wait, what-"

"I saw that meany that was saying all those nasty things about Miss Cake being dragged off in cuffs. I knew there was something naughty about that naughty naughtypants. Didja see the stallion who arrested him? It was Fresnel? Is he a policeman?"

"Yeah, he is-Wait, the pony that Fresnel arrested was the same one that was saying mean things about Miss Cake? What did he say?"

"I don't know, something about fraud and tax evasion. I mean, seriously, if someone is throwing taxes at you, of course you're going to evade it, money is heavy! You could get hurt!"

"Wait, he was accusing Miss Cake of tax fraud? He tried accusing the mayor of selling political favors!"

Pinkie blinked, "Why would he do that? If he doesn't like Miss Cake, why would he say mean things about the Mayor, too?"

"I don't know, but I get the feeling Tommy Peeks wasn't arrested for slander. Come on, Pinky, let's go to the Public Records Office," Twilight stated. She stood and took one last sip from her milkshake, threw it away, then stormed to the records office.

Once there, Twilight started looking for what could possibly be linked to Mrs. Cake, the Mayor, and/or the election. The pony who worked there was an elderly stallion: Retired, but not s old that he couldn't have a regular job. He seemed pretty tired, but he was keeping himself alert.

"Here we go. Campaign funds," Twilight declared as she had been searching through the card index.

"That one is missing, I'm afraid," the stallion who worked there declared, "Some fellow came in a few weeks ago and smuggled it out. On my watch, too, I nearly was fired because of it."

"What did he look like?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, he was a young fellow, little older than you. Black hair and mane with white spots."

"That's the guy who said mean things about Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie declared.

"Tommy Peeks…Thank you, sir. You'll be glad to know that he's been arrested," Twilight told him.

"Oh, well, good. These records are for the whole town, not for just anypony to come and take them. It's like…Taking the town well or something like that. Just greedy and mean," the old pony said, "You come back sometime, if you can."

"We'll be back, I'm sure. Thank you, mister," Twilight said.

"Any time, missy."

"All right, Pinkie, we know that Tommy stole records about the campaign funds for the Mayor and Mrs. Cake," Twilight began over viewing as they went up the steps.

"And that he's been saying mean things about both of them," Pinkie added.

"In public, as well, where everyone can see him. And someone hired Fresnel to track him down and arrest him. Why would someone commit a crime, and then draw attention to himself among the people he stole from like that? It doesn't make sense. And since he attacked both of them…"

"Maybe it was just a really mean prank! Not everyone who likes pranks are good-hearted about it."

"Pinkie, that's brilliant! He wasn't trying to cause either Mrs. Cake or the Mayor to lose, he was trying to make both of them look bad! If Mrs. Cake was using funds from her business to fund her election, then he makes her look like she's using her wealth to win the election, and if he shows that the Mayor's been using her position to gain favor, she'll look like she's abusing her power!"

Twilight gasped.

"I know who hired Fresnel!"

"Who?"

"Come on, Pinky, we've got more questions to ask."

The Mayor was still in her house, talking with her campaign volunteers. Twilight was surprised that Applejack wasn't there, but then again, it was harvesting time, so she was probably busy at the orchard. Twilight didn't know how that girl managed her time, between helping raise Applebloom, the orchard, her friends, and the election. The Mayor was similarly adept at balancing a busy schedule and ensuring that everything was going smoothly.

"Ah, Twilight, it's good to see you again! Sorry about putting you on the spotlight like that, did I offend you?"

"Oh, not at all, though I wish you had asked me beforehand."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, you have been a boon to this town ever since you arrived. Now, what can I do for you?"

"Mayor, I know this might be a little awkward to answer, but after Fresnel arrested that stallion, I've been digging. Tommy Peeks stole records about the campaign funding, right?"

The Mayor sighed, not out of irritation but out of resignation.

"Yes, and it's been a pain trying to keep the books strait because of it. That file was constantly being updated, I'm surprised he got his hands on it at all."

"So when the records went missing, you and Mrs. Cake needed to find them and whoever took them, right? What was so important in those records that you hired a private investigator to catch him?"

"Fresnel Gumshoe came to us, Twilight. Tommy Peeks is wanted in Fillydelphia, but he couldn't arrest Tommy without someone hiring him. He tracked Tommy here, and when the records went missing, he convinced us to hire him. There's nothing particularly damning in those records. Any trained eye would see that Mrs. Cake's personal funding of her campaign is completely legal, and I've done nothing wrong. Tommy Peeks was just trying to stir up trouble because everyone was so excited, and he was able to turn that excitement into ill will."

"Party pooper!" Pinkie declared.

"Exactly, Pinkie. Fresnel didn't mean to make such a scene, but that was the first time Fresnel had the chance to arrest him."

Twilight nodded. She understood now.

"So Tommy was just trying to get everyone upset, and Fresnel wanted him. That detective certainly has a way of getting what he wants, doesn't he?" Twilight observed.

"Yes, if he'd chosen a different path, I think he could have ended up a very successful politician. I'd met him before, back when he was just starting out. A real mercenary, that one," the Mayor said.

"Mercawhat?" Pinkie asked.

"Mercenary. Someone who fights for money, or isn't picky about what jobs they take, even if people get hurt," Twilight explained.

"That doesn't sound very nice, either. I thought he was supposed to be a good guy?"

The Mayor chuckled, "Not everyone who catches bad guys are good guys, themselves, but most of them are. Fresnel is in business for himself, he doesn't work with a precinct or anything. When people hire him to find something, they expect him to get it, one way or another. He can't be picky about the jobs he takes, or he goes hungry. I don't think he enjoys the dirty jobs he takes, but he does them because they pay his bills. Is there anyone that you don't like that you still sell cupcakes and sweets to at Mrs. Cake's shop, Pinkie?"

Pinkie paused and bit her lip. She didn't want to admit there were people she wasn't fond of. Quietly, she muttered, "Yeah…"

"Well, Fresnel has to deal with that all the time. In this case, he had the chance to do good, rather than help bad people. And since keeping Tommy Peeks quiet ensures that the election doesn't turn ugly, we agreed to help Fresnel arrest Tommy."

"Do you think Fresnel will be moving on soon? To Fillydelphia?" Twilight asked. The Mayor shook her head.

"Oh, no, we plan on having Tommy Peeks tried here first, and then someone from Fillydelphia will pick him up. I don't think Fresnel is going to let him out of his sight until that happens."

"Well, I think we should throw Fresnel a party for making sure that everyone keeps having a good time in this election! What do you think, Twilight?" Pinkie announced. Twilight laughed sheepishly.

"I dunno, maybe you should ask him first," she told her friend.

"Aww, but then it wouldn't be a SURPRISE! And what fun would that be?" Pinkie declared.

"You should ask him first," the Mayor insisted. Pinkie was dismayed.

"Aww…Well, I guess that means we'll have to make it an extra SPECIAL cool party! Ooh! I gotta plan!" Pinkie jumped off, rambling off a list of things she needed to do in order to prepare.

"I get the feeling that party is going to happen whether Fresnel wants it or not. Thank you for asking, by the way, Twilight. I'm glad you had the courage to ask about this instead of letting it fester in the back of your mind," the Mayor said.

"Oh, thank you for being honest, Mayor. I didn't want to find anything that incriminated either you or Mrs. Cake, but I had to find out for myself. Things just didn't add up."

"I understand. I've been in politics for a long time, Twilight. If there were more ponies like you that demanded the truth, then the world would be a cleaner place for it. Now all I have to do is explain this all to the reporters in a way that they can't twist it into something ugly…Oh, that reminds me, Crystal! Call Mrs. Cake, I need to speak with her-thank you again, Twilight, if you'll excuse me."

Twilight smiled and dismissed herself as the Mayor went back to her campaign duties, and headed back to the library. She still had a big pile of notes to go through, and so she picked up where she had left off for a while, but something was just bugging her. After a while, Twilight pulled out her quill and parchment, and started writing.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I learned an important lesson about trust. Trust isn't always about giving people the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes, trust is about allowing your friends to ask you hard questions, even when those questions' answers end up making your life harder. A friend who takes those questions without blaming you for it is one you can trust to watch your back.

On a related note, I have made my decision who I am going to vote for in the Ponyville mayor election.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

"There!" she put her supplies away, but realized Spike wasn't here to deliver the letter for her. Twilight would have to send it when Spike returned, so she put the date at the bottom of the letter. Just as she was finishing up, there was a knock at the door, and Twilight opened it to see Fresnel.

"Sundown, just as I promised. Still interested in having dinner?" he asked. He was wearing the saddle from earlier.

"Oh! I didn't even realize what time it was! I lost track! I'm sorry, I'll be just a minute!" Twilight nearly jumped off of her shoes.

"No need to fuss about makeup, it'll be getting dark soon anyway."

Twilight didn't hear him, but thought the same thing. Still, she needed to put something nice on, he was wearing something nice…Oh! What! She didn't have a big wardrobe…She would need to talk to Rarity about that. Rarity! That was it! It might be a little much, but it's the only thing she had handy.

Coming down the stairs, Fresnel's jaw dropped upon seeing her.

"All right, I'm ready to go," she announced. This was a pretty dress Rarity had made for her for the ball…