It had taken Twilight a little while to formulate the letter to Celestia. She had told about the events of the previous day, about her impressions of Frank and she had included some humorous allusions to 'quirkiness often associated with scholarly ponies' at both Frank's and her own expense and with a very subtle point at Celestia herself. When Twilight asked Spike to send the letter she was sure that Princess Celestia would find it entertaining.
"Oh, look", Spike called. He had gone to one of the windows on the upper floor to send the letter from there. "There's Frank and Inkhorn and Featherscribe too. Looks like they finally found him."
"They're there? Then I'll just join them. See you later, Spike."
Twilight rushed out of the door. She spotted Frank and Mayor Mare's assistants right away and raised her eyebrows a little. Rather than walking side by side Inkhorn lead the way followed by a slightly bemused looking Frank and Featherscribe at the rear of the column.
"Hello", she called, "Are you going to Town Hall?"
Frank and Inkhorn both began an answer, but Frank deferred to Inkhorn with a smile.
"Yes, Princess Twilight", she said. "Mayor Mare asked us to find Mr. Blanket and bring him to her. She has some questions to him."
"Yes, Spike told me you asked him too about yesterday's party. Is this to be some kind of poll? May I participate too?"
Twilight had meant her last words as a joke, but Inkhorn nodded with just a fleeting smile.
"Yes, actually that's really good. I didn't meet you in the morning when Spike came along, but I am pretty sure Mayor Mare would like to talk to you too, Princess."
Twilight couldn't miss the somewhat serious tone of Inkhorn's voice.
"What's the matter? Is anything wrong? Did something happen?"
"Mayor Mare will explain everything to you. We'll be there soon."
Twilight cast a confused look to Frank, but all she learned from his look in return was that he wasn't any smarter than she was about this.
They met Mayor Mare in her office on the upper floor of the town hall. Inkhorn led them to the right door and she and Featherscribe followed after Twilight and Frank had entered. All the windows of the room were cast wide open, but while this ensured that the air was not as stuffy as it was in the hall, it didn't help much against the heat.
Mayor Mare bent over a rather old looking scroll, eyeing it with an intensity as if she tried to read something hidden between the lines. Only when Featherscribe closed the door behind them Mayor Mare startled and looked up.
"Ah, Princess Twilight, it is good to see you. Mr. Blanket." She nodded at Frank.
"Thank you for coming here. Can I offer you something to drink?"
"That would be great! The heat is really parching and we have been up and about all day!" Featherscribe responded though he had not been the addressee of Mayor Mare's offer.
Inkhorn gave him a disapproving look but she too happily accepted when Mayor Mare without waiting for any further acceptances poured water from a carafe into five wooden cups which stood on a nearby side table.
"So... how are you doing?" Mayor Mare asked nopony in particular as she put down the carafe.
Twilight raised an eyebrow. This wasn't courteous small talk but bore every sign of an attempt to procrastinate dealing with whatever the reason for this meeting was. Twilight was in no mood to be left guessing any longer but wanted for the cards to be put on the table:
"I'm fine, but you have questions?"
Mayor Mare took a sip from the cup she had filled for herself and nodded slowly uttering an inaudible sigh.
"Mr. Blanket", she looked at Frank. "I hope you enjoyed the party yesterday? When did you leave?"
Frank looked confused but responded right away: "I enjoyed it very much, thank you. I left... when I was tired. I had been up very early yesterday."
Mayor Mare nodded.
"I hope nopony took offense? I didn't think there was any official close of the party..."
"There wasn't", Twilight assured him and Mayor Mare shook her head.
"Did you two leave the party together?" Mayor Mare asked.
"No", Twilight said frowning a little. "But you were there; didn't you see us? I stayed around longer with the others."
Mayor Mare gave a nod that didn't say anything.
"If this is about your question of yesterday...", Twilight continued somewhat annoyed, "...Mr. Blanket did not stay in the library overnight but rather set up a tent on the green. But you already knew that." Twilight cast a look at Inkhorn and Featherscribe.
"Yes", Mayor Mare confirmed. She was clearly uneasy.
"Mr. Blanket, did you see anypony after you left the party?"
"See anypony?" Frank shook his head slowly. "I headed right for the green, set up my tent and went to sleep. I didn't see anypony."
Frank's glance fell on the scroll which Mayor Mare had been studying as they had entered. It was a rather large scroll and it looked rather old and tattered. It had rolled itself up however the moment Mayor Mare had taken her hooves from it, so he couldn't read what it was.
"Miss Mayor...", Twilight began, "...won't you tell us what this is all about? What is this... interrogation? Why are you asking everypony about yesterday?"
Mayor Mare winced a little at the word 'interrogation' and cast a look at the window as if she wished to be anywhere else but here. But then she seemed to brace herself and turned towards Twilight.
"Something happened that I don't think has ever happened before in Ponyville's history. Ponyville is and has always been a very... idyllic place; harmonic if you will. I am proud to have been elected as mayor of this town. It is my task to ensure that this harmony lasts and ever since I am mayor the good ponies of Ponyville have never seen this harmony compromised but by outside threats like Discord or that wandering hag Trixie. Thank you very much for your role in fending off these threats, Princess Twilight."
Twilight snorted a little at the description of Trixie as a 'wandering hag', but she braced for the unpleasant ends to which she expected the mayor's speech to lead.
"There have been but only minor trifles when it comes to quarrels or disputes among the citizens of Ponyville which could either be settled by an easy talk or by the lifting of whatever kind of enchantment may have been at the core of such disputes."
Twilight pursed her lips slightly. Had that been an allusion to the 'Smarty Pants incident' which she was still somewhat embarrassed about?
"But now something happened that has never happened before in Ponyville's history and that is threatening the peace in town?" Frank asked in a calm and matter of fact tone.
"Yes!" Mayor Mare confirmed with a stern look. Apparently the little speech had bolstered up her confidence and there wasn't much left of the uneasiness that she had displayed before.
"It appears that yesterday a very large sum of golden bits have been purloined from the premises of Mr. Rich, Ponyville's most wealthy resident."
Twilight and Frank exchanged a surprised look. Even in Celestia's shining empire, theft was not unheard of. But what crimes Twilight remembered as having been committed throughout her own lifetime had either been petty thefts of little value, or attempted heists against larger institutions such as banks or museums rather than against individual ponies. Also, all of the later cases Twilight was aware of had taken part in larger cities such as Manehatten, Baltimare, San Franciscolt or Fillydelphia.
"But what? How...?" Twilight asked trying to smooth over her surprise but not really knowing how to ask for everything she wanted to know.
Mayor Mare however didn't need another invitation to continue: "When Mr. Rich woke up this morning he found that the bits had disappeared right from his workroom."
"How much was it?" Twilight asked.
"More than most ponies earn in a lifetime of work!" Mayor Mare said.
Frank gave a barely audible snort.
"Mr. Rich's daughter came past here to report the theft as she was on her way to visit her father in hospital."
"In hospital?" Twilight asked more alarmed than she had been about anything she had heard so far. "Has he been injured?"
Frank too looked startled.
Mayor Mare made a helpless gesture. "Not really, I think. Young Miss Rich was a little unclear about that. She did say that her father was not well though. With all the investigations at hoof I haven't yet gotten round to pay him a visit myself. Inkhorn, you did visit the hospital in the morning, didn't you? How was Mr. Rich?"
The unicorn cocked her head first to one side then to the other as if she wasn't really sure about the answer. "He was not injured as he would be if he had been attacked, if that is what you mean", she said at last. "But I guess young Miss Rich put it right when she said he wasn't well. I accompanied her on her way to the hospital. Mr. Rich seemed... unhappy."
"I'd seem unhappy if someone stole a working life's worth of bits from our home", Featherscribe commented.
Inkhorn shook her head. "I know Mr. Rich a little. He usually turns to me for any requests or official matters that don't require your own attention, Mayor. He is a businesspony all through and rarely shows sentiments beyond formal expressions in public. He is also nopony to be discouraged, daunted or dejected by difficulties or setbacks. But even though the examinations in hospital hadn't found any injury or anything, he appeared more... depressed than I have ever seen him... or anypony else. Little Miss Rich was seriously disturbed by this. Also... apparently he doesn't remember most of yesterday anymore. He was unaware of having been at the party yesterday or of the fact that there had been a party for that matter. Dr. Horse said it is most likely a case of amnesia."
Nopony said anything for a while until the silence became oppressive and at last Twilight asked the looming question: "Mayor Mare, why did you call us here?"
"I have carefully studied the municipal law and the charter of Ponyville", Mayor Mare pointed at the scroll she had been scanning before. "I'm afraid that under the given circumstances my duties as mayor of this town leave me no other alternative. Mr. Frank Blanket, I hereby remand you into custody under suspicion of grand theft!"