S: My apologies. I am known simply as S, or occasionally as Snake. While I appreciate your compliments, I believe the entire situation here has been grossly misunderstood. Not your fault, of course. The two individuals you spoke with previously were ill-informed and I would like to apologize on their behalf. As such, and as a sign of goodwill, I would like to freeze any action regarding the texts until we’ve managed to come to an understanding.

S: Now then while I could be wrong, and would assuredly readdress the situation if in time found to be, the vastest odds are that none of the texts you possess are of any value themselves. The value is solely in their number. Amanuensis-styled spells, that is those capable of copying figures such as text, maps, drawings, were used frequently in the ancient world. We likely already have exact copies of nearly all the books in question. For the small fraction of specific texts that you may possess that we do not, odds still are that the information is outdated as spell progression has advanced far beyond what the ancient world was capable of. At least in most cases.

S: You see, most books themselves contain only core information. This is because most books are in fact copies themselves. What holds real value, the originals, were in the ancient world, all but exclusively wrote on parchment. That’s not to say that any parchments you possess may not still be copies, but text books were found to be a more efficient and safer way to store information. Thus, they are the majority of what is recovered.

S: Regarding the originals themselves, the only reason why they contain such greater value are magically hidden messages. Not spellbound traps or the common hidden messages you find today, mind you. But messages that, if not found by the single intended recipient, were never meant to be found. They are undetectable even to the greatest Canterlot has to offer, until tests are preformed that eventually activate them.

S: That said, what we are attempting to do here isn’t recover lost information, but rather to remove dangerous spells from public access. This, regrettably, includes you. You have been operating illegally for quite some time now, the number of illegal texts you possess alone are enough to have you exiled from Equestria outright, and there are those going back through past records to see if you’ve been preforming tax evasion due to the number of objects in your possession and the area required to house them.

S: I personally feel that you have preformed a service in gathering these dangerous works together for us to collect. I personally would like to see you compensated for your work and am attempting to make that happen. However, you’re going to have to drastically reevaluate your requests. Especially considering what I’m already doing for your legal standing.

S: You will not, nor will any entity under Princess Celesta’s sun, ever receive a favor from the Equestrian government. The very notion of asking such a thing borders on the terroristic. You will not be allowed any access to any restricted archive. If you desire privileged access, you are free to apply for membership to a research team. Your application will be held more favorably than most, but will still not be guaranteed acceptance. You are free to independently continue whatever research you desire, provided it does not tread into illegal territory. You will be kept well informed of any discoveries involving the texts given to us. If any are found to be of greater value than previously estimated, further talks will commence for further compensation.

S: If you feel there is something else I can attempt to provide for you, I would be delighted to work with authorities to see if an agreement can be reached. Otherwise, if you now fully understand the situation, I would like to formally begin the process of transporting the texts as soon as possible.