Dear Princess Celestia,

Oh, wow. Had I actually started a letter that way? It was accurate, however silly it made me feel. By the way, writing with a quill is not as simple as just treating it as a pen. I continued, trying to shake off such thoughts.

It was a pleasure getting as much done as I have. I hope this helps to make ponies both happier and healthier. But I'm not writing you to gloat about the sewers. You have great

It took some effort to widen those letters, making it properly bold.

citizens. They are brimming with the desire to make the world better. I brought nothing entirely new to your ~~world~~country, I just organized it ahead of time.

Side note, there was no backspace, and writing took too much effort. So I soldiered right on.

I know you've been interested in my 'library', but you have ponies already reaching for what it hints at with their own hooves. I am not here to replace them. What I propose, instead, is to help them. Do you remember Tight Fit's demonstration? His generator was making electricity quite well, but the light bulb failed. He wasn't trying to make a light bulb.

Another pony was. She heard and came running. They're together now, able to make electricity and light and both are tremendously happy about it. I want to make more stories like that. Also, I want future ponies to always have access to what they make. When Tight Fit is gone, will we forget his generator? We shouldn't. The progress of technology

I paused there, frowning at my words. Was I getting off track?

requires a base of what has been done.

My proposal, a library. In it, nothing but the works of the talented ponies who create new devices and new methods. You found a way to make trees grow better? Great, come here, show us clearly how it works, and it will be written down with your name. For a period of time (I suggest 30 years), anyone else who wishes to use the idea or device must go through you. After that, the idea is public. Anyone can use it. Anyone can improve it.

Your work becomes Equestria's. You are officially part of history. Think of that.

Ponies will not be paid, or charged, for this at first. You may wish to add a fee over time to cover administration costs involved in making sure the ideas and inventions are actual things and for filing and keeping track of it all. Make having a patent

Crap, I just used a new word. I'd better explain it...

a prestigious thing.

A patent is the held proof that you have registered your idea or device. It is proof that it belongs to you and should clearly define when it was registered and when it expires. Businesses that have need of things may visit that library, browsing the list of patents for something that does what they want.

If they find it, they will know right away if it's still valid or not. If it's valid, they seek out the owner for permission to use it. If not, they can copy the patent right there at the library and use it.

To be fair, I should warn. You will need a judicial system to watch for bad faith actors. Those who would copy another pony's idea or device when it was still protected. There will be some who see an active patent and not wish to deal with the pony. They should not be tolerated. Inventors get their 30 years (Please don't give into temptation to keep expanding the time period).

"How's it going?" Easy was perched upon her bed, watching me. "I can hear all those scratches. You going to bowl her over with some amazing new project?" She inclined her head. "Oh! I know! You want to make a big, uh, generthingie and connect it to lights all through the city so it's never dark!" She swept her hoof dramatically. "That'd be a sight."

"Generator." I dipped my quill carefully. "And it would be, but it isn't what I'm writing about. I'm trying to help more ponies make better ideas."

"You'll let them borrow that thing of yours?" She was learning forward, half-dangling off the bed. "Dad really liked his chance with it, but he said he doesn't want it now. Not sure I get why. Did he finish reading it?"

"I doubt that." The writing continued.

As their caretaker, you should foster in them a building pride. Each inventor will stand on the shoulders of great ponies before them who also made progress. They are all in this, together. It will be a great honor both to be the one who stands atop that great pyramid, and to one day have another pony scale right up on you. Perhaps, one day, you can teach foals about pivotal inventors, but I ask that you never forget to tell them that creation is always a collaborative effort.

It struck me...

I've been using the word 'pony' a lot. This should apply to any person of any race. If I were to invent something, I would submit it to the same library and follow the same rules. Creators from other kingdoms should be welcomed to add to this body of knowledge, knowing their work will be protected and held.

Similarly, you should respect similar efforts from other kingdoms. If you hear of one, consider coordinating with them. This is more of a long term thing. I doubt it will come up soon. First step, library, and the process of adding to it. Your people are full of great ideas, and they deserve to have them remembered.

I apologize if this isn't what you had in mind. I feel certain you were hoping for another vast engineering plan, but this is more important than any such thing. This is an engineering plan that will build a better Equestria, and that's a project that's worth undertaking, is it not?

I felt fur against my cheek. Easy had reared up and was peering over my shoulder. "What's that word?" She was pointing at engineering. "Wasn't that someone who makes like war stuff?"

Crap, she wasn't wrong... "It's time to evolve that word." I glanced over shoulder at her, almost bumping into her. "Engineers do make Equestria more prepared for a war, but we aren't aiming for that. Your father is an engineer. He saw a problem and made the solution. He mastered electricity."

"Zappy tubes!" She sang, falling off me to the floor and trotting away a few steps. "That was really impressive. Think you could fight with that, though? It's kind of big and heavy. You'd have to really work to get something to get close enough to zap."

"I hope we never fight like that." Attempting to electrocute your enemies? Equestria was better than that... "But we could keep a dark city lit. We could move water and raise and lower gates with it. There's so much more you can do with electricity that doesn't hurt anyone, but makes you more prepared."

"Maybe." She turned back towards me, her head pointed to a small window. "Are you done? You said I could read it afterwards."

"Didn't seem to stop you just a moment ago." I considered the words on the page. Was there more to write? I may have said too much, really... No, it was fine.

Eagerly Awaiting Your Reply,
Ian Langerman

I stood up and grabbed a vial of sand. Popping the cork, I gently sprinkled it over the page. "Once it's dried, you can take a peek."

"Or, I can cheat." She closed quickly, her horn glowing. The dust blew away without wind, leaving a dry page. She was soon in the seat I had vacated and was reading eagerly. Her brows raised, then lowered, scrunching. "That's a tough sale, boss..."

"In what way?" It was my turn to sit on my bed.

A knocking interrupted us. "Sir?" came Water Lily's voice. "May I come in?"

I reached over, stretching to grab it from where I had started and pulling the door open. "Come on in."

She trotted in, her magic closing the door behind herself. "Sir, ma'am." She dipped her head at each of us.

"Are you on duty?" I asked, Easy still frowning at the paper.

She reached up and casually booped her hat off, just to catch it in her magic. "Now I am not." She closed with me and hopped up beside me on the bed. "I am almost ready to finish restoring your lovely skin. I do hope you are not cross at how long it has taken."

It struck me. If Celestia went ahead with this, why would Twilight not have a cure for poison joke when it, too, would be patented? Of course, while she was an eager reader, it seemed unlikely she'd browse every patent ever made for the last 800 years or so. It was just as likely such a solution did exist ahead of time. She wasn't an herbalist. Those two facts did not a contradiction make. I wasn't making the Equestria I knew impossible.

"You look heavy in thought." She leaned in, pressing her lips to my cheek with a little peck. "Is it the sort you want me to distract you from, or should I give room?"

Easy tapped at the paper on the desk in front of her. "He just wrote a letter and I'm criticizing it, like the good manager I am. Now, as I was saying, why would anyone want to give their ideas?" She tilted her head. "If they just don't share it, they get to keep it forever. They could pass it on to their foals, family secret for as long as they want."

Water quirked an ear. "I apologize, but what are you talking about?"

I leaned back, hands going back to support myself in my slumped state. "I am proposing a library of ideas for new devices and methods. Anyone that put their idea or device in there would have legally protected ownership of that thing for 30 years. During that time, anyone else who wanted to use it would have to go through them, likely paying them for the pleasure. After that, the idea's open for anyone to use."

Water inclined her head left and right before she sat up, expression brightening. "So I could put my solution to poison joke in it?"

Easy snorted. "Why would you want to? You could get more money if you sold it yourself."

"I am not a merchant," huffed Water. "If I could put it there and let merchants buy it from me to make their own, that would make me much happier. And eventually everyone would have the cure, and that's good too. I don't want people to be sick with poison joke..."

My adoration for Water was swelling. I grabbed her suddenly by the sides and she squealed as we both fell over onto the bed where I could hug her properly. "You are such a good mare I can't even believe at times that I managed to get your attention."

Her cheeks warmed and she giggled, snuggling in against me. "You are too kind, but I like this idea. Besides, if I kept it a secret and someone else copied it, or figured it out, I would be just as out of luck. This way I have at least two hooves to stand on."

Easy suddenly groaned loudly. "Let me guess, you'll fill it with every idea you and dad had to go through to make the sewers."

"Of course." I didn't sit up, I was too busy snuggling my equine partner. "I have zero interest in making water system engineering my lifelong ambition. Let someone else see the patents and I'll gladly sell use to them."

Easy pointed at where my phone lay on my desk. "Will you patent their ideas?"

Author's Note

Easy, you ask hard questions sometimes. What would you do?

Written early for patreons who got this ahead of everyone else. Want to get early chapters, or even your own story written? atreon!

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