Trade Ya!

Trade Ya! (spelled as Trade Ya by some sources) is the twenty-second episode of the fourth season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic and the eighty-seventh episode overall. In this episode, friendships are tested when a trip to the Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange goes wrong.

Production and development
This episode is listed on HubNetwork.com as season four's eighteenth episode and on Zap2it as the twenty-third episode of the fourth season.

When asked on whether or not Trade Ya is the "original 418 but got pushed back", Jim Miller replied "yes" and states that it was "pushed back for production reasons".

The Traders Exchange
Twilight Sparkle and her friends arrive at Rainbow Falls for the Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange to trade various items. As the official princess representative for the Exchange, Twilight finds a large welcoming party waiting for her.

Each of the seven friends are at the Exchange with various prospects in mind: Spike seeks to trade a mint condition Power Ponies comic book for another; Rainbow Dash hopes to trade for a first-edition copy of Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Statue; Fluttershy wants to trade a bear call for a bird whistle, Applejack and Rarity seek out rare, vintage items and decide to pool together their trade stashes; and Twilight herself hopes to trade away some of her old books.

The joys of trading
At a trading stall owned by a collector of Daring Do merchandise, Rainbow Dash finds the first-edition book she seeks. However, all she has to trade for it is an old rusty horseshoe, which the collector refuses to accept. The collector only agrees to trade the book for an orthros owned by a dealer of ancient beasts.

Elsewhere, Applejack and Rarity each find a vintage item they want, but each item costs all of their goods. Applejack seeks a pie tin that Rarity visibly disapproves of, and Rarity seeks a brooch that Applejack notes looks no different than the one she's currently wearing. Tensions rise as the two ponies argue over each other's prospective trades.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy approach the ancient beast dealer, but he refuses Rainbow's rusty horseshoe as well. When the orthros breaks the dealer's lamp, he agrees to trade the orthros away for a new lamp. Thus, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy approach a trader of Discord-shaped lamps, who agrees to trade one of his lamps for an antique chicken. A trader of antique chickens agrees to trade one for a crystal chalice. Rainbow and Fluttershy find a trader of crystal chalices who, ironically enough, agrees to trade one for Rainbow's horseshoe. Unfortunately, as soon as the trade is made, the chalice shatters in Rainbow's hooves.

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie stops Twilight from trading away all her books for a young filly's broken quill, enforcing the rule of the Traders Exchange that a trade is only fair if both ponies end up with something they want. Because she doesn't have any plans to trade her own possessions, Pinkie decides to help keep Twilight from making the same mistake, and sets up a booth to promote her books as "official princess merchandise".

Getting the book
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy finaly glue the crystal chalice back together and bring it to the antique chicken trader, hoping he won't notice its condition. The trader accepts and smashes the chalice with a hammer to finish a broken glass mosaic. Realizing they don't know what kind of chicken the lamp trader wants, Rainbow Dash sends Fluttershy to check while she remains by the chicken stall to keep other buyers away. The pegasi fly over Applejack and Rarity, who are arguing for the other to get what she wants to prove themselves the better friend.

Quotes

 * Pinkie Pie: Hey, everypony, step right up!


 * Pinkie Pie: I can't believe that almost happened!


 * Rarity: Then let's go shopping!