//------------------------------// // Chapter 63 (Trade Ya!) // Story: Spike The Brony Dragon // by red4567 //------------------------------// Twilight and I walked past the town hall when we saw Rainbow zooming above us for the fifth time. “Am I having deja vu?” Twilight asked. “I swear Rainbow Dash passed us already.” “We better check it out,” I said. We followed the path Rainbow took on her many flights until we reached the edge of town. There we saw Rainbow with Fluttershy. The latter was wearing a stopwatch. “Come on, Fluttershy. I had to be faster that time!” Rainbow complained. “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. It was thirty-five seconds just like the previous two runs,” said Fluttershy. “I could start the stopwatch much later if it helps.” “What’s going on here?” Twilight asked. “I’m training, duh!” Rainbow replied. “For the Wonderbolts Reserve?” I asked. “The Equestria Games! It’s only a couple weeks away, and I’ve gotta make up for all the training I’ve missed!” “Oh, that’s right! I almost forgot it was coming up,” said Twilight. “Well, good luck, you two.” As we headed back home, I realized I needed to set up my journey soon. I thought about what supplies I needed to bring. I’ll need a map and a compass so I’ll know where I’m going. Food and a sleeping bag are a must as well. I’ll also need a rope for those cliffs near Griffonstone. I’ll bring some bits, too. Maybe some paper and quills if I wanted to write a letter… Suddenly, my stomach squeezed, and I burped out a scroll. Twilight quickly caught it. “I wonder what it could be.” Twilight unrollled the paper and read through it. “‘Dear Twilight, I hope you’re doing well...’” She continued reading before pausing. “Oh, my.” “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Nothing. It’s just that...I’m going to be in charge of the Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange this coming weekend.” “Really? That’s great news! The girls and I should come along as well. No doubt all of us have stuff to trade after all.” I decided to put my journey plans on hold and figure out how to change the events of “Trade Ya!” Rainbow and Fluttershy would go through a chain of trades just to get a Daring Do book. Applejack and Rarity would have trouble trading all their stuff for one “valuable” item. Twilight would have problems trading away her books, no thanks to Pinkie. That was quite a lot of issues to solve, and I didn’t include any time for me to trade for a comic book. Hopefully, I’ll figure something out. I came up with the idea to solve some of the girls' problems before the episode happens. I started with Twilight and her books. "So what will you trade at the exchange?" I asked Twilight. "I don't know if I'm allowed to trade, but I've been meaning to trade some of my books away," Twilight replied as she took some off the shelves. "As much as I like Princess Celestia sending them to us, I'm running out of room here." "What books are you going to be trading away? Is the anthropology book one of them?" "Actually, I'm going to keep that one. If we ever visit Sunset Shimmer’s world again, it could come in handy." You mean when we visit again. "What are you going to be trading away, Spike?" Twilight asked.  "Probably some of my comic books," I replied. "Ones I haven't read in a long time. I think I have one that's still in mint condition. Maybe I could trade it for another mint comic book." "Hmm. I should’ve guessed."  Twilight looked away with a worried look on her face.  "Something wrong, Twilight?" I asked. "It’s just that…" Twilight sighed. "I don't mind attending and hosting the exchange, but it feels like all this princess stuff is forced upon me. I never asked to be a princess, and yet fate tells me this is my destiny somehow. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I never fixed that spell. How things would be different...for the better or for worse." I rubbed the back of my head. "Twilight...I remembered when Discord told me I couldn't fight fate. Perhaps the same goes for you, too. Maybe you'd still become a princess regardless of whether or not you fixed that spell." "That’s not helping, Spike." "I'm just saying even though you never asked for this, that doesn't mean you should doubt yourself. Sometimes destiny isn't what we expected. Instead of moping about what should have happened, maybe you should use fate to your advantage. Maybe you can stop a disunity with your princess title. Or invite the girls to a royal gala if possible. You becoming a princess might have been a good thing for all of us, including you." "Even so, why make me a princess? Why not any of the other girls? Or you a prince?" "Twilight, you're Celestia’s star student. She saw potential in you from when you first got your cutie mark. It would be a surprise if she didn't choose you to be a princess. I know all this royal stuff is too sudden for you, but she wouldn't give you the rank without a good reason. Just don't worry about it so much." Twilight rubbed her temples. "I’ll try not to." "Anyway, you can still trade your books away if they allow it. Don't let anyone discourage you because you’re a princess. You're just there to keep everything in place." After all that talk about Twilight’s identity struggle, I went to visit the other girls.  My next stop was in Sugarcube Corner. I chatted with Pinkie Pie about the trade.  "What stuff will you bring, Pinkie?" I asked. "Meh, I'll just browse," Pinkie replied. "Don’t know why I would trade stuff for other stuff. Wouldn't it be simpler to just buy something I want? Equestria uses bits for a reason." For once, Pinkie has a point. "What will you and Twilight trade?" Pinkie asked.  "I'll be trading my comic books, and Twilight will trade away her books, though she's having doubts about leading the event." "Want me to help her?" "NO!" I cleared my throat. "No. I’m positive she can manage on her own." "Okie dokie loki!" Next, I visited Rarity at her boutique.  "What items will you trade away, Rarity?" I asked as I helped her move her mannequins.  "Perhaps some bundles of fabric and miniscule sewing kits I have lying around," Rarity replied. "I also have thoughts about Applejack joining me. She, too, is trading some of her trinkets away. I was thinking we could combine all our items to trade for something valuable." "Is that really a good idea? You and Applejack have different ideals. What you find valuable may not be what Applejack finds valuable." "Whatever do you mean?" "What if she finds something like a pickaxe or a rusty pie plate that's worth all of your stuff combined? Do you think your needles and patches are worth that?" "Well...we could discuss…" "Or what if you found some jewelry or clothing that was worth the same price? You think Applejack would be happy if she gave up all her stuff for that?" "It all depends on the item, Spikey-Wikey." "I'm just saying, maybe you two should have second thoughts about this." After helping Rarity a bit with her work, I went to Sweet Apple Acres and talked to Applejack. I told her the same thing I said to Rarity. "It's not like we're gonna trade all of our stuff for one thing, Spike," said Applejack as she bucked one of the trees. "We're just gonna use each other's assets." "Still, the possibility of finding something worth all of your items combined could happen," I said as I caught the falling apples with a bucket. "If there really is an item out there, I can just tell her not to trade for it." Something tells me it’s not going to be that simple. My next stop was Fluttershy’s cottage. Her item to trade was a bear call. “I usually use it to call for Harry,” said Fluttershy as we had tea. “But every time I do, all the critters in my home get scared and scurry around. Now, I found a different way to call for him, so I’m thinking of trading the call for a bird whistle.” “That could work,” I said. “Just don’t lose it.” “I won’t...I don’t think.” My final stop was Rainbow Dash. She wanted to use her lucky rusty horseshoe to trade for a Daring Do book, but instead she would go through all sorts of trades before giving up her friend by mistake. I felt like I should have her trade with something else. I arrived at Rainbow Dash’s house and called for her. She picked me up and invited me in. Despite the majority of her home made out of clouds, I could easily walk on the floor without falling through. I bet it was made out a special material by pegasi so non-pegasi ponies can walk around without a cloud-walking spell. “So what brings you here today?” Rainbow asked. “Twilight didn’t want that Daring Do book back already, did she? I thought I had another week left.” “It’s not that,” I said. “I just wanted to chat with you about the upcoming Trade Event. Any stuff you’re willing to trade away?” “As a matter of fact, I have one!” Rainbow Dash pulled out a U-shaped piece of rusted metal. “A rusty old horseshoe?” “It’s my lucky horseshoe!” Rainbow retorted. “One of my most valuable possessions.” “What are you going to trade with that?” “I heard that there’s gonna be a vendor that’s gonna be giving away a signed first edition of ‘Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Statue’, and I'm gonna get it! I've been able to get first editions of all of the Daring Do books, except this one! Nopony's ever put together a whole set, and I'm gonna be the first!” “I don’t think that...wait, ‘statue’? I thought it was a sapphire stone?” “Eh. Twilight said that the newer versions were renamed ‘stone’ by mistake. Even A.K. Yearling, which we both know is Daring Do, noticed this error and talked to the publisher about it. Don’t know if it ever got fixed yet.” “Anyway, I don't think that horseshoe will help you.” “What are you talking about?” “Did my ‘old and rusty’ quote not give it away? It may be valuable to you, Rainbow Dash, but others won’t see it the same way. To them, all you’re doing is giving away garbage.” “It’s not garbage! This helped me so much during my fillyhood days.” “I know that, and you know that, but whoever’s selling the book won’t know that. You need to consider what might be valuable to them. That horseshoe is anything but.” “What else am I supposed to trade away? My Daring Do books are out of the question, and I’m not giving up my Wonderbolts memorabilia either!” “How about stuff you have but don’t need? Like some outfits you haven’t worn lately? Utensils you never use? Or non-Daring Do books you might have? They might have some value. Heck, you could even trade away a signed photo of yourself if the vendor’s a Dashie fan.” “Oh, alright. I’ll try to find something else. But I’m still hanging on to my horseshoe just in case.” I nodded, hoping it wouldn’t come to that. When the weekend finally arrived, the girls and I hopped on the train all the way to Rainbow Falls. Most of the girls had their usual trinkets like in the show. While I was sure there would be no arguments between the girls, I still brought my whistle along with me.  “Whatcha got in them bags, Rainbow?” Applejack asked, pointing at the saddle bags. “Just some stuff I found lying around my house.” Rainbow pulled a plastic-wrapped dress from one of them. “I haven’t worn this dress in a long time, and I doubt I will ever again.” I assumed Rainbow got it before I arrived in the pony world, because I didn’t recognize the dress at all. Rarity, on the other hand, noticed it immediately. “Hold on, why are you giving away that dress?” Rarity pleaded. “I made it specifically for you!” “Oh...uh...it’s to...promote your business,” Rainbow lied. “Yeah. When ponies realize this dress is from your boutique, they’ll...want to come over and visit!” “Hmph. You are fortunate that I wished to expand my horizons, as it were.” “Moving on, I’m also trading some of my books.” Rainbow pulled out one from her other saddlebag. “I’ve been reading some other stories, but they weren’t as good as Daring Do.” The train stopped in front of the Rainbow Falls station. We all got out and made our way to where the trading event was. “Yes! Best day ever!” Pinkie exclaimed. “We're all going to the Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange! And not just going! We're accompanying a princess on an official royal duty!” “Please, it's not that big of a deal,” Twilight said as we entered the tunnel. “There always has to be a princess at the Exchange. Last year was Princess Cadance, this year it's me. It's just a formality. I'm sure none of the other ponies will even notice I'm here.” The second we exited the dark cave, we were all introduced to a huge crowd of cheering ponies and a downpour of confetti. Twilight’s face on the overhead banner was the indication that the entire town was expecting her. “Could be wrong, but I think they might've noticed,” said Applejack. After the cheering died down, the seven of us split up to begin our trades. I grabbed a map and checked to see where the comic book stall was, since it wasn’t nearby like in the show. Once I got the location, I made my way down the road. I just hope my comic book won’t be the only successful trade out of our group. “Hey, Spike! Over here!” A colt’s voice called out. I looked to see Button Mash waving at me. He was sitting in a tent behind a table full of game cartridges for different systems. “Hey, Button Mash.” I greeted as I approached him. “Are you trading here, too? I hate to break it to you, but you’re on the wrong side of the table to trade.” “What do you mean? This is my booth.” Button showed me the games. “I’m trading away some of my games.” “But aren’t you a little too young to be a vendor?” “Yes. Yes, I am.” Well, I’m not gonna argue with that, given the reference. “So these are the games you’re giving away?” I asked. “That’s right,” Button nodded. “Most of these have been sitting on my shelf and collected so much dust you couldn’t blow it off the cartridges, which I wouldn’t recommend doing unless you want your games to corrode faster. Others were either too boring to continue or have been completed so many times I could beat them with a blindfold. I actually did that with some of these games.” “It’s a wonder how you don’t have a cutie mark in video games yet.” I looked through some of the games. I’ve noticed they were ponified versions of real games back at my old home world. Most of them were for consoles like the PES and Game Colt systems, which I assumed were a ponified NES and Game Boy. There were a few games for more recent consoles, though. Only in Equestria where the time period is in the 2010s, the majority of technology is in the 1990s, and the homes and magic stuff are in the medieval ages. I picked up one of the cartridges that was red and had the title: Ponyture Red. “So did you catch them all in this game?” I asked. “It’s ‘capture them all’ if you’re trying to say the slogan,” Button corrected. “And I have. I already transferred my creatures to my recent game, so the one you’re holding has a clean slate. Interested in trading?” “No thanks.” I put the game down. “I don’t have anything I want to trade with right now. More importantly, I don’t even have a Game Colt or PES.” “Suit yourself.” I left Button Mash’s stand and hurried to find the one with comic books. Eventually, I found it just a few rows down. After a brief discussion with the vendor, I was able to trade my mint comic book for one of his without any problems. We also exchanged some of our used ones between each other. I received some that I haven’t read yet but was planning to buy. Once we finished our trade, I placed all of the comic books in my backpack. The mint one was in a safe pouch on the interior of the the backpack, where the previous one was. I bid the vendor farewell and left the stand. Hopefully, my comic books won’t be damaged this time. I was a bit worried about when Tirek was going to show up. There was no news about him so far, and Celestia confirmed that she sent her guards to look for him and the others. I knew it had to happen after the Equestria games, but I didn’t know how long. Plus, my journey was going to keep me occupied, and I didn’t want to spend too long away and end up coming back to a charred ruin of what was my Ponyville home. “Excuse me, child.” A posh, male voice interrupted my train of thought. I looked to see two unicorns looking at me with more monotone expressions than Maud. Both of them had a light blue coat, a light-brown mane, yellow eyes, and clothing from the Edwardian period.  The male unicorn levitated a coin towards me.  “Heads?” He asked as he pulled out a chalkboard with tally marks. “Or tails?” asked the female unicorn as she pulled out a ceramic plate. With one of my eyebrows furrowed, I took the coin. It had a dragon head on one side and a dragon tail on another. It didn’t look like any kind of currency I ever saw. I assumed it was some sort of collector’s coin. Not wanting to keep the two ponies waiting, I flipped the coin. It landed on the plate and spun for a good five seconds before resting with heads on top. “Told you,” said the mare to the stallion. She got out a piece of chalk and made another tally mark under heads. There were a lot more marks for heads than there were for tails. “Have I seen you two before?” I asked. “Perhaps you have,” the stallion replied . “Perhaps you haven't,” the mare added. “In a different life.” “In a different universe.” “In a dream.” “In a book.” “It’s all the same.” “More or less.” The mare dropped the coin by my feet. I squatted down and picked it up. I was about to hand it back to them, but the two ponies mysteriously vanished into thin air. I only took my eyes off of them for a few seconds, and I didn’t even hear them cast a spell. This felt familiar somehow. I shook my head and decided to see what the other girls were up to.  I went to Twilight first. I was a bit relieved that Pinkie wasn’t nearby. “Hey, Twilight,” I greeted. “How’s the trade going?” “Hey, Spike,” Twilight replied. “Aside from the obnoxious fans, it’s going along okay. Did you trade for what you wanted?” “Yep. I, uh, also got this.” I showed Twilight the coin. “Huh, I’ve never seen one designed like that. Did you get it from that comic book stall?” “No, a pair of peculiar ponies gave it to me,” I replied. “They didn’t trade or anything. They just handed me the coin. I wanted to give it back to them, but they were already gone.” “Interesting. May I see the coin?” I gave Twilight the coin. She carefully scrutinized it. “It has a dragon design,” she said. “That’s very unusual. Doesn’t look like it contains any magic. It must be for a coin collection.” “That’s what I thought,” I replied as she handed it back to me. Suddenly, Twilight gasped. “Spike! Your nose is bleeding!” “What?!” I pressed my fingers against my nose. I then checked them, and they indeed had a red bloodstain. “Oh, shoot! How did that happen?”  I quickly pinched my nose shut. Twilight gave me some tissues, and I inserted some of them into my nostrils.  “It must’ve been the change in pressure and humidity,” Twilight suggested. “Nosebleeds can sometimes happen if you’re at a high altitude. Don’t worry.” “So how many of your books did you trade away?” I asked with my new nasally tone. “About a few.” Twilight showed me a plastic bin with all sorts of trinkets. “At least most of these things will take up less space than my books.” I looked through the bin. That’s when I noticed a broken quill among the pile. I remembered in the show a filly asked to trade if for all Twilight’s books, but it looked like she asked for one this time. “You traded one of your books for a broken quill?” I asked. “It was the filly’s first time trading,” Twilight said defensively. “I couldn’t say no to a cute face.” “You could’ve just politely turned her down, or at least made a counter offer.” “And disappoint her? Spike, I may have mixed feelings about being a princess, but the last thing I need is ponies thinking I’m a bad princess. By the way, you shouldn’t plug your nose with tissues. I only gave you those to wipe off any blood that was leaking out.” “Sorry.” I stayed with Twilight until my nose stopped bleeding. Applejack and Rarity were my next targets, so I went to find them. I didn’t have to go far to see the two sulking at each other. “Uh, oh. What happened?” I asked. “She wanted something worthless that would cost all of our stuff!” The two mares shouted in unison. “The pie tin ain’t worthless!” Applejack retorted. “It’s made of a metal that heats up pies faster! I can wash the rust off, and it’ll be spick and span again!” “Well, that brooch was not worthless either!” Rarity shot back. “It was one of a kind! That’s why it was worth so much! It did not matter that I had the same exact one!” “Alright, that’s enough!” I shouted as I pulled out my whistle. “Don’t make me use this!” “What is that?” Applejack asked. “My argument whistle. Instead of yelling at ponies to pipe down, I just blow this whistle.” “Quite a unique color,” said Rarity. “I didn’t think they still used neon orange.” “Look, we’re getting off-topic here.” I put my whistle away. “It’s clear that neither of you have the same idea about what is valuable. I knew something like this was going to happen when you two had thoughts about combining your assets.” “Well, which do you think is worth it? My pie tin, or Rarity’s second brooch?” Applejack asked. “Tell you what, you two go on ahead and see what else you can trade for. I’ll check the tin plate and the brooch and see which one is worth the trade. Just show me where the stalls are, and I’ll decide for you.” Applejack and Rarity showed me where the stalls were on the map. I went to where the pie tin was first.  The plate was still there. Rust covered more than half of the pie tin, and the parts that weren’t covered were a shade of dark grey similar to cast iron. I picked it up and tapped it a bit. A few loose flakes floated off and lightly coated the tablecloth like ground cinnamon. “See something you like, kid?” the vendor asked. “Just browsing,” I replied. I left and went to the other stall. Just like the pie tin, the brooch remained at the stall untraded. Its arrangement of jewels glistened in the sunlight. After checking to make sure nopony was looking, I wiped the brooch with one of my clean tissues and gave it a quick lick. I tasted many flavors, but the watermelon flavor from the green gems stood out the most to me. It was going to be a challenge to solve this. Both of the items were legit, and their cost was more or less the same. I pondered on what I should say to Applejack and Rarity. Maybe I could lie to them and say the items are fake, or not exactly worth all their items. “Is there something you are interested in, sir?” The vendor stallion asked. “I noticed you were looking at that particular brooch.” “I’m just looking,” I said. “Sorry.” I returned to the girls. They were browsing a coat stall. “Oh, Spike, thank goodness,” said Rarity. “So what did you find out?” “Which one of our items is worth it?” Applejack asked. I sighed. “Neither.” “What?!” The two mares asked in unison. “Rarity, could I see your brooch, please?” “Oh, alright.” Rarity handed me the brooch. “Now, I know what you are thinking, and yes, I am aware it’s the same as...” “I just need to check something.” Like what I did to the brooch back in the stall, I wiped then licked the brooch. The flavors were much more diverse, and instead of watermelon, I tasted green apple. “I knew it. Rarity, that brooch you wanted isn’t as valuable as this one. While the one at the stall is made with genuine gemstones and is probably worth a lot, yours is worth much more. It’s not worth the trade.” “Now, wait just an apple-buckin’ minute,” Applejack butted in. “How in tarnation did you know the difference just by licking Rarity’s brooch?” “Simple. I’m a dragon, and dragons eat gemstones. I also cleaned and licked the brooch over at the stall, and I tasted something that was much different from Rarity’s. The brooch over there was made of emerald, while Rarity’s brooch is made of demantoid, a more valuable gem.” “I did not know this was demantoid,” Rarity gasped as she took the brooch. “I initially thought it was emerald when I first bought it in Ponyville. I suppose that would explain the unusually high price at the time.” “So you can tell the difference between gemstones simply by taste?” Applejack asked. “We dragons have specific taste buds.” I answered. “You thought all gemstones taste the same to us? Each gem has a unique flavor. It’s how we tell the difference between a rare gem and a common one.” “And what do them gems taste like to dragons?” “Just like rock candy. I’m sure you two already know what that’s like.” “I’m afraid I do,” said Rarity as she rubbed her belly. “And I still haven’t burned off all those calories.” “Okay, so why ain’t the pie tin worth it, huh?” Applejack asked. “If the brooch Rarity wanted is less valuable, what’s wrong with the pie tin? Did ya taste the metal, too?” “No. I didn’t need to taste it to know what metal it’s made of,” I said. “I don’t think the extra seconds are worth it, given the material.” “What are ya talking about?” “There’s a reason why they don’t make them anymore. Pie plates such as that one used to give the crusts a metallic taste no matter what you used to prevent stickage. That’s why they discontinued using the metal. Granted, the thermal conductivity of the new material made it so pies would cook slower, but it was much safer and healthier.” “Is this true?” Rarity asked.  Applejack scratched her head. “Come to think of it, I recall one time Granny Smith was ramblin’ about how slow bakin’ took these days because they changed the pie tins. Reckon’ this was one of the reasons why they done it.” “So you see? This is why you should be careful when combining your assets,” I said. “Well, I didn’t think we’d actually find something that was worth all of our stuff,” said Applejack. “Or how Rarity would be so defensive over something she already has.” “You two go on ahead and continue trading for something else. I’m gonna see what Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are up to.” I really hoped that Rainbow’s stuff was enough to trade for the book, or at least enough so that she wouldn’t have to go through multiple trades like in the show. I spotted Fluttershy at a stall with a bunch of different animal calls. At least I knew this was different from the show, which was promising. “Here ya go,” said the vendor as he gave Fluttershy a bird whistle. “Thank you, sir,” Fluttershy said. “I hope you’ll enjoy the bear call.” Fluttershy blew on the whistle, and a bird came and landed on her hoof. “Hey, Fluttershy,” I said as I appeared by her side. “Oh, Spike. I didn’t know this was also a dragon whistle.” “Heh, sorry. I just came on my own terms. Anyway, I see you got to trade what you wanted.” Fluttershy nodded. “I was surprised how much the vendor wanted a bear call.” “So I take it Rainbow’s trade went well, too?” “Oh, my. I still need to check.” “Check? What do you mean?” “Rainbow Dash and the vendor were arguing about the value of the Daring Do book. I quickly left to trade for my bear call. Oh, I hope they’re done arguing.” I hope so, too. Fluttershy and I were just about to head to the stand when Rainbow came up to us. “Rainbow,” said Fluttershy. “Did...did you get the book?” “Sure did!” Rainbow showed us the book that was in a plastic bag like my mint comic. “That stall pony was one tough negotiator, though. It was a good thing most of the books I traded away weren’t of use to me.”  “At least you got what you wanted,” I said. “Say, have either of you seen Pinkie Pie?” Both of them shook their heads. “Was she with you?” Rainbow asked. “No. She wasn’t with Twilight or the other girls either. I’m guessing she’s browsing, but she doesn’t have anything to trade with.” “Unless she’s got something in her mane. That cotton-candy like fluff can hold practically anything.” Once the sun set, The trading event was declared over by Twilight. Everypony packed up and headed back to the train. “I hope everypony got what they were looking for,” Twilight said as we rode back to Ponyville.  “I got my mint comic book without any trouble,” I said. “Along with a few others that were used.” “Wish I could say the same thing,” said Rainbow Dash. “I got my book, but it was so hard to trade with that vendor. I had to explain to her three times how important some of my books were.” “I was able to get a bird whistle,” Fluttershy pointed out. “At least the cottage can rest easy.” “Here.” Rarity gave Applejack a pie tin. “It’s not the same as you wanted, but it should make do.” “Thanks. I got ya this.” Applejack gave Rarity a hair clip. “It only cost half of our stash, but I’ll know you love it.” The two shared a small hug, which I found adorable. “So did you get anything, Pinkie?” Twilight asked. “As a matter of fact, I had a spare rubber chicken (not Boneless), so I traded it away for this.” Pinkie pulled out a book from her mane. “A book?” Rainbow asked. “A cookbook, Dashie! It’s a cookbook! It has so many dessert recipes that I couldn’t resist trading for it!” Pinkie opened it and read through. “Hey, this recipe rings a bell. And so does that one. And that one. And...wait a minute. I know these recipes! What’s going on?” “Let me see that book,” said Twilight. Pinkie gave Twilight the book. She read through it and widened her eyes.  “This book was from my library!” Twilight announced. “You must’ve traded with a pony who I traded with!” “Wow! Ring around the rosie!” Pinkie giggled. “What about you, Twilight?” “I traded a few of my books, but now I’ll need to find some use for a few of these things.” Twilight placed her hoof on the plastic bin. In the end, I was glad to change a few things for this episode. Twilight traded some of her books away with no issues, and Pinkie thankfully didn’t interfere. Rainbow got her book, and Fluttershy got her bird whistle. I was neutral about Rarity and Applejack, but at least they still made up like in the show. Only a few episodes left of Season 4, and I know that they’re all gonna be changed dramatically.