As the omnipotent sun rose lazily over the charming (though, more often than not, in peril of complete destruction) little hamlet known as 'Ponyville', it cast a long shadow on all the familiar shops and domiciliaries in the area. Nothing much ever changed around here, but most citizens enjoyed that comfortable feeling of familiarity from getting up in the morning and seeing the predictable sights and sounds of home.
For example, there's Sugarcube Corner, full of all the tooth-rotting goodness you'd expect from a business with such a 'sweet' name. Rowdy children, unconcerned with their future dental health, often frequented the locale after school was out along with their elder relations, although business had been down somewhat of late. Reports that the recent drop in sales was directly related to a bizarre 'musical' cacophony emitting from the uppermost floor could not be verified at this precise time, but investigators are currently hard at work trying to decipher the riddle... all whilst protected by fluffy earmuffs, of course.
And look! There's Mayor Mare's office, with the veteran politician herself currently hard at work inside dying her man... er, I mean, making the town of which she's so proud a better place. Voters who say they never see her on patrol when there's major crises or even mild disturbances miss the point entirely, for they haven't a clue about the rigours of filing paperwork, spinning around in a chair on wheels or trying to flirt with aides more than half your age. Plus, nopony else has ever tried running against her, so I'd like to see you do better... huh? What do you mean they have? In 'the comics', you say?! Come now, be serious! Let's move on, shall we?
...Well! I don't think I've ever seen this particular flimsy structure before. A tiny insignificant green tent, set up on the outskirts of the square, a mere footnote compared to the colossal buildings that surround it. A solitary bluish young mare with a clipboard stands by the entrance, and as the local residents arise from their nightly slumber to yawn profusely and peek through their curtains, the new arrival begins to get some attention.
One such curious overseer was everypony's favourite Princess (in a recent syndicated survey, much to a certain fuming cake-eater's chagrin) Twilight Sparkle, accompanied as she ever was by her loyal dogsbody, Spike the dragon. They're out and about at the crack of dawn to check the general area where the annual Bring And Buy booksale will be held later that day, when they stumble across the small canvas construction. Immediately glancing at each other with a look of utter confusion, it is the flustered alicorn who speaks first. And boy, is she not a happy horsy. Let's listen in, shall we?
"Hang on just a minute... this was supposed to be the designated spot for my stall." Twilight growled in irritation, as a stamped forehoof caused a slight cloud of dust to appear. "By my own peerless research, it's absolutely perfect. The highest level of visibility, the biggest concentration of dwellings, the closest to my castle so it shouldn't be much trouble when you, I-I mean we lug all the valuable tomes down here... this has to be some kind of mistake! Spike, take a message: 'Dear Celestia, I know you haven't been speaking to me much since the results of that meaningless popularity contest were leaked, but this outrage requires urgent, decisive action, of which only you are capable of...' "
"Uh huh." Spike said dutifully in a monotone voice, as he began mentally preparing for his next appointment with his masseur already. "...Or alternatively, you could just save us both a lot of time and energy by talking to the proprietor directly. If you took a bit of time off from being stressed, you'd see she's standing right over there. Worth a go, maybe?"
"O-Oh, u-um..." Twilight's lavender cheeks blushed crimson momentarily, as she realised her reptilian helper had a point. "See, this is why I drag you along wherever I travel, Spike! You're always coming up with these uncomplicated suggestions I wouldn't think of in a thousand moons, being as how I always analyse everything to the ninth degree! Where would I be without my most trusted assistant? Probably still eking out my days in Canterlot, surrounded by books I'd already read and my usual tiny circle of friends. Now, I'm loved by millions just like that incontrovertible survey said and live in a swanky glittering palace, and I owe some of it at least to you! How can I ever repay your fealty?"
"By adding a couple of zeroes to my pittance of a monthly salary, perchance?" Spike was bravely heard to mumble, whilst keeping eyeline firmly trained on the ground.
"What was that just muttered in my general direction?" Twilight postponed her mini-tantrum long enough to gaze at the penniless dragon suspiciously.
"N-Nothing! Nothing at all, Twi!" Spike quickly broke out of Fantasyland to resume his usual servile demeanour.
"Good! I don't need to lecture you yet again on 'friendship being it's own reward' now, do I?" Twilight shook her head in exasperation at her 'greedy' employee, before turning her thoughts once more to the matter at hoof. "Regardless, it's about time we got to the bottom of this! Follow my lead Spike, and we'll put this interloper straight on the way things work in these parts!"
"C-Coming!" Spike almost tripped over his own tail as he rushed to keep pace with the irate alicorn, and she quickly sidled up to the bluish mare to confront her head-on.
"Hey, you!" Twilight addressed the loitering female equine in an irritable manner. "Do you have permission to be here? You can't just erect this thing overnight, and expect to stay without the proper..."
The uninterested blue mare, who now Twilight had gotten a closer look seemed to have an oddly written 'MEH' cutie mark, simply held up an official-looking piece of paper in response to the alicorn's threat, upon which was printed something in italicised letters.
"And what exactly is this supposed to be?" Twilight initially scoffed at the blue mare's offering, before she took the chance to study it in a bit more detail. "W-What?! I-I can't believe it! How is this even possible?! This is a... bona fide official permit all the way from Canterlot?"
"Valid for the next twenty-four hours, yea." The now bubblegum-chewing mare spoke to Twilight in a thick Fillydelphia accent, before pulling the document away. "Some bigshot old lady gave it to us. Said her name was 'Celia', or something. Very large and white, blowy mane, wings and horns combo just like youse. We didn't even have to negotiate, my boss just mentioned where and when we wanted to pitch up before Celia made it all legal, like. Was much easier than we thought it'd be. Kinda strange actually, but who cares?"
"Y-You couldn't possibly to talking about, 'C-Celestia'? M-My Celestia?!" Twilight's eyes opened as wide as dinner plates, as the apparent scale of her former mentor's petty vengefulness at her for finishing in first position in that 'pointless popularity contest' was laid bare.
"Yea, 'Celestia', that's the gal's name. Pretty nice all in all for an upperclass dame, but that deep-throated laugh she gave as she put her John Hancock onto the paper was sorta weird." The blue mare shrugged her shoulders, before innocuously popping a bubble right next to Twilight's rapidly twitching form. "Speaking of names, mine's Blue Chew by the way. On account of my colouring, and the fact I like to chew things I guess. Never gave it much thought. Anyways, who might you be, and why all the fuss over whether we's on the level?"
"W-What? You don't recognise me?" If the shock of Celestia's silly reprisal against her wasn't enough for the perturbed alicorn to get to grips with, the fact that Blue Chew didn't seem to know who she was further added to her incredulous mood. "I-I'm Twilight Sparkle. You know, Princess Of Friendship? Element Of Magic? Saved the world a bunch of times?! I am pretty well known around these parts, without sounding boastful..."
"Nope. Can't say youse face rings a bell." Blue Chew explained rather bluntly, as she went to shove another stick of gum in her mouth. "I never take much interest in the affairs of the monarchy. It don't sit right with me anyhow, that they get their butts wiped for them while the rest of us proles have to scrimp and save just to get by. I mean, check out my situation: Forced to take this demeaning minimum wage job just so's I can move out of my parent's loft and into my own nest. The day the higher-ups have the silver spoons knocked out of their privileged cakeholes so the socialist revolution can begin anew can't come soon enough, as far as I'm concerned."
"N-Now listen here, you. The last time anypony wiped my... wait, what am I saying?! Grrrr!!" Twilight was about to blow her top (quite literally, as white energy was beginning to pulsate off the top of her horn) at the dismissive underachiever, before a sweaty Spike swiftly interrupted and perhaps save Blue Chew a one way ticket to the moon for her trouble.
"E-Er... Twilight. Have you forgotten why we wandered over here in the first place?" Spike was determined to keep up his reputation as an efficient peacekeeper. "Something to do with nicely asking these good ponies if they could move their tent just a few inches this way? You say you'd be 'eternally grateful, and forever in their debt' if they could do you this one small favour? Right?!"
Twilight glanced at the pleading dragon as if he were mad, before the cogs and gears began to slide into place. "Oh? Oh! Yes, that's exactly why I came over here! Well remembered, Spike! So how about it, then? If you could find it in your heart to relocate this stall a scooch to the left there, I'd be much obliged! And as you may not know, winning the favour of a royal is not something to be sniffed at..."
"Ain't got nothing to do with me." Blue Chew quickly dismissed the notion she could make this kind of decision alone. "Youse gonna to have to talk to the boss about that. I just sit here and takes the money, as well as make sure the queue don't get too rowdy along the way. She's inside right now, getting things set up."
"Fine, fine..." Twilight grimaced in annoyance, as she went to push past Blue Chew without a second thought. "Guess I'll have to ask her myself, then."
"Whoa lady, cool your hooves! Are you trying to get me fired?" Displaying more emotion in that one moment than the entire time they'd been talking before, Blue Chew jumped up suddenly to block Twilight's path through the front flap of the tent. "Can't you read the sign? It applies to everyone, no matter what your species or rank. No exceptions, I'm afraid. Apart from the boss, course."
"What sign? I don't see any..." Twilight initially denied all knowledge of such a thing, until she saw the wooden apparatus Blue Chew had been leaning against previously. "Wait. What do you mean 'No Females Allowed'?!"
"Exactly how it's written there, in big red caps." Blue Chew answered with a pronounced frown, as she realised in her haste to prevent Twilight from entering she'd accidentally swallowed her gum. "So, if you want to see the boss about your proposal, youse have to wait until the end of the day, cos she ain't budging an inch. I can tell youse that for free."
"B-But, the book festival will be over and done by then, so they'll be no point!" Twilight wailed incessantly, as her plans were rapidly coming undone at the seams. "It's not fair! That's so discriminatory! Oh Spike, what are we to..."
At this point, Spike was predictably opening his jaws to illuminate the world with yet another of his patented sarcastic sayings, but for a change Twilight wasn't listening. You see, a most fantastical scheme had popped into her noggin, as simple as it was brilliant, as clever as it was cunning, as ruthless as it was efficient...
...And with a loyal dragon's 'willing' participation, everything was about to come into fruition.