//------------------------------// // Day of the Thousand Forms // Story: Noblesse Oblige // by vazak //------------------------------// 'There was over one thousand of them!' More than that even, the endless multitudes seemed to stretch into the sky, travelling onward into the starry, infinite beyond. Or at least that's how the the mornings workload looked to Trixie; having woken up and been greeted by a small stack of papers marked "urgent!" before she could remove her sleeping cap and don her great and powerful hat. "This was meant to be my day off!" Trixie cried out, enraged at the injustice of the cosmos. Her anger lasted all of five seconds before she heard somepony calmly sipping coffee. 'So that's why it smells in here.' She thought, turning an accusing set of eye's on the witness to her misery. Oh she recognized that slurp, it carried that smug sense of self satisfaction the likes of which only a pony as magnificent as she should display. It was her assistant, Pokey, and he was smirking at her. "Morning boss, lovely day isn't it?" he asked, a manure eating grin spread on his face like butter over burnt toast. 'I must be really hungry' she thought, her stomach voiced it's own morning complaints. "What is so funny Pokey? And, more importantly, why are there forms on my desk?" she asked through gritted teeth while he continued to loudly slurp down his, or rather her, coffee. He actually looked a little confused at that question. "That's your paperwork boss, I saw them in the slot and thought i'd bring them in, figured it'd be the least I could do seeing as i'll be out of reach for the rest of the day." he replied topping his sentence off by downing the remaining morning joe and leaving the mug on the table. "Pokey, that's the how, not the why, do try to keep up" she snapped back, Telekinetically reaching for the coffee pot herself, only to find it completely empty and stained, 'dammit'. "Someone's brain fired up this morning, you'll want to get to work before you tire out" he replied sardonically. Before Trixie could get a word in edge wise, Pokey spoke. "What are ya so shocked about boss, it's still a Monday after all; besides, even if you did sleep in, there isn't that much to do, you'll be done before lunch, maybe even brunch." he said, completely missing the point. "Pokey, it was meant to be a day off, everypony else gets a day off, that's why it's a public holiday!" she replied, slowing and stressing her words to make the point more clear. "Um, little problem there boss, it's not your day off it's everypony else's, Night Court reps, nobles and the like don't get a break." He replied simply. She stared a moment as his words, and facts she had been hoping to ignore forced their way into the forefront of her mind. "C’est des conneries!" Pokey looked at her curiously, likely trying to gauge just how offended he should be by her exclamation. The answer was, a lot. On a technical level, Trixie had known it was not a holiday -celebrating some such a thing- that she would be able to celebrate, after-all, she'd grown up with Luna and she'd not taken that particular day off. "If I, the princess of Equestria does not rest, then neither can my representatives and courtiers, besides it is not truly our day is it?" But just because Trixie had known that did not mean she hadn't been hoping that everypony else didn't or that they'd at least not give her any work, but it seems fate -smarmy bastard that it was- intended to ruin her plans for a day of relaxation. Evidently having seen his employers thoughts drifting, Pokey made for the door with a quiet but polite "bye boss" but just as he was about to make his exit the door handle refused to budge, wrapped as it was in a blue telekinetic grip. "And just where do you think you're going?" she snapped irritably, eye's flicking back between the empty coffee jar, the paper and her erstwhile assistant in annoyance. He turned back and replied "Um, out, it's a day off after all, I was thinking of heading to the ba-" "You can't leave me alone with this, If I have to work so do you, you're an employee of the Night Court!" she cried, misery loved company after-all. There was a slight cough and Trixie could practically feel her assistant gearing up for a "lesson" where he recited some code or by law that protected him and punished her, 'Luna has to revise some of these sometime' she thought. "Technically, i'm just an assistant and if you were merely a representative and not a member of the Night Court itself, then there'd be no problem, but Dame Trixie. you are obligated to serve the crown. While I am not bound by the honorable laws that keep this country running to work today, unlike some newly minted nobles; well I've got a train to catch, bye!" he cried jovially, making another beeline for the door. "ggbhuh, if you weren't going to help me out, why did you even come by this morning?" she asked through gritted teeth, every moment spent grilling Pokey was another minute in which her paper work might spontaneously combust. She could dream right? His eye's wide Pokey replied "Oh I was actually coming by to steal your hat and cloak then auction them off, i've already made a mint of you're pens and plates, such is the price of fame Trixie." Trixie's jaw dropped, her face started to go from it's usual light baby blue to red as her horn shone. "Kidding! I ran out of coffee and your place was on the way; figured I could at least bring your mail in. Oh! you're out of coffee by the way, might want to do something about that" he said happily, blissfully unaware of his near destruction as Trixie's focused vanished and he casually walked out the door and into the autumn breeze, a veritable skip in his step. Hopelessly, Trixie made her way to to her office, not even bothering to close the front door as it banged helplessly in the wind, no holiday, no coffee, no assistant and she was already behind on her apparently "urgent" work. 'Could this day get any worse?' she pondered. The first form of which seemed prove that, yes, this indeed could get worse, as it went into great detail regarding a sudden "drought" in town spirit, with the amended note that, yes, she did have to read the whole report because town spirit was very important as was the form's suggestion to make the young representatives home "cheerier." Outside her window, with the draft upon her uncaped back Trixie could hear the laughter of foals, the dancing and merry making of free ponies, unburdened the heavy and metallic bonds of royal duties. The Element of Magic took a small glance at her desktop calender, intent on reminding herself just what awful holiday it was that would punish her with work and reward Pokey with freedom. And so it read: Administrative Professional's Day. 'To honor all the hard working secretaries and assistance of the noble Night Court and of the business's that keep our nation running; truly you are an inspiration.' Letting her head drop to the desk with a loud "thunk" she spoke. "I hate Monday's..."