"WHAM!"
"ACK! What in the hay?!?"
Hikaru jumped up from the loud crash and found himself staring directly into the angry eyes of his father.
He had fallen asleep on the job yet again as he found this to be happening to him more often then usual.
"Again?" questioned Storm Ray; Hikarus' father, in an angry tone. "This is the 4th time this month! What is the problem!?"
"I'm sorry..." Groaned Hikaru wiping the sleep from his eyes. "It won't happen again."
Storms face suddenly showed a look of great annoyance. "Thats exactly what you said the last time this happened...."
Sensing his fathers annoyance, Hikaru decided to just stay quiet and listen to the lecture he knew oh so well was coming.
"You know the risk of falling asleep with the job you have. What if somepony is walking by late at night and sees you asleep at the counter? Don't you think its real easy for them to just walk on in and take some of our art or furniture? Need I remind you how much we had to pay for some of this?"
Hikaru shook his head.
"It was allot and we couldn't afford it overnight. And what if somepony walks in wanting a room? Don't you think it reflects badly on our hotel if our workers are seen ASLEEP on the job? We are always being reviewed, we need to maintain our 5 star status in Equestria. We are the main hotel that ponies from all around see when they look up hotels in this area, and for good reason, I won't have our image destroyed by a worker who can't stay awake, a worker who is my own family. This pattern of yours needs to stop! Do you understand?"
Hikaru simply nodded feeling rather embarrassed but also annoyed.
Storm sighed and glanced over at the water tank which was almost empty.
"Good. I'm going to go talk to somepony about refilling the water tank. Don't let me catch you asleep again. Got it?"
" Yes sir." Said Hikaru brushing away the black and green hair of his mane from the front of his face.
"And get a trim will you?" Said Storm looking at his son in slight disgust. "You look like an uneducated punk."
With that note, Storm disappeared down the hallway.
Hikaru sighed and looked in the mirror.
"Well I think my mane looks just fine..." He thought to himself.
Hikaru had grown up in his fathers hotel and as soon as he could talk, his father had been throwing him into doing all sorts of jobs and duties around the hotel.
His father has opened the "Equestria Suites" hotel many years ago, and thanks to his business skills, and the hiring of good workers, the hotel had become one of the most famous hotels in all of Equestria.
Hikaru was happy that his fathers business had done so well, but he hated having to work there. Especially because besides school, it took up ALL of his free time. The second he got off of school, he had to start his work in the massive 11 story building doing whatever Storm instructed him to do. All this work, for a small allowance.
Hikaru also felt that it was because of being forced into this job that he didn't have his cutie mark yet. He knew that he was probably the oldest in all of Equestria to not have a cutie mark yet. "Those 3 young fillies I see running around complaining they don't have theirs yet, they have no right to complain." He often thought to himself. Storm always told him that his cutie mark would come in time. "Yeah, in time, says the one who always says I can't go anywhere to even try to find my true calling cause I need to work the night shift...and day shift......and afternoon shift..."
Hikaru stretched out and shook himself off trying to wake himself up a bit. He glanced over at the vending machine,
"I guess I could use a drink, something cold might wake me up a bit."
He bought a lemonade and went back behind the counter.
The cool lemonade was very refreshing and he found it did help him to feel more alert.
He grabbed his music player and selected one of his favorite playlist titled "Escape".
The playlist consisted of many of his favorite trance tracks that he had gathered over the years. He loved the way trance music could just make him feel as if he was free, off in his own little world, where everything just felt peaceful, magic, and well....awesome.
He could spend hours just listening to different trance tunes and not even realize that it had been hours. Even if the songs he played he had heard over 1000 times, he never grew tired of them. He just loved the sound of the ambient backgrounds, the relaxing synth, and of course, the heavy bass.
Hikaru soon found himself lost in the world of his music. So much so that he had not noticed the pony who had walked into the hotel and up to the counter.
"HIKARU!"
"Wha? The hay? Oh! Hey Sky!"
Sky Breeze was Hikarus best friend from school. She worked with her uncle at the "Forever Flying" kite shop a few buildings down.
Hikaru had met her a few semesters ago in one of his classes. She was the only pony who was willing to talk to him and even when he had expressed no interest in further relationship, she continued to talk to him daily and hang out with him. Hikaru was a very shy and introverted pony, who rarely talked to anypony else unless approached. He honestly felt rather insecure with himself, probably no help from Storm always putting him down. Nopony ever wanted to be Hikarus friend as he was always just seen as "the quiet pony in the corner" in school. Which made it odd that Sky seemed to really want to get to know him. At first, Hikaru thought that maybe she just wanted to get on his good side cause she knew who his dad was and being a friend of his son could get her allot of perks. But he soon found this totally not true. Hikaru very much appreciated Sky, and he was happy to call her his best friend.
"I was afraid you fell asleep again!" Joked Sky with a sarcastic smile.
Hikaru laughed and tossed his music player into a drawer. "Well, yeah...My dad caught me earlier asleep again, wasn't too happy about that you can imagine."
"Oh yes I can." Replied Sky knowingly.
Hikaru sighed. "So hey! What brings you here at 1 in the morning huh? Trying to sneak in and get some of those mints that we leave on pillows that I know you love oh so much?"
"Hey now!" Laughed Sky throwing a brochure that was on the counter at Hikaru. "I may like those but not enough to STEAL them."
"Yeah yeah I know..." Laughed Hikaru dodging the brochure. "You are too good for that."
"What can I say?" Said Sky giving her best innocent and angelic eyes. " Im a perfect little angel!"
"Oh gosh..." Said Hikaru laying his head down in his hooves.
Sky pushed Hikarus hooves away from his face. "But really, I came over cause I wanted to give you this!"
Sky handed him a small blue flyer.
Hikaru opened it and read it slowly.
"Nocturnal Oasis."
July 27th
10 PM to 2 AM.
At the Starlight Den.
Featuring:
Armane Van Burren
Ferry Colsten
Dumanede
DJ Spiral Hooves.
DJ PON-3....."
"I know all those ponies!" Said Hikaru loudly. "I have all of their tracks in my playlist! Oh wow, and they are all coming here? To Ponyville? No way! I soooo have to go to this! Oh my gosh! When......July 27th....2 weeks! I need to go to this! Like I reallllyyyy need to go to this Sky! I have always dreamed of seeing these ponies live!"
Sky laughed at her friends excitement.
"Well lucky for you, I happen to know the even organizer, he said he can get me and 4 friends in for free! And I just so happen to have a ticket here for one very special friend of mine!"
Hikarus eyes opened as wide as saucers. "YESOHMYGOSHTHANKYOUTHANKYOU" Screamed a happy and jumping Hikaru as he reached for the ticket.
"Na ah!" Said Sky pulling the ticket away from Hikarus snatching hooves.
"If you want this, you will have to give me something I want first!"
"Wha?" Asked Hikaru trying to think of what Sky could possibly want. He noticed Sky glancing over to his right. Looking to his right, he saw what she she wanted, for there, behind the counter. was the large bowl of mints.
"I should have known." Sighed Hikaru. He grabbed the entire bowl and handed it to Sky. "If my Dad asks me, don't worry, Ill tell him they got old or something."
"Thank you Mr. Ray!" Said Sky cheerfully taking the bowl and leaving the ticket on the counter. "I better be going now. My parents HATE me staying out late.
"Aight, see ya!" Said Hikaru. " AND FOR THE LAST TIME, STOP CALLING ME MR. RAY, YOU'RE MAKING ME FEEL OLD!"
"Oh whatever!" Laughed Sky leaving. "See ya!"
Hikaru leaned back in his chair and looked up at the flyer in his hoof.
"This is gonna be amazing." He thought to himself. "Getting to see them live, in pony, right there!" He grabbed his music player and went started playing his favorite track from Ferry Coltsten.
"Now to try to get out of work that night....that aint gonna be easy. But whatever it takes, Ill do it, Im not missing this for my LIFE!"
Hikaru turned up the volume and let himself once again, become lost in the world of trance.
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