Sleepy Beachtime Princess Dreams (Preview)

A preview for an upcoming Summer of Ponies tale, featuring a special, sleeping being~ Enjoy!

With the blanket laid out, he slipped on top of it and fell back with a soft thud. He stared up at the underside of that umbrella, seeing the partial, fading night sky beyond it. He could feel his blinks dragging out longer.

Just gonna… just gonna lay here… enjoy the breeze… so quiet… He was fading fast.

He was going to take a nice, little nap. He could enjoy the sunshine and atmosphere when he woke up. He could get that sunblock on afterwards too. Everything could wait until he was done resting. Then, all of this trouble will have been worth it.

With one, long, extended, drawn-out closing of the eye, Athan dozed off.

Waaaaaake up~

Athan fidgeted in place, mouth twitching.

Open your eyes, Athan~. Open them now.

The man slowly opened them. Wha…? His eyes opened wide. He reached up, readjusting his glasses on his face, and then blinking a few times. The sight he saw was true.

The beach umbrella was gone. The other umbrellas were gone. His cooler and bag were gone. Even the lifeguard shack down the way was gone. All that was left was the blanket and beach he laid on.

However, the atmosphere of the beach was otherworldly. It was darker out, but yet also, strangely, brighter? The cosmos filled the night sky with huge stars and galaxies, almost like out of a science fiction film. The color and vibe was blue and purple, bathing the surrounding area in a strange glow.

Athan… The voice called to him again. It was ethereal, hauntingly beautiful in a way.

He stood up, his legs shaking, and looked around. He saw no one. “Where… are you?”

There was another glow now, one brighter and otherworldly. It lit up behind him, casting a long shadow on him and warming his back. He gulped, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. He didn't want to turn. It felt almost as if it was a nightmare.

Yet, he did turn around and faced it.

There stood a large… shape. It was hard for him to fully comprehend what he was looking at exactly. It glowed, its insides, its surface like the cosmos above. It towered over him, over two stories if he had to guess but probably even more. The glob of space had an equine-esque shape to it, one with a flowing mane and tail that moved like a flag in the breeze.

Looking at it longer, he couldn't help but feel it had an almost familiar, cartoon pony shape to it. He could've been imagining it, but it looked so nostalgic in a way.

Regardless, the sight of it frightened him. Once the shock wore off enough, he stumbled back onto his butt, his jaws trembling. What… what is that? Where did it come from?

He gulped. Where are we?

Athan… I know what you desire. The creature spoke, yet, it had no mouth. The part of it that resembled a horse's head didn't move either. I know what you want. You wish to be amongst this beach, to enjoy oneself, correct?

Athan didn't answer. He certainly had no idea how to properly talk to such a being as this.

So, it kept speaking. I know all. Everything you thought about, wanted as you drifted off to sleep. It was loudly sent across the dreamscape.

“What…” Athan managed to finally croak something out. “What are you?!”

I am Tantabus. The being seemed to glow brighter than before. Some may call me a dream parasite, but, today, I deliver to you something grand. I grant you your truest, deepest dream, want, desire… Not only will you be able to enjoy the day, but I, too, will be able to do so as well.

“I… I don't understand.” That was an understatement, and he knew it.

I cannot enjoy the waking world as this, but, by finding someone as yourself with such strong wants and desires, I can now.

“Wha-what?” His mind told him to run, but he couldn't feel his legs.

You will understand soon. With that, the being morphed. It was as if the thing became liquid, instantly losing shape and falling to the sand. However, it quickly reformed as a flowing substance that looked like a wave. It swirled up and flew at him like an incoming tsunami.