CYOA Badluck Femanon Ch 8

Chapter 8

 

>"You vow to never let anyone touch you again?"

>You jump.

>"Scared?"

>You watch as Mara materializes in front of you.

>How did he know what you were thinking?

>"Very easily."

>He gives a small, uninterested laugh.

"What, you read minds now?"

>"Only yours. Only when I have the strength to, and only when you're vulnerable."

>You watch as he grabs your toothbrush and toothpaste and starts scrubbing his teeth.

>Hey!

>Dick.

>"Your pony friends made a few ground rules. Well I have a few myself."

>He spits.

>"You are mine now. Go back on your promise and I will make your life hell."

>You could have figured as much.

>"Second thing. Despite me being all... demonic, and all that, I'm actually a cool guy. But all of that can change, depending on you."

"Me?"

>"Yes. You."

>He gargles some water.

>"This whole arrangement is so I can survive."

>You don't follow.

>"Incubi absorb the life energy of those that they enrapture. It's how they stay around. Survive."

>You blink.

>This comes as a surprise.

>"Before I was sealed away, which was some... thousand years ago, I was quite energetic. My running tally was one short of 9000 mares."

>You roll your eyes.

>"Now that I have you, though, I won't be needing anyone else."

>You stare at him.

"What?"

>"This is the first time anyone has willingly made a pact with an incubi. And after what I'm about to tell you next, you won't be able to break ties with me."

>Great.

>What is he going to say next?

>"So glad you asked. Well my little sweet-"

>He lightly taps the top of your head.

>"-I'm not going to just shrivel up and die. The whole draining feeling you had last night? That was me stealing energy away from you. Though I gotta say, you're a stud. You lasted longer and gave me more energy than I ever got from those mares."

>You feel sort of disgusted.

>He just called you a stud.

>"Anyway, this is how it's going to be. Either you submit willingly, and enjoy it, like I know you did last night... or I feast off of your dreams, giving you nightmares forever."

>Stealing life energy?

>Nightmares forever?

>You groan.

>"It's your choice."

>You look at him.

"I won't die faster if I let you 'absorb me', right?

>"If anything, you'll live longer."

>Longer?

>"I take away pain and stress. A few other things too, but yeah, should make you live longer."

>You can't believe what you're hearing.

"... what are those other things?"

>"Sorrow. Regret. Embarrassment. Inhibition. A little bit of morality too. It's a pretty long list, should I go on?"

>You shake your head.

>You think you got it.

>"Come on love."

>He slithers his way beside you.

>"You enjoyed last night. Don't tell me you didn't, cause I can read your mind."

"I-..."

>"You really shouldn't have any reason to complain. It's a win-win for both of us."

>All of this... it's too much.

>You turn the faucet on.

>The shower head sprays Mara, making him disappear with the steam.

>He reforms at the doorway.

>"Just think on it."

>You grumble and continue with your shower.

 

>You clean up after yourself and get dressed.

>Fuck, how are you supposed to make a choice?

>He's twisting your mind around, clouding your judgment.

"Going to town."

>You grab your rucksack.

>Mara floats behind you.

"... pony form. Now."

>He obliges, turning into a generic looking colt.

>The two of you walk to town.

>You bump into a few friends.

>Daisy and Berry Punch were two.

>"Anon, so glad to see you're back!"

>"Where'd you go? We were worried you had gotten yourself hurt."

"I'm fine. I was sorta dragged out of Ponyville."

>"Who's the little colt?"

"I'm foalsitting, and sorry... I'm a little busy at the moment."

>You excuse yourself rather quickly, pulling Mara with you.

>"Avoiding conversation isn't very nice."

"Shut up."

>You walk into Sugarcube Corner, leaving Mara on the doorstep.

"Talk to no one."

>You say before slamming the door.

>You slide down it, hugging your feet.

>You don't exactly have a way out.

>You wonder if leaving the cave was worth it.

>It was like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. Except you get some minor medical attention afterwards.

>"Anon?"

>You look and see Pinkie Pie.

>You can't show yourself to her like this.

>You take a deep breath.

"Hey Pinkie."

 

>Pinkie seats you at a table and brings you several buckets of the Cake's finest desserts.

>"You look like you need some comfort food."

>She shoves a spoon of double chocolate ice cream into your mouth.

>You gag slightly, but still eat it.

>You weren't a big fan.

>Vanilla and strawberry were more your thing.

>You scoop up some more ice cream.

"Hey Pinkie?"

>She chomps on a triple layered cake.

>"What's up?"

"If you had the opportunity to live longer, would you take it? Even if it meant you would lose something important?"

>Pinkie tilts her head.

>"Well I guess that would depend. How important is the thing you're losing?"

>You're not sure how much your sanity ranks on a scale of importance.

>It's gotta be pretty high.

"Pretty important."

>Pinkie Pie licks the frosting off her face.

>"Like mega-whipped-cream with sprinkles important? Or frozen chocolate geyser important?"

>...

>What?

>"What? You've never seen a frozen chocolate geyser?"

>You plant your face against the table.

>Pinkie Pie probably isn't the best person to ask for advice.

>"Well, if it's really important to you, then you should ask yourself. Do I really want this cherry on top of the ice cream banana split sundae with nuts and sprinkles and extra caramel sauce? Or can I live without the superdelicious juicy big red as the final bite."

>She licks some syrup dribbling down the side of her hoof.

>"Everyp0ny sees it differently. Personally, I'd want the cherry, but if I could live longer and enjoy more ice cream without it... I might consider it."

>She smiles.

>You blink.

>That actually sorta made sense.

 

>You want the cherry too.

>And if he won't give it to you, you'll just have to compromise.

>You thank Pinkie.

>She helped you a bit.

>She smiles.

>"Want any more cake?"

"I'll be alright. I have to get going."

>"Okie dokie lokie."

>You take one final bite of strawberry goodness and leave the restaurant.

>"How come we've never see you around before?"

>Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are talking with Mara.

>He's not talking back.

>"Uh, hello?'

>She covers her mouth with a hoof.

>"I think he's a little empty in there."

"Not empty."

>You step in between them.

"Just obedient."

>You pull him by the ear and start heading towards the library.

>You need to talk to Twilight.

>See if she can use some magic to help your situation a bit.

>"Anon? Whatcha doin' that for?"

>Applebloom is following you.

>"Yeah, can't he walk?"

>Scootaloo too.

>You puff some hair out of your face in frustration.

>You don't have the patience to deal with these two right now.

 

>After a few steps and a few annoying questions later, you reach the library door.

>You reach to knock on the door.

>It opens before you can touch it.

>"Oh... Anon. I wasn't expecting to see you so soon."

>You notice she has a bag slung across her back.

"Twilight... I need to see if you have any books bout, well, incubi."

>"I'm not sure if I do. But I'm really sorry, I can't right now. Something's come up with Sweetie Belle and Rarity."

>"Something's wrong with Sweetie Belle?"

>Scootaloo jumps on her scooter.

>Where did that come from?

>"Come on Applebloom, we gotta help her!"

>"Wait girls!"

>Twilight tries chasing off after them.

>She's not nearly that fast.

>She turns and calls for you.

>"Anon, you can talk with Spike! He'll help you."

>"Huh?"

>You hear a voice from inside the library.

>"Someone say my name?"

>You drag Mara in and shut the door.

>"Oh, hey there Anon. Glad to see you're back safe and all."

>You look at the little dragon.

>"Is that a... baby dragon?"

>Mara says.

>He starts laughing.

>Spike looks at you.

>You shrug.

>"Y-yeah. So what if I am?"

>"I'm sorry... it's just- the last time I saw a baby dragon was on a dinner plate. Served to King Sombra."

>What?

>"Huh? Wh-what are you t-talking about?"

"Yeah, what are you talking about?"

>Spike's tail is quivering.

>He's gripping a book tightly.

>Oh boy, this isn't gonna go well.

 

>"Yes. They had a baby dragon, completely descaled. His flesh was a nice crispy golden color, with a giant red apple shoved in his mo-"

>You grab the nearest book and smash Mara's head with it.

>"Ow, what the hell is that for?"

"Not. Now."

>Spike's a mess.

>He's practically in a ball right now.

>Damn it.

>Stupid Mara.

>"I heard that."

"Good."

>You chuck the book at him and walk over to Spike.

>"Hey... it's okay. No evil kings are going to try and eat you."

>You gently pat his shoulder.

>He looks at you with fearful eyes.

>You give him a smile.

"Besides, you're a fearless firebreathing dragon, right?"

>Spike smiles.

>"Yeah. Yeah, you're right!"

>He stands up and shoots Mara an icy glare.

"Ignore him. I need your help."

>"Sure thing."

"You have any books on spirits?"

>"Which kind?"

>He jumps on the shelf ladder.

>"We have stuff on wandering spirits, ghouls, goblins, ghosts, spectres, banshees, revenants, and wraiths. We also have stuff on fallen angels, demons, and the dearly departed now lost."

>Wow.

>That's uh… a pretty large list.

>Shit.

>What does Mara fall under?

"Uh... got any on incubuses?"

>"Incubi? Sure."

>He slides the ladder across the room and climbs up two rungs. He comes back with a skinny red book.

>By skinny, you mean there's like 20 pages in it.

>Crap.

>Mara chuckles.

>"There isn't much on us. Mainly because incubi are supposed to vanish without a trace."

>Spike stares at Mara.

>"Yeah... he's right."

>Mara bows his head slightly.

>"How'd he know that?"

>Mara's body starts shifting.

>"Because, little dragon-"

>He turns back into his ghostly red black form.

>"I'm one of them."

 

>Spike yells, diving underneath a pile of books.

"Dammit Mara, this is why we can't go to nice places with nice people around!"

>"We went to two places, here, and that sugar place. Also, I believe you meant p0nies."

>You facepalm.

>He knows what you meant.

>"Yeah."

"Well, could you change back? Please?"

>Mara chuckles.

>"Of course my dear, all you had to do was ask."

"Don't patronize me."

>Mara shifts back into his tiny colt form.

>You look back at Spike.

>"W-why is there an incubus here? W-wait a sec."

>His head jerks towards you.

>"D-don't tell me. He's with you?"

>You sigh and give a small nod.

>"Whoa, that's gotta... suck."

>He gives you a look.

>Like he feels sad for you.

>Great.

>You're getting pity from a baby dragon.

>"Hey, it could be worse. Could be getting pity from a complete shut-in. Oh wait, that's Twilight."

>Did he just?

>He just insulted Twilight.

>That's rude.

>Spike starts chuckling.

>"He's kinda right."

>"I know right? Knuckle touch."

>He puts out a hoof.

>Spike pounds it with a fist.

>You slap both your hands on your head and smear them all over your face.

>Wasn't Spike scared of Mara a second ago?

>You flail your hands for a second before opening the incubi book.

>You skim through it.

>It basically tells you everything that you already knew.

>Nothing about the whole draining thing though.

>Or living off of someone's life energy.

>The last ten pages are crappy drawings from p0nies claiming to be victims.

>You notice that each drawing shows one similar trait.

>They all show the incubus to be tall.

>Brown hair.

>With batty wings.

>Human shaped.

>You blink and look at Mara.

>Was Mara a human?

 

>If he was, he isn't anymore.

>You flip through the book.

>You don't seem to notice anything useful.

>The last page has art that's really detailed though.

>Has the incubus bent over a fallen mare.

>Wait...

>You take a second look.

>The mare is bloody and dead.

>And the incubus is crying.

>You gulp.

>That's not something you want to think about at the moment.

>You know you tried killing yourself over this earlier, but now you have options.

>There has to be another way.

>You shut the book.

>An Inkling of Incubi.

>Yeah. Not much to be seen.

>You find a seat at a table and bang your head against it.

>This is never going to end.

>You're going to be stuck this way you're entire life.

>"Whoa, that's so cool! Do me next."

>You look at Mara.

>He's transforming.

>He turns into a carbon copy of Spike.

>"How's this?"

>Even the voice is the same.

>Well, that's certainly something.

>A little worrying though.

>You groan.

>Spike and other Spike walk up to you.

>"Hey, Mara isn't so bad."

>"Yeah, he's actually kinda fun to be around."

"Fuck. Me."

>"We already kinda did."

>"We did?"

>They stare at each other.

>"You mean, you did?"

>"I'm you right now, aren't I?"

>"Oh yeah, that kinda makes sense. I guess we did."

>You let out a deranged laugh.

>"You okay?"

>"Yeah? You okay?"

 

>You turn towards the Spikes.

"Oh yeah. I'm just peachy. Going insane over this entire predicament, but it's probably nothing to worry about. After all, who cares about a single insignificant human life in the world of ponies. And after all this time, trying to come up with a plan, trying to save myself from a life of fucking torture LITERALLY, I've come up with nothing. Zip. Zero. Diddly squat. So yeah. I'm great."

>"Really?

"NO, YOU LITTLE DIPSHIT, I'M NOT FUCKING OKAY."

>One of the Spikes falls backwards.

>The other just smirks at you.

>"Been thinking about my offer?"

"Everything but. Change back, now."

>Mara nods.

>You turn towards the real Spike.

"Sorry about that."

>"N-not a pr-problem."

>You watch as Mara shifts back into his ghostly old self.

>"So. What's it going to be, Anonymous?"

 

>You stand up and walk out of the library.

>You're going to find Twilight and the three of your are going to have a very long chat.

>He's got no choice but to follow you if he wants to hear your answer.

>And you need some time to think.

>You hear footsteps behind you.

>Mara changed back into genericolt.

>"Think about what? I can hear everything you're saying."

"Didn't you say I had to be vulnerable to read my mind?"

>"You are vulnerable right now."

>You feel something slide up the back of your shirt.

>You gasp and squirm slightly.

"Cut it out!"

>"Cut out what?"

>Yes!

>Saved by Twilight.

>Whatever it was, whips itself off your back, double time.

>You glare at Mara.

>He looks away and whistles.

"It's nothing."

>"Okay? Did Spike find what you were looking for?"

"Not exactly. Rarity okay?"

>"They came down with some bug."

"What, like the flu?"

>"Yeah. Flew bug bites. Made them start flying every time they took a step. You should have seen them, Rarity was barely holding onto the flag atop her shop."

>You aren't even phased by this.

"I was actually looking for you just now. You free?"

>She nods.

"I need your help with some negotiations."

 

>You drag the two of them back to your home.

>You sit in silence for a few minutes.

>The fact that Mara could have been a human is bothering you.

>You also can't shake the feeling that Mara isn't telling you everything he could be.

>And to make matters worse, you really have no idea the extent of his power.

>He could blow Ponyville to sky high.

>You don't even want to consider the fact that he could force you into eternal torment.

>And what was all that stuff about being drained of morality and embarrassment?

>Is he really capable of turning you into a soulless sex toy?

>What if he's lying?

>He could have been lying to you this whole time.

>But how could you tell?

>Suicide doesn't seem like a good option. Maybe as a last resort, but not on the table right now.

>"Uh, Anon?"

>"You going to say something or what?"

>You blink.

>You turn towards Mara.

"We... both want this to go as painlessly as possible, right?"

>"Of course."

>You turn to Twilight.

>"What do you know about incubi?"

>"Incubi? I don't think I'm in any position to s-"

"Any information is better than what I have now."

>You give her a pleading look.

>She caves.

>"From what I've read in mythology books, incubi are born out of lusting desire. Some p0ny, or any creature for that matter, used magic and something went terribly wrong. The result is... that."

>She points to Mara.

>"Pleasant."

>Twilight continues.

>"But something confused me. The name Mara comes from mara spirit right?"

>You nod.

>"Maras are demons that take pleasure in causing nightmares. They aren't supposed to have any corporeal characteristics, and while they do absorb energy that comes from mares, it's not supposed to be anything more than that. They're supposed to be different from incubi."

>Say what now?

>"But... I'm not an expert on incubi... so I can't know if they are the same thing or not."

>Mara just laughs.

>"You've got a mara spirit in front of you. Why not just ask?"

>You stare at him.

"Well, if you don't mind me asking?"

 

>"Yes. We're the same."

>That was easy.

>A little too easy.

>Mara chuckles to himself.

>"In fact, Twilight Sparkle, allow me to give you a quick lesson."

>You raise an eyebrow.

>This should be good.

>"We're not born out of a lusting desire or an accident of magic. In fact, not a single spirit is."

>"What?"

>"Every spirit. Every single last ghoul, ghost, banshee and what have you... we're all the same."

>Twilight's jaw drops.

>"H-how is that possible? You can't just be all of tho-"

>"And why is that so hard to believe? You have cutie marks, don't you? You try everything until you find the one thing you're good at."

>Twilight shakes her head.

>"But that's different, we're just-"

>"Just what?"

>"You're just a spirit!"

>"And you're just a p0ny. With magic."

>"B-b-b-but-..."

>Twilight looks like she's going to explode.

>You are just shocked.

>"We're spirits. We don't have a body. There isn't much we can do. But we do require one thing to exist, and that is energy, from living things."

>Which explains why he's so attached to you.

>According to Chrysalis, you're overflowing with energy.

>Or love.

>Whatever the fuck you wanna call it.

>"We all come with the same abilities, but we're not happy until we find that one thing we like in our wandering lives. And it just so happens that sexual energy... is quite pleasant."

>You're starting to follow this.

"So let me get this straight. An incubus is just a spirit that absorbs horniness."

>"That's a brash way of putting it. But yeah. That, and the other things I told you about. I'm not picky."