Alive? Alive... Alive !!!

10165992 ♫ Still alive ♫

quarantine bringing the dead stories back from the dead.

Great to see this updated i think this may be the only erotic story i also read for the plot. No pun intended.

HOLY SHIT ITS ALIVE! fuck yeah and thank you very much.

I dont know if I should hate your or love you because I hate that cliffhanger and I love the plot and the story.

Small question but what was Twilight's contingency for Celestia? I dont know if it was brought up before of not.

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That is not dead which can forever lie, and with strange aeons, even Celestia may stop being a conniving little bitch.

Granted, those'd be some strange aeons.

10166053 It was set up in Chapter 15. Search for this and read from there: Do you think a week is an appropriate length of time?

So you're just not gonna talk about how you where gone for months on end? But nice chapter

10166012
This is a triumph, I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS!

Seriously though, great to see this get an update.

This has been a wonderful... resplendence in the erotic smutery.
With both Nurgle's blessing, and just the length of time we've waited, I enjoyed it all.

I liked seeing Twilight's understanding she messed up, and sees that despite all her power, she still has to grow up more.
I'll say nothing about the train section to avoid spoilers.
I look forward to Starlight's rehabilitation and how she handles it.

And finally Twilight's realization of...
Well, we'll tune in next "week" (or whenever), at the same bat-time, and the same bat-channel.

Oh my god, with three or four sentences you've turned this whole thing around again. This is why I love your stories. They always give me such good emotions. I was satisfied with some sex, but now this? Fuck me dead. I'm actually tense after that ending.

Let it never be said that a worldwide pandemic and enforced isolation at home can't lead to anything good.

10166085

Hey man, you do you. Just hope you feel well and enjoy writing

Also yes I've found the contingency and once again you have wonderful writing

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She already did talk about a part of it, a few months ago in a blog post. And she published more than one story in the space between this chapter and the previous one.

10166124
So be it

Interesting. I wonder what Celestia wants to talk about, and why it's important to be uncharmed for the conversation. She seems genuinely happy about the nature of her relationship with Twilight, and she promised to not abuse Twilight's trust, so I doubt it's anything about how Twilight's treating her, who's compelling who, or what the compulsions are.

Trixie's as boastful as ever, but this crisis seems to have caused a major breakthrough in her learning true friendship and to care about and appreciate others. I could see her "Great and Powerful" shtick staying, but gradually becoming a sort of running in-joke rather than a serious claim.

Oh, and excellent smut, as always.
10166097
That's on Wintermist's blog, primarily this entry.

Oh no

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I was rooting for this contingency to trigger, as soon as you put that innocent-seeming sentence into your story.  And isn't it just like Celestia to play along like she did, all the while waiting for Twilight to realise that her "slave" is not under her control at all.
(She's just too much fun to tease…)

I can't wait to see how this is going to play out!
Well, technically, I obviously can.  I'm doing it right now; I just wish I didn't.

Well this was a pleasant surprise to start my week. What I found most impressive is the consistency of your writing style, given how long it's been since the last chapter. Feels like you never left; we got proper emotional & social drama, the promise of more of that needing to be resolved, a healthy dose of sexy times, and an infuriating cliffhanger. Welcome back mate.

Well.... this has taken an interesting turn right at the end^^ And.... why must TWILIGHT of all ponies always fuck up on the tiny details?

Celestia nodded with majestic calm. "Yes. I have a log book of Sparkle Disasters, their causes and resolution. It makes instructive study material for younger unicorns. Things to avoid, and how they may be fixed."

Twilight blinked. "Really?"

"Categorised under threats to the building you occupy, the city, the region, and Equestria as a whole."

"…you're making that up."

"I may have to publish a second volume."

This part actually got shared in a public, safe for work discord. Not something I thought I'd do with this story.

Now, the big surprise? I seriously had forgotten that Celestia was under an ongoing effect of the charm. After all, Twilight says, "I am satisfied", they respond "This slave obeys", and then that's all of it. No ongoing lingering effect. Celestia has made it clear that she is looking forward to some decades of "someone else in charge", and is willing to play along with Twilight. Twlight does her "Obey your empress" when she wants to get kinky, and Celestia figures out the game and how to manipulate the setup. Game ends.

That there was an ongoing background factor as well?

Either I didn't realize it, or ...

Well, I was right. Celestia *is* playing along, from the viewpoint of "I get time off", and we see that she really is aware of / looking at the power disparity, and finally seeing that, at least for now, ended.

Alright, went back and re-read chapter's 15 (to see the whole thing with the week, and saw that Twilight was about to charm Ember when this whole town plot started), and chapter 1 (to see the background set of commands she had left Celestia with in the first place).

Waiting happily for the next chapter to arrive before the end of the month.

"But I never said I would write another chapter by month end"

"Obey your readers!"
"This author obeys"
"Write us some more"
"Yes my reader"
"I am satisfied"

whoa cool! this chapter was good, even if i wonder why twilight could left out something like celestia being out of her charm for a while, i wonder what would happen next!

anyway thanks miss wintermist!

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It’s hard to overstate my satisfaction!

The words to express how happy I am after getting this new chapter elude me. Suffice to say, I love every facet of it

Fantastic.

In regards to the ending I have only one thing to say: Holy Shit.

Its back its back its back yay!
And such a good, lengthy update too! Love it I do hope to see more of it.

Way too long to read.

Another excellent and compelling chapter as always, WM, and glad to see you've regained your muse! Really looking forward to the next chapter, because that is quite the cliffhanger.

As for the ending:
I'm pretty interested in how Celestia's negotiations regarding her relationship with Twilight and the others going forward will be. She'd had multiple opportunities to re-charm Twilight in private over the course of this chapter, and yet she chose not to, instead revealing that she was not bound by the charm's effects to Twilight instead. Because of this, I don't think Celestia bears ill-intent or plans to reverse the current dynamic and reassert control over Twilight, because she seems happy with their relationship, at least on the surface. We'll just have to wait and see what the Princess has in mind next chapter, and I honestly can't wait.

It's odd I remember liking this series a lot up until the last chapter this one just left me with the want to slap just about everyone here. Most of all Twilight

Oh snap!

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May I ask why?

My favorite series on the entire site got a new chapter and I loved it! Thank you so much

I am not completely sure I agree that this Twilight would forget about her Celestia move, but then I didn't think her trusting Celestia enough to allow this situation to happen was in her either. I look forward to finding out if there was some sort of contingency plan for if Celestia became a threat again.

Regardless I'm more worried about Dorite. I couldn't get a read on them durring that scene at all. I'll need to go back to their PoV moments. Thank you again!

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From a purely academic perspective, setting Celestia up as a contingency plan in case Twilight gets taken out is a sensible move. Anything that can neutralise Twilight is a serious problem, and anything less than an unfettered Celestia is unlikely to be enough to cope with it (particularly considering that with Twilight neutralised, the Elements are out of play).

And having set up a contingency purely as the correct procedure to follow, but not really taking the threat seriously, it makes sense that Twilight wouldn't give much thought to it - if everything had gone as expected, she would have resolved whatever the situation was, and returned to Canterlot to renew her control with plenty of time to spare. As it was, she got surprised, very distracted, and didn't have an opportunity to reflect until, well, around the end of the chapter.

Particularly with Celestia continuing to play her role despite the changed situation, there's been nothing to prompt Twilight to consider her situation.

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Then don't. Pretty sure there's no compulsory quota to read or anything. Some stories won't be for you, and that's fine. You could save a lot of time by not bothering to comment on the stories you don't read though - maybe even enough to read one or two more that you do want to read.

Great character development, great smut, then topped off with an "oh shi-" cliffhanger. Phenomenal work as always, Wintermist.

Applejack's hands clenched at her sides. Unable to meet his steady gaze, she found herself glowering at his feet. "Well, what business is it of yours anyway?" she demanded, but in a lower, more sullen tone.

He's your BROTHER.

"Oh, haystacks," Applejack cursed, in tones that gave the mild expletive teeth. Her expression set firmly, lips thinning into a resolutely determined line. "Right. Ah'm going after her. Today. You'n Apple Bloom gonna be okay taking care of things?"

Eeyup.

"Yes, that's right. It sucked. It was totally lame." Celestia's grin grew as Twilight's baffled expression deepened. "It was totally the suckiest."

Never say that again.

"I can love you, unreservedly. Thank you."

Daaaw!

"I'm glad that you do. I don't wish you to act as though you're due such attention, but the fact of it mustn't be ignored." She rested her head against Twilight's for a moment, exhaling softly. "And now," she went on more quietly, "you should tell me what happened between you and Starlight Glimmer."

That, would be wise.

"I want to." The words were raw, frightening in their honesty. "But I have too much power over her. I could do too much harm, so easily. I don't know if she deserves to try again, to try not to become the pony she was, but it's the only thing I can do."

And there it is. Undeniable proof of character development.

Celestia paused, and for a moment, her gaze drifted towards the horizon once more. "Your letter terrified me, Twilight," she said matter-of-factly. "If she had done what she intended to do to you, if I had arrived to find you as you found Trixie Lulamoon, or worse... I am not certain whether I could have been so restrained."

... It scares me to know what she means.

Diorite overrode her, speaking quietly, but intensely. "Princess, you have seriously fucked up. I'm not asking for your permission to tell you that. Respect goes both ways, Princess, and you have shown none to my guards and me."

I mean, yeah.

It was long past time that she took her own guards seriously, and recognised them for the dedicated ponies that they were.

I'm glad you realize this.

"As the Captain of your Guard complement, I must exercise judgement on your behalf," Diorite began. "It is part of my role to understand your desires - your wishes, and fulfil them without requiring you to specify every detail of how your orders are to be carried out."

Interesting phrasing.

"Oh dear. She came for me when I got lost after that teleport accident, too. I really need to stop worrying her."

Yes. You do.

Celestia smiled her wonderfully mischievous smile. "She very nearly violated the ancient system of 'bagsies' to come and get you herself, despite my claiming the task first. A very serious matter. I told her that she had taken the last Sparkle Disaster, and it was my turn."

I haven't heard THAT term in a while.

First priority: get these two away from Starlight Glimmer before explaining.

OH yeah.

"Oh yeah?" Applejack retorted, looking up at Trixie. "Because what Ah heard, Twilight ended up in hospital. So you tell me, do you think you did a real good job of protecting her?"

Uh, AJ? Poor choice of words.

Trixie wasn't looking at her. She wasn't looking at anypony. "She couldn't... Trixie, the mighty and incomparable Trixie, she couldn't... her magic wouldn't come. And the speakers, they kept talking to her, telling her she was abandoned. That she wasn't important. So, so Trixie told them that she was very important, she was more important than anypony, and her Mistress would save her and, and make them give back her cutie mark."

For once, Trixie's ego and pride were her greatest asset.

"Ah'm so sorry," she said hoarsely. "Ah'm sorry that Ah ever said one bad word to you. You gave everything, everything you darn had, and Ah swear on the farm, you'll have me on your side for the rest of your born days. Never want to see you hurt like that ever again."

I really like this. Even at her worst, Applejack's not so cold hearted as to be unable to show sympathy in the face of THAT.

"Trixie needs a big head to contain all of her incredible genius!"

I fucking love Trixie's Awesome Ego sometimes.

"The splendidly sensual Trixie said no such thing! Trixie doesn't like you, she just finds you - acceptable."

Tsundere.

"Yes. I've been free of the charm's compulsion for several days," the Solar Princess agreed calmly. "So, Empress. Before you do anything hasty - shall we talk?"

Ah, crapbaskets.

10168125 I'm feeling that Celestia's reason for not attempting to re-charm Twilight is simply because she has no desire to do so. As has been mentioned multiple times, every moment of Celestia's life has been spent as her being in charge. Unflappable. Inexorable. I really don't feel as though she wants to return to the old status quo of being the mare at the very top. Combine that with Twilight's ascension and becoming as ageless as Celestia and Luna, that charm has given Celestia everything she's ever wanted and more.

10171725
All of that, plus Celestia promised to not abuse Twilight's trust. Charming Twilight now without consent would destroy any possibility of a non-manufactured trusting relationship, as it would be extremely difficult for Twilight to ever trust Celestia again without a charm command forcing it.

As things stand, Celestia has a relationship where if the Charm spontaneously disappeared the relationship would be largely unaffected. They'd lose a fun tool for Twilight exercising her dominance, but they'd still be happily dating and trust each other. Celestia cares about that a lot, especially with the relationship potentially lasting indefinitely, not limited by pony lifespans. She might even make a point of not charming Twilight to reinforce the natural foundation of that relationship.

Yay! New chapter to read!

That was one hell of a ride, but well worth the journey. The sex was hot as ever, and I'm intrigued how these relationships are developing. It'll be interesting to see how Starlight is handled, but I'm especially eager to see what happens when Spike learns the truth.

Nice to see another chapter from you, though that cliff-hanger is a tad infuriating. Having said that, it's always a lot of fun when the last paragraph of a chapter makes you want to go over the entire chapter again in a new context. Makes me wonder if Celestia never saying I love you to Twilight might have had something to do with the charms influence, just a thought. I doubt that Celestia would go back to charming Twilight after everything they've done and said, but what is she planning to say that can't be done while under the charms effects? Glad to see the others getting involved, Applejack, Zecora and Trixie deserve love and attention as well. No idea what Starlight's role in the future is going to be.

Hope Twilight gets to learn from all this and puts the wisdom she gained threw this experience towards the future.

Hope to see more chapters from you in the future, especially after that ending. Good work and thanks a bunch.

When seventeen thousand words feels like seventeen hundred. Whew.

My favorite part about this series is the way you handle the characters being--mostly--true to themselves, and not just being sex-crazed maniacs all the time. Some of my favorite set pieces in this whole thing have just been completely G-rated scenes with characters talking to each other.

I was doing a re-read of this story just recently, so the new chapter notification was a very "!!!" moment. I latched onto Twilight leaving her contingency in place during my re-read, and am super excited to see it pay off here. I really want to see Twilight grow enough that she's comfortable lifting the forced compulsion from her entire harem.

Does Twilight reason that Celestia has been happy enough going along with the game so far, and decide that she's trustworthy?

Does she find that she can't live with the uncertainty of having a member of her harem with their free will intact, and charm Celestia again?

Does she realize that everything she thinks happened could theoretically have just been Celestia using the old charm, implanting memories, and there's a nonzero possibility her entire reality is a carefully fabricated lie? (plzno. Although it probably should be addressed...)

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If you posit the existence of someone capable of manipulating your thoughts, perceptions and memories, then it's impossible to ever be sure that they haven't fabricated your apparent reality - any evidence you think you have could be provided by them to fool you.

The best you can say is that you haven't found any evidence that your reality is being messed with.

Lovely chapter. Twilight's mind is a fascinating place to explore, and her ever-evolving dynamic with Celestia is always fun to watch.

And as for the ending. Well, that's one hell of a cliffhanger.

Dude quarantine really got everyone back huh. Love it all

Loved this chapter, as usual man, but I've completely forgotten what the "seven days" thing is. SO I decided to jump back a bit and go from there.

What I'm trying to say here is I just reread all of Friendship is Mindcontrol the original

whoops

10196299 'oh no'

Oooh, interesting. I love you, Twilight, but that's why I feel you should be punished. I suspect you'll like it though.