Equestrian Fanfiction

by Lise

Four Part Finale 4/4

Midnight Castle: Everhere, Vol 7, Chapter 13, The Everloop

Gnnnnn! I can't believe what I just read. I mean, I've been looking forward to this for a while, but once I've read it I went oooooh! Never saw that coming! :) S.Child is a genius.

Now the review!

Megan summons everything to Danny's dorm. Euryala says they've almost got everything needed to put away the Everprince except the crown. (Meanwhile Loki drools over the unconscious Echo, making stupid comments.) Euryala says that all they need is the crown and they could eliminate the threat. Icelos then appears. There's an argument whether or not it's better to kill the Everprince or just repair the reality split. Euryala is obsessed on killing the Prince. Icelos just shrugs and tells her to do what she thinks is best, but be ready for the consequences.

We have a huge part of reminiscing (going back the entire series.) Every character goes back through everything they did until they reached this moment. They also gear up. Molly goes to talk to Icelos asking is it true what she and Bellucio will become. Icelos in untypical fashion makes a pact becoming her patron deity (wow! So he's a deity?) and tells her she'll be fine.

As they prepare to go, they are attacked by Euryala's former teammates (turns out that org is crazy powerful! Eury isn't anywhere near the top ranks. To quote "they're all junior gods!") Loki uses the excuse to play hero to Echo, who is utterly unimpressed.

I won't describe the fight scenes, but I'll just say that the group uses the Shatterstone to jump between realities as they move. (Craziest way of travel ever! They go to one readily, rush a few miles, then move back with enemies attacking all the time.)

Back in the real reality, there's a parallel scene in the Felina corp. Orpheus catches Cassandra sneaking into the vault to get the evercrown. No explanations whatsoever, but the two get into a fight. Cassandra creams him, but not before he sets the alarm.

Blazen creates lots of versions of himself so as to get the crown at which point a crazy psycho scene happens. Echo comes to and screams that Icelos is the Everprince, while the wizard squad is certain that Euryala is. Icelos, very calmly says that Loki is the Everprince. (The standoff is so tense I almost got in trouble with my parents. I was reading it when they called me for dinner and I didn't even notice.)

While they are all accusing each other, preparing crazy powers, a dream copy of Icelos tells Molly to run into the dreamscape and take Bellucio with her. She's confused, but he insists that now is the I envy for her to choose. Reluctantly she does as he asks. Suddenly the Everprince (armor) appears. Everyone starts fighting everyone, as well as the Everprince (so cool!).

[mc-spoiler]
Finally, in the most twisted turn of events, everyone trying to trick everyone, Loki is revealed to be the Everprince, and goes for the crown, but Euryala stops him. An intense combat scene follows with the crown rolling to Omni, who picks it up, then puts it on. It's then revealed that he's part of the Everprince, along with Loki and the Everprince armor! The three of them combine (a bit like Cerberus) resulting in Omni with Loki's eyes and hair, the crown, and parts of the armor. He thanks Icelos personally, as well as the remaining 8 (and Caprice) for making it possible for him to escape his prison, then goes on a slightly long explanation how it happened (apparently one of his forms was cursed to be reborn as sick people—Omni).

He then vanishes with Echo. Leaving the rest to look at each other and go "What now?"
[mc-spoiler]

Oh boy oh boy oh boy! I can't believe it! I want to reread everything from the beginning, but am too tired. I also can't wait for the next chapter! (Curse the hiatus!) I must say, I was not expecting that! More! :))

PrinceEric

@PrinceEric: Yep, I didn't see this coming. Well, I knew that we would get the re eat, and I suspected the bit about Loki, but not in such a way. Omni taking the crown in chapter one make so much more sense now. Yeh trick was him getting together with his other halves. And the best part? That until he trounced was close to Loki he didn't even suspect what he was. I've read a few other fantasy stuff in which this was used in the worst possible way, but here it makes a lot of sense (especially with the Evertheme).

Big question is what now? I've heard that there will be a 3-6 month hiatus, even if part of the chapters are written or at the very least have a functional outline. (I'm looking at you @Luna!)

What do you think?

RRBB

@RRBB: Will you be coming to school this week? I kinda miss you, you know...

Short&Hoofy

@Short&Hoofy: Yeah, sort of. :( Sorry. I miss you too, snuggles, but I really prefer to avoid school for a bit. Want to come over to my place with Paint sometime?

RRBB

@RRBB: She'll be busy catching up on the lessons she's been missing while pretending to go to school :/

MixaMax

@MixaMax: Are you serious?! :/

RRBB

@PrinceEric: I think that we couldn't have had a better conclusion. The Prince is out there and since they have only discovered some of the everstones (and have almost no idea how to use them) we're likely to see a lot of conflicts. Also, don't forget there are a lot of unanswered mysteries:

Where is Poseidon? What changed him?

What is the taint? Will we see a new titan-deity war?

What is the deal of Icelos (and Molly and Bellucio)?

What is the Everhere?

@MixaMax: Too much work and no play... Let Short love a little, will you, grumpy mare?

PaintDrop

I must say that the end was quite satisfactory. It was, of course, something I had predicted for a while, but the execution was splendid. :)

Just joking! It caught me totally by surprise. And it makes perfect sense. Rereading it, their are no internal inconsistencies. Well done, S.Child and team :)

DarkSparkle

It was okay, I guess... :/

AwesomePony

@AwesomePony: You read the entire thing?!

DarkSparkle

I had nothing better to do, okay? It's not like it's better than Daring Do or anything!

AwesomePony

@PaintDrop, @RRBB, @Short&Hoofy: No!

@DarkSparkle: Okay, so it wasn't a total disaster. Told you about Loki, though. So obvious. Come to think of it, I should have seen Omni as well. The armour was cheating, though! We only saw it in a dream memory of a reality that one time! No way I could guess that was the third piece of the Everprince. (On that note, who is Danny's third piece, I wonder?)

Guess I'll give the next arc a chance.

MixaMax

I'm sad to say that on the whole Everhere isn't my thing. It's well crafted without a doubt, and the ideas are new and sound, but it just doesn't have the age feeling of adventure the original had. When it started. I thought we would go new places (as compared to Chronicles) and in a way we did, but it was all so focused on one single point - Mistmount, I expect I could have seen that with the name being "Everhere" but I wouldn't mind having some more exploration.

That isn't to say that I didn't enjoy it to won't be reading the next changers as they come out. (I have this habit of reading everything.) Time will tell what will happen, I guess.

The TechNightling

I enjoyed it a lot.

Candle

Well, this happened. It's like one of those moments you think will never arrive and when they do you go "it's over?" I have no words to express how I enjoyed it! It was new and presented the series, and characters, in totally unexpected ways.

I don't think anyone realized that for the first time we'll be having stories in which one of the grand 9 (and even the gr8) is the villain the others are fighting against. Even if there's no telling which side is actually good and what the truth of everything is, the arc ended on a confrontational note. :)

All I can ah, it will be a long wait. Meanwhile, let the fanfics flow! :D

LyraHands

Author's Note:

And here's a list of all active members with ID or speculation :)
Member List

Courtesy of NeonGreenTiger

Comments

[Malandy]

Oh, right, we didn't get the whole series yet. Until now.

Where did we get TrueSparkle's ID? I don't remember seeing it in the Meet Up...

...Typos:

Loki uses the excuse to play hero to (E)cho

(apparently one of his f(o)rms was cursed to be reborn as sick people—Omni).

Well, I knew that we would get the re(?)eat

[Meta Four]

Let Short love a little, will you, grumpy mare?

Heh. Typo, or Freudian slip?

[TheDriderPony]

Too bad we can't add our own guesses to the character sheet.

[FanOfMostEverything]

I miss you too, snuggles, but I really prefer to avoid school for a bit.

Either that's a misplaced emote or I'm very happy.

Heh. AwesomePony's a tsundereader.

A fascinating narrative development and some encouraging romantic ones. Lovely chapter through and through. The hiatus should give plenty of time for the ponies to develop further.

[Canilive]

8095921 We got TrueSparkle (Starlight Glimmer) during the discord chat session (think it was last Sunday).

[Malandy]

8096121

So, I guess it's not a spoiler then, so I guess it makes sense.

Can Spike actually get online or whatever? Well, if the Humane Twilight can get on, interfaces of some kind exist, and for Earth Ponies and stuff, too...

[The Great Derpsby]

Time-travelling, split body clones from alternate dimensions?

Yup, that's a superhero comic alright.

By the way, I wonder if the ponies have any sense that being named "Icelos" is as weird to as as "Pinkamena" must be to them.

[The Great Derpsby]

8096121
Is that a fact? Well, that explains why she wanted to cry when she heard Sunburst was getting married to somepony else.

So, does Twilight realise all these Sparkles call themselves that basically to honour her, or is she too oblivious/in denial?

[meerkat8472]

8095994 That's exactly what I thought.

@PaintDrop, @RRBB, @Short&Hoofy: No!

Well fuck you Max. Paint is right, she is a grumpy mare, I don't know why Jade puts up with her. Especially as he's always complaining about her.

[howard035]

Max got it 1/3rd right!

Also glad to see RRBB and Hoofy getting closer together.

[Canilive]

8096881

Lise Eclaire - Last Sunday at 2:31 PM
TrueSparkle is...
Starlight Glimmer

This is from the discord chat

[link4]

8097683 i like to think the sparkle flock is the sparkle family, with starlight hiding among them

[Canilive]

8098543 same

[Lise]

8095994 Slip ;)

[Lise]

8096016 it's just a pet name RRBB uses for better or worse :P

And a lot of complications will arrise during the hiatus :)

[Lise]

8096904 Max is having a tough time...