Well... I'd like to make an announcement. The announcement is that Tech will be absolutely furious with us. Like really very furious, as furious as double 1 roll O&O player. Why? Because with this post improbably putting the final coffin in his no real life stuff rule.

Yes. I know. Much sadness.

Anyway, in other news CodeFilly and I finally got married :) (Please don't go spamming the board with congrats, because she's the blushy type :P) We've been considering it for quite a while (more than some would like) but it's finally happened, so there! :P I'll tell you one thing, I feel like I just rolled a triple 20 right now :)

Sadly, that will also bring to a few changes. CodeFilly and Myself will go on a leave of absence (a few weeks, possible slightly longer). During that time HopHop and Tech will have to take care of the site (Lyra's code is as bad as my writing).

I'll just like to take the occasion to thank you all for being the crazy lovable weirdos you are and helping each other (as every Nightling should). Also, with the risk of being called wordy I'd go say a few things.

Recently I went back to the first posts, back when Lyra was melting her horn off trying to set up the site (with the worst code possible). There were less than a dozen users (I checked) most of them lurkers that never claimed back. CodeFilly was only involved to the extent that she would occasionally test and fix Lyra's messes. I glanced a few times, mostly because of CodeFilly, but never imagined the site would get anywhere.

Don't get me wrong, Midnight Castle was (and still is) one of my favorite series. Yet I never expected there to be more than ten active members at most: the original group, a few of their friends, and a lost nostalgic (sorry, Tech :)). Looking at things back then I laugh at what was considered popular. Fics were links, PaintDrop was a newbie that RRBB had somehow convinced to join, "water bottle" was a thing...

Almost every day we'd see a new face, timidly joining the ranks of the Nightlings with an all too cliche quote, but that was okay because everypony was happy to see a new face. Code changes were a thing, as well as mess ups, crashes, and a whole lot of other things, yet the site persisted. CodeFilly joined the mod team, so did TechNightling, the search for a proper UI artist began, PaintDrop started drawing humans... that really seems to have happened a lifetime ago!

Look at us now! We're a huge group of members that we think of family, romances blossomed, lives were saved (remember the freak storm in the Empire?), we gave each other support when we needed it. Once it was a big deal that we reached a thousand. As of today we are 31,462,287 (alt and inactive accounts included) and we see it as normal. The writers have accounts on the site! (Just take a minute to think about this! How many can claim they chat with Daring Do on one of her many forums?)

The point I'm trying to make while CodeFilly is nudging me (trying to hide a tear :p) is that I'm glad that I'm a part of this community. I'm glad that you are a part of this community, and very few things would give me more pleasure to invite you all to the celebration that would be held during the Everhere convention in the Crystal Empire! :)

Take this water bottle before Lyra licks the thread ;) Also, don't hit on Jade.

MightyDragon

@MightyDragon, @CodeFilly: since everyone else is doing it, I'll break the rules wishing you the most wonderful of honeymoons, and congratulate you on the life of bliss that awaits you both.

Indeed, a lot has changed since the start of the site (mostly for the better). The important thing is that we have kept our naïveté if you will, and still think of Midnight Castle as a work of joy and wonder. The sheer amount if fictions have undoubtedly changed part of our perception, but at the core we remain true.

Please allow this old nostalgic to levitate a glass in cheer,

The TechNightling

Awww! I think I'm going to cry! Little MightyDragon has finally grown up! Then again with you looks and your geekiness it was only a matter of time before some mare marked you as hers ;) I'm very glad it's CodeFilly. No offense, but the rest of your class is strange :P

TrueSparkle

@TrueSparkle: meanwhile all the Sparkles on the site remain single...

Unrelated rant: Simile is now freaking over my mom. If things could get any more embarrassing I can't imagine how. And of course both will go insane when they hear about the wedding. (I don't envy my boyfriend one bit.)

@CodeFilly, @MightyDragon: congrats, you goofs. :)

LightSparkle

Finally! I've been wanting to talk about this all day! Yes, I was at the ceremony, and it was the best thing ever (even with the occasional awkwardness from the parents, but let's not talk about that.).

@MightyDragon: That was some speech. I honestly can't think of anything to add, you said everything there was about the site and the wedding. In fact you got me so interested that I'll go back and reread the first dozen thread pages or so.

Remember when we used to theorize what the next MC series would be? "Boys united" anypony? :P At the time Everhere (and all the respective leaks) sounded so bad that Max was terrified the series would end. And then we had the statuettes along with the teaser info, the weekly chapters, the first reviews (by PrinceEric). It's definitely been one wild ride, and it's still going! Don't forget that the convention will also mark the start of the second arc of the series. (@Luna: maybe we'll get some answers? :P)

LyraHands

Wow! Them feels. The majority of Nightlings have no idea what we're going on about, but for me the feels are real.

Hey, what do you think of doing a Mistmount marathon? It's two weeks before the second installment of Chosen, so... O:) Oh, and this time, no cider! (I can't believe I, saying this, now that I think about it...)

RRBB

Definitely a good idea. And keeping in touch with tradition, I'm licking the thread :P

LyraHands

And we would write after that ;) Thank you, everyone, from me as well. I... you honestly made me cry remembering all this :~)

See you in three weeks

CodeFilly

Author's Notes:

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

Courtesy of NeonGreenTiger