Third Millennium

by MellowSoul

Epilogue: 2001

Author's Note:

The last bands Twilight discovered for the year were Unearth and All That Remains, tracking down their demos before settling in for the second half of her semester. Meanwhile, Spike began hanging out more with Rarity and the others, eventually meeting Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Despite the mental gap, they got along well: so much so Rarity was almost jealous. After Flurry was born, Spike, Velvet, and Night Light took over babysitting. Twilight chipped in on weekends to help, teaching her brothers how to soothe the infant during fits and building their relationship through quality time.

"This is what we fight for." Shining muttered out loud.

"Yeah." Spike and Twilight agreed simultaneously.

---

2001 saw the release of Windows XP, the GameCube, Xbox, and several metal records the group had been looking forward to. It seemed like the world was changing so fast, and yet, at its core, it was veritably the same. One day, after an intense training session, Spike and Shining went down to a nearby cliff close to the unicorn's home.

"We're gettin' old." Spike said nostalgically.

"Yep."

Out of nowhere, Twilight tackled Shining from behind.

"Gotcha!"

The Alicorn galloped away, leaving Shining to pursue her in angry surprise.

"Ya nearly killed me, ya weenie! Get back here!"

Spike smiled once more. It seemed like he was doing that more and more frequently these days. He checked his watch, remembering he'd made plans with the girls to watch a movie that evening.

"It's almost time. I'd better get goin'."

He flew off into the distance, employing his newfound strength for a burst of speed. Having gained courage from their experiences the previous year, he looked forward to what the future held in store...