Lex Divisia · 6:50pm Feb 12th, 2016
http://www.fimfiction.net/story/315122/lex-divisia
Everyone who likes Divided Rainbow ought to give this me-approved spinoff story a look!
Twilight’s eyes met his and Lero could see the warmth in her expression grow as she replied “Oh Lero... it's just so nice to see everyone together, it makes me feel like even if I can’t finish my research we’ll still have something to fall back on.”
As Twilight spoke, she saw Lero’s face fall slightly and hurriedly added “n-not that it doesn’t mean I’ll be doing my all to complete my work... that is... its not li-” she was cut off by a firm grasp from Lero, accompanied by a bemused expression. “Twi- we shouldn’t chat about this here” Lero said as he motioned over his shoulder toward the still sleeping mares. “Why don’t you head downstairs and put on a kettle of tea and I’ll be down in a moment.” Twilight nodded as she hopped onto the cold oak floor, her mood slightly dimmed by the exchange.
Lero’s eyes followed her as she left the room, her hoofs clopping softly down the hall (he still didn't know how these ponies managed to do that). Sighing softly, he lingered over the three other mares in his bed, one curled daintily into the sheets, the other two snuggled against his side. Ignoring the mint green unicorn for the moment, he glanced between the blue and white ponies as he pensively considered how much his life had improved with these two playing such a major part of it.
A part of him understood Twilight’s satisfaction with the current state; this idyllic morning scene might be the closest approach to heaven on this side of life and death. The frown returned, however, as he contemplated the snoring pegasus (some things even the swap could not change). To let poor Rainbow lose that fire that made up so much of who she was… all so that he could indulge in this paradise? Could he let all of his friends and their families continue to live under this delusion with the feeble hope that it might be for the best? It felt like betrayal, like he was ultimately giving in to the force that he had anthropomorphized (or was it hippopomorphized?): the spell known as ‘the swap’.
After a delicate extraction from the bed to avoid waking his lovely ladies and an awkward, hurried breakfast with Twilight, where she seemed to be too guilty to meet his eye, Lero proceeded to broach the difficult subject that had reared its head in the bedroom.
“Twilight, about earlier-” Lero began before being interrupted.
“ I’m sorry Lero, I didn’t think about how that would have sounded. But you need to know that more than anything I wish that I had never ruined everything by casting that infernal sp-”
“Hush” Lero, brought a finger to Twilight's muzzle playfully. A moment passed where Lero looked deeply into the troubled unicorn’s eyes, trying to probe the thoughts that she was hiding from him.
“I thought we’d agreed that you were going to leave all of this self-deprecation behind us, Twi. It doesn't do any good for anyone, least of all you.”
He saw Twilight taking a breath to begin a vigorous defence of her outlook, so Lero pressed on. “I know it's not easy. I also can’t help but look at Rarity and feel like she's blessing in her addition to our herd… there really isn’t an easy solution here, but I know one thing…” He reached out and grasped Twilight’s hoof.
“Whatever happens, you… I… we won’t let this swap beat us.”
