Chapter 121 That's the neat part... you don't

Casually, she proceeded to enjoy her meal, flickering between half-lidded amusement and calculated precision, "You are going to break really soon if you keep using love and hate... actually, you are just going to die by default even if you don't use them."

Dante: "..."

'Such a smart ma'am I am…' A slight smug appeared at the edge of her lips, "Calm down, and yes, if you wonder, I did, in fact, brainwash you; this is what I like to call a failsafe, and no it doesn't affect you in any other way, so please, rest assured."

"So now that you will calm down" Her tail wagged around, hooves bringing alchemy objects, as her telekinesis got to work in the background, "Look, you were meant to represent happiness and smiles, not love and hate. Your entire core design is meant for a purpose, but you do another thing."

She mused, as if considering a mathematical equation, "Cadance should slow down the self-destructive effects while the love eats the hate."

Dante furrowed his brows, "But why?"

She exhaled, setting her food down. A faint clink echoed as her fork touched the plate, "Let me put you in this way."

"You are a magnum, and you use pistol rounds, okay?

Dante nodded at this information.

She immediately grinned, with her eyes twinkling in the satisfaction of a teacher leading a student into the eureka moment, "Now, what do you think will happen if you use another type of round in a pistol?

Dante tilted his head, "It would malfunction...

"YES!" she beamed. "Perhaps you'll manage to fire once or twice, but after a while?" She clapped her hooves together for dramatic effect. "The gun breaks. The bullets jam. The whole thing becomes useless at best and a hand grande at its worst."

Her magic flickered, erasing the tiny drawing she made before she leaned in, poking his forehead with a hoof, "You are the gun, and love is the bullet; good job, little me, now you understand!"

She leaned back with an exaggerated sigh, shaking her head as if she were exasperated, "And also! Your hatred is overrunning your love. You gotta keep a good balance; stop maximizing your misery! "

She turned her attention back to her alchemy cocktail, swirling the beaker absentmindedly, "And because your target doesn't hate you as mine does, you should go and have a great time. And if not," she added, grinning devilishly, "then just drug him with a few dozen love potions! After all, two wrongs do make a right!"

Dante finally dignified to grab some cookies, casually remarking to her, "Everyone I know is dead." He didn't even lift his gaze, "They died because of me."

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Silence...

The alicorn stood frozen in place, mid-motion, mid-thought, mid-everything.

Her mind raced as she tried to make sense of what she had just heard. The world around her seemed to fade as she blinked several times; her face didn't know what face to use.

Three seconds passed.

Then--

"WHAT!?"

She ran her hooves through her disheveled hair, tangling it in the strands as frustration mingled with confusion, "HOW?! HOW! IN THE ACTUAL ABSOLUTE FUCK DID YOU LET HIM DIE!; NO BETTER QUESTION HOW DID YOU EVEN FAIL; YOU HAD THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE BEHIND YOU!"

Dante blinked, taken aback by the sudden outburst; why was she so solemn for this, "Is… that bad?"

"SIS!" The alicorn slammed her hooves onto the table, rattling the cups and plates, "IF THIS WAS A BOOK, YOU'D BE A MARY SUE!"

No matter how she thought it, it was simply improbable; the love potions should work against 99.99% of players; there were only two plausible scenarios, "Did you fight an actual love aspect?"

Dante's tail swished. (I decided Dante has to have the tail even if he has a human form)

She continued, "Or a bunch of limit breakers?"

Dante's tail swished strongly this time, answering her question.

There wasn't a need for further explanation, limit breakers were in fact, a universal problem for anyone, "Fair enough."

"Now, let's continue on the main topic."

"You seriously messed up." her hooves were almost finished with whatever she had been cooking with the alchemy, "Love is already hard to maintain in a normal setting, but you? Oh, you sweet little train wreck! You made an impossible job for yourself."

She spun a spoon in her magic, stirring a drink she wasn't even drinking, "you probably had high numbers the first time you consumed the potion, but it's similar to a free trial. You get a massive power boost the first time, successfully hooking you so you stay for more and more."

She set the spoon down with a clink, "But now? You're running out."

"Now your two options are either constantly injecting certain hormones and chemicals directly onto your brain to simulate being in "love," but let me warn you, this only creates artificial love, which is slightly better than fake, and it won't get you anywhere."

Her expression grew distant for a moment as if recalling something bitter, "It didn't get me anywhere either."

Dante just looked like a reprimanded child at the alicorn's neck, not even daring to stay in direct contact.

The alicorn continued her angry mother tone, "And before you ask me a dumb question like what's the matter with that type of fake love." besides, her two tiaras appeared, one elegant, adorned with jewels, the other a cheap, flimsy imitation.

"You have a legendary sword," she said, levitating the fancier tiara, "Then I give you a replica, "She tossed the cheap one onto the table with a dull clatter. "Do you think it does justice to the original?"

Dante: "No..."

She nodded approvingly, "Then you understand... again!

Her magic dissipated the tiaras as she leaned back, sighing heavily, "I can't let you borrow my battery. I've already got enough problems." She ran a hoof through her mane, "I'm in a similar situation to yours, except my issue is excess, prolonged exposure to love. And because he wants to kill me."

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Dante tilted his head, "So…?"

"Look," she said, in a deceptively soft voice, as she leaned closer, placing a hoof over his shoulder, "Love isn't an exact science. It's not some complex ability. It's a beautiful emotion that you must feel with your soul and--"

*crack*

She cackled, running a hoof down her face, "WHO AM I KIDDING?!"

"Sorry, but I can't lie to you." she threw her forelegs into the air, "Just create an alternative personality specifically designed for that purpose; the other option is to do a memory reset and brainwash yourself or items; I did all of those; I mean, technically speaking I'm more like your daughter than a clone--"

Her voice shut and stopped, "Wait a second..." her laser-like eyes burned down onto him, "You..." Her head tilted, and her ears perked high, remarking her features as she concentrated, "You aren't here for a refill..."

"PPFT!!"

"AHSHASHAHSYHSAHSA" one of the weirdest laughs Dante had ever heard, followed by her wheezing, wheezing in euphoria, nearly falling to the ground, "Y-you came here--" Her laugh couldn't stop, "Sorry, sorry! Sorry! But THIS IS SO FUNNY!"

In a mocking tone, she imitated Dante's voice, "How do I stop it?"

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Authors note:

I geniunly expected this to end this month... but THIS IS ENDING SOON! I want to stop having to worry about this fanfic and continue writing Absentia and Catherine.

also I just realized I missed a potential joke with the 120...