Of Goddesses and Failures

Of all the work I could find, Blade thought. I get this. This stupid, filthy job. He'd been job hunting for the past five hours, and this was the best he could find.

Bartending.

To be clear, Blade did not hate bars, nor did he hate the job. He hated what was inside of them. His father was a heavy drunk, and would often come home aggravated for no good reason. Alcohol, Blade had said, corrodes the mind by convincing it that it had the key to solving all of your problems.

"Huh. I'd think you'd look rather good as a bartender." Blade chuckled. Luna was lying in her bed as Blade sat in a chair close to his own.

"Ya think so? Eh, it's not my favorite type of work, but it's all I've got, so I'll take it." Luna remembered something.

"I'd like to take you up, on that offer you made? I need to ask you a question." Blade raised an eyebrow.

"Huh. Alrighty then, fire away."

"Why did you save me?"

"Pardon?"

"Why did you save me? You could have dumped by body off in that metal room like all the others, undoubtedly. So why not?" He turned to face her.

"Well, for starters, it was Celestia condemning her own sister to death, which seems horrible on it's own. When you factor in the fact that you'd done nothing wrong, it only makes it worse." He sat back, satisfied with his answer. He was steering as far away from revealing his love for her as possible.

"True, but what about the others? Hadn't they been innocent as well?" Clincher.

"You're right about that, but you have to understand something. I didn't do this because I hated them. I did it because I didn't have a choice. At the time, that was the only option I had: hired assassin or a terrible life." He went through the motions, explaining his parents and his failures.

"Oh, I'd never seen it like that. I'm so sorry for-" He waved a hoof.

"Don't be."

"But then, if it's not the innocence, then what is it?" Blade froze.

"To be straightforward, I admire you greatly. When ponies think of the Celestial Duo, they think of Celestia over you, preferably. She's simply more of a figurehead. But I've always seen you as superior. You're intelligent. You're clever. You're comforting. You're empathetic. You're even beautiful. But a lot more has stood out to me than just that."

"I-uh...what?" She was confounded by everything being thrown at her.

"Not only are you all those things, but you're strong of heart. When you revolted against Celestia, the people despised you, and rejoiced all the more when you were banished. They didn't love you. They didn't see a duo. They saw Celestia. You'd been rejected." Luna was fighting back tears. "Then, when you had finally came back and returned to your normal state as Luna, the people feared you. They did not give you the love and affection you sought. They still saw you as the evil rebel that you had once been. At every turn, you were scorned and ponies ran from you." Luna started sobbing at this point. "And even now, Nightmare Night is a celebration held every year, where everypony sees it as a time of candy and games. That's not how you see it, is it? No, to you Nightmare Night is a constant reminder of your mistakes. Every year it hangs over you, scorning you. Is this not so?" Luna nodded through her tears. "And even now, your own sister has turned against you. "But that's why I admire you so!" Luna perked up a little bit. "You remain so strong and steadfast, despite this! No matter how  bad things are, no matter how viciously you are accused and lashed out at, you keep your head held high! You act like the lightning rod! You keep us all together by accepting responsibility for something that had happened such a long time ago. And you never show your pain. That is why I admire you." Luna had quieted down, resorting to sniffles and quiet sobs. "I'm sorry I've done this to you." Luna smiled at him through her watery eyes.

"No," she said. "You've only helped me. As long as I've lived, no pony has made me feel like this, nor have any of them understood how I feel. T-thank you." Blade nodded.

"Any time. Good night, Princess." Luna shook her head.

"Luna. Call me Luna," she smiled.

"Good night, Luna." Each turned out their respective lights on each side of the room. Luna turned in her bed. She'd developed feelings she had hoped she wouldn't have. She loved him. And she embraced it.