On the surface, that declaration makes you feel pretty good. But you knew she felt that way about you already. You weren’t expecting it, further down, to make you feel bad. Can’t she see how much you care about her, in turn? You wanted to avoid forcing her into some magical honor duel with the Prince in the middle of Canterlot, especially considering how wrong it is for a mare to beat up a stallion around these parts. If she was right that it wouldn’t be too terrible a hit to her standing, you wanted to save her even that.