"Hey, Adrian? I've always wondered, where's your dad?"

"... I don't have one."

"Of course you do! Everyone has a dad! You just haven't met him yet!"

"I'm not everyone, Adriana. Three years and you still don't get it. You've seen my legs, you exactly what I am, and you're still grouping me in with the everyone."

+++++

I awoke to the feeling of someone prying open my skull with a bent chair leg while the rest of me was burning alive.

That or I'm still somewhat envenomed and have a headache. At this point, I can't even tell the difference.

Grandfather is at my bedside, looking down on me with a worried expression. Gilda is on my other side, her face reflecting the same concern as Grandfather.

"Fågelunge, känner du dig bättre?" He speaks up, noticing my open eyes. Gilda looks at him in momentary confusion. Oh yeah, she doesn't speak heartland Griffon.

"To be honest, no. What happened?"

"Apparently, while you were playing hero, the manticore clipped you with it's stinger." Gilda answered. Oh yeah, I was fighting a mantiore, wasn't I?

... not my brightest moment, now that I think about it.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Gilda continues, shaking her head.

"Fighting is instinctive to me in situations like that."

"But still, I'm more mad at Sparkle than anything." She adds with an irritated snort. "Why couldn't she teleport you too? Why did she just fucking-"

"Hey hey, none of that. You know damn well he's a Greyfeather, Gilda." Grandfather cuts in. Gilda looks him dead in the eye.

"But that doesn't mean magic doesn't work on him all the time, Ivan."

Before any of us have a chance to respond, the door swings open, revealing a white Earth Pony mare in a doctors coat and a nurses hat. And she doesn't look pleased.

"Can you two save the fighting until after you leave? The patient is trying to rest, and visiting hours will be over soon." she says. Gilda looks down, while Grandfather nods, smiling apologetically.

"My apologies, fröken." As he says this, the tiniest hint of red graces the nurses muzzle- oh, you old dog.

"Well, just keep it down, okay?" with that, she closes the door. I look straight to Grandfather.

"Du sluga gamla vargen."*

He let's loose a hearty laugh, while Gilda just looks on in confusion.

+++++

"Adrian, you can't be serious! You're gonna join the Greyfeathers?!"

"I am serious. I'm not going to stand by and let anyone else lose their mothers to those damn prancers, not while I can do something about it."

"This isn't time for heroics! You've heard the stories, what if you don't make it?!"

"I'll survive."

"... what are you trying to prove, Adrian? Is your own pride worth more than your life?"

"Is my life worth more than all the others I can save? All the warriors that can actually return home?"

"... why should you do this, when all they've done is curse your very existence? You've had to endure twelve years of scorn and hate, and now you want to protect the cowards?"

"... because you and I both know that I'm better than that, Adriana."

+++++

*Knock* *Knock*

The knocking at the door slowly dragged me into wakefulness, for which I was both thankful and irritated.

"Fan allt...* It's open!" Aren't visiting hours over?

The doors open, revealing a very guilty looking Twilight Sparkle. Her wings were folded tightly to her back, and her eyes were lowered in what almost looked like... shame...

"Adrian... how are you doing?" she asks, her tone soft. Damnit, now I feel bad...

"Doing better than earlier." I say with a shrug. "You ponies have some strong medicine."

"I'm glad... listen, I'm sorry for leaving you back there-" I hold up a paw to stop her.

"I'm going to have to stop you there, Twilight. It was my decision to fight it," again, not my brightest idea, "so don't blame yourself."

She came up to the bedside, then looked over me, her eyes widening- wait, where's my pullover?

"Before you ask, yes they hurt. Like a tik. And I'm not going to talk about them yet."

"I wasn't going to ask." She responds sincerely. Knowing her, I didn't completely buy it... but I'll humor her. With a sigh, I sink a little further into the hospital bed.

"... hey, Adrian?" she starts, looking even more guilty than before, with her eyes lowered further and ears splayed back.

"Yes?" I can't help but feel apprehensive at this, but I'm curious about what she has to say.

Curious, until she speaks again. The sentence that never failed to drop a chunk of ice into my stomach, and tighten my chest in a combination of anxiety, and memories of pain and scorn.

"I... I saw your hooves." she says, taking a quick peek back up at my face. "A-are you a-"

"Don't you dare say it, Twilight Sparkle." I interrupt, with a little more venom than I intended. She recoils, as if I had slapped her (though I would do no such thing)

"But-"

"No. As far as I'm concerned, the last one of its' kind died when Coltava burned."

"You can't seriously think-"

"I can think whatever I wish. I'm not one of them, and I never will be. I know you've read the stories, if you know our language." I could feel myself getting angrier, but the words kept coming, getting louder and louder, "All the stories heralding their arrival, the grand heroics that select few have ever accomplished, all that talk of destiny. That's all they are. Stories."

With a sigh, I slumped ever deeper into the bed, closing my eyes.

"Det finns inga hjältar.*"

Author's Note

*You sly old wolf.
*Damn it all...
*There are no heroes.