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Description
SunBite rested upon a cloud on a starry night sky. It was colder, for Thanksgiving is almost 2 weeks away. When he exhaled, clouds of his breath were visible in the darkness of the night. The moon wasn't full, it wasn't even present. A new moon, a dark moon, a darker night. He should be out hunting. Hunting for... his meal. But he couldn't.
Besides, he already ate. Apples.
"A Vleermuis NEVER eats the nectar of a fruit! Let alone an apple!" he remembers his father yelling. "Why can't you be more like your brother!"
His brother is a vegetarian... But Darkula doesn't know that.
SunBite lowered his head on the fluffy cloud, closing his eyes. This wasn't unusual. His father always compares SunBite to BloodMoon, the heir to the Vleermuis throne, and the once future bat pony king.
Of course, Ender had to arrive and screw everything up.
He smiles softly thinking of that beautiful baticorn. He sighs. That same beautiful baticorn happens to be his father's arch nemesis... He hates her... so much...
His father doesn't even allow her name to be spoken in their castle. She is referred as "The Bat Pony Princess" or the "Vampony Queen". Odd that they must call her a Princess or a Queen. She is technically the Queen, but she calls herself a Princess. Odd? Indeed.
Of course, Darkula may hate her, but he must respect her. She is his superior, after all. And that's another reason why he hates her. And despite how many times he told SunBite to avoid and hate the Princess, he can't. He just couldn't.
SunBite opened his eyes and sat up. He looked at the ground below him. He saw a familiar bat pony sneaking about. He wasn't for something, he was avoiding something.
BloodMoon.
What was he was avoiding? Being caught. By who? Many ponies. Their father (even though he rarely leaves the castle these centuries), Gears (for he may hug him to death), Ms. Mary Sue (That one mare from that one place at that one time), Twisty-Two-
He looked a little harder and he saw that Twisty was waiting under a tree. BloodMoon bowed a little to her and held her hoof. SunBite watched closer. Twisty was saying something, but he couldn't hear, for SunBite was too far away.
BloodMoon seemed to lead her somewhere. He sat down and told Twisty something.
Despite his echolocation and a strong sense of hearing, he couldn't make it out. Twisty wrapped her hooves around his brother's shoulders. She was holding on to him. SunBite's ears folded down as he looked in concern. BloodMoon looked back at Twisty quickly, and began to fly off from the ground. He watched as the light minty mare held on tighter to his older brother. They flew off to Celestia knows where, and all SunBite could feel was sorrow...
"Somepony doesn't look too happy..." a calm, soft voice called. The bat pony tensed up at hearing the angelic voice.
He turned and saw another bat pony flying a few yards away from him. Except this bat pony had a horn.
"Prinzezz Ender! I-Uh! V-Vhat are you doing here?!" SunBite asked nervous and sweating a little, despite the cold atmosphere. She was missing her crown, shoes, and necklace, so she looked almost like a normal Bat pony.
Ender smiled and lowered herself beside the brown bat pony.
"I was flying around, you know. Making sure no bats were harming any pony. It's that time of the month again!" Ender said, looking rather concern at SunBite. Bat ponies only need to eat once a month, but because of that, they need to eat a lot. Most bat ponies eat apples, very few eat... something else... Like his father.
"Are you alright, SunBite? You seem rather down."
SunBite avoided the mare's gaze. "I'm fine..."
Ender chuckled. "We both know that when someone says that, it's never true..."
SunBite turned his head slightly, so he could see the purple bat a little better. "I zaid I'm fine..."
Ender frowned. "Come now Sunny," she placed a hoof on his shoulder, smiling again, "You can tell me. I'm your friend."
The brown vampony stared at Ender, her smile was warm and welcoming. Of course, it was slightly terrifying due to the enormous, sharp-as-knives, fangs; but to a bat pony, the sharper the better.
SunBite didn't really like to talk about his feelings, especially in front of a Princess, so his only excuse was, "I'm fine..."
Ender shook her head slowly, smiling.
"You dork, I can see right through you!"
SunBite's wings went straight up as he began to blush.
"Not literately!" Ender reassured. "I mean that I can tell you aren't fine. Something is bothering you. So for your sake, tell me."
SunBite looked down.
"Is it your father?"
Silence.
"Is it your... mother...?"
SunBite's heart stung, but didn't show it.
"Is it me?"
"No..." he reassured.
"Well, that's good," Ender giggled, "Is it BloodMoon?"
SunBite's ears flinched, and the baticorn took notice right away. "What's wrong with BloodMoon?"
"Nozing."
"Are you sure?"
"Yez."
SunBite didn't lie. BloodMoon was fine. He bets his brother is having a blast with Ms. Twisty, as he calls her. He didn't mind Twisty, in fact, he was happy that his brother found a sweet mare that possible liked him back. After 520 years or so, SunBite's brother found love.
Right? He did like Twisty, right? Maybe they were just friends? Like, how SunBite was Ender's friend. Because that's all they'll ever be. Friends.
What if they are more than friends? What if they like-like each other? What if those nights where BloodMoon spent the night at Twisty's house, they were... doing... Oh sweet Celestia...
If SunBite should be happy for his brother, why doesn't he feel it...? He loves his brother, and support is all he has given him. Of course, he had multiple marefriends in the past, and they never bothered SunBite. So why does Twisty worry him? Is he afraid he'll take away his brother for good?
"If my brozer findz zomevone...doez zat mean I von't matter to him anymore? Doez zat mean he can't protect me? Doez zat mean... he von't need me?"
"SunBite..."
He looked up at the purple mare who seemed worried.
"Is there something bothering you, that has to do with BloodMoon?" she asked calmly.
"Well..." he responded, "I don't feel comfortable talking about it Prinzezz... zorry."
"Perfectly understandable... Maybe another time." Ender began to rise.
"Are you leaving?" SunBite asked.
Ender nodded slowly. "It's clear that you wish to be left alone, I'm giving my friend that wish."
"I-I never zaid zat!" he responded.
"Perhaps," Ender began to spread her wings, preparing for take off, "But I know when I'm not required."
SunBite looked up at Ender and held his breath. "I wish you a good evening Count SunBite. Perhaps when you are ready, we can talk about whats bothering you."
SunBite watched as Ender began to fly into the darkness. Call him crazy, but he didn't want her to go. He felt alone as it is. "Pleaze don't leave me too!" he shouted towards her.
Ender stopped flying forward, and instead, flew in place in shock. She turned to him and looked at him for a few moments. He looked like he was about to cry. SunBite wasn't he type to cry often, but when he does, it worries Ender. She flew down to his side.
"Ready to talk about it?" she asked.
He shook his head.
She shrugged. "Then I'll stay as long as I must..." Ender was a patient mare, and SunBite liked that. She would rest on that cloud forever with him if she had too.
"Would you like to talk about something else?" Ender asked.
SunBite shrugged.
"How about I tell you the time where I saw Golden Rays and Gears bother NiteFall, and dressed him up as a ballerina."
SunBite almost burst out laughing thinking of that stallion in a tutu.
"I promised I would tell no one but... I'm sure telling a friend wouldn't hurt." Ender winked and stuck her tongue out playfully.
SunBite would love to hear that story, but he didn't think that it would make him feel any better. "No, zank you."
"Alright," Ender replied looking up at the stars. They gleamed in her eyes, making them sparkle. SunBite couldn't help but smile.
"You know... I always wanted to fly as high as the stars are."
SunBite rose an eyebrow. "Vell zat vaz random..."
"But it's true! I love the stars, thanks to Gears!"
"Gearz?"
Ender smiled. "Indeed. He wouldn't stop babbling about it. I wondered why, and spending a night with him made me see what he sees."
SunBite looked up. "Vhat doez he zee?"
"Stars looking down on us, as we look up at them. Planets that are out of our reach! Galaxies that not even Star Swirl the Bearded could research. Gears spends his nights looking up at the moon and beyond."
SunBite stared at the stars, and was reminded of when BloodMoon and he used to stare at them. His ears folded down again.
"You know, Gears said he'll build a rocket one day and blast us all up towards the shimmering stars. Wouldn't that be fu-" Ender stopped mid-sentence and saw her friend in emotional pain.
"SunBite... may you look at me for a moment."
He did so. Ender was smiling sweetly at him. He felt a small smile spread across his face. He always had this feeling of comfort whenever she's around him.
"Tell me what you're thinking."
"Buck!" he thought. Did he have too? Did he really have too tell HER what HE was thinking right NOW?
"Go on, I won't judge..."
"Vell..."
"And that's an order from your Princess!" she said as she winked.
"Uh... vell I.... uh.... I am zinking about ze ztarz... I am alvayz zinking about my brozer and my fazer," he began.
"Go on my friend..." Ender reassured."
"I am... vorried. I am afraid and I feel alone..." Ender frowned at hearing this.
"I juzt... I am zinking about my feelingz, if zat makez zenze... I am zinking about my future. My brozer's future. My family. I am zinking and vondering vhy everyvone iz leaving... Not me exactly but... I feel like zey are getting farzer (farther) and farzer avay..."
SunBite rested his head on the cloud. "I am zinking about a zertain unicorn and a zertain bat pony..." He inhaled deeply and exhaled lowly, "I am zinking about happinezz and pain, how zomeonez zmile can bring another ponie'z heartbreak..."
"That's poetic," Ender said.
"Vell, zome zay I could be a famouz poet vone day," raising his head again, brushing off his hoof.
"I think they might be right. You almost stole my heart," Ender replied, booping SunBite.
"Uh....Pr-Prinzezz... zat iz rather..."
"Is what?" Ender said booping his nose again.
SunBite began to blush. "You are...touching me..."
"I know. BOOP!" she said, giggling.
The bat pony never had Ender touch him playfully.
"If you don't like it, I'll stop," the baticorn said.
"NO!" he replied rather quickly.
"Well that case..."
She kept booping him. You may think it would get boring, but SunBite and Ender were enjoying it. They even made it a game. Ender would ask a question, and every time SunBite got it wrong, Ender would boop him.
"How many sides does a circle have?" Ender asked.
"None?" SunBite replied.
"Wrong! 2 sides! And outside and an inside!" She booped him.
"Zat vaz a trick queztion!" he protested.
"Not that you minded!" Ender said, "Let's see that's 27 for me and 0 for you!"
"Vell you azk impozzible queztionz..." SunBite said.
"No I don't! Anyway number 28: There are 64 ice cream trucks filled with 100 gallons of x number of flavors. It takes 3 hours to drive from destination A to destination R, but due to traffic it takes twice as long as it took to drop off the penguins from Canterlot. Use the quadratic formula to find the circumference of the Sun!"
"Are you zeriouz!"
"No I'm Ender! And you're wrong! Boop!"
SunBite chuckled. "No, I'm not wrong... I'm ZunBite..." He booped the Princess. She simply smiled and wrapped her wing around the brown bat.
"I guess I deserved that... Alright. 29 to 1."
SunBite began to yawn. It was close to midnight, and even though bat ponies are active at night, he was more diurnal.
"Oh, are you getting tired, my friend?" Ender asked.
"Uh... no juzt... uh..." He couldn't stop himself from yawing again.
"You should be heading home. I bet your brother is worried sick about you."
SunBite's heart ached at hearing this. "I vouldn't zink zo..."
"What makes you say that?"
SunBite smiled at the Princess. "Oh uh...no reazon, I vaz kidding!"
"Very well..." Ender said before booping SunBite once more. "But never forget how much you mean to us... How much you mean to me... Never feel like you are alone."
SunBite smiled slightly. "Zank you... Ender...."
"Would you mind... flying me home before you head off? You don't have to if you are too tired," the Princess offered.
Did he hear that right? "You vant me... to fly you home?"
"If it's no trouble..."
SunBite smiled again. "I vould be honored..."

Meanwhile under a tree not far from the cloud... because someone didn't wish to fly far from their brother.

"My little brother is growing up..." BloodMoon said looking at SunBite and Ender talking.
Twisty smiled at the bat pony. "M-m-maybe this i-is the one?" she asked.
"I hope so, but at the same time, I hope not..." he responded looking down.
"W-why are y-y-you w-worried?" she asked.
He didn't respond to the mare beside him immediately. He looked at her and shook his head. "Never mind what I said. This night was meant for you, Ms. Twisty, not me and my feelings."
BloodMoon rubbed the back of his head after saying that. Twisty rested her head on his shoulder as she began to sleep. While she slept, BlooMoon saw Ender and SunBite fly from the cloud they were on. As they got farther away, he couldn't help but think to himself, "If my brother finds someone...does that mean I won't matter to him anymore? Does that mean I can't protect him? Does that mean... he won't need me?"

Description
SunBite rested upon a cloud on a starry night sky. It was colder, for Thanksgiving is almost 2 weeks away. When he exhaled, clouds of his breath were visible in the darkness of the night. The moon wasn't full, it wasn't even present. A new moon, a dark moon, a darker night. He should be out hunting. Hunting for... his meal. But he couldn't.
Besides, he already ate. Apples.
"A Vleermuis NEVER eats the nectar of a fruit! Let alone an apple!" he remembers his father yelling. "Why can't you be more like your brother!"
His brother is a vegetarian... But Darkula doesn't know that.
SunBite lowered his head on the fluffy cloud, closing his eyes. This wasn't unusual. His father always compares SunBite to BloodMoon, the heir to the Vleermuis throne, and the once future bat pony king.
Of course, Ender had to arrive and screw everything up.
He smiles softly thinking of that beautiful baticorn. He sighs. That same beautiful baticorn happens to be his father's arch nemesis... He hates her... so much...
His father doesn't even allow her name to be spoken in their castle. She is referred as "The Bat Pony Princess" or the "Vampony Queen". Odd that they must call her a Princess or a Queen. She is technically the Queen, but she calls herself a Princess. Odd? Indeed.
Of course, Darkula may hate her, but he must respect her. She is his superior, after all. And that's another reason why he hates her. And despite how many times he told SunBite to avoid and hate the Princess, he can't. He just couldn't.
SunBite opened his eyes and sat up. He looked at the ground below him. He saw a familiar bat pony sneaking about. He wasn't for something, he was avoiding something.
BloodMoon.
What was he was avoiding? Being caught. By who? Many ponies. Their father (even though he rarely leaves the castle these centuries), Gears (for he may hug him to death), Ms. Mary Sue (That one mare from that one place at that one time), Twisty-Two-
He looked a little harder and he saw that Twisty was waiting under a tree. BloodMoon bowed a little to her and held her hoof. SunBite watched closer. Twisty was saying something, but he couldn't hear, for SunBite was too far away.
BloodMoon seemed to lead her somewhere. He sat down and told Twisty something.
Despite his echolocation and a strong sense of hearing, he couldn't make it out. Twisty wrapped her hooves around his brother's shoulders. She was holding on to him. SunBite's ears folded down as he looked in concern. BloodMoon looked back at Twisty quickly, and began to fly off from the ground. He watched as the light minty mare held on tighter to his older brother. They flew off to Celestia knows where, and all SunBite could feel was sorrow...
"Somepony doesn't look too happy..." a calm, soft voice called. The bat pony tensed up at hearing the angelic voice.
He turned and saw another bat pony flying a few yards away from him. Except this bat pony had a horn.
"Prinzezz Ender! I-Uh! V-Vhat are you doing here?!" SunBite asked nervous and sweating a little, despite the cold atmosphere. She was missing her crown, shoes, and necklace, so she looked almost like a normal Bat pony.
Ender smiled and lowered herself beside the brown bat pony.
"I was flying around, you know. Making sure no bats were harming any pony. It's that time of the month again!" Ender said, looking rather concern at SunBite. Bat ponies only need to eat once a month, but because of that, they need to eat a lot. Most bat ponies eat apples, very few eat... something else... Like his father.
"Are you alright, SunBite? You seem rather down."
SunBite avoided the mare's gaze. "I'm fine..."
Ender chuckled. "We both know that when someone says that, it's never true..."
SunBite turned his head slightly, so he could see the purple bat a little better. "I zaid I'm fine..."
Ender frowned. "Come now Sunny," she placed a hoof on his shoulder, smiling again, "You can tell me. I'm your friend."
The brown vampony stared at Ender, her smile was warm and welcoming. Of course, it was slightly terrifying due to the enormous, sharp-as-knives, fangs; but to a bat pony, the sharper the better.
SunBite didn't really like to talk about his feelings, especially in front of a Princess, so his only excuse was, "I'm fine..."
Ender shook her head slowly, smiling.
"You dork, I can see right through you!"
SunBite's wings went straight up as he began to blush.
"Not literately!" Ender reassured. "I mean that I can tell you aren't fine. Something is bothering you. So for your sake, tell me."
SunBite looked down.
"Is it your father?"
Silence.
"Is it your... mother...?"
SunBite's heart stung, but didn't show it.
"Is it me?"
"No..." he reassured.
"Well, that's good," Ender giggled, "Is it BloodMoon?"
SunBite's ears flinched, and the baticorn took notice right away. "What's wrong with BloodMoon?"
"Nozing."
"Are you sure?"
"Yez."
SunBite didn't lie. BloodMoon was fine. He bets his brother is having a blast with Ms. Twisty, as he calls her. He didn't mind Twisty, in fact, he was happy that his brother found a sweet mare that possible liked him back. After 520 years or so, SunBite's brother found love.
Right? He did like Twisty, right? Maybe they were just friends? Like, how SunBite was Ender's friend. Because that's all they'll ever be. Friends.
What if they are more than friends? What if they like-like each other? What if those nights where BloodMoon spent the night at Twisty's house, they were... doing... Oh sweet Celestia...
If SunBite should be happy for his brother, why doesn't he feel it...? He loves his brother, and support is all he has given him. Of course, he had multiple marefriends in the past, and they never bothered SunBite. So why does Twisty worry him? Is he afraid he'll take away his brother for good?
"If my brozer findz zomevone...doez zat mean I von't matter to him anymore? Doez zat mean he can't protect me? Doez zat mean... he von't need me?"
"SunBite..."
He looked up at the purple mare who seemed worried.
"Is there something bothering you, that has to do with BloodMoon?" she asked calmly.
"Well..." he responded, "I don't feel comfortable talking about it Prinzezz... zorry."
"Perfectly understandable... Maybe another time." Ender began to rise.
"Are you leaving?" SunBite asked.
Ender nodded slowly. "It's clear that you wish to be left alone, I'm giving my friend that wish."
"I-I never zaid zat!" he responded.
"Perhaps," Ender began to spread her wings, preparing for take off, "But I know when I'm not required."
SunBite looked up at Ender and held his breath. "I wish you a good evening Count SunBite. Perhaps when you are ready, we can talk about whats bothering you."
SunBite watched as Ender began to fly into the darkness. Call him crazy, but he didn't want her to go. He felt alone as it is. "Pleaze don't leave me too!" he shouted towards her.
Ender stopped flying forward, and instead, flew in place in shock. She turned to him and looked at him for a few moments. He looked like he was about to cry. SunBite wasn't he type to cry often, but when he does, it worries Ender. She flew down to his side.
"Ready to talk about it?" she asked.
He shook his head.
She shrugged. "Then I'll stay as long as I must..." Ender was a patient mare, and SunBite liked that. She would rest on that cloud forever with him if she had too.
"Would you like to talk about something else?" Ender asked.
SunBite shrugged.
"How about I tell you the time where I saw Golden Rays and Gears bother NiteFall, and dressed him up as a ballerina."
SunBite almost burst out laughing thinking of that stallion in a tutu.
"I promised I would tell no one but... I'm sure telling a friend wouldn't hurt." Ender winked and stuck her tongue out playfully.
SunBite would love to hear that story, but he didn't think that it would make him feel any better. "No, zank you."
"Alright," Ender replied looking up at the stars. They gleamed in her eyes, making them sparkle. SunBite couldn't help but smile.
"You know... I always wanted to fly as high as the stars are."
SunBite rose an eyebrow. "Vell zat vaz random..."
"But it's true! I love the stars, thanks to Gears!"
"Gearz?"
Ender smiled. "Indeed. He wouldn't stop babbling about it. I wondered why, and spending a night with him made me see what he sees."
SunBite looked up. "Vhat doez he zee?"
"Stars looking down on us, as we look up at them. Planets that are out of our reach! Galaxies that not even Star Swirl the Bearded could research. Gears spends his nights looking up at the moon and beyond."
SunBite stared at the stars, and was reminded of when BloodMoon and he used to stare at them. His ears folded down again.
"You know, Gears said he'll build a rocket one day and blast us all up towards the shimmering stars. Wouldn't that be fu-" Ender stopped mid-sentence and saw her friend in emotional pain.
"SunBite... may you look at me for a moment."
He did so. Ender was smiling sweetly at him. He felt a small smile spread across his face. He always had this feeling of comfort whenever she's around him.
"Tell me what you're thinking."
"Buck!" he thought. Did he have too? Did he really have too tell HER what HE was thinking right NOW?
"Go on, I won't judge..."
"Vell..."
"And that's an order from your Princess!" she said as she winked.
"Uh... vell I.... uh.... I am zinking about ze ztarz... I am alvayz zinking about my brozer and my fazer," he began.
"Go on my friend..." Ender reassured."
"I am... vorried. I am afraid and I feel alone..." Ender frowned at hearing this.
"I juzt... I am zinking about my feelingz, if zat makez zenze... I am zinking about my future. My brozer's future. My family. I am zinking and vondering vhy everyvone iz leaving... Not me exactly but... I feel like zey are getting farzer (farther) and farzer avay..."
SunBite rested his head on the cloud. "I am zinking about a zertain unicorn and a zertain bat pony..." He inhaled deeply and exhaled lowly, "I am zinking about happinezz and pain, how zomeonez zmile can bring another ponie'z heartbreak..."
"That's poetic," Ender said.
"Vell, zome zay I could be a famouz poet vone day," raising his head again, brushing off his hoof.
"I think they might be right. You almost stole my heart," Ender replied, booping SunBite.
"Uh....Pr-Prinzezz... zat iz rather..."
"Is what?" Ender said booping his nose again.
SunBite began to blush. "You are...touching me..."
"I know. BOOP!" she said, giggling.
The bat pony never had Ender touch him playfully.
"If you don't like it, I'll stop," the baticorn said.
"NO!" he replied rather quickly.
"Well that case..."
She kept booping him. You may think it would get boring, but SunBite and Ender were enjoying it. They even made it a game. Ender would ask a question, and every time SunBite got it wrong, Ender would boop him.
"How many sides does a circle have?" Ender asked.
"None?" SunBite replied.
"Wrong! 2 sides! And outside and an inside!" She booped him.
"Zat vaz a trick queztion!" he protested.
"Not that you minded!" Ender said, "Let's see that's 27 for me and 0 for you!"
"Vell you azk impozzible queztionz..." SunBite said.
"No I don't! Anyway number 28: There are 64 ice cream trucks filled with 100 gallons of x number of flavors. It takes 3 hours to drive from destination A to destination R, but due to traffic it takes twice as long as it took to drop off the penguins from Canterlot. Use the quadratic formula to find the circumference of the Sun!"
"Are you zeriouz!"
"No I'm Ender! And you're wrong! Boop!"
SunBite chuckled. "No, I'm not wrong... I'm ZunBite..." He booped the Princess. She simply smiled and wrapped her wing around the brown bat.
"I guess I deserved that... Alright. 29 to 1."
SunBite began to yawn. It was close to midnight, and even though bat ponies are active at night, he was more diurnal.
"Oh, are you getting tired, my friend?" Ender asked.
"Uh... no juzt... uh..." He couldn't stop himself from yawing again.
"You should be heading home. I bet your brother is worried sick about you."
SunBite's heart ached at hearing this. "I vouldn't zink zo..."
"What makes you say that?"
SunBite smiled at the Princess. "Oh uh...no reazon, I vaz kidding!"
"Very well..." Ender said before booping SunBite once more. "But never forget how much you mean to us... How much you mean to me... Never feel like you are alone."
SunBite smiled slightly. "Zank you... Ender...."
"Would you mind... flying me home before you head off? You don't have to if you are too tired," the Princess offered.
Did he hear that right? "You vant me... to fly you home?"
"If it's no trouble..."
SunBite smiled again. "I vould be honored..."

Meanwhile under a tree not far from the cloud... because someone didn't wish to fly far from their brother.

"My little brother is growing up..." BloodMoon said looking at SunBite and Ender talking.
Twisty smiled at the bat pony. "M-m-maybe this i-is the one?" she asked.
"I hope so, but at the same time, I hope not..." he responded looking down.
"W-why are y-y-you w-worried?" she asked.
He didn't respond to the mare beside him immediately. He looked at her and shook his head. "Never mind what I said. This night was meant for you, Ms. Twisty, not me and my feelings."
BloodMoon rubbed the back of his head after saying that. Twisty rested her head on his shoulder as she began to sleep. While she slept, BlooMoon saw Ender and SunBite fly from the cloud they were on. As they got farther away, he couldn't help but think to himself, "If my brother finds someone...does that mean I won't matter to him anymore? Does that mean I can't protect him? Does that mean... he won't need me?"