“Splitstream?” A soothing voice called out me. It was familiar, and somehow painful. “Splitstream… what’s wrong sweetheart?” The voice cooed softly.

I could feel tears burning in my eyes, and I squeezed them tightly shut, “Why did he have to leave mommy…?” I heard myself talking, but the voice was higher pitched, my voice when I was much younger.

I felt myself being lifted up and cradled, and a gentle hoof ran through my mane as a soft wing wiped the tears rolling down my cheek, “Splitstream… you know that your father loves you and-,” her voice cracked a little. She was trying not to cry, to keep me calm.

I remember this…This is when he left us and my life started to go down hill…

She sniffed a little, I wanted to open my eyes, I wanted to see my mother. “Honey…your daddy left to make sure you could grow up happy and safe.”

I didn’t want to believe her, I don’t think she believed herself, “But… but I want him to stay!” I heard myself whine.

She hugged me tightly, and I could feel her tears on my cheek, “I know sweetheart… I do too.”

Open my eyes, dammit, why can’t I see my mother? Why can’t I remember what she looks like? Why is this bothering me? M… Mommy… please…. tell me everything will be ok… tell me…

CRASH!

I woke with a start jumping to my hooves as fast as I could, which was not the best idea I had because the wooden beam that was above my head was far harder than my unarmored head. I groaned as I wrapped my hooves over my head and slowly sunk back to the ground, “ow… what in the deepest pits of,” I sucked a breath through my clenched teeth and looked at my hoof. My vision focused on it for a second before I noticed what was behind it, “earth?” I poked the dirt floor with a hoof and watched as the special padding on the bottom of my armor left a clear mark in it. I felt myself grin, ‘this is the coolest thing I have ever seen!’

The air going through my nostrils was stale and musty, nothing like the air above the cloud veil which was clean and cool. I didn’t care this dirt and the air was filling me with a feeling I haven’t felt since, “No Split… not here and not now,” I willed myself not to remember anything about my past. That dream was bad enough to get me feeling emotional at a time like this.

“Wait a minute…” as I looked at the ground something clearly stood out to me that took a minute for my groggy and still stinging head to comprehend. I brought my hoof along side the tiny hoof print, “the filly…” I looked up finally taking in my surroundings. It was a small shack that was falling apart, and judging by the creaking I was guessing a good buck would topple this thing right over. A couple metal boxes were in one corner of the shack and very dirt and old looking bed stood another.

I slowly stood up and inched out from under the board that was leaning across the middle of the shack. The multiple popping of my joints told me that I should stretch as soon as possible or I will become sore, but first I needed to find the filly I saved, ‘and damned,’ I told myself as a knot twisted in my stomach. Damn it Splitstream, you are more than just a jerk now… you're a, “murderer,” the taste of the word was as bad as the truth in my mind.

My ears perked up at the sound of a soft sob causing me to focus back on the bed with a pair of large violet eyes looking out at me. I didn’t know what to do so I just smiled feeling like an idiot, “Hi,” nice one Splitstream. Let’s make a list of the top dumbest things to say to someone after you murder their family. As expected the eyes disappeared under the bed followed by a whimper. I knelt down to look under the bed, “um… my name is Splitst-”

“YOU KILLED MY MOMMY!” Her scream was filled with so much sadness and rage that it dropped me onto my haunches. I could barely see her with the blanket hanging over the bed. She was curled up in a small ball with her tail up under her chin which was soaked with tears. She glared at me and I could see the hate in her eyes, “why did you save me and kill her you… you-”

“It was self defense… it was them or ME!” I roared feeling my own emotions boils inside with a mix of self loathing and anger. The fillies eye changed from anger to fear instantly and I didn’t think she could look any smaller but she shrank down her eyes not leaving me. She whimpered something that was hard to say so I took a deep breath to calm myself a little, “what?”

“Are you going to kill me?”she asked in such a small and scared voice.

every bit of anger flooded out of me and I found myself sinking back to the ground. Of course I wasn’t going to hurt her but for her to ask me that was worse than getting stabbed by an energy lance. I closed my eyes, guilt building up inside of me and shook my head, “no… no i’m not.” Why was I feeling this? Was it because it was I who killed the ponies who took care of her? Or was it the thought of what was going to happen to her when Steel gets ahold of her? The thought of Steel and the burn of anger that washed away with her came back with a vengeance, “but… I do have an idea of who I will kill.” My voice was more of a growl and I could feel my armored hoof crushing a small rock under it into the ground.

The filly poked her head out from under the bed, “is…” She wiped her eyes smearing dirt across her face, “is it that pony that was going to… to hurt me?” I looked dumbfounded at her. She crawled out from under the bed and sat up. She turned her head away and rubbed her leg, “B- because I was scared of what you did but…” I leaned my head down closer to her and she looked back at me with a mixture of fear and dead seriousness, “But I was more scared of what he was going to do.”

I couldn’t believe what i was hearing, “Is that why you hid behind me? Because you were scared of Steel more than me?” Her nod got me thinking a little more, like why would a filly be scared of somepony over the one that killed her mother right in front of her? Or was there something about him that I was missing? I shook my head as the questions began to build up more and it started to hurt my head. That or I was getting dehydrated. I reached back to a small compartment beneath my wing and pulled out a bottle of water.

The filly leaned up looking at the bottle licking her lips a little. I looked at it then to her and back, “thirst huh?” She shrank back and nodded looking down. I sighed softly and put the bottle on the ground in front of her and reached back for my other one.

She looked at it, “w… what? I… You… you’re giving it to me?”

“Yes now drink up,” I heard her grab the bottle and start drinking instantly. I however was not so lucky as it appeared that one of those bastards shooting at me got a lucky shot. I groaned and opened the compartment which had a small black scorch mark on it with a hole no bigger than a pre war bit. I pulled the bottle out and I was right as the bottle had an equally sized hole in it. I lifted the bottle to my lips and drained the last half swig, “whelp… I guess we should find someplace to find some drinkable water.”

She looked at the rest of her bottle and held it out to me, “here.”

I was surprised and dumbfounded, “I… what?!”

She held it up higher, “you're still thirsty right? then here… you can have the rest.”

I took the bottle from her looking at the last of the water which was still about half of the bottle. I shook my head feeling guilty for what I did to her already that I wasn’t going to take something as important as this from her, “no thank you… um… you need it more since you are still growing.”

She pulled the the bottle back to her chest and looked into the bottle. I watched as she stared into it and her ears slowly folded back and finally look back up to me, “what are you going to do with me?”

The question caused me more than a moment's pause as I thought, “well… I guess we should find you somepony who can take care of you. Do you have any famil-” she slowly looked down at the ground and her eyes started to fill with tears again. I hit myself a bit harder in the face with my hoof than I meant to but I guess I deserved it. I brushed the bit of dirt off my face and looked for something to change the subject, “ uh… what was that crash from earlier?”

She instantly looked up into my eyes then over to the metal boxes in the corner, “I was… trying to see if I could find anything useful.”

I looked at the boxes then back, “ok… first… Why are you looking for anything useful? and second how did you make a crash that loud?” I sat looking at her for a minute then frowned, “and…. where is my helmet?”

She looked at the ground and nudged the dirt with her hoof, “I um… dropped it into the box on the top before it fell down onto the ground… and… well…” She trailed off not looking up at me.

I swallowed hard feeling like I already knew the answer, “and… something happened to it…” I stood up and walked over to the boxes lifting a few empty ones off another that was in not nearly as good condition anymore. I lifted the horribly dented and curved lid and see the black paint of my helmet. I smiled feeling, “it's not as bad as I-” I was wrong as I lifted it out and the visor fell back into the box with smash. I looked at the head piece for a long moment then to Bubble Gum who looked a bit worried, ‘was she afraid I would hurt her because of this?’ I thought to myself.

I dropped the helmet back into the box and she looked up at me oddly as I smiled at her, “a… are you alright?” she asked raising an eyebrow.

I chuckled, my insides felt like a monster growling in annoyance that it was broken so easily, but I continued to give her a smile, “It was always in the way anyhow and between you and me… I hated wearing it.”

for the first time since we have seen each other she smiled. Not a forced one but one of a sweet innocent little filly, “I like you better without it anyhow.”

I returned the smile and mentally stomped the monster down that was annoyed for my broken helmet, “yeah… me too.” I looked to the door back into the wasteland knowing I was in for one hell of day.