On the Hunt

I roar with unbridled rage as I hurl myself towards the Sentinel, claws reflecting the light of the lasers that it fires at me. I deflect one of the shots with my claws before rolling under the others, leaping back to my feet in time to slash at the machine. It leaps back from me while firing more lasers from its hands, searing my body with blazing energy.

At this point, the lasers are just annoying. I'm too far gone to feel any pain. So instead I bellow at the machine while hurling myself at it once more, closing the distance between us in a matter of moments. With another roar I slash at it with my claws, only to be caught in the face by a blast of energy that erupts from the Sentinel's eyes. I don't feel the blast, but it's still enough to get me to stagger backwards.

"So I was right, ya tin can bastard," I snarl at the machine as I narrow my eyes into slits. I know that blast better than anyone. I'm often on the receiving end of it. "You have Scott's energy vision. I thought I recognized the marks on the bodies of the ponies, but I hoped I was wrong. Seems I can't get that lucky."

The Sentinel doesn't say anything in reply. Instead it lifts its arms and starts to fire even more lasers at me, including the energy vision from its eyes. I bite down hard before racing into the fire, not bothering to dodge the blasts and allow them to hit me. I don't care how close to death this thing takes me, so long as it dies before I do. I slash at it when I get close enough, but to my annoyance the machine uses its rockets to leap back and just barely avoid my strike.

"Stop dodging me, bastard!" I roar while leaping onto all fours, racing towards the Sentinel as fast as I can. The Sentinel stops firing its lasers for a moment and raises one hand to the sky. My eyes widen when it does this and I use all of my might to hurl myself to the side, just in time to avoid a blast of lightning that descended from above. For a brief second the Sentinel looks confused, giving me an opening. I lunge forward and drive my claws into the stomach of the machine, a smile crossing my face as I stare into the face of the Sentinel.

"What's the matter, bub? Thought that you would catch me off guard with that? I may be an animal, but I ain't stupid," I inform the Sentinel as I tear my claws out of its stomach, spraying liquid and ripping wires out of its body. "The burn marks, the lightning strikes and other familiar powers all used on the ponies? Ya don't just have Scott's power; ya got most of ours, don't ya?"

The Sentinel says nothing in reply, it only fires another blast of Scott's energy into my face. I snarl as I stagger back, but I'm too far pissed to be deterred by something so trivial. I bellow as I plunge my claw towards the Sentinel, preparing to end it with a final strike.

SNIKT.

Metal strikes metal as three claws emerge from the right hand of the Sentinel and deflect my claw strike. My eyes narrow as I back off as the second pair erupts from the Sentinel's left hand, leaving it with a shiny pair of new claws that look an awful lot like mine.

"And there it is. Yer sad attempt to copy me," I growl, acting tough. I'm a bit worried, though. His claws didn't get cut by mine, meaning that they're made of adamantium or tougher metal. Might mean that it can cut through my bones, maybe even kill me. But I also know that I can cut through its body and kill it as well.

"So, this is how it's going to be?" I ask it, crouching down low as I prepare to fight. The Sentinel mirrors my movements, even turning its eyes red to look like me. "A fight to the bitter death? I'm fine with that, because ya ain't going to kill me, bub. But yer more than welcome to try."

A flash of lightning signaled the start of our battle and the both of us hurled ourselves at each other at the same time. I slashed in a blinding fury with my claws, but the Sentinel managed to either deflect or dodge each strike with moves that mirrored mine.

"So, yer a Sentinel that was created to study us and copy our skills, are ya?" I ask it as I roll under a claw strike before slashing at the Sentinel's heels. The Sentinel takes to the air and begins to fire more energy vision at me, forcing me to dive behind a boulder to avoid getting hit. I wait a beat before using my claws' reflective sides to glance around the corner and spy where the Sentinel is. "Well, let me show you why it doesn't pay to be a cheap imitation."

I roll out from behind the boulder just in time to see the Sentinel turn its gaze towards me, bringing the energy vision with it. I bring up both of my claws to intercept the blast, reflecting the energy off of my claws and sending blasts of energy everywhere. As I start to tilt my claws the beam of energy starts to get angled back towards the Sentinel. The machine catches onto what I'm doing a second too late. It then takes its own attack to the face.

"Gonna have to thank Summers for showing me that one," I mutter as the Sentinel crashes down to the ground, staggered. I close the gap between us, reaching it just as it recovers. I slash at its head with one set of claws while throwing a low jab to its side, but once again it manages to deflect both of my blows. Our claws clash and for a brief moment the two of us push against each other, each trying to overpower the other.

"I can get why ya want to kill me! Even Alicia! But why go after the ponies?! They ain't what you were created to kill!" I roar at the Sentinel, feeling my arms start to fail against its metal might. "They were innocents in all of this! Ya Sentinels might be the greatest threat to mutant kind, but even ya don't kill innocents without good reason! So answer me, ya overgrown trash can! Why did you kill them?!"

"They have potential to become mutants," the Sentinel responds in the cold tone that I've come to hate from them. "They had to be exterminated before they became a threat to the people of the world. Their deaths are justified."

The volcano within me erupts the moment it finishes speaking, fury and wrath burning through my veins at what the Sentinel told me. I slam my skull into the head of the Sentinel, staggering it and freeing up both of my arms. I bellow with a voice that's no longer my own as I swing down with all my animalistic might, cleaving through the metal that held its arm to its body and sending the limb flying.

The Sentinel stares down at the missing limb before it retaliates by plunging its remaining claw into my stomach. I don't even feel it. But I do know that with that claw in my stomach, the Sentinel can no longer move, meaning that it's my time to strike.

"Yer done. BERSERKER BARRAGE!" I bellow as I slash at the Sentinel in a flurry of motion, shredding through its metal body and sending pieces of it flying in every direction. With one last scream I plunge my claws into the center of the Sentinel and slowly begin to pull them apart. I can hear the screaming of the metal as it tries to resist being cut in two. But my claws and my rage are far stronger than the Sentinel can be.

I rip out one of my claws and aim it at what remains of the Sentinel's face, a dark smile crossing my face as I prepare to deliver the final blow. I then scream as I drive my claws down towards its face...only for my claws to strike empty air as the Sentinel vanishes from my grasp. The moment I realize it's gone I spin around and drive both of my claws upwards.

"Time to di-" the Sentinel starts right before my claws punch through its stomach and chest, piercing clean through to the other side. I let out a roar as the Sentinel's claws drive themselves through my right eye, but I force myself to ignore the pain as I glare up at the machine with my one good eye.

"What's the matter, bub? Thought that you could get the drop on me?" I ask it while forcing myself to pull my head back. The claws slicing through my face is a pain that I have never felt before, but it was all worth it just to see the terror in the Sentinel's eyes. And don't let it being a machine fool ya. These things can feel fear. They just rarely do.

"See, back in one of the towns that you decimated, I noticed a group of guards that were all killed from behind. Despite being in a circle and back to back. Meaning that you somehow got behind them without being seen. That's the Nightcrawler in you, isn't it?" I ask the Sentinel, thinking of all the lives that it had ended. All the families that it had ruined. "Good thing I've trained myself to kill all the other members of the X-men, should that horrible day ever arrive. Too bad for you, huh? Yer reign of terror ends here. I'm not going to let monsters like you tear apart any more families."

"Incoherent data. All databanks on target Wolverine do not classify him as this strong," the Sentinel spits out. "What are you?"

"Those yer last words? A question? Alright bub, I'll answer. I'm the best there is at what I do. But what I do...isn't very nice," I whisper to it with a grin that the berserker loves. "Now I've got something I want to tell you...Weapon X." My claws are practically invisible with how fast I slash with them. I dive into the Sentinel while spinning, creating a whirlwind around my body as I carry the both of us into the air. I then slash down with both claws to drive the machine into the ground before I drive my entire body through it with one last slash, forming an X across the Sentinel...before it shatters into millions of pieces.

"And be thankful I went easy on ya," I snarl at the pieces as I crash down to the ground, breathing heavily as the berserker goes back to sleep and leaves me with all of the pain and agony that I had been ignoring during the battle. I take a moment to collect myself, to make sure the berserker goes back down. But I can still feel it. It's just beneath my skin, waiting for the next chance to come out.

I then hear the faint sounds of something crying in pain, crying out in its last, pitiful breaths before it died. I pick myself up and turn to look at the pony that had been split in half by the Sentinel, amazed to see that he's still alive. I drag my aching body over to him and look down, the rage within turning into pity. He'll be dead within a matter of moments. Nothing I can do to save him.

But when I look into his eyes, I see that he's in an incredible amount of pain. Don't blame him, being cut in half hurts like hell, even when you have a healing factor. Without it, it's just a slow, painful death. I can't let him suffer like that. He doesn't deserve to go like this. No one does.

"Hey bub," I say in as kind a voice as I can as I kneel down next to him. For a brief moment the two of us lock eyes and an unsaid understanding is reached between the two of us. I then place my fist under his chin, closing my eyes as I do so and remembering a saying. A samurai must be willing to shoulder the weight of killing. "Don't worry, the pain will all be gone in just a moment. Just-"

SNIKT.

"-close your eyes."

I've killed the Sentinel, the machine that has been plaguing the ponies and wiping out their homes and lives. I have the scent to where Alicia is, so soon I'll be able to get her and bring her back to Earth with me. Everything seems to be going my way.

Yet I still feel like I'm the loser.

||X||

"She really...drew this?" I ask Lyra with disbelief as I stare at the drawing left upon the kitchen table. It's a drawing of me, Lyra and imp, all smiling and holding hooves...and hands.

"That's right, Bon. And I take it you've also realized what other drawing it looks like?" Lyra asks me. When I reply with confusion, she sighs and grabs the drawing she made of Imp's family. "This is her response to my question of whether she has a family or not. She sees us as her family now, Bon. We're her parents."

I take a moment to take in what Lyra is saying. I knew that I had gotten closer to Imp, but for her to see me as a mother...

"And this is why you don't want to me to bring down that creature?" I ask Lyra. "Lyra, if she truly sees me as a parent, then I truly have to bring down the creature! That's my duty to-"

"And what if you fail?!" Lyra yells at me, cutting me off. "What if you fail and you die? Then Imp has not only lost her home, but also one of the few ponies that she sees as family. Bon, if Imp truly sees us as parents...then we have to take care of her. And you can't do that if you're dead."

"But...my team...protecting Equestria." Lyra places a hoof on my shoulder and gives me a weak smile.

"If you're team is anywhere near as good at monster fighting as you are, then they should be fine." I know that she's trying to talk me out of fighting the creature, but I just can't let it go. After all he's done, after all the lives he's ruined, including my friend...

Both Lyra and I lift our heads as Imp walks into the kitchen, giving us both a quizzical look before she spies her drawing in my hooves. A smile spreads across her face as she races over to me, taking the picture out of my grip before showing it to me. I nod with an approving smile that only makes her smile grow bigger. She then hugs my chest before rushing back off into the house. Lyra and I both watch her go, before Lyra turns back to me.

"So what do you say, Bon? Can you stay retired like you said you would? Leave the fighting to your friends," Lyra says to me. I think over it one last time, trying to think of as many reasons as I can for staying in the fight.

"Alright Lyra, you win. I'll stay here and watch over Imp. It's the least I can do for her."