Into the fires of Tartarus he stared. Waiting. Longing for the moment he had been planning for. Now he was so close. With every push forward deeper down the River Styx, every second burning away as the cries of the damned reverberated around him, Ultron was getting closer.
Every second.
Every cry.
One step closer.
Ultron stared up, seeing nothing but darkness and smoke consume the sky with what he presumed ended in a rocky structure above. His eyes traveled downwards, slowly taking in every detail that Hell had to offer.
Ash and flame particles rained, obviously due to the never-ending fire pits pockmarked across the torn landscape. Lightning of all colors electrified the dark clouds above, thunder echoing alongside the screams of beasts and demons. Tornadoes infected the distant lands from what Ultron could see. The funnels tore apart the landscape, capturing fire and spreading its flame to and fro. Purple and blue mountain peaks sat in the distance, unending darkness directly behind them.
He and Charon continued down the River Styx. Ahead of them, in the distance, towering structures remained, consumed within the death and torment of the atmosphere. They appeared to be temples, relics of past rulers, or perhaps current rulers. There was no documentation of such things, so Ultron was soon to enter new, fresh territory, he felt.
As they pushed by such temples and structures, Ultron shifted his eyes onwards. He saw Charon clawing deeper with each push forward, his head low and skeletal hands digging against his oar. His gaze veered downwards, down into the murky depths of the River Styx. Below him, Ultron could see serpents of white scatter from his gaze, others nearing the surface and crying out to him.
Lost souls. That much Ultron knew. He ignored them.
For what seemed like an eternity, the ferry finally ended. Ultron turned to his right. There, he noticed a platform leading deeper into the scorched lands, straight for a massive temple with his name on it. Ultron could have smiled. Another step closer.
He stepped off the boat, hovering over to the platform and making a soft landing.
“Be cautious, weary traveler.”
Ultron took his eyes off a horned beast chained to a wall, clawing at the chains, crying to be freed. He slowly spun his neck around, his red eyes landing on the cloaked figure.
Charon pointed at him, a boney finger jutted right at Ultron’s chest. He said, “Heed my warning. Your journey may not end the way you wish it to. You are strong, you are ferocious, but in the end…the pain and suffering you’ve felt will consume everything that you are.”
“I’ve come too far to turn away now,” Ultron replied, facing forward and making his entrance into the scorched lands. Before he could, however, he could hear Charon tell him one last thing…
“Make your decisions wisely.”
Ultron stopped. He spun around. He saw no one there. The mist that once surrounded the ferryman’s boat had begun to dissipate, leaving a dark river splashing against the rocky landscape.
With nothing else left, nothing more to gawk upon, Ultron faced forward once again and began his journey into the pits of the Underworld, straight for the temple ahead of him.
Straight to the gates of Tartarus.
With every step he took, his feet crushing the burning rock beneath him, the horrors of the Underworld grew larger, festering, infecting. To his left, Ultron could see the silhouettes of several beasts the size of mountains crawling around the hellhole they were trapped in, no clear path in sight. Their chains rattled in protest to their actions, keeping them locked to the ground. Trapped for eternity.
To his right, the wicked were tortured. The landscape fell into a crevice, leading to a valley filled with the blood-curdling screams of lost souls forever enduring a hellish torment. Firestorms raged in the distance, panic ensuing among the tortured.
Above and beyond, Ultron could see the temple growing nearer with every step he took. It was embedded within the mountain, rising higher than any creature that walked the land. Winged monsters hung over his head, shrieking at his presence, disappearing to the pillars holding the temple steady.
Harpies, the foulest scavengers of Tartarus. Ultron had read all about them.
Yet the book he read it from never described Tartarus the way he saw it. He believed the authors to be speculating on what others had encountered. From the books he read, they described Tartarus as a land where beasts beyond imagination were held prisoner, never to leave and harm the world above.
But now…
Ultron saw the truth.
These creatures were not just being held prisoner…they were being tortured. The monsters that rose above any mountain peak had chains infused with their bones, keeping them trapped in a suffering Ultron could never imagine. The wicked were being burnt, whipped, slashed, stabbed, impaled, and any other type of raw punishment that was imaginable.
It was a lie, a far cry to what the happy-go-lucky world above believed in. Perhaps the leadership between the mortal world and the Underworld varied, but that meant the sisters above him knew of this type of torture. They had to. How else can they—the ones who believe in and respect the happiness of every single creature—allow such travesty to occur right beneath their hooves when they themselves have banished numerous creatures to the pits of Tartarus?
Another reason to put a stop to it all. Another reason to push forward.
“Ultron...”
The AI spun accordingly, shifting his attention to where he heard the disembodied voice.
“...These are your first...”
“Who are you?” Ultron asked, receiving no reply for several seconds. The world continued to burn around him, cries assaulting his hearing, lightning flickering above his head.
With his guard at the ready, Ultron spun forward and continued on his journey.
Soon enough, Ultron had reached the entrance to the temple before him, the same temple that held the gates of Tartarus. Once he past the towering pillars lining the temple’s entrance—the harpies above screeching upon his arrival—Ultron had almost stopped.
If he had a breath, he still wouldn’t lose it.
Numerous, bipedal creatures no bigger than him stumbled across the temple’s floors. Some had dark skin, some had red skin, but all of their eyes were the same. Black. Empty. Lost. Some cried out to him, some approached him, but most simply lay on the ground, clawing at the walls until their fingernails were gone.
Demons. Ultron continued onwards, paying little heed to the ones stepping forth.
“Turn back…” the first demon whispered as he approached Ultron foolishly. “This realm holds nothing for you!”
It shrieked, charging at Ultron with fangs and claws at the ready. Ultron blew its head off.
The surrounding demons screamed in what appeared to be mixtures of fear and anguish, molded together to form a sound no mere pony could bear to listen to. Luckily, Ultron was no weak pony. The demons made the right choice and backed away as he past, instead choosing to cry out at him. He pushed forward, stepping over the remains of the demon he had slaughtered.
A particular demon slashed at him, but remained at a safe twelve feet distance. It screamed, “Tartarus will be your grave!”
Another clawed at its head, digging deep into its skull until blood flowed from its palms. Ultron simply cast it a waning glance, turning away and continuing deeper into the temple.
He heard others speak to him, cry to him.
“The judges will never allow you to enter!”
“Cerberus will feed on your flesh, fool!”
“He will be judged as we have… He will suffer as we have!”
Ultron had reached a stairway leading straight upwards, directly forwards. Demons lined each step, some crying, some sleeping, all suffering. Ultron pushed on, turning his eyes to a demon crawling towards him.
It rose up to its knees, holding out its charred fingernails to Ultron. “My child… Have you seen my child?” it asked, black tears flowing from its scarred face. Hideous. Ultron turned away, continuing upwards even as the demon tried to keep up with him, failing and crying on the steps.
Such pain. Such torment. Such horrors…that were allowed. Ultron clenched his fists on the thought, finding more than enough of a reason to continue on the path he had molded for himself. The stairs had ended when he was deep in thought, leading into a room with three statues directly in front of him.
These statues lined the end of the circular room. They were massive, then again the entire room was massive. If he could calculate the exact length—which he could—the room would be as large as a small stadium, perhaps one valued back on Earth for sports or other entertainment. As for the statues, the three held what appeared to be human-like features. Large engravings sat underneath each statue.
An ancient language, an alien language. A language Ultron had learned overnight.
The one to his left read “Rhadamanthus”.
The one to his right read “Aeacus”.
And the one directly in front of him read “Minos”.
The Three Judges. Perfect. Ultron confronted them, moving onwards until the kings finally reacted to his presence. In an instant, Ultron stopped as the eyes of each statue lit up a shimmering white, each right arm of the three statues rising upwards.
The one directly in front of him, Minos, spoke first.
“I am King Minos, judge of the dead. Who are you to enter this sacred place?”
Ultron lifted his head even higher, a deep chuckle building at the bottom of his Vibranium throat. “ ‘Sacred place’?” Ultron scoffed. “You let common filth remain within your ‘sacred place’, and you’re worried about me?”
“What did he call us?” a demon whispered to another, a large group building behind the two.
“Silence!” Rhadamanthus interrupted, causing Ultron to shift his attention to him. He continued. “The damned surrounding these lands have all been judged, their destinies given. What makes you worthy to receive judgment, mortal?”
He lowered his head upon hearing such a question, shaking it slowly back and forth. The Three Judges waited patiently, their eyes as bright as the sun staring down at the small body of metal and evil. Finally, he brought his gaze back up, shifting his eyes to all three of the judges.
“Because I endured it all,” Ultron began. The kings listened, waited for him to continue. “I managed to acquire a treasure that no one else has. I embarked on a journey that no mortal ever survived. I entered Tartarus with one thought in mind…”
“That thought will be your end,” Aeacus said.
Ultron turned to Aeacus and smiled. “Try me.”
For too long the kings remained silent, thinking of Ultron’s proposal. Both Ultron and the demons surrounding the stairs were quiet, shifting their eyes to each judge, waiting for them to finally respond. When they did, it was King Minos who said, “Step forth and receive your final judgement.”
Ultron did as so, stepping forth onto a circular, stone palette. It lit up once his weight was pressed into the stone, causing the Three Judges’ eyes to burn even brighter.
As time ticked away, time that Ultron was clearly running out of, the AI almost could feel as if the eyes of the judges were digging into him, deeper than he could’ve imagined. What did they see, exactly? Did they see the monster that Stark created, the same monster that others called him? Did they see his path, the one that was unjustly stripped from him?
Whatever they saw, Ultron really didn’t care. He was getting past them one way or another.
Finally, King Minos spoke again. The demons all shushed each other to listen.
“You are destined for great destruction,” Minos spoke, his voice echoing across every wall, throughout every bone of the demons behind Ultron. “We see great evil, even greater darkness in your future, Ultron. If you continue on the path you are headed, there will be nothing left in your wake. Thousands will die, even more will suffer.”
Ultron sighed, stepping off the palette and continuing to the doors ahead of him. “If that is how it must be…” he said, loud enough for the kings to hear.
Rhadamanthus almost made him stop. “You do not understand, Ultron. Once you move forward, there will be no turning back. Your destiny, the fate we have seen beyond that door will be fulfilled!”
“You will suffer far greater than any soul in this accursed land,” Aeacus warned to him, but Ultron would not stop. “You will suffer more than any life that will be lost above us. It is such great evil…that we cannot allow escape our domain.”
After King Aeacus was finished speaking, all three judges lowered their heads, their eyes shooting out a beam of pure light right where Ultron was. Ultron took a step backwards, his gaze lowered, his head tilting a tad when he noticed a dark portal appearing from the impact of the light.
Then he noticed a large paw…
Then a head.
Then another.
Then one more, all leading up to the massive, black body climbing its way out of the portal beneath it. Ultron took three more steps backwards, his hearing catching the sound of the demons behind him fleeing for their lives, crying at the sight of the beast. He didn’t care for them.
He didn’t care for the Three Judges glaring at him from above.
He didn’t care for the three-headed dog growling at his presence.
He just needed to get through those doors. And they were all standing in his way.
Ultron narrowed his eyes at the beast, smiling. “Alright,” he growled back.
Cerberus howled with hunger, leaping towards Ultron with ferocity burning in his eyes. Ultron easily saw the attack coming and countered with a fist directly into the middle head. The strength of the punch was enough to launch Cerberus back several yards, skidding and tumbling against the stone floor.
It was a fool’s attack, one even a child could react to. Then again, Ultron was facing a mindless beast, not Tony Stark. Honestly, he expected a lot more from the guardian of Tartarus.
Once he was up again, Cerberus shook his middle head, the other two growling and snapping at Ultron. Once the middle head came to, the beast was charging again, using the same strategy from before: blind fury, no direction, just attack. Ultron easily saw it coming. He easily countered it.
His right palm shined a pulsating blue. He yanked up his right arm, tearing the stone beneath him upwards and using the slab to smack the incoming beast. He wasn’t done. Cerberus wasn’t done. The three-headed monstrosity clawed and broke the slab within seconds, charging Ultron. He managed to get close enough to bite down on each of Ultron’s arms, the middle head nearing the AI’s body.
Ultron reared back, jamming his feet into the beast’s head and kicking with all his might. In that moment of freedom, Ultron flew upwards, shooting his hand out to King Rhadamanthus and blowing the statue to a million pieces. As the remains of one of the judges fell to Cerberus below, Ultron captured one of the many shards in a gravitational field, launching it for the three-headed dog.
Cerberus could not dodge in time and was hit with the slab of ancient stone. He yelped, pushing the stone off of him and turning back to his prey. Ultron slowly descended back to the ground. Without much thought, only anger and hunger fueling his thoughts, Cerberus charged the AI once more, fully intending on chomping down on his head this time.
Never did the beast expect his prey to lift him so easily, or toss him just the same.
Ultron dipped low the moment Cerberus bit at him, using all of his strength to lift the beast over his head and toss him right for the second statue. Ultron finished with a concussion blast right into Cerberus’ belly, giving the beast more speed. King Aeacus shattered after the massive beast impacted the structure, all of his remains tumbling down to the stone floor below.
Silence had returned to the judge’s domain, the dust slowly settling. And Ultron appeared, approaching the withering beast whimpering under the slabs of stone.
“Know this…mortal…”
Ultron glared into the eyes of the bleeding guardian. Cerberus whimpered once more, all three heads rising up to look at him.
“Your life is destined to fail.”
Ultron reared back and punched the middle head with all his might. The middle head yelped and went slack, the other two staring at the AI fearfully.
“No matter how many fall in your wake, there will always be others…”
Another punch to the right head. It was knocked out clean, the remaining head growling and trying its best to look intimidating. It ultimately failed when Ultron delivered the final punch, sending Cerberus into a black nightmare.
“Everything you know, everything you believe in, will come crumbling down.”
Ultron relaxed his palm, slowly twisting his neck to the last and only king. King Minos stared down at Ultron, stared at his approach. His eyes continued to burn a shimmering white, both arms at his side, head following Ultron’s movements growing dangerously closer.
He stopped, stared up at Minos, and simply stated, “I’m not the one who needs to worry about ‘crumbling down’.”
With that, Ultron shot out both of his hands and fired a dual concussion blast. Once the stream of red energy impacted the final judge, shattering his body to millions of deadly shards, the temple began to tremble. Ultron nearly fell, shifting his eyes around the crumbling foundation.
Outside, the temple shook, droves of demons and harpies fleeing for whatever shred of life they had. Monsters and creatures, tormented for generations, all turned their eyes across the scorched valley, through the land of hopelessness to see the temple holding the Three Judges tremble and shake, each pillar falling to the charred earth below.
And finally explode.
A terrible shockwave rolled across the land, showering the Underworld with remnants of the temple and each judge accordingly. Both demons and harpies were caught within the blast, simply vaporizing them on the spot, their ashes joining the rest of the burning landscape. With what was left of the temple fell down the mountain it was embedded within, leaving nothing but smoke and fire.
And the twin gates resting against the mountain.
And the powerful, red eyes burning against the smoke.
Allowing the smoke and dust to clear before him, Ultron stood unaffected by the force of the blast. Instead, he stared out into the wasteland before him, the temple completely gone, giving him a full view of the Underworld and all who suffered. Soon to be free.
So soon.
He slowly spun around, eyeing the prize before him.
The gates of Tartarus. They rose even higher than the Three Judges, designed from top to bottom with that of the damned crying out to the heavens, their hands held upwards, receiving nothing. Ultron slowly began his approach, reaching outwards and placing his palm onto the surface of the gates.
“And throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth…” Ultron mumbled, his claws gently scraping into the near-impenetrable gates before him.
“Matthew 13:50.”
Almost instantly, Ultron spun around, his claw held outwards, fingertips burning bright. He scanned the torn landscape, the destroyed mountain side, the burning air and flame-filled sky above him. He heard it again. A whisper, coming and going. Festering beside him.
It said, “You have done so well, Ultron.”
“Who are you?” Ultron called out, his palm lowering but still ready to strike if the situation called for it. Surprisingly enough, a coiling, red haze appeared before him, circling and twisting into that of a vortex, burning in the center, pulsating like a living heart.
And then the vortex expanded, revealing a serpent-like head with numerous horns atop its head. The serpent was covered in a red mist and smoke, acting as a sort of protective shield from what Ultron could analyze. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t attack the creature. It would easily deflect any power Ultron could offer.
That only deepened Ultron’s interests on the creature before him. It had great power, one he could sense and could deduce just from its appearance, but why would it follow him, exactly? What interest did the creature find with Ultron?
He was soon to find out.
“I...am Typhon.” Ultron tilted his head slightly. Typhon growled, the mist coiling around his nonexistent fangs. “You don’t seem to recognize me. For what reason would this be?”
Ultron definitely was surprised. The resemblances with Greek mythology that this world had were astounding. With every book he picked up, every page he flipped and flipped until he could learn no more, there was Typhon, the father of all beasts and monsters. It seemed his end came when he tried to conquer what remained of the old world before the time of Celestia and Luna’s rule.
The same sisters, the entire world…turned to him…pointed their swords to him…and struck him down. His soul, whatever remained of his being was transported to the exact embodiment of hell and torment. The very first prisoner in an empty prison.
That was his legend, his story. But on Earth…
“You’re legend, mythology, at least on Earth,” Ultron replied. Typhon grew nearer, his red slits for eyes narrowing. “But here…it seems you were the first to suffer a fate worse than death.”
“I have suffered both!” Typhon screamed, his form growing and burning brighter. “For over a thousand years, I have witnessed more and more of my children experiencing the same torment I have endured since the day the world turned against me. Look around, Ultron, and tell me what you see...”
Typhon’s hazy form shifted to the side, allowing Ultron to gawk at the sheer size and magnitude of the Underworld. Ultron had seen plenty enough, so he turned back to Typhon, the serpent-like beast still staring into the fires that consumed the land.
Ultron said, “I see never-ending torment beyond imagination.” Typhon turned to him. “And I see those gates behind me…gone. The Underworld…destroyed. Your children…free.”
Typhon, surprisingly enough, chuckled for the first time in a generation. His mist coiled around Ultron’s legs, but the AI paid it no heed. He stared into the beast’s eyes, narrowing his own.
Typhon growled, “You offer many things, Ultron. But can you live up to such promises? Can you show the world above the same pain and suffering my children have felt below? Can you show them retribution for their crimes?”
“Better,” Ultron answered. The two stared into each other’s eyes, never looking away, digging deeper into the strength and power each had. Ultron blinked, cutting that connection, and saying, “I can show them…the end…of their world.”
“That is why I trust you, Ultron.” Typhon replied, twisting around, his form dissipating for the briefest moment before returning to stare upon the wounded creature lying motionless.
He said, “You may have wounded my child Cerberus, but you have also destroyed the Three Judges, something I had no power to do in my current state. But now...now that the gates are bare and the judges are gone...it is time for the world to pay for what they have done to me.”
“Perhaps we can both succeed…”
“I know what you wish, Ultron, and I cannot grant it. Generations of torment has stripped me of most of my powers. Even if I could travel to the world above, I would not...survive for long...as much as I would wish so.”
Ultron turned back to the Underworld, his fists clenching in fury.
“However, I know of another who can get you home.” Ultron turned to the serpent-beast. “He is weak now, but you can help him grow strong, and when he is strong enough...he will have the power to send you to Earth.”
“Consider it done,” Ultron replied without a second thought.
Perhaps he shouldn’t have. Typhon chuckled once more, his voice dimming lower and lower with each vibration of his tone against solid rock. He slowly turned back to Ultron, smiling with sick, twisted exuberance.
“Good...”
Ultron felt the whisper grip him as a snake would, the red haze now reaching up and covering his entire form. At first he felt completely fine, but when the red haze sunk its way into his body, churning throughout his systems, Ultron roared in agony, falling to his knees.
“Take my remaining power, Ultron. Take whatever remains of my soul and use it. Use it to crush those above and make them feel the same wicked torment my children and I have withheld for a thousand years! Use it to turn their world...upside down...”
With those final words, the remnants of the monster Typhon vanished and sunk deeper and deeper into Ultron’s ultimate form. Ultron reared his neck upwards, roaring once more to the blood-painted skylines. He felt the soul of the beast tear him apart, rearrange him, and fuel him with a type of darkness he had yet to encounter.
Whatever it was…it wanted more than it could give.
A stream of black liquid poured from Ultron’s eyes and mouth, falling onto his chest and body. His fingers bent at awkward angles, finally forming fists and punching the earth with such ferocity that the rock beneath them cracked. He screamed out again, his back finally breaking open and revealing his reward for enduring such pain.
His world nearly faded, but Ultron held on. Slowly, he brought up his fists from the shattered earth and studied them. To his great surprise, a dark red blade replaced his elbow, a red smoke evaporating from its sharpened edge.
He stood up, staring at his hands.
All six of them.
Twisting his neck back and forth, Ultron finally noticed his reward fully. Two pairs of arms, two above and two below, were connected to his body by means of an electrified current, the red electricity not only coursing between the limbs and body but throughout his entire form.
And it felt…good.
Very, very good.
Ultron could feel the smoke burning from his mouth and eyes, the same redness evaporating into nothing. It mattered little. He felt new. He felt…powerful. It was a type of strength he had never imagined, now at his will. His bidding.
Ultron was better, that he could tell. He was stronger, that he knew.
He was beautiful. That he could believe in.
Time to test that out.
With a roar that shook the mountains, Ultron took off with speeds he couldn’t believe were his own. He shot out each of his arms in different directions, releasing another cry that was even stronger than the thunder and lightning around him. From his fingertips, he shot numerous beams, beams that flew across the Underworld and struck the earth.
Once the beam made contact, it sent streams of concussive energy throughout the charred earth. These streams struck and destroyed the shackles holding the titans to their imprisonment, demolished and eradicated the tormentors, and completely vaporized the barrier between Tartarus and the world above.
At once, in one single act, the children of Typhon emerged from their slumber, broke apart whatever remained of their imprisonment, and charged headlong for the gates. The ground separated, revealing the most fearsome of beasts clawing their way out of the earth, roaring to the heavens, crying to be finally free.
The armies of Tartarus were growing, nearly filling the entire landscape until the mountain near the gates was completely surrounded. It didn’t end there. He didn’t end there. Ultron flew over to the purple and blue mountain peaks, the area to which Typhon spoke to him. The area that held his escape.
His escape from Equus.
The one who could send him home.
The only living creature trapped within the cage.
Ultron landed, not even caring if he shook the entire world beneath him. With his new powers, it was always a possibility. As for the pitiful creature within the cage, it shot up with eyes almost as black as the liquid that Ultron was coughing on moments ago, with pupils as yellow as the fires that consumed the Underworld.
A centaur. Ultron clenched all six of his hands, destroying the cage that contained the creature without even lifting a finger.
The centaur appeared confused as he stared at the remains of his entrapment. That confusion shifted upwards to the one who had freed him, its burning eyes resting on him and him alone.
Catching such interest with his own, he asked, “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
Ultron simply responded, “Saving the world.”
In an instant, Ultron was gone again, flying high and above the burning landscape with the centaur watching his trail of fire disappear. The Vibranium beast witnessed the armies of Tartarus clawing at the mountain side, banging against the gates that separated them from eternal freedom. He arrived in less than three seconds, hovering above their heads.
The descendants of Typhon shot their attention upwards, screaming, screeching, crying, roaring, and gnashing at the one floating above them. Ultron looked down to them all, to all of his children, with eyes that burned with hatred, now filled with the deepest and worst shreds of insanity that were imaginable.
He held out his arms, all six of them, and spoke in a voice that was understandable to all.
“Let the strings be severed. You are free. You all want to change the world, kill the ones who imprisoned you here, and you shall do just that. From here on out, you are all hereby commanded by me, and then Equestria and the rest of the world will be yours!”
The children all replied with screeches and roars of approval, their armies stretching as far as Ultron’s eyes could see. He took what little moment he had left to witness whatever remained of Tartarus crumble to the ground, towers of rock falling to the earth, beasts breaking their chains and racing to the gates. The entirety of it all…
Come falling down by his swift and terrible sword.
Ultron spun around, pointing just one of his fingers to the gates, the gates that held him and his children from the mortal world above.
He said, “Now go...and spread the message of peace.”
He fired just one concussion blast, one blast that was strong enough to completely destroy the gates of Tartarus. The twin gates crumbled and fell to the earth, allowing floods of demons and monsters rushing out for their escape to freedom.
And Lord Tirek, weakly climbing over a rock structure, looked onwards to see the world he had suffered with, the world he had hated with every shred of his being escape. Finally escape to freedom.
He stared on to the one who had freed him, slowly beginning to smile for the first time in a long time.