//------------------------------//
// Blasphemous Discovery 
// Story: PonyHammer 40,000: Magic of War II | Discord Rising 
// by Dragon Heart 
//------------------------------//

	Down on the ice world's surface, Discord Heretics and Marines fought against a squad of Equestrial Guardponies, who were not doing well against such a formidable force. A drop pod landed not too far from their position, and out came Hammerheart and the others.

"Those Guardponies are up to their necks again." said Hoovitus. "Traitors with heavy weapons have them pinned."

"We need to eliminate those Discord positions." said Applejack.

"Bah! We coddle them at every opportunity..." Hoovitus said as they headed out. They approached the first squad of heretics and gunned most of them down on the spot.

"Fall back!" one of the Discord Marines yelled. The heretics turned tail and galloped away. Guardponies garrisoned inside a bunker came out, and the Sergeant from Alicorn Gate approached them.

"Blood Phoenixes!" He said. "Good to have you here, Commander Hammerheart."

"Report, Guardpony." said Pinkie.

"Yes, ma'am. Of course." The Sergeant began explaining the layout of the Discord forces' base of operations. "The enemy is heavily entrenched in holding the entirety of the facility. From what we can tell, we are facing a large number of Discord Pony Marines as well as Brae Tyre heretics. The enemy has raised some sort of powerful magic shield around the central portion of the facility."

"Auspex scans show an arcane station to the north, Commander Hammerheart." said Pinkie. "The shield must be drawing energy from there."

"We will take that station, then." said Applejack.

"We've managed to establish a field command here," The Sergeant said, "but we have yet to push any further."

Just then, more Discord Pony Marines came in and fought back hard. The Pony Marines retaliated just as hard, if not harder. The Guardponies re-garrisoned the bunker and held from there. But then an eerie ember of daemonic fire landed on top of the structure, and artillery shell blasts could be heard in the distance.

"Barrage incoming!" one of the Guardponies yelled. The bombardment struck the building with devastating force, but it still stood, with some average damage done to it.

"Find me that damn mortar battery!" The Sergeant ordered. The Guardponies quickly searched for the artillery platform, and the data was transferred to the Blood Phoenixes.

"Commander Hammerheart," said Pinkie, "coordinates are being relayed through a communications array north of here."

"The traitors are using that array to guide the artillery." said Hoovitus. "If we take it from them, we can silence those guns."

"We won't last long unless you do, Commander." The Sergeant said. He spotted another structure that could work for a defensive position. "Move up, and hold that position!" He ordered. A squad of Guardponies headed for the building, and the Pony Marines went out to cripple enemy advantages.

They advanced towards the key enemy locations, and the evil aura that tainted the area was revolting. They engaged a squad of Discord Marines, and Twilight spotted something sinister in the distance.

"Empress preserve us..." She said.

Discord Cultists were sacrificing their very selves to the ruinous powers. They exploded in a bloody, gory mess, and two hideous abominations of Discord, one riding the other, appeared between where they stood.

"The Dark Legion has summoned daemons to their side!" said Twilight.

The daemons they summoned went on a bloodthirsty rampage, killing anything within their sights. Several cultists were trampled and eaten by the riding beast. The daemons then turned their attentions to the Blood Phoenixes. Hammerheart shot the lesser daemon and slammed his hammer into the daemon beast's head, both died and disappeared in a puff of fire.

The Pony Marines moved forward and found the array. Pinkie immediately began the capture process. After a few minutes, the array was now fully claimed.

"The array is ours, Commander Hammerheart." said Rainbow Dash.

"We should be able to feed those rebel gunners some of our own target data." said Hoovitus. "Now, we can give the Dark Legion something to fear."

They headed off to deal with the rest of the Discord forces still at large, but then a strange feeling came over each and every one of the Pony Marine leaders.

"I see Skarsend was correct." a gruff and sinister voice said calmly to them. "You Blood Phoenixes are persistent."

"Where is that coming from?" Rainbow Dash asked, looking left and right.

"Over the vox." Pinkie answered. "On our private channel."

"Who are you?!" Rainbow Dash demanded.

"I am Aroghent of the Dark Legion!" the voice said, growing more tense in volume. "Plunderer of a thousand worlds! Champion of the Discord Gods! I will tear this sector from your chapter and sacrifice it to the Dark Gods!"

"We beat back the Paranids!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "You will fare no better!"

"Empty bravado will not save you, stripling." Aroghent said, further mocking the Pony Marines.

Twilight then suddenly felt a sharp pain pierce her head and torment her mind. "Commander Hammerheart..." She said, struggling to speak in her suffering. "this is a distraction... I can feel a dark ritual is underway..." The realization came to Twilight, and her eyes grew wide with horror. "A temple! They have established a temple to the powers of Discord. We must destroy it."

"Then... we will burn it... to ash." said Goliath.

They went out, slain tens of hundreds of Discord Marines, and found the generator that powered the magic shield that protected the temple. Applejack began the process of sabotage.

"Cutting power to the void field." She said. The barrier around the temple vanished. "The target is now exposed."

They headed off to raze the heretical structure that still stood, but then a disturbing piece of anonymous evidence came to Pinkie.

"Commander Hammerheart," She said, "That relay did more than just transmit target coordinates. There is a recording."

She played the recording. *... the access code for battlefield vox.* The voice came through, but it was warped and distorted. *Use them to ambush my battle siblings like you did with the distress signal and our agreement is over!*

Hoovitus raised his eyebrows, but still kept an angry look on his face. "What was that?! Someone betrayed us!"

Neither of the Pony Marines could hide their disgusted shock. Hammerheart's worst assumption came true, and there was a traitor among their ranks.

But investigation would have to wait, they still had to demolish the Discord Temple. When they approached the damned structure, they saw more cultists floating in the air, assuming a crucifix pose.

"Heretics enacting some dark ritual." said Applejack.

"They summon daemons!" said Twilight. "Destroy them!" The Sergeants attacked the cultists, and Twilight spotted the heretical building. "There is the foul temple!"

"It... must... fall!" said Captain Nule.

Though some of the cultists were killed, others were sacrificed and summoned daemons in there place. The Pony Marines attacked the warp beasts. Meanwhile, Hammerheart got in close to call for an orbital bombardment upon the temple. He raised his hammer skyward, and beams of light appeared in different locations near the temple, which exploded with massive destructive force. Soon the temple was nothing bit a pile of scrap that evaporated into fire and vanished.

"Their temple burns and falls!" said Hoovitus.

"Well done." said Twilight. But then another strange feeling came over her. "No, wait..." Pain pierced her mind once again. "Ack! The Warp..."

"What is it Twilight?" Applejack asked. "Speak."

Twilight struggled to talk in her tormenting agony. "The walls between reality and the Warp are thinning... breaking..." She turned to face Hammerheart. "Commander, we must get to the Retribution immediately!"

Pinkie was quick to react and brought her hoof to her comm link. "Pinkie to Talon Alpha." She called. "Emergency extraction."

After a few seconds, a Lightningeagle flew in and landed. The hatch opened and the Pony Marines quickly boarded. The hatch closed, and the ship swiftly took off back to the Strike Cruiser.

Back on the crumbling ground, Aroghent and Skarsend watched their mortal enemies fly away, like the cowards they believed them to be.

"You allowed them to escape, Lord Aroghent?" said Skarsend.

"Because it serves me, Skarsend!" said Aroghent. "If we kill them now, we waste the value of the traitor in their ranks." He turned around and walked away, and Skarsend followed after him, from the cliff edge they were standing near. "Your vengeance can wait."

"Of course, my lord." said Skarsend as giant glaciers erected from the ground and sea. "Of course."

"Now, prepare for the next battle." said Aroghent.