//------------------------------//
// The Dark Portal 
// Story: PonyHammer 40,000: Magic of War II | Redemption 
// by Dragon Heart 
//------------------------------//

	Fortunately, the Blood Phoenixes had managed to find and secure another Teleportarium, which would take them to the icy planet of Arctika. Upon arriving, they discovered the planet was still ripe with Discord heresy. Spike picked up on a Discord communication vox, and from the sounds of it, it would be worse than what happened a decade ago.

*Siblings, we must give praise to Khorne, for the construction of the Dark Portal is complete!* a Discord Marine announced. *Where Aroghent's temple was sundered, we may once again freely coax the beings of a warp into reality! The Portal radiates ruinous power, celebrate as you witness the constructs of lesser beings tainted and lain to waste around it!*

If there was a Warp Portal on Arctika, then the entire planet would be overrun by daemons and heretics alike. Such an invasion would take a damnable time to eliminate.

"I realize time is short, but whatever deeds these heretics are committing cannot be ignored." said Spike. "We should investigate."


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Helios and the Blood Phoenixes immediately deployed onto the Toros Iceworks, where the portal was located, and caught the attention of the Discord Marines.

"Ha ha ha ha, interlopers! Come to witness the glory of the Dark Portal?" the Discord Marine exclaimed. "Draw near, then. Watch as the entropy of the Warp claims and cripples flesh and steel! We shall savor your despair!"

Already, a squad of Discord Pony Marines came charging after them in a full throttle assault. Helios and the Blood Phoenixes attacked and left nothing standing. They moved on in search for the portal, killing any heretic they came across. They discovered another Teleportarium, but it was swirling with corrupting energies of the Warp.

"No way across that thing." said Pinkie.

"Magnificent, is it not?" said the Discord Marine. "We have succeeded where even the great Nettor could not. Come closer. Approach the portal. Gaze directly into the maw of the Warp! If you are fortunate, your lives may be snuffed by its entropy, rather than our blades!"

Helios knew that in order to secure the Teleportarium, they had to destroy the Warp portal feeding it the damned energies. They pushed forward, gunning down and slaying the Discord Marines with bullets and blades. When the Pony Marines reached the portal, they acted quickly. Helios had Spike deploy Firagun turrets to protect their flanks. They then got to work destroying the opening. First they razed the generators, then they began attacking the portal itself, which alerted the Discord Marines.

"The portal is under attack! To battle!" The Discord Marine shouted. "Daemons of Khorne, come forth! A feast of blood and bones awaits you!"

Khornate Daemons appeared from the portal and attacked the Pony Marines. Helios clashed blades with them. Pinkie and The Ancient shot at the approaching Discord Marines. And the other Pony Marines continued to attack the portal. Helios had managed to slay the daemons, and went to attack the Discord Marines that approached. Suddenly, the portal began to spew fireballs that threatened to burn them alive. Despite what the force of Discord threw at them, the Pony Marines kept striking the portal until it caved in upon itself and was gone.

"No... NO! Blasphemous wretches!" the Discord Marine shouted in anger. "Siblings, after them! Do not let them escape!"

With the dark portal destroyed, the Teleportarium was nearly clear of any lethal warp energies, but there were still more places that continued to defile it. The Blood Phoenixes swiftly headed off to deal with the meddlers. They found the first group of cultists, who were trying to summon daemons in their place. The Pony Marines killed them off and went on to the next. Discord Marines, who were protecting more cultists trying to summon daemons, opened fire at the Blood Phoenixes. Helios took to the air and slammed into them. Explosions occurred in the distance, and two daemons, one riding the other, bursted from the wreckage and attacked everything in its sight. It attacked the Discord Marines, who had to deal with both it and the Pony Marines. The Blood Phoenixes did away with the cultists and then turned their attentions to the other heretics. The Discord Marines were quickly killed, followed by the rampaging daemons.

The Pony Marines reached the Teleportarium, but a squad of Vinyl Marines and a Disharmonaught guarded it. Pinkie and The Ancient dealt with the Vinyl Marines, while Helios and the other Blood Phoenixes fought the Disharmonaught. The Vinyl Marines began to produce a loud booming noise that disrupted Pinkie's and The Ancient's attacks, knocking them away with every sound-wave that was produced, but when their cacophony stopped, Pinkie and The Ancient shot them down.

Helios slashed the Discord war machine and dodged its swings. Pinkie threw an explosive charge on the Disharmonaught's armored hull, and detonated it. The mech fell forward and disappeared in a flash of warp fire.

"As all Discord must be: beaten." said Helios.