Little was ever uncovered and little will ever be known of how the Warp Storm was unleashed on the Pandora System's fourth habitable planet. Whether Guardponies there grew corrupt and turned to evil worship, or whether the Storm took them unaware is an open question. What is without doubt is that at the Storm's eye lay the lair of the Discord Pony Marines, and at the heart of this lair, a network of unholy and bloodstained shrines, linked somehow inextricably to the storm itself.

Although the lethal Warp Storm would flicker and squall here and there, ever shifting, a permanent conduit to the Warp was maintained between these shrines. A charged field of Immateria whirled there, certain death to any who had not given themselves over fully to Discord. In that radiant, deadly energy field, strange shapes could be seen dancing, screaming, howling...

Any would-be conqueror of this unholy citadel would somehow have to dispel the Discord field that protected it. To enter it would be certain death. And while it stood, nothing could reach the forces of Discord that lurked at its center.

At a shrine that whispered daemonic voices and steamed with evil magic, cultists chanted around it. The Discord Lord Pyrolius Carcas stood at the unholy statue of the Blood God's daemon servant. A lone cultist galloped up from behind, twitching with excitement.

"They come." said the corrupted Earth Pony.

"They come!!!" a Discord Marine yelled elsewhere.

"Yes," said one of the chanting cultists, his voice high-pitched and oozing with lunacy, "we feel them. They approach."

"Their blood shall flow at our hooves." another chanting cultist said.

"Blood for the Blood God!" another cultist exclaimed.

"Yes," a cultist giggled, "we shall slake our thirsts for death, for Discord, for terror. Yes!"

"They draw near." said Pyrolius. "Let them come. The very ground will poison you. Daemons will appear from the Warp when your back is turned. We shall lash out from every direction and yours shall be the cries of death and horror." The Discord Lord broke into sinister laughter at the thought of all the bloody sacrifices to his dark gods.

On the streets, Discord Marines and Discord Hunter tanks headed down to battle, while Hell Blades flew over to preform strafing runs on the enemy ranks.

"The sound of your doom will ring in your skull," Carcas proclaimed, "in your soul... you shall tremble. And your blood shall be a gift to the Blood God."

The Discord Lord took a deep breath. "Let them come. We are ready."

Holy Retribution

General Studds, burning with pious anger towards the heretical forces of Discord, unleashed Equestrial fury upon the heathens without mercy. The Equestrial Guard overpowered the daemonic legion and razed every damned structure to the ground.

"No! No!" Pyrolius shouted. "We cannot lose... we cannot die... how can we?!" He turned and galloped away from the battle, leaving the other corrupted Ponies for dead.

"Without our devotion." said a cultist as the others were gunned down in front of him. "Without our sacrifice." Bison charged at them, crushing the cultists beneath their weight and stabbing them with their horns and large bayonets.

The Discord Lord grunted in despair as he ran away. "The horrid blossom of Discord will wither, will die!" He stopped dead in his tracks as General Vanguard Studds, a Commissar, and Kasrkin Ponies galloped up and blocked his way.

Carcas turned and looked at the battlefield from afar. "This world... is slipping... from our grasp..."

Studds went up to the Discord Lord and fought mono-a-mono. When the fight was done, Studds slashed at Pyrolius. The corrupted Pony fell on his flank, dying. Studds then pulled out his golden laspistol and shot the traitor in the head.

There can be little doubt that the 252nd Conservator Regiment's assault on the Discord Pony Marines was fueled by a sense of lost honor and credibility. While a final judgement could wait centuries in Segmaretum's Marshal Courts, General Vanguard Studds knew well that the Warp Storm had erupted on the Equestrial Guard's watch, and that many suspected heresy among their ranks to be the cause.

Whether to make amends for their failures or to prove their detractors wrong, the brave stallions of the 252nd fell upon the enemy on Pandora IV with all the force, armor, and firepower at their command. Under the rigorous command of their new General, the stallions became brave and resourceful. In such high spirits, and hoping that the defeat of Discord would banish the Warp Storm with it, General Vanguard Studds declared it a day of celebration, to be commemorated by all Equestrial residents of Pandora forever afterward. Anything in the Patriarchal Legion's colors would be burned, and Guardponies paraded and were honored as was their due.

Redemption and Freedom

The 252nd Pandoran Conservator Regiment proved their right to rule in no uncertain terms. General Vanguard Studds' ability to organize and reform this long neglected army did not go unnoticed by the Segmaretum Top Bracts. His career could not fail to rise in time beyond the role of Governor-General to a small star system.

For the time being, however, Studds busied himself and his proud Regiment in post-war reconstruction. Thankfully, the Warp Storm vanished of its own accord. Pandora IV was suitable for resettlement. Only Pandora III did not feel the commotion of construction, mining, and terraforming. This planet was left largely barren. Who could say what else slept beneath those sands?

In time the system became a proud Equestrial hub, and famed Guard Academies turned out superior infantry, second only to Casser itself. Pandora became home to proud Pony populations, warlike, and devoted to the Empress. In these times, it would be hard to imagine that a bloody war had been fought, or that heresy and Discord had ever been there.