"Well, that went better than expected," Celestia commented with a tired smile, walking through the lightly wooded hills, near enough to the camps to walk but far enough to be out of the way.

"Celestia, reminded me to give you a long vacation after things with the tribes get smoothed over," Discord commented, giving her a dry yet sympathetic look as he floated between the two Alicorns.

"A va-what?" They both asked in confusion.

Discord face-palmed, pulled off his face, and threw it back on, "It means to take a relaxing break from your job," He elaborated, a bit annoyed by the past's lack of modern terms...or the present's lack of future terms, either or.

"Hey, why don't I get a vacason?" Luna asked with a pout..."And why are you carrying me in your tail?" She added on, staring at the length of his tail around her barrel while keeping her head leaning back to try to keep the puffy end away from her nose.

"Luna, I do in fact have eyes in the back of my head," Discord scolded playfully, as three eyes appeared on the back of his skull, giving her a playful look, "And because you decided to imitate a cat and start pouncing after my tail."

"Only because you started tickling my nose," Luna retorted.

"Lulu, if I want to tickle you, you'd be tickled," Discord countered with a grin, "But to answer your question? If you go with Celestia, then I'll end up there at some point, and then she'll spend the entire time face-hoofing over our fun and won't get to relax at all," He explained.

"Worst part is that he's not wrong," Celestia murmured to herself.

"...We really need to get you you're first mare sacrifice to...preoccupy yourself with," Luna commented with a smirk.

"You dirty mare you," Discord teased with a smirk as he placed her down. Luna returned the smirk...trying not to notice or blush at how his tail brushed by her flank.

Celestia sighed at that, "How long are you two going to keep that joke going?" She asked in exasperation.

The draconequus and younger alicorn rose an eyebrow each before looking at each other, "She thinks we're joking?" Discord asked in a whisper, getting a shrug.

"So, Discord? Have you always lived here?" Celestia asked curiously.

"Oh no, just for a long time now," He admitted with a smile, "Nice little spot that has a bit of everything: mountains, plains, swamps, deserts, tundra, jungles, canyons, rivers, lakes, and just about everything else," He answered genuinely. True, the Tree of Harmony was a factor, but there was a reason he liked Equestria.

"Where'd you live before?" Luna asked curiously.

Discord chuckled mysteriously as he floated on his back, "Trust me, Lulu, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Luna pouted at that as Celestia perked up, "We're getting close," She informed, looking to the top of the hill.

Discord didn't need to be told that, sensing the unicorn magic in the area. He lifted his gaze upward, relative to himself, as he looked to the hill top where some trees had been taken down for a small campsite for about a clawful of ponies. There were tents, an unlit fire pit, some logs around it, and a few other knickknacks.

"What a cozy little campsite. I would make a joke about hobos if I thought either of you'd understand it," Discord mused, picking up an empty wooden bowl.

Luna started snickering with her head poked in a tent before pulling out, "Hobos? Now you're making stuff up! No chance that's a real word!" Luna accused as she held back giggles.

"Any other time you might be right," Discord murmured, holding the bowl up to his ear like a conch shell, "We just missed them...and they have horrible taste in bonfire stories," He informed idly.

"Hobo. Ho-bo," Luna repeated in amusement, "Hobolocosonoromodojotowo..."

"They must have left to end the day," Celestia reasoned, looking up at the sun, wings shielding her eyes, "...It's still fairly high in the sky though.

"...vogofoyo- oh, maybe we'll get a decent sunset this time," Luna commented hopefully.

"Luna, that's not very nice. Starswirl and the others work hard to keep those two balls of light turning," Celestia scolded lightly.

"So many jokes I could make, but no time to get them all in," Discord lamented, tossing the bowl over his shoulder. The others legitimately didn't notice it spinning and drilling a hole into the ground.

"You know what I mean Sister," Luna countered with an eye roll, "Most dawns and dusks are just run of the mill, but every now and then, they pull off something...beautiful," Luna elaborated with a whimsical smile, something Celestia couldn't help returning, "Oh, maybe we'll see a bit of green tonight," She mused with a grin.

"The Green Flash?" Discord asked with a raised eyebrow, smirking lightly as he snapped his fingers to let loose a small wisp of a green, fire-like substance.

"Now you're just showing off," Luna teased.

"Only now?" Discord asked in mock surprise, getting a chuckle from both sisters this time, "Lot of races used to believe that meant someone, or something, left the underworld," He remarked ominously

"Remind me to never let you tell scary stories to fillies and colts," Celestia commented dryly.

"Why, worried my tales will traumatize them?" Discord asked playfully.

"I'd be more worried you were telling them the truth, to be honest," Celestia admitted.

"A valid concern," Discord consented before sighing, "So, is the mare in the bushes going to come out or just keep watching us like a voyeur?" Discord asked with an unimpressed look.

"Yes, Clover, it's much warmer and less brambly over here," Luna offered with an amused smile.

Clover the Clever, wide-eyed, poked her head up to see everyone staring at her, completely unphased by her appearance, "How'd you know I was here?" She asked in surprise.

"Hmm? Were we not supposed to know you were following us since we left the main camp?" Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow.

Clover gaped as Discord smirk, "You may have a knack for magic, my dear, but a ninja you are not," he quipped with a chuckle.

"A what?" The three mares asked in confusion.

Discord pinched the bridge between his eyes and groaned, "Ohh, you uncultured equines," He bemoaned, knowing he'd have to either throw out all his current material for the older stuff, wait a thousand years for it to make sense, or teach it to them. None were very appealing for varying reasons.

"...But why didn't anypony say something earlier?" Clover asked curiously.

"I thought you were just having...difficulties defecating again," Luna answered with a shrug.

"I thought you were just nervous about him," Celestia explained, motioning to Discord.

Who was now missing and replaced by a sign in the ground with the words written on it: "I just wanted a distraction!"

"...Distraction for what?" Celestia dared to ask.

"Jackpot!" Discord declared loudly as he zoomed out of a tent, holding a very...jingly object, "Oh, what a hat!" he praised with a grin.

"W-wait, don't touch the hat, please!" Clover the Clever requested urgently, running up to the hybrid and too worried at the moment to wonder why she couldn't grasp it with her magic, "Starswirl hates it when others mess with his hat! And besides, your horns..." She pleaded.

Discord raised an eyebrow and scowled at the mare, "My horns? Really?" He asked condescendingly, placing the hat on his head, his horns phasing through the fabric harmlessly.

"...Okay, I suppose I should have expected that," Clover admitted sheepishly, looking back to the Alicorns, "How are you both so calm about him?"

Celestia shrugged, "We're immortal, but we haven't seen much of the world. We're not surprised there are others, far older and more powerful than us," She admitted calmly.

Luna nodded in agreement, "Besides, this is nothing compared to what we did earlier," She mused before her expression turned nostalgic, "I never knew paradoxical hide and seek could be so fun...or possible."

"I have to admit..."" Celestia started off with a smile, "It was rather fun, Melt-Army-Tag."

"Hurricane would get obsessed with that," Discord mused with a smirk, "Remind me to introduce you both to ashpods."

"...My brain," Clover lamented to the amusement of the trio, "My poor, poor, logic driven mind."

"Says the mare that defeated winter spirits with friendship fire," Discord quipped with a raised eyebrow, tilting the hat up with a claw.

"...Point," Clover conceded with a sigh, "But could you pleeeease take the hat off?" She begged.

"Not until I get his opinion on something," Discord refused with a huff and his arms crossed, his ears twitching.

"Clover? Are you there? I thought I heard Celestia and Luna?" A stallion's voice called from just outside the tent

"Speak of the Wiz, there he is," Discord murmured in amusement as the stallion came in view from between two tents. He found it rather amusing with how much the wizard's ground-long white beard was played up in the old timeline, especially since it was currently very much brown with only a bit of greying and only barely went lower than his withers.

Discord didn't stop grinning as Starswirl came to an abrupt halt and slowly turned to stare at him, "What in the...?" Starswirl asked with wide eyes.

"Hello~! I'm Discord," He greeted with a chipper tone.

"Ummm, hello," Starswirl returned in bewilderment before turning to Clover, "Am I drunk?" He asked curiously, "Because I usually know when I am."

"No, Master Starswirl, you're not drunk," Clover assured with a sympathetic look.

"Then I probably will be soon, but why is there a floating...what I can only describe as the love child of a chimera and a manticore...in my camp and wearing my hat?" Starswirl asked calmly.

"I'm just a tiny bit insulted by that, if only for the lack of imagination," Discord commented patently.

"I'm a bit drained at the moment, my apologies" Starswirl said with a sigh.

Luna smiled widely as she made the introduction, "Discord, this is Starswirl the Bearded. His beard is still recovering from an alchemic mishap," She explained, getting a blank glare from the wizard in question, "Starswirl, meet Discord the Draconequus: King of Chaos, Lord of Mischief, Baron of Nonsense, Count of Ponty Mython, Chieftain of Pranks, Supreme General of the Grass Root Armies, Admiral of the Chocolate Seas, Warlord of Rock Crabs, Duke of the Growling Willows, and Consul of Balderdash," Luna introduced.

Before anyone, even Discord, could comment, Celestia cleared her throat, "Despot of Disarray, Margrave of Cakes, Knight of Disorder, Earl of Illogic, Viceroy of Wits, and Master of the Strangeness," She listed off, giving Discord a small smirk, "Satisfied?"

Discord was wide-eyed as he looked between the two for a moment before he and a million ant-sized copies of himself clapped in applause, "Bravo, ladies, bravo. I'll be sure to return the favor and give you both a host of titles as well."

"Oh please, I doubt we're that interesting," Luna retorted with a snort of amusement.

Discord smirked knowingly as Starswirl blinked and shook his head, "I'm sorry...I'm still processing all of that, but did Celestia just said you were controlling the Strangeness?" Starswirl asked curiously.

"Controlling, causing, inspiring, generating, etc, etc, ali-ali-etc," Discord answered idly, "Hey, answer this for me: Horns or No Horns?" He asked with a smirk as he grasped the front and back of the bell covered hat, pulling it back and forth ever so slightly, causing his horns to disappear into and reemerge out of the hat.

All at once, Starswirl started grinning and clapping, "Oh, I like that! And horns, definitely horns...but I still want my hat back," Starswirl reminded.

"Yes, yes, I just need to check something," Discord assured as he pulled off the hat and started looking over it, "No spells?" Discord asked in mild disappointment.

"No spells, enchantment, or anything else," Starswirl answered, raising an eyebrow as Discord put his head into the hat.

"Really Swirls, I expected more," Discord's head commented, popping out of a hole…the same hole that had been drilled earlier by the bowl…in the ground before popping away. Clover rushed over to stare down the hole...only to be hit with a geyser of bubbles, leaving her with a bubble beard, "You should always be careful when playing with strange holes, my dear," He scolded playfully to the annoyed unicorn, his head out of the hat.

Starswirl, ignoring his apprentice's predicament, scowled up at the Draconequus, "I'll have you know I'd never risk that hat! It is the hattiest hat that ever hatted!" He declared proudly

'Hellllllo Pinkie Pie's great-something grandpa!' Discord mentally declared with a grin, taking off and returning it...by shrinking it down and putting it on Starswirl's horn, "There we go! A Horn Hat!"

"Ohh, yes, yes!" Starswirl agreed before stroking his beard thoughtfully, "Though, I feel like we can do better. Horn scarves?"

"Oh no, those would just keep getting in the eyes or tickling noses," Discord pointed out as they both scowled thoughtful before a figurative and literal light bulb went off above Starswirl's and Discord's respective heads.

"HORN SOCKS!" They both declared, pointing a claw and a hoof at each other. With a snap of Discord's claws and a burst from Starswirl's horn, Discord suddenly had a red plaid sock over his deer antler and, of all things, an orange and blue houndstooth on his blue horn. Starswirl, meanwhile, had his normal sized hat back along with a midnight blue sock over his horn, decorated with golden stars, white crescents and blue swirls.

"Oh, I think we are going to get along marvelously," Discord predicted with a smirk.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!" Luna, meanwhile, was rolling on the ground and laughing her ass off.

"Great, now there's two of them," Clover remarked dryly.

"Perhaps this meeting wasn't the best idea," Celestia noted warily.

""H-horns socks! Hahaha!" Luna yelled between laughs, pounding her hooves on the ground, "Ohhhh, I shall never look at s-socks the same way again!"

"Hmm, I don't think I've ever heard you howl like that, Luna," Starswirl noted with a smile.

"But you have heard her howl?" Discord asked with a teasing smirk as the socks disappeared, 'Hmm, well, looks like I'm making progress in the 'preventing Nightmare Moon' goal,' Discord mused with a small smile.

"Not in the manner you're thinking, but yes: She has a thing for wild beasts," Starswirl explained before smirking as well, "I suppose that's why she seems to like you."

"Try harder next time, Horn-Hat," Discord quipped.

"If you're all quite done accusing each other of sleeping with my sister," Celestia prompted evenly, Luna snickering for new reasons now.

"Right, right, we did get a bit sidetracked," Starswirl agreed, raising an eyebrow at Discord now, "So, back on topic...are you claiming to be the singular cause of all the things that have been happening in these chaotic lands?"

"Well of course! They are my lands after all," Discord informed with a grin.

Starswirl blinked, looking to each of the mares who all gave him individual nods, Clover's being a bit more nervous and uncertain, before looking blankly back at Discord, "Ah...oh, runes, we're trespassing," He realized with wide eyes.

"Don't worry, don't worry!" Luna assured quickly before puffing out her chest and taking on a posh voice, "Emperor Discord I of the Chaoslands has mercifully granted ponykind a home in his dominion!" She declared overdramatically

"You are abusing my ego, you know that?" Discord asked with a smirk.

"Only because there's so much of it to abuse," Luna quibbed innocently before sticking her tongue out.

"I can't help feeling there's a catch," Starswirl noted cautiously.

"Well, yes, there is," Clover spoke up, "He actually met with the Chancellor, Commander, and Princess today."

"I...can't imagine that went well," Starswirl commented dryly, feeling a headache form just by the thought of it.

"He's on Commander Hurricane's good side," Celestia informed flatly.

Starswirl blinked once, then twice as he shook his head, "I'm...sorry, how the sard did you manage THAT?!" Starswirl exclaimed in shock.

"You want the long version or the short version?" Discord asked casually.

"I'll take the easy version," Starswirl answered flatly.

"Well, if you must know, it's because an armor-less and dripping wet Pansy spit...spitted...spat all over Platinum," Discord summarized.

"...What's the long version?" Starswirl asked in confusion.

"That is the long version!" Discord answered with a smug grin, "The short version is: I'm Discord!"

"...I have got to start staying in the main camp," Starswirl said after a few moments.

"Yes, I was wondering about that," Discord commented, eyeing the place, "Let me guess, Platinum?"

"Oh, so you've met her," Starswirl noted with a dry scowl, "She's really something, that arrogant, whiny, greedy, snobby, elitist, bratcess..." He grumbled.

"I'm detecting massive levels of resentment," Discord noted, holding up what looked like a metal detector to Starswirl's head, beeping like crazy.

"She once told us to not raise the sun until she woke up," Starswirl answered flatly.

"Don't worry, you're not alone anymore," Discord assured with a comforting pat on the back as he floated over to the wizard.

"Speaking of the sun, isn't it about that time?" Celestia asked, the mares having gotten comfortable to listen to the interesting talk.

Starswirl let off a suffering sigh at that, "Yes, me and the others just took a break. The sun is being exceptionally stubborn today," He muttered tiredly

"The sun gets stubborn?" Celestia asked curiously.

"It does, our magics don't want to sync up, some of us are accidentally pushing the wrong way," Starswirl rambled a bit, "It gets very complicated and tiring on us."

"I can only imagine," Luna commented idly.

"I've tried to join them sometimes," Clover started with a scowl, "But my magic reserves are just too small to reach either of the orbs."

"...Would you like some help?" Discord offered with a raised eyebrow.

As if on cue, all eyes snapped to him, "You can move the sun and moon?!" Everypony asked in shock.

"Ummm, yes?" Discord answered with a raised eyebrow, "Is it that surprising at this point?"

"Is there anything you can't do?" Luna asked curiously.

"I plead ignorance," Discord answered with a shrug, making Luna blink.

"Wait, wait," Celestia called with a scowl, "If you're older than us and can move them, why haven't you before now?"

"Older than us?" Starswirl asked in surprise.

"She means herself and Lady Luna," Clover explained, realizing this hadn't been mentioned yet, "He's immortal."

Starswirl gaped a bit at that as Discord answered, "I did a few times in the past, but you ponies seemed to have been handling that decently these centuries," Discord elaborated with a shrug.

"I feel just a bit invalidated now," Starswirl commented evenly, before sighing and smiling, "Still, yes, my fellow mages and I would deeply appreciate the assistance, Lord Discord."

"Swirls, Alicorns excluded, if there's one pony I want to be informal with me, it is you," Discord informed with a grin, "Our personalities have too much fun to be tied down by such flimsy conventions."

Starswirl laughed heartily at that, "V-very well, Discord! Follow me, I'll lead you to the others," Starswirl offered with a grin of his own.

"Oh, that won't be needed," Discord assured with a mysterious smile.

"Hmm, what do you mean?" Starswirl asked curiously.

"Ummm, ponies?" Luna called in disbelief, staring up at the sky, "Look up!"

The equines all turned their gaze skyward. Their jaws dropped as they saw the sun moving at a very steady pace toward the horizon. They looked back at Discord and saw him tilt his head, as if asking them why they were staring. There was no extra movement, no detectable magic, and no apparent effort to...whatever he was doing. They watched as the orb of burning light vanished under the distant horizon, bathing the world into darkness and starlight.

"...How much?" Clover asked numbly, "How much power can one being possess...?"

"Hmm, that's odd," Discord mused in mock confusion as he stood upright on the ground, ignoring Clover and the stares he was getting, "The moon seems to be rather sneaky tonight. I wonder where it went off to?" He asked rhetorically.

"You...you lost the moon?" Celestia asked absently, still trying to process what she just saw.

"Oh, not lost, just misplaced a bit," Discord retorted with a grin as he paced around a bit before looking at Luna curiously, "Why, Luna! What's that in your ear?" He asked in astonishment.

"My...my ear?" She asked in surprise as Discord reached for her ear and pulled out...

"Well, I'll be! It's the moon!" Discord declared in mock surprise as he held the shrunk satellite in his lion paw, glowing in all its crater-dotted glory. Luna, closest to him, stared at the moon with awe and wonder...until Discord threw it into the air like a Frisbee, landing home among the stars, "There, right where its supposed to be," He said with a small grin as he turned back to them, still gawking at him, "...Too much?" He asked curiously.

"You...that...I...this...we...those...," Clover tried to force out, "GRRRRR, What Are You?!" She yelled loudly into the now-night sky, echoing throughout the area and scaring a few birds.

Discord actually looked a bit surprised by that outburst, but before he could respond, Starswirl beat him to the punch, "Well, I think it's obvious now what he is, Clover," He answered slowly.

"Really? Please, Master, do share?" Clover requested, all but pleaded.

"Well, obviously, he is a god," Starswirl answered bluntly and honestly.

Clover made a strangling noise before face-hoofing with both hooves and flopping backwards with a defeated sound.

"...Does the idea of giving him virgin mares still sound like a joke, Sister?" Luna asked slowly.

"No, Luna, but I still loathe that you suggested it," Celestia answered, much the same.

"Wait, what about virgin mares!?" Starswirl asked in shock.

"That was YOUR idea?!" Clover asked in disbelief as she sprung back to her feet.

Luna smiled sheepishly at that while Discord looked curiously to Celestia, "That wasn't obvious?" He asked with a head tilt.

"That you're basically a god?" Celestia repeated with a raised eyebrow, "Up until now, you were just an extremely powerful magical entity. When you can do stuff like toss around the sun and moon without effort? Yeah, denying you're a god at that point becomes fruitless," She explained.

'I'll remember that, Celly,' Discord privately archived, "...Does that bother you?"

"No, but it...takes a little bit to soak in," Celestia answered, shaking her head briefly, "I'm friends with a god."

"Would it make you more comfortable if I call you a goddess?" He asked with a cheesy smile.

And thus, Celestia's cheeks went as pink as her hair.

"Well, at least we know you won't have any issue charming and seducing your sacrifices," Luna quipped teasingly, her sister blushing more to the delight of her and Discord.

Clover stared flatly at the "Guardians of Ponykind" before leaning over to Starswirl, "I'll recommend just giving them to him at the next meeting," She whispered.

"Don't get your hopes up," Starswirl retorted in slight amusement, eyeing Discord curiously.

"Aww, and here I was thinking about charming you first, Clever mare," Discord whispered into Clover's ear, making her tense up with wide eyes...

"Hey, hey, hey!" Starswirl said, teleporting Clover to his other side, "God or not, you have to go through me before you can lay a claw on her," He informed with a glare.

Discord stared at him before reaching out with his eagle talon, phasing right through Starswirl and poked a bewildered Clover on the nose, "Boop."

Starswirl stared at the Draconequus as he retracted his claw, before face-hoofing.

"Welcome to my life as of the past seven hours," Celestia commented with a smirk.

Author's Notes:

Surprise! New chapter already! Now, I just want take this moment to thank all of you, including my beta, DragWiz91, who also added in a few bits- including the ego retort from Luna. Anyway, thanks to you all, this fic is now in the triple digits! In fact, it was at 330th at one point, but flew back down to the 700s with the third down vote.

Either way, I'm still overjoyed with the amount of love this fic has received.

So, yes, Discord has met Starswirl and very much proven that he's a god. Take this literally or in comparison as you desire- personally, I took/meant it literally. Remember, at this point, it has taken six of the best unicorns to raise and lower the sun and moon, and that's still not easy. Discord doing it like nothing is magical herculean in their eyes.

Still, as seen by the ending, their acknowledgement of Discord's "divinity" doesn't change much in terms of attitudes for these individuals, but the rest of ponykind is another story.

That's about it, hope you all enjoy the quick update, next chapter we'll get back to the tribes and possibly some OC players that, yes, have to appear.