Domestic Drabbles of Discord's Dimension

by GeekCat

T(ea)ranslator

Fluttershy hummed to herself as she pulled a tray of pastries out of the oven. She had spent most of the afternoon working on baking her specialty—sweet, mouthwatering tea cakes. Specifically, the special recipe that Discord never seemed to get tired of.

She set the hot tray on a cooling rack, then pulled her sweating hooves out of the oven mitts, turning the oven off. It had taken a while, but she had made enough tea cakes to last them for most of a week...if Discord didn't eat them all in one sitting, that was. She giggled at the thought, and the very likely possibility that it could happen.

But now, all that was left was to wait for Discord to come home so she could surprise him...and wash up, she realized. She had cleaned the bowls when the last of the treats were in the oven, and wiped up most of the counter, but...she glanced at herself.

As she suspected, there were bits of dough stuck to her coat, and it seemed that almost her entire front side was covered with flour. She suspected that there was some in her mane, as well.

Nothing a good bath can't fix, she thought to herself. Still...she at least tried to rub some of the dough off with a wet washcloth. It actually came out pretty easily, and in just a minute, she was already looking cleaner—

The sound of someone teleporting in behind her made her stop, turning to face the sound with a bright smile. "Good afternoon, you gorgeous birdhouse!" Discord greeted with a smile just as wide, throwing his arms around her neck and placing a big kiss on her cheek, complete with a loud 'Mwah!'

"Hello to you too, handsome," she said with a giggle, quickly kissing his cheek. "I'd hug you right now, but, well..." She sheepishly gestured to herself, dough and flour still stuck to her.

He gasped, a hand flying to his mouth. "Fluttershy! Have you been creating chaotic messes...without me?" He stuck his lower lip out in an exaggerated pout.

"Just a small one, by accident," she said, trying not to laugh at his expression. He gasped, a hand flying to his forehead as though he were about to swoon. "But...I did it while making some tea cakes."

He froze, lifting his head. "...the chocolate ones?" he asked hopefully. She nodded. "With cherries?" Another nod. "The little pastries that are the paradise on Equestria?"

"I don't know about them being that good..." she said, flustered.

"They are, they always are!" he chirped. "Oh, happy, happy day! You spoil me rotten, dear Fluttershy." He patted the top of her head with his tail.

"We'll have to wait for them to cool before we can eat them," she pointed out. She took the time to use a washcloth and wipe the last bits of flour and dough out of her coat.

"Aww," he said, his pout returning, though not nearly as exaggerated as before. She felt him dab at her mane with something, ridding it of a stubborn bit of flour that had settled there.

"It shouldn't take that long!" she said, not able to hold back a laugh. "And then I can boil some tea to go with it, and we can talk and enjoy a little chaos until dinner..." His pout rapidly vanished, and he was unable to hide a soft but bright smile.

"You're just too sweet for me," he said, scuffing his goat hoof on the ground and swaying like an exaggeratedly nervous schoolcolt, including keeping his hands clasped behind his back. "If only there was a way I could repay you for such sweetness..."

The way he said that made her pause, slowly looking him over. Something was up. His hands were behind his back, and the grin he wore was almost smug, but also excited and expectant. She knew him well enough to know that there was probably just one thing it could mean... "Are you hiding something?" she asked.

His 'gift giving' grin widened further. "Maybe, maybe not," he said teasingly. "You know the rules, Mrs. Chaos...you have to guess at least a few times before I show it."

"Is it alive?" she asked, leaning to try and peer around him. He leaned the same way as her, shaking his head. "Chaotic?" she said, leaning the other way. He again mirrored her motion and shook his head, though a bit more slowly this time.

"Cute?" she said, her wings shifting as she wondered whether flying up to try and peer over his shoulder was worth it. He craned his neck, stretching to his full height, and nodded.

Something cute, that wasn't alive or chaotic...she had to admit that she was stumped. But she didn't want to just give up guessing! She looked up and locked eyes with him. If she could catch even just a glimpse, she could have a better chance of guessing. He smirked at her, a gleam in his eyes telling her he wouldn't let her do it easily.

She stepped to the right, trying to look behind his back. He shifted to hide whatever it was, a grin twitching on his muzzle. She moved left, and he quickly moved to hide it again.

The two of them exchanged small, playful grins, Fluttershy hopping from side to side, back and forth. Discord's grin seemed to widen every time he twisted to hide it, his eyes sparkling with mirth.

After a minute or so, she felt a little out of breath, and had to rest for a moment. Discord barely seemed tired at all, and he smiled warmly, waiting patiently as she caught her breath. "Okay, I give up," she said, lifting her head to look at him. "What is it?"

With a flourish, he brought whatever it was out from behind his back. It was a book—no, it was too thin to be anything but a magazine. And the design on the cover looked so familiar, even though he was still waving it at her enough that it was hard to get a good look...could it be...? "Is...that what I think it is?" she asked, her eyes widening.

Discord beamed, handing over the magazine. She held it in her hooves and stared intently. Up close, it was quite clear what it was—a Saddlemon magazine of some kind. The mare drawn on the front was fairly familiar, though the name escaped her at the moment, and the Saddlemon on her shoulder was new...

"Is this the new arc, in the new kingdom!?" she said, her voice rising in pitch with excitement. "I-I didn't think this was going to come out for another few months! How did you...?"

When she looked up, she saw that he had a very smug look on his face, and was polishing his claws. "Well, you seemed so curious when you heard the news," he said. "And I was going to fight a hurricane in Neighpon, Land of the Eastern Unicorns, anyway, so I figured I could make a short little shopping trip."

He held up a plastic shopping bag. "I even picked up a few other toys and trinkets!" he said. "But I figured that magazine would be what you would want most."

"It is!" she said, holding the magazine up as she flew in a circle. "Oh, I've had so many questions! Like what this new character's name is, and what team she's going to have! What's her personality like? How does she like to battle?"

He chuckled, patting the top of her head and causing her to pause in place. "You're an adorable little goof," he teased, ruffling her mane.

She giggled, hovering in place and blushing a little. "W-well, haven't you been wondering things about this, too?" she said.

"Yes, but you're a bigger goof about Saddlemon than I am," he teased, tapping her nose and making it twitch. "I am more of a chaos goof, thank you."

She laughed, slowly landing and holding the magazine against her chest. "Yes, you are," she said. "And a complete sweetheart, too."

He grinned, though there was a hint of a pink blush on his face. "Of course, well...this is probably just a sneak peek of what the manga will look like," he said. "One or two chapters, at most."

"Still, maybe this will answer some questions I had!" she said cheerfully. She took a seat at the table, while Discord rifled through the shopping bag and sent each item floating to a different part of the house.

She opened the magazine, her wings fluttering slightly...and paused on the first page. The art was clear and crisp, but the letters...definitely weren't Ponish. They looked...similar to Ponish, but the symbols seemed so much more complex. Could this be...Neighponese?

"...um, Discord?" she said. His ears perked up, and he turned to look at her, pulling his head out of the plastic bag. "I'm really happy you got this for me, and it was a very sweet gesture, but..."

"But?" he said, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"...I don't know how to read this," she admitted, holding the magazine out to him so he could see the writing.

"Ah," he said, bending down to get a closer look. "I don't think it's been officially translated into Ponish, then...sorry." He stroked his beard. "I could try and use magic to change the letters, but if I don't keep an eye on the spell, things could get...odd."

"Odd how?" she asked. "Odd like...when you accidentally turned a book into a flying beast?"

"Oh, nothing that odd!" he quickly said. "Odd in the sense that words could spread out of speech bubbles and panels, or the ink might be too fresh and smear...or the translation could be so literal that it completely loses the cultural context of the original language."

"Oh, I see..." she said. "...wait. If your magic can translate it, does that mean you know Neighponese?"

He tore his eyes away from the page and nodded. "I know quite a few languages," he said. "Ancient Ponish, Pony Latin, Prench, Draconic..."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Don't dragons speak Ponish, too?"

"Yeah, but they haven't always," he said, flipping through the pages of the magazine, his eyes quickly scanning the panels. "Though Draconic has become a bit of dead language...hmm. That gives me an idea for a new pet project."

"If it involves reviving the language, I'm sure Twilight and Starlight would be thrilled to help," she suggested. He grinned, summoning a sparkly notepad and scribbling something in it in crayon. "But...you've picked up a lot of languages over the years, huh?"

"Mhmm," he said with a nod as he sent the notepad away, chewing on the crayon. "Some of them more difficult than others. I mean, compared to some of the snippets I've learned from other dimensions, Neighponese like this is practically a breeze!"

"A breeze, huh?" she said. "Then, um...if you're not too busy, do you think you could...tell me what's written here?" She smiled hopefully at him.

"...do you want me to read this aloud?" he asked, holding up and shaking the magazine.

"Please," she said with a small nod. "If it's not too much trouble..."

"Alright, alright," he said. "It won't be even an iota of trouble. Make yourself comfortable, and prepare to be thoroughly entertained!" He snapped his fingers, enveloping both of them in a flash of light.

Fluttershy blinked the spots out of her eyes. She found herself sitting on the couch, a small table with snacks and a full teacup next to her...and Discord sitting in a chair just a few feet in front of her, presenting the open magazine to her on a separate table.

"Ready?" he asked, his finger flicking at the corner of the page.

"Mhmm," she said with a nod once her vision was totally clear. She grabbed the teacup and took a small sip as he scanned the first page. Ah, rosehip green tea...very relaxing.

"Ahem," he said, tapping his throat as he cleared it. Then, in a mare's voice, he read, "This is Nemui Town, my home! It's quite peaceful here, but sometimes..." He gestured to the next panel, where a large Saddlemon tore through some bushes. "Trouble wanders in!"

Fluttershy leaned forward, listening intently as he continued.

---

"...and so, Amai Ninjin takes the first steps on her journey," Discord read in an announcer's voice. "What new friends and foes will she make? Only time will tell!" He left the magazine open for a few moments, so she could look at the full-page last panel, before slowly closing it.

Fluttershy smiled widely and applauded him. Not only had he translated the words for her, but he had done character voices, and even used his magic to create sound effects! She couldn't have asked for a better reading.

"Thank you, thank you," he said, bowing low at the waist and handing the magazine back over to her. "...I hope it's alright I left a few names and places untranslated."

"That's perfectly fine!" she said. She held the tray of macaroons out to him...though she had nibbled through most of them during his reading, and almost completely drained her teacup. "It gives me something to look forward to when the official translation is out—will they change the names, and what will they be?"

He smiled, grabbing several of the macaroons and popping them into his mouth. "You're such an optimistic little goof," he said with his mouth full, taking a seat next to her.

She giggled and turned her attention to the magazine. She still couldn't read it, but...she was able to recognize what she thought was Amai Ninjin's name. And a couple of Saddlemon names. But the rest...

"Neighponese seems more confusing than Ponish," she said. "I'm impressed that—well, I guess I'm impressed that you know so many languages in general!"

He smiled, shrugging off the praise...somewhat. "Oh, you know," he said. "It can take a lifetime to fully master a language...and I've seen plenty of lifetimes." He snapped his fingers, and a small cake appeared...though it was immediately crushed by the thousands of birthday candles that appeared on top.

She giggled, holding the magazine away from the splattered mess as Discord licked frosting and wax off of his fingers. "Still," she said, making him turn his gaze back to her as the cake vanished. "It's impressive. You're very talented, Discord."

He smiled, his wings fluttering on his back. "Are you trying to butter me up so I can read more of that aloud to you?" he said with a grin. "Because if so, please, do go on..."

"No, no!" she said, shaking her head. He rose an eyebrow, tilting his head. It wasn't accusing, just questioning, and maybe a little teasing. "...well, maybe a little," she admitted. "I know there's plenty of manga that have never been translated into Ponish...maybe even a few Saddlemon arcs!"

"I'd be very happy to act as a translator," he said with a smile. "I did enjoy doing this, you know. It was...adorable, seeing you get so delighted over what was happening in the story."

She giggled and blushed, her hoof scuffing at the ground. "So...you wouldn't mind doing this again?"

"Shyfly, if it made you happy, I'd read every manga in the world to you," he said. "You know I love to show you new things. Even if it's as small as a story in another language..." He paused, stroking his beard as a lightbulb appeared above his head.

"What is it?" she asked, leaning forward. It was always fun to listen to Discord as he came up with an idea, especially if he became invested and passionate about it.

"You know—maybe I could teach you how to read Neighponese!" he said.

"Really!?" she said. "I mean, I...I'd love that! But I don't know if I'd be the best student...I'm pretty average when it comes to learning things like that." She rubbed at the back of her neck.

"That's okay!" he said. "I can already think of the perfect assignments for you!" With a snap of his fingers, a stack of Saddlemon manga appeared in front of her—ones that were dear to her, that she remembered from her childhood. But when she opened the one on top, she realized that instead of Ponish, they were all written in Neighponese.

"And the perfect teaching assistant!" he continued. Another snap, and a large owl with green feathers appeared, perched on his eagle arm.

The owl hooted once, then said a sentence she couldn't understand. Then, it hooted again and said, in Ponish, "I can help you learn new languages!"

"Oh, you're amazing!" she said. She flew up and gently rubbed the owl's head, making it close its eyes and hoot contentedly. "How did you think up of him, Discord?"

"How does Treezie put it...? I can open my third and fourth eyes to the possibilities of things beyond our world," he said mysteriously.

She furrowed her brow in confusion, tilting her head. "It has to do with chaos, and being able to look at close dimensions," he explained a little more clearly. "...Pinkie does it sometimes. Or at least, she's aware of where the adjacent dimensions are..."

She blinked, still a little confused. "...do you really think I could learn this?" she asked, watching the green owl fly into a corner of the room to find a more comfortable perch.

"I fully believe that, if you wanted to, you could master this," he said earnestly. She blushed brightly and looked away, taking a few moments to think about it.

"Well...I'm willing to at least try," she decided, making a wide grin spread on his face. "So...how do we start?"

"Hmm. Well, we can't have proper learning without full bellies!" he declared, patting his stomach. "And fortunately, I think the best snacks are already waiting for us in the kitchen..."

She laughed, shaking her head. "Alright," she said. "If you choose a place to start teaching me, I'll put on the kettle to go with our tea cakes."

"That sounds most agreeable," he said, scooping the whole pile of materials into his arms and lugging it towards the kitchen table. She set a kettle of water on the stove, selecting some jasmine tea leaves to boil once it was ready.

By the time she had taken a seat at the table, Discord was already snacking on a tea cake, and had written a few large Neighponese characters on a scroll. "See this?" he said, pointing to the character at the top. She nodded, slowly nibbling on a tea cake of her own. "This one means 'tea'." He pronounced it in Neighponese for her as she stifled a giggle.

He went through various characters and words (only a few related to food), then opened a manga for them to pour over. They must have spent hours at the table, drinking tea and nibbling on tea cakes, but they both enjoyed themselves.

She didn't make that much progress, only able to recognize a few words, but Discord assured her that it was fine, gently ruffling her mane. She smiled and leaned against his side, listening to his voice as he read a page aloud in Ponish, dragging his finger along the Neighponese writing.

Comments

[redmar]

This was nice and truly fitting for the theme of the story.

[Annie_TC]

"And the perfect teaching assistant!" he continued. Another snap, and a large owl with green feathers appeared, perched on his eagle arm.

Duolingo reference. I love it.

[taterforlife]

Haha to the duolingo reference!

And this was so heartwarming. I also liked a lot of Discord's dialogue in this one, particularly. We have a lot of the same style with him.