One of Fluttershy's favorite things to do on a cold winter day was knit.
Even after moving to Chaosville, where winter didn't have to be cold, and the seasons were barely defined anyway, she still enjoyed taking the time to relax with a hot drink and knit something. Having Discord by her side made things even more fun, even if their hobby became much more chaotic when he decided to join.
This hobby was the hobby of choice today, the two of them settling themselves in the knitting room with mugs of hot tea beside them. Fluttershy smiled and looked around. It wasn't a conventional 'knitting' room by any means, but the underground space behind a bookshelf felt familiar, almost right, to her...even if it was much more cavernous than her old Chamber of Extreme Knitting.
And the addition of furniture, wall hangings, and better lighting made it much homier. She suspected that Discord wouldn't have made this room into an underground chamber if he hadn't been so delighted and amused over the last secret knitting chamber she had made in her old cottage. She smiled a little and shook the suspicion away, selecting a few balls of yarn and a pair of bamboo needles from one of the many piles strewn throughout the room.
She settled herself in a comfortable plush chair—one that she and Discord had knitted together in this very room a few years ago. She made herself comfortable, making sure her tea wouldn't spill easily, and glanced up at her husband, who had arranged a nest in a pile of yarn balls, his hands already a blur as he worked on whatever project he had in mind this time.
"What are you making?" she asked as his needles wildly clacked together.
"A tapestry!" he responded cheerfully. "The best possible tapestry...and an oversized sweater!" He lifted up his tail and showed off the two needles held in his tail feathers, clicking together and creating the beginnings of a teal sweater.
She smiled and prepared her own needles. "Those both sound like good ideas," she said. "But don't try to do too much at once, okay?"
"Don't worry," he said with a smug grin. "I've got this." His needles clicked together even more quickly.
She smiled a bit at his optimism and glanced down at her needles. After a few seconds of thinking, planning out how to make what she wanted, she began to knit, slowly and carefully moving the loops of yarn from one needle to the other.
The clicking of her own needles (and Discord's faster clicking) eventually lulled her into a sense of calm. She sank into that feeling, focusing her attention on her yarn, her needles, and the creation she had in mind. She kept her ears pricked up in case Discord wanted to ramble to her about anything (which he sometimes did during their knitting sessions, and which she enjoyed listening to), but he seemed very focused on his own projects.
After some time, with her dragon plush about a quarter done, Discord spoke up. "Um...my dearest darling Fluttershy?" he said in a tone that was a little too light and forced. "I might not...have had the multitasking as much as I thought I did..."
She blinked and slowly looked up, trying to brace herself for whatever had happened. Discord grinned sheepishly at her and gave as small of a wave as he could—though he was very much restricted by the many strands of yarn that had somehow ended up tied around him. His limbs were entangled, and somehow, a few loops were wrapped around his head.
Though her lips twitched, she managed to keep a straight face and not burst into laughter. "That's, um...quite a predicament you're in," she somehow managed to say while forcing back giggles.
"I know!" he bemoaned, throwing out his hands the few inches they could move. "One second, I was knitting two things at once, and the next, my tail's gone and knotted itself up with my legs!" He pointed to his lower body, covered in a web of teal yarn, with a partially-finished sweater hanging off of it.
"And..." she scanned him. "...the rest of your body got tangled when you tried to undo it, right?"
He pouted and nodded, making a loop fall from his horn to his muzzle. "I'd appreciate an extra pair of hooves," he said. "At least to loosen this enough that I can comfortably snap myself out."
She snickered a little, but bit her lip, set her unfinished dragon aside, and stood up to help him. The first thing she did was pat him down, tugging a few of the loops experimentally as he squirmed. "Careful," she warned as a bit of yarn was pulled out of her hold. "You might tighten or tangle things more."
"But I want to be freeeeee!" he said, flopping about a bit. His half-finished tapestry waved like a flag, and she quickly grabbed it to hold it still before it could start to unravel.
"Just give me a second," she said, patting his head. He grunted, still shifting slightly, but not squirming as much (aside from his tail, which seemed to be trying to whip back and forth but was restrained from doing so).
After a few more seconds of testing, she found the strands she was looking for. "Here goes," she said, pulling on one of them. It was easily pulled back, and a few more loops became slack as she pulled. She switched to another and pulled, and the same thing happened, with more strands loosening drastically.
Once she had pulled the fourth such strand, Discord's whole body shivered, and the loose strands fell away from him. There were still a few wrapped around him, but he easily lifted his hand and snapped, teleporting himself a few inches away and completely out of his predicament.
"Phew!" he said, wiping sweat off of his brow. "Thank you for that, Fluttershy." He nuzzled her, and she leaned into his touch. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here."
"I'm sure you would have thought of something," she said, carefully separating the once-net of yarn into one that was attached to the tapestry and one attached to the sweater. "You always seem to, anyway. Remember how you got your hand stuck in that jar of honey?"
He blushed. "Not my best moment..." he admitted. "Though a sandwich of cookies covered in honey still sounds yummy. And...smashing the jar wasn't a proud moment, but I was a little panicked when I couldn't get my hand back out..."
"I think anyone would panic in that situation," she said, patting his arm. "Though...I hope it doesn't happen again."
"It won't, it won't," he said, plopping back into his nest of yarn balls. "And I mean both the Honey Jar incident and today's Yarn Net incident." He set his sweater aside and picked up the tapestry, fixing his needles. "Those aren't going to happen again anytime soon, Flutterbutter."
She giggled and walked past him, rubbing herself against his side. "Well, if you need any help, let me know," she said, nuzzling his cheek before heading back to her couch.
Once she had sat down, she took a sip of tea (still hot but not burning) and watched Discord work for a few seconds. His needles were clicking together just as quickly as before...maybe even more so, since he was only focusing on one thing now.
With a smile, she picked up her dragon again and continued knitting. "So Fluttershy, have you heard about the latest craze among the noble ponies?" Discord asked. She shook her head, and he launched into a description of some new fad that he found hilarious. His tone and descriptions made her find it funny, as well, the two of them laughing a bit as they worked.
After several hours, about three mugs of tea, and a quick break to enjoy some warm buttered scones, the two of them had finished with their respective projects.
Fluttershy had not only made a small plush of Spike as a baby dragon, but a small, light pink blanket with a cupcake pattern in the middle, as a gift for Lil' Cheese. Discord complimented her craftsmanship, making her blush a little, and then showed her his own creations.
The first was his tapestry, which was rather impressive—though a bit simplified, it showed several scenes of when they had first become friends, arranged on a purple background—the freezing of Sweet Apple Acres, the keeping of her promise but the rejection to stay by his side, the unfreezing of Sweet Apple Acres, and the first time she had held his paw. The margin was filled with pink and gold butterflies.
"It's amazing," she said in earnest. Discord's chest puffed up, and he stood a little taller. "I just...it's so good! All of the stitches are a perfect size, the colors are great...I can't believe you made all of this from memory!"
His chest continued to puff up. "Well, I have to confess," he said, still with a wide grin. "I did use my magic to peak into the past a few times. But other than that, and a little magic to untangle the knots from my tangling, this is all handmade!"
She nodded in approval. Before she could say anything else, Discord whipped a finished sweater out from behind his back. "This turned out well, too!" he said. "Here, here, put it on!"
He shoved it towards her, and with a smile, she accepted it and slipped it over her head. It felt comfortable, even if it was a bit baggy in places. The sleeves were long enough to almost cover her hooves, but not long enough that she could accidentally walk on them and fray them. There were even slits in the back for her wings to comfortably fit through.
"It's nice," she said with a smile, hugging the fabric close to her. Discord smiled warmly and pointed to her chest. She blinked and looked down.
If Lost, Return to Discord, the sweater read in dark blue lettering. She glanced between him and the message, blinking a few times. "Um...is this sweater for you?" she asked slowly. It was a bit bigger than her, but in a way she found comfortable...and he had insisted she wear it...
He grinned and shook his head. "Nope. It's for you to wear. And the message isn't a mistake," he said, his grin widening even further as he wiggled his eyebrows.
It took a second for it to sink in. But once it did, she snorted, a hoof flying to her mouth. "That's..." She kept snickering, though she tried to stifle it.
"A brilliant idea!" he said, leaning close to her. "I just want to make sure you can be brought home if you're lost...aren't you always telling pet owners that they should make sure their pets carry around their information?"
She snorted in laughter again, pushing his muzzle away. He laughed and coiled himself around her, pulling her into a tight hug. Still giggling, she hugged him back, even though she could only reach a part of his torso, and leaned back to nuzzle into his neck.
After a few seconds, he released her and picked up his tapestry, as well as the plush Spike. "Would you be so kind as to help me find a place for this?" he asked, holding out the tapestry. "And, ah...may I keep this one?" he continued, giving the Spike plush a small shake.
"Yes to both," she said with a smile. "I think there's a spot in the hallway that tapestry would be nice in...maybe next to the pottery room." She headed towards the stairs, carrying both of their empty tea mugs.
"Mmm, but that's a little far into the house," he said as he floated beside her. With a snap, the mugs vanished from her grip. "I'd like to place it a bit closer to the entrance and living room, you know?"
"Hmm. Maybe just beside the living room?" she offered. He hummed in consideration, sending the plush Spike somewhere through some portal. The two of them discussed possible places to hang the tapestry, both feeling light, warm, and relaxed.