Knots for Nougetsia

"Its another nippy day today!" Nougetsia smiled as she opened the window to her room.

The winter season never bothered Nougetsia as for her, the colder the day was the BETTER! She loved to see huge mountains of snow and ice-cream all around, the landscape just perfect for all sorts of fun.

Sledding, snow-ball fights, building snow forts.

She might have loved these things more than racing.

With a hop and a skip, Nougetsia ran out of the house and into the snow. It was so amazing to see how soft it was, how beautiful it was, fresh and glistening like a fresh coat of glaze on a doughnut. But if things looked this well near her own home, she wondered what things looked like in the village.

"I HAFTA go see!"

Not too long after, Nougetsia found herself in the village. Several candy people were about but her friends were nowhere in sight.

"Perhaps there in one of the shops…" the girl said, looking here and there. She searched and searched and after a while…

"Ah-HA!"

There they were, resting warmly in the Cookie Corner Bakery. Nougetsia bounded in but given the place was packed, she found that she wasn't that easy to see with the massive crowd before her. Taffyta, Crumbellina and Candlehead were near the fire, sipping on hot coco but from the look on Taffyta's face, something was wrong.

"Are your hands alright?" asked Crumbellina.

"They will be once they warm up…." Huffed Taffyta, rubbing her hands together.

Still shoved between a cookie man and a rather tall candy-cane person, Nougetsia peeked through, taking a look at Taffyta's hands.

They were red and from the way Taffyta was clenching them together, she was obviously trying to warm them up.

"That's what I get for losing my gloves like that right before the big storm…." Said Taffyta, looking miffed "I hate how much the cold hurts my hands."

Nougetsia looked at Taffyta's hands again; SHE might have liked the cold but that didn't mean that EVERYONE did. After all, she was used to the snow. She was used to the ice.

That may have been her enjoyment but as she looked at the other shivering people in the shop, she knew that there were others who were having a bit of trouble dealing with the weather.

But even on a cold day, hot ideas come.

Had anyone seen her, they would have seen the huge smile appear on the girl's face but maybe it was for the better.

Without anyone batting an eye, the girl disappeared.

The next morning, Taffyta awoke bright and early but instead of going out she picked up the search for her missing gloves again.

She checked her dresser, she checked her closet, she checked EVERYWHERE.

She even checked the roof of her cottage.

"Where could I have-?"

But not a single pair of winter gloves could be found.

"I wish my racing gloves would work…." She grumbled "But they're too thin for this weather!"

She would have to make due.

With everything else on, Taffyta stepped out of her house, the blast of cold air hitting her instantly. She shivered and shook but as she stepped away from her door an odd splash of pink caught her attention.

"Huh?"

There was something on her kart, a package of some sort. She walked over and picked it up.

No address?

No name at all?

"What is this?" the girl said in a curious manner, flipping the simply wrapped package over and over. She gave it a squeeze, the thin layers of tissue paper revealing something soft and plush inside. She was aware that unmarked packages were not always good but her curiosity got the better of her and she tore away the paper.

And what she saw made her heart skip a beat.

Inside the package was not only a pair of gloves but a scarf as well! Both the gloves and scarf were her favorite shade of pink, strawberries decorating both items but that was not what made her so happy.

She put them on her hands.

WARMTH!

PURE, WONDERFUL, GLORIOUS WARMTH!

"Wow, these feel good!"

Taffyta looked around her home, trying to see if there were any signs of a person. She looked on the ground for footprints but another layer of snow had covered up any old ones, her own footprints the only thing around.

Who could have left such a gift?

Taffyta hopped into her kart and drove off as fast as she could toward the village but when she asked the others if they knew who could have done such a thing, they had no answer.

Meanwhile, not too far away, a little popsicle racer was enjoy a cup of coco, smiling from ear to ear.

"Ah, so nice."

Everyone was impressed with Taffyta's gloves and scarf, wondering who would spend such time to create such a thing yet hide away before they could thank them. Their questions would only grow as in the next few days, scarves and gloves began to appear EVERYWHERE throughout Sugar Rush.

One day, Snowanna found a new pair of gloves and a scarf hidden in her mail box, musical notes knitted into the rainbow chain of yarn.

"Heh, not bad!"

While going out for a stroll in her garden, Crumbellina came across her own set, the pattern looking like the graceful swirls of chocolate and caramel she loved so much.

"Gracious."

To his surprise, someone had left Swizzle his own pair in his tool box, not a single clue left to how they had gotten in.

"Now isn't that somethin'!"

Minty, Sticky, and Torvald each got their own set, the packages tied on their gates.

"Heh, not too shabby!"

"It matches my eyes!"

"Wait, is this MINE or YOURS?"

Candlehead was in for a surprise when a package arrived for her at the bakery, cupcakes drawn all over the wrapping paper.

"Oooh, pretty!"

Gloyd found his scarf and glove settled inside a plastic pumpkin, the end of the scarf trailing from its mouth.

"How'd someone trick ME?!"

Rancis beamed in pride upon finding his gift left on his window sill.

"Lookin' good, Rancy-Boy!"

Sakura was astonished to find the items tucked away in her many costumes.

"Oh my!"

Jubileena and Minty found theirs placed near their birdhouses.

"Wow!"

"These are so warm!"

Vanellope and Sour Bill awoke to find snowmen built around the palace, gloves on their stick hands and the scarves wrapped around them.

"Who did THIS?"

And Adorabeezle?

"Nougie!"

"Yes?"

"Look, look!" the girl said in surprise "The scarf person left me gift too!" the young girl said as she showed her older sister the pair of gloves and scarf that had been made for her.

"That's great!" Nougetsia said "Maybe everyone will be warm this winter!"

And so it continued. It seemed like every day a new package was left about just waiting for someone to pick it up.

And Nougetsia couldn't have been happier.

But at the same time, she wanted to remain hidden.

After all, while she was having fun leaving the gifts around, she was having just as much fun making sure people were still surprised as to WHO had left them.

"Plus, it gives me a chance to try out new designs!" she said to herself, knitting another scarf in her room. She had done well so far, but she still had to keep her wits about her. At any moment, Adorabeezle could come in or some other clues could slip out to her real actions.

But she kept on knitting, it was something she just loved to do.

One night, Nougetsia found herself nodding off and try as she might, she just couldn't keep her eyes open.

"B-But….but just one more…." She yawned loudly "C-Can't end on just one mitten…"

Even if her fingers wanted to keep working, sleep won this round.

"Sweepy time…."

The next morning, Nougetsia awoke to hear the wind whistling loudly. Another snow storm had blown up but this time it seemed much more bitter than before. Even she could feel the bite of the cold against her skin and if she felt it, she KNEW it was cold.

"Uh-oh…." She said to herself "This can't be good."

Nougetsia knew it was time to make a new batch of gloves but when she walked into her room.

"WHAT THE-?!"

Her supplies! They were gone!

Nougetsia felt a wave of panic come over her. Everything was gone! Her yawn, her knitting needles, every scrap she had saved was gone!

"B-but where could they be?!" she gasped "I had them next to me! Everything else was hidden under my bed and-!"

Adorabeezle?

Could SHE have snuck in?

The older girl thought and thought; it was possible for the young racer to do such a thing but WHY? Why would she sneak in when she had no reason to do so? Aside from that, it would have taken some time for her sister to move EVERYTHING out from under the bed without causing some noise.

Nougetsia's brain was ticking away at the thoughts but she knew what she had to do.

"I have a yarn thief to find!"

Nougetsia hopped into her kart and drove into the village but due to the cold, there were not that many people out.

She checked the bakery but found nothing.

"Uh, well. Ya see-!"

She checked Swizz's work shop but found nothing.

"No, Swizz. I don't need a device for this time…."

She checked the gardens, she checked the shops, she checked EVERYWHERE!

NOTHING!

"How could someone get away with so much stuff without leaving ONE clue?!" the girl said, but as she stood in the middle of the village something caught her eye.

A plush candy-cane?

It looked so familiar.

Upon closer inspection she found that it was one of the little decorations she had made for her creations.

"It must have fallen off." She nodded in assurance, looking up to see something else head.

This time, a little strawberry.

From Taffyta?

"Taffyta?" Nougetsia thought "Had SHE done it?"

Now how in the world could TAFFYTA'S had found out? And even so, there were not tire marks from any other kart left at the house nor where there any odd footprints.

Wait. Something else!

Rainbow pom-pom balls!

Snowanna?

No! Tuffs of minty-green cotton!

Candlehead?

Peppermint, gingerbread, pumpkins?

They were all from her FRIENDS!

And what was more, they were leading to the castle.

Nougetsia, nose to the ground and eyes forward, followed the trail like some sort of bloodhound on a scent. She knew she was close and she couldn't stop now! Her arms will FULL of little items from her cache of scraps as she entered the large building and kept going!

And kept going!

And kept going!

And-!

"SURPRISE!"

Nougetsia let out a scream as she fell back, her items spilling out on the floor but before her she did not see the forms of her much wanted thief.

But rather the forms of her friends, all of them holding up a massive scarf they had made for her!

"GUYS!?"

"Hold long did you think you'd be able to pull this off?" chuckled Swizz as he smirked at the girl.

So she HAD been figured out? But how?!

"Wait, when did you kn-?!"

"Didn't take us too long!" smirked Taffyta "After about the third or fourth 'surprise' we found a little pattern."

"Who else do we know that knits so much?" grinned Candlehead.

"Or who would put or favorite things on scarves?" smiled Citrusella.

"But most of all…." Said Adorabeezle "Who else do we know who would take so much time to do all of this for everyone?"

Nougetsia blushed, rolling her eyes "C'mon, it was nothin'."

"Well, it was that an' tha fact that I saw your gigantic head hiddin' in tha bushes."

"Gloyd, SHUSH!" said Candlehead.

"How can ya say that keepin' us warm is NOTHIN'?" said Vanellope "These are awesome!"

"But I-!"

"Enough talk!" said Adorabeezle, running around Nougetsia and wrapping the huge scarf around her "There's more to do thanks to all these scarves! Let's have some FUN!"

Nougetsia looked around at her friends, their smiles warming her up even more than the scarf that was being wrapped around her. She might have had fun going about the town, leaving her surprises for people to find.

But it did feel good to see everyone happy.

"Hey…" the girl said, rubbing her nose playfully "I HAD to do something for you guys. Not everyone is built to stand the cold like ME."