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Fanfic #1: Rainbow
Fanfic #2: Tattoo
Fanfic #3: Evening
Fanfic #4: Purring
Fanfic #5: Leaf Pile
Fanfic #6: Sunset
Fanfic #7: Warm
Fanfic #8: Abandoned
Fanfic #9: Workout
Fanfic #10: Embarrassing
Fanfic #11: Drunk
Fanfic #12: Future
Fanfic #13: Canoe
Fanfic #14: Sleep
Fanfic #15: Rope
Fanfic #16: Kiss
Fanfic #17: Robots
Fanfic #18: Aquarium
Fanfic #19: Grandparents
Fanfic #20: Suit
Fanfic #21: Heart of Etheria
Fanfic #22: Prisoner
Fanfic #23: Roman Empire
Fanfic #24: Cuddle
Fanfic #25: Music
Fanfic #26: Enemies
Fanfic #27: Cosplay
Fanfic #28: Haunted
Fanific #29: Mushrooms
My Day 30 fanfic just goes to show that behind every story . . . there's another story.
Hoodie
Today, Glimmer just wanted to be Glimmer.
At least for an hour or two.
Not Queen, but just Bow's and Adora's friend.
So they were getting away from Bright Moon Castle and going on a little hike and a picnic on a beautiful, cool day.
Adora was looking through Glimmer's closets with her, helping her to find an outfit to temporarily replace her royal attire.
Something casual and warm for the chill on this morning.
She came across an intriguing purple jacket and pulled it down, showing it to Glimmer.
"What's this?" Adora asked, as she fingered the strings on the jacket.
Glimmer frowned at the garment. "It's just an old hoodie."
"Hoodie?" said Adora, feeling out the unfamiliar word.
Glimmer nodded. "Yeah. It's a sort of a light jacket with a hood. You can pull the strings to tighten the hood around your face and block the wind."
Adora felt the hoodie and then held it out for Glimmer. "It seems really comfortable. How about this?"
Glimmer shook her head. "I don't . . . think I would wear that."
"Why not?"
Glimmer took the hoodie and began to hang it back up.
"Because it was my mother's."
Adora frowned in sympathy and looked at the hoodie again.
"It's nice, but it's kinda hard to imagine Angella wearing it."
"She never did," said Glimmer.
Adora looked confused. "Wait. You won't wear it because it was your mom's, but she never wore it?"
Glimmer looked at Adora and sighed.
"I know it sounds strange. I'll explain . . . "
--------------
Years previously, young Castaspella started learning how to knit.
Her fingers were always fidgety, and they needed to stay busy.
One of the elder sorcerers noticed this and started giving her lessons in knitting, pointing out that this would help to improve her dexterity and make her a better spell-caster.
It worked! Not only did it give Castaspella an outlet for her nervous energy, but her casting improved until she became one of the most agile sorcerers in Mystacor and ultimately the head of the order!
But most importantly, Castaspella loved to knit.
She began making knitted gifts for family and friends.
First, she made belts and scarves (endless scarves!), then later bags, socks, hats, and sweaters. There likely wasn't a single inhabitant of Mystacor that didn't possess some little thing that she had made, many of which were reverently stored in rarely-opened drawers or the bottoms of closets.
Just before her brother Micah left Mystacor to live in Bright Moon, she presented him with a gift box.
"Micah, this is for you, so you won't forget your kid sister in Mystacor when you're living with the princesses in Bright Moon."
Micah opened the box, having a vague idea of what he would find.
It was a knitted purple hoodie that was probably too long.
He smiled. "Thanks, Casta. I'll . . . treasure this."
I will never, ever wear this, he thought to himself.
---------------
However, only a couple of years later, Micah was wearing the hoodie constantly!
It was too long, but it was warm and very cozy.
And little Glimmer adored it!
Micah used to put his baby inside the neck of his hoodie and zip it up so she was held snuggly against his chest as they went for walks together around the castle and through the edges of the woods.
Angella used to laugh at how funny and sweet they looked together, with Glimmer's little beaming head popping out of the neck of the hoodie just underneath Micah's beard.
It was absolutely adorable, and it reminded Angella of why she loved them both so much.
---------------
On the night that Angella learned that Micah was lost in battle, she left Glimmer briefly in General Juliet's care and locked herself in her bedroom to cry.
She looked through their closets and found Micah's purple hoodie.
Glimmer was wrong about her never wearing it.
She wore it once, that night, as if she could bring back the feeling of her husband's embrace.
After that, she would sometimes hold it close to her as she slept.
It still had Micah's smell, and holding it helped when Angella missed him.
---------------
After Angella's sacrifice, Glimmer found the hoodie again in Angella's closet.
And it smelled like her mother.
So she kept it and never wore it.
---------------
As she listened to the stories, Adora's eyes filled with tears.
And it wasn't until Glimmer looked up and saw them that she began to tear up herself.
Adora wrapped her arms around her friend and pulled her close.
"Oh, Glimmer. I'm so sorry."
Glimmer closed her eyes, and a few tears trickled down her cheeks.
"I know, Adora. I'm . . . it'll be okay. Just give me a minute."
Adora stepped back, smiling at Glimmer.
"We'll be just outside when you're ready. I know this is gonna be so much fun!"
Glimmer smiled back, wiping a couple of tears away.
"Okay. I'll be there soon!"
After Adora stepped out, Glimmer looked back at the hoodie.
She felt the knitted fabric.
Then, after a small hesitation, she took it down.
And put it on.
It was way too long for her, but it was warm, and the smell was comforting and familiar.
It was a little bit like a hug when she zipped it up.
Like a little bit of her family was with her.
She smiled, and called out: "Okay! I'm ready now!'
And she ran out to meet with her friends.
