I got through some of my errands, I'm sorry that I just had to run off after my visit to Ponyville, but I had to be called away for something. It's the last bit of my BIG list I had, and I'm gonna be stopping by Beach City at the end of the week. Connie already knows, and probably told Steven already, but I thought you'd want to see me too. hope to see you then.

signed: Connie II

~~~~~~

The day was quiet, and the weather fair, as a particular portal began to open up. Winter had officially subsided at this point in time. If one were to look around now, not an inch of snow would be able to be seen practically wherever you would go. And for those over on Earth, the weather and landscape was showing its true colors of spring. After just a day from the Summer Sun Celebration, much of the group had decided to start their offer they've been given, and Connie brought one other special guest from Equestria back to Earth. And she was more than happy for her to be coming here, as she took her steps through the portal, and to Earth.

"Well, what do you think?" Connie asked. Her doppelganger, Connie II, took a moment or two to have a look around. Being stuck in Equestria for most of her existence gave this place a bit of a nostalgic sense for her.

"It's been such a long time. So ... where is everypony? Er, everybody, sorry," Connie II corrected. They weren't in Equestria anymore, but some things kinda stick after a while, and to her that included some common phrases. Connie paused, and looked around. They weren't too far from the barn, but it seemed rather quiet.

"Yeah, where is everyone? Steven said he'd get them here," Connie wondered. Both connies went out a bit more, walking around the open spaces, trying to see if any of the Gems or ponies were anywhere around, but all they did see was the countryside, and part of the farmland. Nothing out of the ordinary there. ...

Sneak attack from the flank! Connie caught attention of the jump first, and got Connie II to duck down, as something jumped right over their heads, and landed not too far away. both looked forward, and there stood Tiger's Eye, down on her hands and feet, though a bit ticked that her pounce had missed.

"Sorry, I had to get some of my spells together. Where is everyone, anyway?" Connie II asked. Tiger's Eye took a look around for a little bit herself.

"Oh, the other Gems? Well the Mane Six flown by the barn earlier, and they ... I think went off to the temple. Odds are, they're there," Tiger's Eye said.

Tiger's Eye wasn't wrong either: over in the Beach House, after some work, the group had gotten plenty of the Crystal Gems together. It wasn't just some half-flanked attempt this time, and EVERYONE of the group was there and waiting. Took a lot to get that handled.

"Hopefully soon. I was in the middle of a good study in our little problem," Flint said.

"There's a little something called a "break", ever heard of it?" Fulgurite asked, though it was more making a point rather than being a legitimate question.

The conversation was interrupted by Tiger's Eye, the Gem rushing in from up the beach. Instead of the typical rabbit-bounding run, she instead was moving more like the ponies that were beside them, and that was because Connie and Connie II were being given a ride. From the angle they were looking, they could only see Connie, yet Tiger's Eye had Connie II's hood on (a request by both Connies for the sake of presentation).

"Connie? We're well aware of her by now," Jasper pointed out, obviously confused. Connie got off of Tiger's Eye, and she then took a side step. From their view, it looked like Connie literally made another copy of herself just by side-stepping, the only key difference being the outfit and cutie mark.

Well, much of the Gems weren't expecting the sudden new doppelganger. Emerald actually took a moment to take off his visors, give it a quick clean, and put them back on over his eyes to be sure. but he wasn't having a bad time seeing, there was indeed two connies!

"I've been around for a while ... a few years, while," Connie II said, both Connies feeling the awkwardness coming in from that statement, but lucky for them, this was the Crystal Gems. That, and a number of them had already met Connie II before. speaking of ...

"Hmm ... do I know you from somewhere?" Connie II asked, trying to work her memory. She surely looked familiar, but so much was different about her. The cutie mark on her cheek, the shortened height ... Wait a second ...

"Peridot, it's you! It's been such a long time, how're things?" Connie II said. Well, Peridot found herself in a bit of embarrassment, especially with how sudden that was. Some of the eyes turned to her, and Peridot collected herself.

"Yes, it has been the ... long time," Peridot simply stated, but the others weren't just gonna let her drop it so quickly.

"K, Peri, what's your history with her?" asked Rainbow, landing over next to her.

"Well, it's been years ago, before I became an honorary Crystal Gem, I was tasked to an expedition to Equestria. She ... saved me from one of the local monsters," Peridot said. Funny how memory works like that: she barely could remember too much from her early years of Earth and Equestria, but a simple reminder had the memories quickly flowing back in, no problem.

"And as if a Chuul, Bulette, and Senmurv weren't enough, you saved Peridot too! You're on a roll, Connie II," said AJ, recalling the stories they've picked up from her Ponyville visit. Connie II smiled.

"It was a nice little visit. Boy, it's almost like a completely different person back then. You surely changed. and hey! you got a cutie mark like me!" Connie II also noticed, pointing to the metal flower cutie mark Peridot had on her cheek.

"You bet; this Gem can do what no other Peridot can - manipulate metal. Eh, Peridot?" said Bismuth, fluffing the durito's hair. Peridot smiled too, it being a while since it was brought up.

"So, what brings you by this way, C2?" asked Emerald. The nickname was a bit of a new one, but Connie II didn't mind it.

"Oh, I just got a few things done and wanted to come by to see you all. From what Connie told me, you did a whole lot here with her," Connie II explained, Connie nodding her head.

"I never knew humans had doubles. So, are you a carbon copy of her, or some twin sibling we never heard of before?" cut in Amethyst. Flint was bugged to being cut off his sentence.

"That's right: from the mirror pool outside Ponyville," added in Connie II. Pinkie perked up on hearing that.

"The mirror pool?! The same mirror pool outside Ponyville where hundreds of copies ran ramped around Ponyville in a pink plague of party fever and copycat craziness?!"

"... Eh ... I've heard something about that, but not exactly. Same method though," Connie II said.

"Sure I can. I got the cutie mark to prove it," Connie II said, pointing to her cutie mark as well.

"Yeah, can we see some, please?" Diopside added in. Connie II really didn't need too much motivation to show what she could do. She cracked her hands before she focused her energy in her own hands, and after a little bit, the sand under her own feet actually began to be levitated, similar to a snake in movement. A simple yet impressive feat for a Doppelganger to use, especially a doppelganger of a human who didn't have an inch of magic in her.

"Oh, I'm not done. Step back everyone," Connie II said, and so they did. Soon, this same sand snake started to fly up, and turned into an elaborate Chinese dragon, which flew around over their heads for a bit like the real thing. Not too bad really, and nice in detail. However, Connie II couldn't keep it up for too long, and soon all the sand dropped down in a pile nearby, Connie II getting tired and needing a moment to breathe.

"Well, who's showing off?" Emerald joked. As most of the group was liking her, the only one who was getting a little impatient was Flint, and you could probably guess why.

"Hey, Garnet? I know this is her first time here, but can I head off now? The others can have their fun with her," Flint said.

"Try not to push yourself, Flint, and you can go," Garnet decided. Flint simply nodded, and went off towards the temple portal, though for some reason Garnet believed that he didn't mean it. Still, Connie II was here, and they might as well have some fun.

So, not long after she arrived, it was right in the Beach House for some bit of story time. Connie II told a bit of a good yarn already back in Ponyville, but it couldn't hurt to re-tell some stories to those who didn't show up during Winter Wrap-Up. To be honest, many of the Gems were impressed in some way to her stories, be it true or not.

"True as I'm standing here," Connie II said, once she was finished up. The crowd gave her a bit of an applause once she was finished with her tale, and Connie II sat on down over by Steven and Garnet.

"You enjoying your visit to Earth, Connie II? I know it's not as extravagant as Equestria, but we get our own surprises here," said Lapis.

"No, no, it's great here. Quieter than back in Equestria actually," Connie II had to admit. Equestria and Earth had their differences for the time being, and to Connie II it was a bit nice to be visiting somewhere that wasn't as extravagant.

"I'm not saying it doesn't. Hey, enough about me, what about you guys? You all must've done a whole lot over these few years, hadn't you?" she asked. Fulgurite decided to get up next on that little request.

"Oh, where do I even start? Sombra and Tirek took a stop here, we went off back to Homeworld and faced an Osicone, there's a lot of drama with White Diamond we had to deal with, then there's the Cluster we had to get too, and then we faced a bunch of voodoo snakes. That's not including the tons of corrupted Gems, new monsters, and Equestria's beasts we had to deal with too." It wasn't exactly the most dramatic rendering of what they've done season by season, but it went over all the details quick and easy. Connie II only recognized Sombra and Tirek out of all that, but by the sound of it they surely did a lot all the same.

"It's how I do things, Jay, if I went through the details we'd be here all day."

"Geesh, you all surely got a lot on your plates, huh? Did you take any holiday during all of that, or is it just all work?" Connie II asked.

"We had our breaks, but the only actual holidays we did was in Equestria. You know, Winter Wrap-Up, the Summer Sun Celebration, Hearts Warming, that sort of thing," explained Bismuth.

"So much goes on, it's hard to really find a break in it sometimes," Garnet admitted.

"Well, come on, surely you have one holiday you have here where you can have a break," Connie II insisted. There actually was a bit of silence in the group for a bit before one of them answered.

"Hmm ... now that you say it, the only actual holiday we had was Halloween. I don't think we have any others," Connie brought up. That did damper the mood a little bit, but Steven started to think just a little bit more about that. Holidays on Earth were few and far between. yeah, they had Halloween, but that was so far away still. Such a long gap between holidays, what few they had anyway. Garnet took one look at Steven, and knew exactly where this was going.

Steven suddenly got starry-eyed, and that told everyone there that Steven had a big idea in mind. And if any big idea was anything special and fun, it would be from Steven Universe. He then got up to his feet, his eyes as starry as Star Quartz.

"Our own Holiday. We can create our own holiday, our own tradition, something we can do every year around this time here on Earth! Our own, special, fun time together!" Steven declared. Clearly Steven was all down for that.

"EXACTLY! We can do it, and we got our own holiday experts right here in this room!" Steven added in, referring to the Mane Six. Made sense, and it actually sounded rather dandy to do.

"We could use one of those around here. Equestria holidays are fine, but we don't have our own here. Sounds like fun," noted Diopside.

"Hold on, sport, we don't even know what to do! I mean, a holiday can't just pop up out of nowhere," noted Applejack. That made sense, but then Pinkie Pie spurred into action, and suddenly bolted for the wall, pulling off a calendar that Steven had.

"Let's pick a date, ponies! Er, um ... THERE!" Pinkie skimmed through the days on the calendar, and quickly found the perfect one to do it on. And even better, it wasn't too far away either, just two days away from that day. Steven looked it over himself.

"How come?" asked Peridot, just to have the calendar held right in front of her face, as the others took a look at it.

"How come? Guys, look at what day it even is! Lapis's arrival, Stevonnie's birthday, we celebrate so much on that exact date, let's amp it up a notch!" Pinkie suggested. when they looked too, the date wads actually on the right spot for both other events to occur. Lapis and Connie especially understood this, and it surely was surprising that it was already that close to the time already.

"Our birth-iversary already? Time sure flies," Connie noted, Lapis nodding her head.

"Eh, I don't know, that's a lot of stuff crammed into one day. I know, how about this weekend? That's four days to figure things out this holiday stuff, what do you say?" suggested Twilight. Thinking it over, Steven and Pinkie Pie concluded that to be the perfect day to do it on.

"Great! Connie II, can you come to the Holiday, please?" asked Steven. He didn't want to leave anyone out if he could help it. Connie II thought it over a little bit, and both Connies nodded to him.

"I'm up for it if everyone else is. All these new traditions are spicing up this place, plus they could use a good advisor to plan out the holiday. Oh, I wonder who would be good enough for that?" Bismuth said, though Pearl knew immediately who she was referring to especially when Bismuth smirked to her. Pearl went over to the others with a smile of her own.

"YES! Come on, let's go plan this out," Steven then said. Well, looked like everyone was going to be a little bit busier this week.

And so, the days came and went, and they began to handle their own work on things, trying to figure out what to exactly do, and what traditions should be put in for this new holiday. planning for the holiday was more than a challenge to be sure, but they didn't have too much trouble with what they wanted to do thanks to some expert planners and organizers: Twilight and Pearl mainly. It was Lapis, Steven, and Pinkie Pie who came up with the many ideas for the Holiday, and what to do with it, and they were brought over to Twilight and Pearl to be checked out and organized properly. They would probably get swamped if they just went all crazy with it, and Twilight and Pearl were trying to make sure that didn't happen. Well, then and the rest of the Mane Six of course. Connie and Connie II even gave their own hands in helping with the Holiday , one side with preparation, the other with the magical touch.
With each day that came and went, they surely got a whole lot figured out, and before any of them knew it, the week was up (they took time to celebrate the Birth-iversary of course, they couldn't skip over that if they tried). but all the same, the Holiday was really starting to come together, and Steven was more than excited for what suggestions, and what activities were being done by tomorrow morning. And Steven was going to be sure that this Holiday wasn't going to be missed.

And the morning sun of that particular day began with the sweet sound of the clock, and the wake-up call from Steven.

"Happy Harmony Day!" Steven announced, the moment he woke up. Yep, that was the official name for their holiday, and something they went over quite a bit. Steven was especially excited, and soon as he got out of bed, it was straight over to the bathroom for his preparation. He wanted to waste no time in getting Harmony Day started, even if the racket did wake up Blue abruptly, the Gem dog waking up with a startle. Blue wasn't sure exactly what was going on, and he was on his paws, trying to figure it out. Steven was soon to finish up his own routine, and he came right on out. However, instead of the usual star shirt, he instead got himself a spring flower shirt, a blooming sunflower onto it for the spring time. Not the standard outfit, but Steven was happy with it anyway.

"How do I look, Blue?" Steven asked, showing the shirt to the dog. Blue took a moment before barking a few times, mainly because he was getting excited from the commotion himself. Steven hugged Blue for a moment, the gem dog giving Steven a few morning licks. Such good morning fun, and Steven was ready to get this Holiday on the road. Before he could, the door over to the back then opened up on them, and soon Peridot and Pearl came in.

"Morning Steven. I see you're already beginning this new ritual of yours," Peridot noted.

"Of course! Harmony Day tradition says showing love and harmony through fun flower shirts," said Steven. That wasn't the exact way to put it, but it was close enough in Steven's book. Pearl had the list of essentials for this new Harmony holiday in her hand, and she actually went on to mark it up.

"Wait a minute, why aren't you two in outfits?" Steven asked, seeing their own outfits rather unchanged.

"Oh, Steven, we'll be more than happy to continue with your holiday, though we agreed it was a more optional thing for the event," Pearl explained, but Steven was already getting some shirts out for them. He had a bit of extra time to get a good amount of shirts, and soon he had two pair for Pearl and Peridot.

"Here you go! Go on, put them on," Steven insisted, super excited. They both took a glance at eachother, but they just shrugged and got them on anyway. Pearl's shirt had a picture of a red rose on it, and Peridot's had a green buttercup, though Peridot's shirt was a tad too big for her, the sleeves going over her hands. If it was for the Holiday, Peridot was willing to let it slide for now. ... Plus, Steven thought she looked far too cute in that, his eyes starry again.

"Well, customs are customs," sighed Peridot. Blue then, getting all hyped up, went right to the door and started to paw at it, trying to get it open. That gave Steven a good reminder right there.

"Good idea, boy. Let's go and celebrate this with the rest of Beach City. After you, sir," Steven said, opening the door for Blue. The Gem dog was quick to go on out, ready to head off into town, and Steven too took a step outside. Pearl and Peridot joined in, but before they could go, they had another visitor flying in from above, which Blue was getting them to notice. Looking up, and they saw Lapis Lazuli flying on in from the beachside, landing over nearby Steven.

"Hey, Steven, glad to see you're up," Lapis said, landing over down towards them. While her overall outfit had changed already, she took Steven's advice for Harmony Day, and had her own Harmony shirt on herself, hers being a blue Violet flower. It suited her pretty nicely, and still room for her wings to come out.

"Right back at you, Steven. You ready to take this out to the town?" Lapis said, trying to get Steven excited about the whole thing, which wasn't too hard for her, as Steven was psyched already.

"You bet! Pilot to co-pilot, ready for take-off," Steven said, Lapis letting him hop onto her back.

"Don't worry, I'm with Lapis," Steven reassured her, the water wings opening up wide.

"Eh, you go on ahead. We still have to "decoration", and that might be a little while," Peridot said.

"See you later then. Prepare for launch in three, two, ONE!" And with that, Lapis Lazuli took off towards the town. Blue, barking all the while, ran off after them, as Pearl and Peridot both went back inside to handle the decorations on the Beach house.

So, it was right off to Beach City from there, and Lapis and Steven were soon flying right on down to the boardwalk. It was a good call that they did it over the weekend, because not only was there plenty of people out and about, but they also had a lot of good weather, good and clear for their Harmony Day. What luck they had there too. Both Gem and Gem hybrid flew down to the boardwalk, and were met with plenty of people enjoying the good weather, probably for the first time since last year for some.

"So, Steven, what do you want to do first?" Lapis asked. Steven stopped and thought it over for a moment or two, trying to remember what stuff during the holiday they could do.

"Well, Harmony Day is about having fun with your best friends and family. So ..." before they could figure something out, they both then began to hear some nearby seagulls in a bit of a scuffle, just to find Blue barking at them. not entirely a Harmonious thing to do.

"Blue, Blue, no, no, that's not how you treat your neighbors on Harmony Day," Steven said, going up to Blue and keeping him from getting any of them. However, this just got one of the seagulls to squawk at them, and even give Steven a quick peck before flying away. Again, not the most harmonious of decisions.

"It's only the first time, Steven, it'll catch on," Lapis assured him, as Steven rubbed the part of his head where he got pecked. At this point though, they did catch something a lot better over nearby, and this time it wasn't an oncoming attack. Connie and Connie II had arrived for it after all.

"Hey, Steven, Lapis!" they both called. Both girls were in the same outfit, and yet, none of them had a Cutie Mark this time, which made things only slightly confusing. for Harmony day, they both had matching shirts, each one with a equal match of a bouquet of dandelions.

"Again?" Lapis questioned, scratching her head. Steven had been handed this before, but now it wasn't that simple, as they both had no Cutie Mark to distinguish one from the other. Blue looked pretty confused especially, not sight nor scent helping him figure out who's who.

"Ok, guys, guess who's the first Connie," they both said, even getting into a side-by-side pose as if it were some sort of game show. Connie and Connie II were having too much fun with this, they could tell, and Steven already had his mind crash once before. Lapis looked over them both pretty carefully.

"Now let me see ..." Lapis started walking around them both, trying to find at least some sort of clue as to tell them apart, but with a real one to a Doppelganger, it was extremely hard to tell out of the two. In the end, Lapis began to raise her finger in a point.

"Er ... You!" she concluded, pointing a finger to the left Connie. ... just for her to remove a pad off her cheek and show her Cutie Mark. Whelp, she got it wrong.

"Dang it, I thought I had it," Lapis said, finger snapping in disappointment, but the Connies were having fun with it.

"This is more fun than I thought," Connie admitted, giggling with her Doppelganger. Steven needed a minute to get his mind back working, Blue rubbing his head in confusion.

"You two are good at that. Really, you two should do a mirror act together," Steven commented.

"It's an act between two people between a door frame. You know, copying eachother as if it was a mirror," Connie explained. simple enough, really, though they still had a holiday to do.

"Happy Harmony Day, Connie, Connie II. So, what do you want to do this holiday?" Steven asked, still not figuring out what to do just yet.

"Oh, well in that case, why don't you tag along with us? I know just the place."

Why didn't they think of this earlier?! What better place to spend a holiday about friendship and harmony than in Funland? Connie and Connie II shared a high-five with eachother for the good choice, and they all took some time to head on in.
And boy was it a good day for the amusement park: it was plenty busy, a good amount of people in it, and plenty of the booths and rides all operating and giving plenty of smiles to whoever was there. Steven and Lapis went around the place, checking out what they can do, and trying to figure out what to do first. It was hard to decide to say the least.

"Told you it'll be perfect! Ok, Steven, should we try one of the rides first, or take a shot at one of the booths? Your call," asked Connie II.

"Oh, I don't know where to start, there's just so much to do," Steven said, and he wasn't wrong about that. However, their answer came in the form of a winning bell close by, and soon they saw one of the booths close by. It was one of those ring toss games, and the latest player just one herself a small plush toy. That looked pretty fun, but then Lapis Lazuli took note of one particular toy up on display in the corner: a green alien with a top hat. Her eyes lit up.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Lapis asked with a smirk. Steven knew exactly where this was going, and next thing they knew, they were right and lined up by the booth. And upon coming over, the winning girl was actually Amethyst, who at the moment was also having a Harmony Day shirt on, hers being a purple tulip.

"Hey dude, happy Harmony Day. Been waitin for ya to show up," Amethyst said, playfully fluffing his head.

"Hey Steven, Lapis! Good to see you both," said the man behind the booth. he was a tall bald man with a darker complexion and a mustache that frames his very large and bright smile. The outfit: a collared gray-blue shirt with a geometric print of periwinkle circles and sulfur yellow triangles tucked into olive green mid-thigh length shorts, light brown boots, and a fanny pack. Boy, this guy just screamed happiness, and the right guy to meet for Harmony Day, that was for sure.

"Mr. Smiley! Happy Harmony Day," Steven said. Amethyst already gave Harold Smiley the low down on this new holiday that they came up with - why wouldn't she? - and Mr. Smiley was more than glad for that.

"Happy Harmony Day to you too, Steven. Your friend told me you made up the holiday over the week?"

"We all did: it's a holiday to celebrate our friendship, and have fun with our best friends and family," Lapis said.

"My kind of holiday. Now, which one of you lucky kids wants to have a go at the ring toss?" Mr. smiley offered, presenting the challenge itself. It seemed fairly simple: about twenty bottles standing up in a square, and a set of rings to throw at them with. Seemed simple enough, and Lapis took a look to the big plushie.

"How much for the alien toy up there?" Lapis Lazuli asked. Mr. Smiley took a look to the toy in question.

"You gotta get ten rings in for that kind a prize? Wanna give it a go?" he offered.

"Ten rings? You wanna try smaller? That's a bit high, and this is a difficult game," Connie II asked.

"Connie, look at it. Harmony Day has us giving presents to each-other, don't forget, and I know one little green Gem who'll simply love that," Lapis said. They knew exactly who she was talking about.

"Well, give it a shot then," Connie II said. Soon, after a little pay, her rings had been given to her and Steven to try. If it'll get that toy, it'll be worth it.

"Ok, Lapis, all you got to do is throw the rings into the tops of those bottle," Steven instructed. Again, it sounded simple enough, and with a nod of the head, they began. Both threw each ring like a Frisbee, but it was soon apparent that this game was a little harder than Lapis thought. About five rings in, and she saw how hard it was, each ring either missing the tops, or bouncing off of them. Steven wasn't having it any easier, and the rings ended up in a similar sort of way. They got at least three in totally before they ran out of rings.

"Hey, don't get discouraged, you still win something," Mr. Smiley promised, and after a little bit, he gave Lapis Lazuli a little finger puppet of an alien. Not what she had in mind, really.

"Oh well, better luck next time," Connie said. Amethyst and Connie II though saw what they were trying to do, and decided to try themselves.

"Sure, stock us up," Connie II said. She knew it was difficult, but as pre-mentioned, if it can get that toy then fine. After paying for the booth, Mr. Smiley stocked them up again, ten each this time.

"Sshh," Amethyst suddenly said. she had her own little method, and she waited just a little bit until Mr. smiley turned his back. Suddenly, Amethyst got all ten of her rings, and instead of throwing them, she used her own body altering skills to just lift them all over. One by one, quietly, she got each ring down into each bottle without Mr. Smiley noticing. She got about nine inside, the group keeping quiet at this, and at the last one, amethyst dropped it and her arm quickly returned to normal before the clanking of the ring caught Mr. Smiley's attention.

"Whoa. Yep, that's ten rings alright! Here you go, kid," Mr. smiley said, happily giving the big plushie over to the winner of the game. not the exact way of doing it, but hey, it was a way of doing it and they got what they wanted. And they still have a lot of day left to enjoy Harmony Day yet.

"Thanks Mr. smiley," Steven said, waving to him as they walked on to check out the rest of the place.

"No problem, we buds stick together," Amethyst said. Good answer. Lapis, who was now holding the alien plushie, took a look at the alien's cute looking face, it just reminding her of the gem in question.

Back at the Beach House, Pearl, Peridot, and a few other Gems now, were getting the place all readied up for the exchange later on. so far, much of the Beach House had some basic decorations of a few lights for the interior, some streaming along the beams for the roof, and at the moment, Bismuth and Peridot were getting a reef placed up above the door, something they picked up during the week, and they made sure that Rose's picture wasn't too obscured. Once they got it in place, and having a better look at it, Rose Quartz was right in the center of it. A perfect fit.

"So that's the circular flora, the beaming light fixtures, anything we're missing?" Peridot asked, looking over the list in her hands. They've marked off quite a number of things already, and they were almost done too. Before she could say what they needed though, the Warp Pad activated over behind them, and two other Gems came in to check on the celebration. And it was a bit of a interesting surprise: Emerald, Ruby, and Sapphire.

"Yeah, I know, it's different, but hey it couldn't hurt to have them here," Emerald said, heading over to the others, and then turning around. Ruby and Sapphire were also a bit festive for the Harmony Day season, Ruby having a shirt of a red rose, and Sapphire, a blue gem flower (something Rarity knitted herself during the week).

"Hello everyone. You did a lovely job with the place," Sapphire said, looking around.

"With our combined efforts, I would say so. We got the circular flora piece right around the picture frame, we lined the borders of the base with hued string light fixtures, but I think there's something missing here," Peridot explained, showing Ruby and Sapphire the list. They got a good amount of things handle according to it.

"You do? Well, what is it?" Bismuth asked. It was then he used his telekinesis to lift up a small patch of leaves, with some fake red berries on it, tied together with some red ribbon into a bow. It didn't seem like very much, but Emerald brought it up to the beam separating the room from the main Warp Pad cave, and got it hammered in with a nail. Sapphire saw this, and actually giggled a little bit at it.

"Applejack told me about this: it's called a Mistletoe. And uh, don't look now, but look who's under it?" Emerald then pointed over to two Gems standing just underneath the Mistletoe. At the moment, it was Peridot and Sapphire.

"What about it?" Ruby asked, sounding slightly suspicious about this. Sapphire though knew exactly what this was about, Peridot overhearing the chat.

"It's a tradition that I decide to include. When two people are standing underneath the Mistletoe ... well ..." Sapphire wanted to say it, but she didn't want to ruin the surprise at that moment just yet.

And then Sapphire gave Peridot a kiss on her Cutie Mark cheek! Peridot froze up and ended up blushing after that, though Ruby had a more immediate reaction to this part of the custom Sapphire chimed in. It just sounded fun to her, and a bit romantic too for Harmony Day.

"Ooooohhhh," Peridot said, eyes wide and starred, and a hand gently pressed on her cheek where Sapphire kissed her. Sapphire smiled at that sweetly, but suddenly Ruby was standing right behind her, looking a little bit quiet, as she got her attention. Sapphire knew exactly what she wanted.

"And Happy Harmony to you too, Ruby," she giggled. Ruby smiled and waited for that kiss on her cheek, eyes close and anticipating, but it didn't come around right away. Instead, Sapphire moved her face, and gave her a kiss on the lips, good and fast. Ruby grew redder than usual, smiling wide, and even steaming a tiny bit. Bismuth and Emerald couldn't help but laugh at the scene, it was just simply adorable.

"AND that's the Mistletoe hung up, mark that off the list," Emerald said, bismuth picking up the list and doing just that. Even if it wasn't apart of the list originally, she took the moment to add it in and then mark it.

Meanwhile, after some more Harmony Day fun and some gift grabbing, Steven's little group went off from Funland, and took a flight off from Beach City and over to the barn. The group made good time to get there, Lapis flying as the rest rode on Lion for a good run over. As for the Off-colors, they had gotten this news after Tiger's Eye got the information down pact after some explanation over the week, and once they arrived, they found that they got a little something set up just outside. Padparadscha, Fluorite, the Rutile Twins, and Tiger's Eye, had managed to get their own Harmony Day tree all set up with some help from Jasper: and it sure looked splendid.

"Here they come!" called the twins, getting the attention of everyone else as they slowed down.

"Wow, look at that tree! You did all that today?" asked Amethyst, as she went right over to it. The tree was a maple nearby the barn, over by the wooden fence, and one that they had decorated with a number of necessities: a few streamers, some lights, a few flowers they plucked, and such other things to make the tree look pretty with the modifications. Again, it sure looked nice for what they were doing.

"Yeah, I did, and it got me pumped too," Jasper said, flexing an arm to prove the point. Though, it wasn't the tree she was talking about, but the decorations over on the barn, which made up of a car on the roof that was lit up with Harmony Day lights. That made more sense than a few flimsy bulbs on a tree.

"Hey, any of you seen Rhodonite? I thought she'd be here," Connie II said, looking around to try and find her. Tiger's Eye went over to the two confused Connies.

"Rhodonite went out for a bit, something about wanting to clear her head for a while. If you ask me, she's too worked up," Tiger's Eye noted.

"I hope she comes here for the present exchange, I had the perfect gift for her," Steven said, going into Lion's mane, and then pulling out a brightly colored box. The others looked intrigued at seeing this.

"It's what's inside the container," Steven explained, "And I really want to see how Rhodonite would think when she sees it."

"What's that supposed to be?" asked Padparadscha, ironically on time with her delayed question.

"I think she'll like this one," Connie said, knowing what Steven had gotten for her as well. At least, they were hoping that she will like it anyway.

"Of course we brought something for you guys, but you're going to have to wait until we start exchanging. It won't be fair on the others," Connie II said. Connie had to agree on it, and so did everyone else.

"Speaking of which, how do you think they're doing with the decorations back at the Beach House? you think they're done by now?" asked Lapis. Steven almost forgot about that.

"Well, you two can go, Connie and I are going to finish up shopping; we still have a few presents to get," Connie said. They got a lot already, but there's still a few missing, and they can get it no problem. It was pretty quick to see where they were going from there.

So, off they went: Lapis and Steven went off back towards the Beach house, and both Connies went off into town for a bit to get their own stuff together. They had their own list too, which they've been following since they left Funland. And according to the list, they had a good amount left, which they can handle pretty good here, especially with the shops around.

"Alright, we got most of the Crystal Gems, the Off-Colors, still missing a few for the Mane Six," Connie II noted.

"Yeah. Here, let's get Pinkie Pie first; there's a toy store not to far from here," Connie noted. Both Connies came to the agreement, and started to head off that way. It didn't take them too much time until they arrived there, and Connie was ready to head on in. They could see that there's a lot to choose from in there, so it would be some time until either Connie would figure out what will suit Pinkie Pie.

"I'll wait out here. You can get the gift here, I'll figure out where to go next," Connie II said. Connie nodded, and then went on inside to get the present. As she was doing that, Connie II stood over by the door and checked out the list a bit, marking off Pinkie Pie already. Honestly, it was bound to happen if they were looking in a place like this. Coonie II didn't look at the page for more than a few minutes when ...

Uh oh. Connie II jumped at the voice, looking to the source, only to find a shocked Priyanka standing there! what in the world was she doing there, of all places? Sure, Connie told her she would be visiting Steven, but she didn't expect Priyanka to show up.

"I can't believe you! Here I am coming to get you, and I find my own daughter with a tattoo on her face!" Priyanka snapped. Connie II freaked out a little bit.

Thankfully, or unthankfully, Connie made her purchase and went outside to join Connie II, though she didn't notice Priyanka standing there just yet, the large toy obstructing her view a little. Priyanka was quick to see her though.

"Ok, I got the gift, this oughta put a big smile on Pinkie's face, you think so?"

"What?" All Connie II did was point over to Priyanka, and soon enough they all were aware of the situation. Priyanka was just staring wide eyed, frozen in place. So, who was the real Connie here?

"AH! M-Mom, I uh, I thought you'd be at home," Connie stuttered, but Priyanka couldn't get her mind straight as fast as others could, trying to process this sudden surprise. Both Connies were hoping to avoid this for a while longer, but fate apparently had other plans for them here.

"... W-Which one of you is my daughter?" Priyanka asked, a shaky finger pointing at them. Connie just went for broke.

"I am. This is Connie the second. My ... Doppelganger," Connie introduced, though a little awkwardly. Connie II was feeling that too, a hand waving to her as she chuckled nervously. both Connies were worried on what Priyanka was going to say after that one. Priyanka tried to get some better process about this, hand to her head.

"Look, I came to be after Connie summoned me out of Equestria's mirror pool. She uh ..." Connie II paused, not sure if she should continue without the real Connie saying anything. However, Connie did start to explain.

"W-Well ... I got her out when I ... ran away that one time. I wanted someone who could understand me, so ..."

And during every other second, she's jumping between worlds, and had made a doppelgänger of herself after you drove her away with your constant beating down. And you call yourself a good parent, no less.

Priyanka finally remembered a particular unicorn mentioning this to her, though she didn't believe it until now. She had to calm down a little bit.

"No ... no ... don't lose it," Priyanka told herself, taking a deep breath, and then looking to both Connies again.

"Ok. just make this clear with me: did this result in anything ... bad? You know, when you, uh ... came out?" Priyanka asked. Connie and Connie II looked to eachother before answering her.

"Not really. I feel fine, and so is she," Connie said, Connie II agreeing. Priyanka breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ok. Then, why does your ... Doppelganger have a tattoo, Connie?" Priyanka questioned.

"Ok, ok, let's just leave it at that," Priyanka quickly said. she didn't care how it happened, so long as her Connie was alright. she already agreed Fusion was a thing for her, maybe it wasn't best to push it any further than that.

"Ok. Anyway, you're supposed to be home by now Connie, what're you doing?" Priyanka asked, referring to the purchase.

"It's a holiday Steven and her made up over the week. Connie told me she told you that," Connie II said. Priyanka started to feel a little embarrassed all of a sudden, face turned flustered. Both Connies looked a bit dumbfounded.

"She did forget," both Connies thought. They weren't upset with her though, both knowing that she was a busy women, and details like this would slip by her after a while with what she had to do.

"Ok, how long are you going to be? You're going to come home tonight, are you?" Priyanka asked.

"Yes, of course," Connie assured. She would never plan an overnight stay without telling them first, if she could help it anyway.

Flint wasn't doing so good. He was probably the only Gem who wasn't told about this holiday, and he didn't know what was going on. what he did know was that many of the Gems had suddenly gone missing today, and he tried every single floor in the Temple, but with no luck. At the point, it was now that he went into the basement to try and find someone, but all he was met with was the quiet Gems still bubbled everywhere. no current Gem standing here, though he did see Blue Diamond's object floating by his head, but that was about it.

"OH, come on already. Where could they've gone to? Oh clod, if that Diamond got to them all -" Flint monologue stopped when he stepped into the Beach House, seeing it all decorated all over the place. Flint was slightly dumbfounded, but at least he found Rhodonite inside, the first Gem he'd seen in a while. Rhodonite was taking the moment to relax a bit, which was a bit rare for her, as she enjoyed the calm atmosphere of the colors.

"What's ... going on?" Flint asked, confused. Rhodonite didn't realize someone else was in there until that point, and she sat up on hearing him.

"I know, I know, but ... what happened in here? Did I miss something?" Flint asked, seeing the reef on the picture frame.

"I don't know exactly, one of your pony friends came by the barn one day, and she went on about this "holiday" thing they wanted to do," Rhodonite answered, though she wasn't sure what was exactly going on either. Flint stopped by the boundary beam.

"Holiday? Seriously, is that what they've been doing all week?" Flint groaned, as Rhodonite got up and went over to him.

"Well, technically no, it's some get-together thing some of those in Equestria do to pass the time. But really, don't they know we got more important things to do?" Flint said, annoyed at the other Gems for just running off on him with this.

"I know, but they all seemed a bit open to the idea. In a way," Rhodonite said, though personally she wished they weren't.

"Rhodonite, do you at least know where they ended up? I've look for them all day, and can't find them anywhere," Flint asked. Rhodonite pointed over to the Warp Pad.

"Er, if they're not here, then ... the barn, maybe?" Rhodonite then said. Flint had to take it.

Time ticked by from there, and pretty soon, it was near sunset. This was the time for the present exchange for the group, and it took them a while to get together. At this point, much of the Gems had went to the Barn for the main exchange. It was the best place to do it for so many Gems and ponies showing up.

"This is so exciting! Oh, I wonder what I got for Harmony Day," Pinkie wondered.

"We'll all figure it out in a little bit. Soon as Steven gets here when that leaf falls," Sapphire said.

"Over on the maple tree, over there," said Sapphire, pointing over to the tree they decorated. As if on cue, a small leaf got blown off by a good gust of wind, and on that cue.

In entered Steven. him with Lapis Lazuli, Connie and Connie II, having the remaining presents for every creature there.

"You bet they are. OK everyone, we know you've been patient, but please, feel free to open your gifts," Connie announced. Pinkie didn't need to be told twice, and zoomed past them along with Fulgurite and Rainbow.

After a few minutes, it was a great time of giving, many of the Gems giving and receiving different gifts. Most of these were from the ponies, but some of the Gems did pitch in as well with their own gifts to eachother. There was plenty of Gems and ponies to give and receive to, which was what they were counting on actually. Gifts of all kinds were passed back and forth, and they got all sorts of things, be it friendly gifts like a necklace or a book, to more fancy gifts like weapon enhancements or some future Gem object. It was a bit of a hoot for the most part. At one point, it was Peridot's turn to give a gift, and she went on to give one to Lapis, which turned out to be a tambourine. Peridot actually had a bow tie on at this point, one which AJ had given her, so she was enjoying this exchange too.

"I took the time to study on various gifts humans would give to eachother, and I found that musical items are a highly popular gift. So, here's your musical item," Peridot said, excitedly. Lapis moved her hand over the base of the tambourine, hearing a slight chime from the bells on it. Lapis closed her eyes, and felt the smooth surface, hearing the instrument make its music. She tried giving it a pat, making the bells chime even more so. Peridot was excited for this, and she got out a little musical triangle, and gave it a tiny chime with a shake of her finger, the instrument floating due to her metal powers.

"Now we both can play the music together!" Peridot said, playing her instrument. Lapis started to play along with a smile, dancing a little bit as she gave Peridot a good beat with her own instrument. That was a good hoot, and Twilight walked over to her.

"We are. Is that for a particular somepony?" Lapis asked. she recognized the packaging on it, as she levitated it over to her. Peridot couldn't wait for this one, and like the other presents she had been given that were wrapped up, she went on to tear off the paper to see what she was given.

"We hope you like it, Peridot. Amethyst, Steven, Lapis and the Connies did a good job getting it," Twilight said as Peridot got it free, only to be met with the alien plushie from the funland earlier. Peridot's eyes sparkled on seeing this being.

"Its large head, swollen with thoughts. Those compassionate eyes. It understands. ... OH, WOW THANKS!" Peridot gave Lapis Lazuli a big hug for her efforts into this. Lapis just smiled, and giggled, as Peridot went off to have fun with this little being of hers. Over off nearby, Sapphire and Padparadscha were standing there with smiles on their faces. It surely was a nice sight.

"I knew it will be," said Sapphire. She was sure that Padparadscha knew something of it.

Soon, Rhodonite and Flint finally arrived to the barn, and soon they found everyone there doing the present exchange. As if seeing the Beach House all sparkly was odd enough, seeing this surely made Flint a bit off his guard, but thanks to Rhodonite he had a handle on it.

"Flint, Rhodonite! We're just in the middle of our exchange. Here, I got something for you," called over Diopside.

"Exchange? What exchange?" questioned Rhodonite. She stepped back when Steven came over with Diopside, both with a present in hand, though while she was spooked she ended up confused more than anything.

"For you, honorary Crystal Gem," said Diopside. She hesitantly took both gifts, and took a bit more to open each one. Looking in, she saw Steven's gift first, and found that it was a beautiful looking bracelet, each glistening in the late sun. Rhodonite picked out Steven's bracelet, and got it on. Rhodonite felt humbled by this affection.

"Go on, open mine," Diopside insisted. And so Rhodonite took a look in there, and she found a wristband inside, made of glistening glass that Diopside made herself. She got it onto her wrist and looked it over, feeling more humbled now. If this was what it all was, then it shouldn't be too bad. Rhodonite just stayed quiet, but Flint was more vocal.

"Flint come on, we can relax a bit. Don't you want a gift?" Steven asked, showing him the present.

Suddenly, Sapphire was standing next to him, holding what looked like a gift in her hands. she had been waiting for him to show up to give him this, and Flint wasn't sure how to react at first. For the longest time, he wasn't ever really given anything, at least not this way and not so forward. Padparadscha walked alongside her, and smiled up to Flint.

"Jade thought you'll appreciate it. And I thought so too." Sapphire said. Flint saw Jade over nearby, also waiting for him to open it. Well, if it was from Jade, Flint just sighed, and opened it up to figure it out.

"Don't you want to open your present?" asked Padparadscha, as he was opening it. Flint didn't answer her, and got it completely opened, only to find something ... interesting. It was rather small, but it did show a sort of importance: a ring. A silver ring.

"Doesn't it look familiar?" Sapphire asked. That surely was confusing to him, but Flint examined it more closely, studying it as if it were some piece of evidence he had found. And little by little, something started to come back to him. ...

"... But ... but it's been so long. H-How did you even find this?" Flint asked, astonished.

"... Yes, I think I do. ... Oh Jade," Flint sighed, going over to her. He couldn't be strict anymore with this. He can look over the evidence he had gathered later on, but for now, maybe it was time for him to relax a little bit. As he went over to Jade, Sapphire and Padparadscha smiled to eachother.

"........ You too, Sapphire," Padparadscha said, as she too joined the crowd after a bit.

My Little Universe: Season 6

by EquestrianKirin

Holly Jolly Harmony