//------------------------------// // Snowbound // Story: My Little Universe: Season 2 // by EquestrianKirin //------------------------------// After their own little fiasco with the robonoid, Lapis and Steven went on back to the Beachhouse. Of course, it was getting late, and since the Beachhouse was closer than Greg's van, Lapis might as well drop him off at home. Course, she left a note for Greg for when he wakes up, he'll know where Steven is. How he'll react when he figures out was another story, but not one either one of them would include. At the Beachhouse, the only other thing there for the moment was Blue for right now, laying over by the bed as he had been every night since being took in. Steven was off to bed, with Lapis by his side. "Goodnight, buddy," Steven said. Lapis smiled, and playfully fluffed up Steven's hair. "Goodnight, buddy," Lapis replied. Steven gave a big yawn, and soon was fast asleep. Lapis quietly went on away, and let Steven snooze. It'd been a fun night, although cut short, and Steven Universe was feeling better from Greg's bad news. After all, it could be worse; he never denied him from hanging out with the Gems altogether. The night went on silent, and uninterrupted for Steven, and for Beach City for that matter. However, for the residents of the coastal town, something was coming their way that was going to give everybody in town a nice surprise ... As dawn broke, Steven tried to keep sleeping, but the sun was oddly brighter that morning (or so it seemed to be). It wasn't the glare that woke him up though, it was a finger poking his cheek. "Steven? Hey, Steven," A familiar voice said. Steven woke up again, even more groggy than before. Having a roudy night of running about can easily make anybody worn out. Still, Steven eventually did wake up with a yawn and a stretch. Turned out, the Gem who woke Steven up was actually Amethyst. "Huh, wha? What's up?" "Look outside, dude," Amethyst said with a big grin, pointing to the window. Steven got out of bed first before looking outside. He also saw Blue looking out the window too, tail wagging, but after the glare calmed down, Steven also saw what Amethyst and Blue were talking about. Just outside the window, was something that any kid would be excited for as autumn reached in and cooled down the place ... Snow ... LOTS of snow. Steven wasn't tired anymore. With eyes as big as dinner plates, and a huge gasp escaping his mouth, Steven raced to the window, practically pancaking his face to it so he could see the snow all over the place. All along the beach, a nice snow blanket kept itself along the shore, just passing the waves from the sea. Of course, Steven was psyched about the whole thing. "OMG, the first snow of the season! WOOHOO!" "Aw yea, man! We can do so much now!" Amethyst agreed, sharing his enthusiasm. "Sledding!" "Snowboarding!" "Snowmen!" "SNOWBALL FIGHT!" That last one both Steven and Amethyst said at once. Obviously, the two were stoked for some winter fun. In no time at all, Steven went like mad to get himself ready with his own winter clothes. Amethyst, being a Gem herself, didn't really need any of the winter stuff, but she still got herself a purple scarf out and got it around her neck for the sake of appearance. For Steven, he got on his winter boots, coat, hat, scarf, and gloves; everything he needed for the winter outside. As he and Amethyst were getting ready, soon Peridot and Lapis came out from the back and saw them getting busy. "What're you doing?" Peridot asked quizzically. Steven got on his right boot before he looked to Peridot. "Winter came! First snow! Look!" Steven pointed outside. Lapis and Peridot opened up the front door, and while Lapis was excited for the weather, Peridot was left very curious over such things. Lapis quickly flown outside to look around, yet Peridot stayed out. "What ... What is this strange phenomenon?" Peridot wondered, unsure if it was okay or not. Not something she's remotely familiar with by any way. She felt the change in air temperature, and the large amount of this "snow" all over the ground. A bit of wind blew off some snowflakes off the roof, flying around in the air and landing around her. Amethyst saw this as a golden opportunity, though kept it casual as she walked to the door. "Why don't you step out for a better look?" Amethyst offered. Peridot wasn't so sure about that. "Is it safe?" "Sure it is! Go on." Peridot felt a bit unsure on it, but eventually took her first step outside. The snow felt a little funny on her feet, but other than that it was alright. Peridot felt a bit odd with the whole thing. And Amethyst had her right where she wanted her. Soon, Amethyst hit her hip on the rim of the door. The force of her hip was enough to knock a good amount of snow right down onto Peridot's head. The green Gem ended up covered in the white snow, taking her by surprise, Amethyst laughing at the reaction. Lapis landed nearby after seeing the snow land on her. "Gotcha!" Amethyst laughed, and went on out to enjoy the snow. Lapis helped wipe off some of the snow on Peridot's head. "How annoying." "Hey, cheer up; it's a long day, you can get her back later. Besides, why get angry when you can have fun?" Lapis assured her, giving her a wink. Peridot thought for a bit more, and realized she was right. She giggled to herself, and Lapis flew on ahead to catch up to Amethyst. Peridot, starting to ignore the snow, went to join them. Before Steven went, his phone went off nearby. Getting off one glove, he went on to answer it. "Hello?" "Steven! Did you see outside yet? There's so much snow, it's amazing! And guess what; no school for me!" "Morning Connie. Yeah I know, it's awesome! Wanna come over then? We can build snowmen together," Steven offered. "I still have some things to do here, Steven. I'll come over later, okay?" "Okay, great! See ya in a few." Soon, the call was short, but the plans were made either way. It was a good thing too, some fun in the snow will do them all good. Course, some will have to get used to what the snow had to offer, or learn what it is for that matter. ~~~~~~ As the day continued onward, the evidence of the sudden snowfall was beyond noticeable practically everywhere in Beach City. All over the place, winter got itself a strong grip, albeit a bit early for a snowstorm in their corner of the world. Along the docks, through the town, along many rooftops of many buildings, and the tops of outside cars, a nice blanket of snow gave the whole world a nice color of pure white. Some people were working on clearing their driveways of the stuff while many of the younger people were having their fun since it was a snow day for the kids. For the Gems, they had the barnhouse, and the area around it, all to themselves (not many people going out that far to bug them). Luckily for them, the Galactic Ray wasn't affected by the snowfall apart from the cold stuff all over the top. Same thing went for the barnhouse too; the normally red barn having some hint of white along the walls and rooftop much like any of the other buildings. Speaking of Gems, some of the Gems were already in the barnhouse, staying around for a while by the time the Gems from the beach showed up. In this case, Jasper, Garnet, Pearl and Fulgurite were in the Barnhouse when Lapis, Steven, Blue, Amethyst and Peridot showed up themselves. Garnet, Pearl, and Fulgurite went out just fine but Jasper stayed as far away from the door as possibly could be. After her own experiences with these storms, she didn't want to take anything to chance (although rainstorm and snowstorm are different factors anyway). "Morning," Garnet said. "Morning everybody!" Lapis replied, landing nearby, her feet going into the snow. Lapis was more used to the cold, so, it didn't bother her anymore than if she was walking in sand. With the open barn door, they quickly see that Jasper didn't budge from the back of the barn, who had her back to the wall. "She won't come out," Garnet said, already sensing that they wanted an answer. "Come on, Jasper," Amethyst encouraged. "I rather not," Jasper replied. She'd been in the barn since she first saw the snowstorm coming in, and after the equestrian rainstorm that pummeled her like mad, Jasper didn't want to deal with any other effects from outside. Unlike before, the lasting effects were far longer and more evident than rain, and Jasper wasn't sure how much damage the snow will do to her. She didn't share her experience with the other Gems though, not wanting her image as a powerful being wrecked because a rainstorm bested her. Call it what you will, but seeing how calm everybody else was during the storm like it was nothing, Jasper didn't want to say anything. "Please, Jasper?" Lapis asked hopeful. Still, Jasper casually stayed where she was, still refusing to go outside. Still, Steven instead went inside, and walked over to her. He wanted everyone in on the fun, and knowing Jasper was just sitting in the barn won't help him out. Besides, just imagining how big of snow forts, snowmen, or whatever with Jasper's help was too good to pass up. "What part of 'I rather not' do you not get?" Jasper asked annoyed. "It's okay Jasper, really. It'll be fun! What's the problem?" "I have no problem! I just don't want to go out, that's all. You go and do whatever in that ..." That's when Jasper goofed; she didn't know the name of the stuff outside, and the moment kinda got it out of her. Like Peridot earlier, Jasper had no clue on what snow was, and here Jasper wasn't sure how much danger it'll actually be, even without it snowing still. The pause was what revealed to them at least one big part of Jasper's reluctance. "OOOHHH. You don't know what snow is do you?" Amethyst asked. "So that's what - uh I mean, no!" "Jasper, it's okay. Just take one step outside," Garnet insisted calmly, giving Jasper a clear path. Jasper did get up, yes, but she didn't go out just yet. Jasper looked ready to protest at them, but Garnet backed out into the snow, showing Jasper that nothing bad was going to happen. Jasper knew she was strong, and seeing everyone else outside in the snow, unharmed and waiting, seemed to convince her a bit more. Heck, she even saw Peridot standing in the snow. So, if they can do it with no trouble, why can't she? So, Jasper began to step outside, albeit a bit slow but surely. Soon enough, Jasper ended up five steps outside of the barn, and onto the snow. While the snow felt a bit funny on her feet, Jasper didn't feel hurt while standing on the stuff. She kicked some up even, and by then still felt alright. Jasper noted that the sky was still clear, as such no more snowfall that day. The other Gems were a bit good to see Jasper out, and not get upset with them again (some of them had that thought anyway). Soon, Garnet looked to Some of the other Gems. "Why don't you go off and have some fun? You all had done plenty already," Garnet decided. "Wait, we're not working on the ship?" "We're far enough, Jasper. All we need is to work out the interior, anyway. It can wait," Garnet explained. That explanation, along with some Steven eye begging, got Jasper to change her mind on it. She was right after all, the Galactic Ray was pretty much complete apart from some smaller details inside. She might as well. "Hey, Steven, let's get Twilight and the others. Bet they won't want to miss this," Lapis suggested. Of course, the answer was yes; be a shame to leave out their pony friends for this day of snowy fun. "Winter fun time - GO!" ~~~~~~ It took a little bit all and all, but the whole group from Equestria and Beach City had finally got together for some fun in the cool winter. It was a breath of fresh air, mainly because the Pegesi in Equestria didn't schedule the first snow just yet. In the open hillsides, many of these proved perfect for sledding hills - their first little play activity. Steven didn't had a sled to use, but Pinkie Pie had plenty on hoof for everyone who wanted to try. Lapis and Steven were ready to go, with Pearl, Fulgurite, Pinkie, and Amethyst nearby. "We're gonna go so fast down this. Ready for take off, pilot Steven?" Lapis asked. "Ready for take off," Steven replied, thumbs up. Before they went though, Pearl went over to him. "Now Steven, it's okay to get off if it gets too rough for you, okay?" Pearl advised. Steven gave a salute, ready to go. Lapis agreed too, and Amethyst was more than happy to help them in a boost. "Three, two, one, GO!" On the go, Amethyst pushed them both right on down the hillside. Lapis and Steven held on tight, laughing all the while. The two were going pretty quick down the hill, Pearl the only one worried about if they'll crash or tumble. However, for Amethyst, she had another idea in mind. Amethyst rushed to the hillside, and jumped up in the air. As she was, her shape shifting got her in a new outfit to match a professional snowboarder, getting her feet into a snowboard to match. Soon, the speedster was off down the hill. Amethyst, being an Earth Gem, knew how this stuff worked better than most Gems. Fulgurite was watching them go, looking a bit smug. "Amateurs. COMIN DOWN!" Fulgurite called, following Amethyst's lead in using her given sled like a snowboard. Pinkie was excited anyway, though seeing only Pearl with her, the pink mare wanted Pearl to join in on the fun. With some Pinkie logic, Pinkie Pie got another sled out, a rounded sled that time. "No no no no no -" Pearl tried to try, but Pinkie's mind moved a little too quick for any words to hit her, and the pink made quickly got Pearl and herself on the sled, and down the hill they went. By that point, Lapis and Steven got to the end of the hill, laughing still. The two looked back to see Amethyst and Fulgurite coming down fast. Amethyst kept going side to side in a serpentine motion while Fulgurite enjoyed the straight forward speed of her decent. Amethyst slid to a stop by the others while Fulgurite made a strong skid. Since it was snow she was on (that and she was using a sled) a lot of snow ended up knocked up and hitting them... "Heh, sorry," Fulgurite said before they got the snow off their faces. "WEEEEEEE!" Pinkie was soon heard, her and Pearl spinning in circles down the hill as they went. As if sledding down the hill fast wasn't enough. Pearl tried to keep them straight but it wasn't easy to do. The two rushed past the others in a mad disk spin, until they finally stopped further away. There wasn't a contest going on, but Pearl and Pinkie did get the farthest away even with the spinning. Pinkie was stoked, but Pearl was a bit dizzy from her little trip, needing a minute. "Whoa! Can I use that?" Fulgurite asked. "Eh, sure, go ahead," Pearl replied in a daze, landing in the snow off the sled. Fulgurite happily took the sled and rushed to the top of the hill, Pinkie following her. Farther away, not sledding with them, Peridot was taking note of this activity outside. Being new to winter meant that she had some things to learn about, and Peridot had her recorder in hand for her set of audio notes. Gem log: Seems this planet has reached a unique state locally identified as "first snow". Temperature has fallen over the course of 24 hours, and apparently this state has brought on a positive effect on the human population. These humans find enjoyment in just about anything and everything on this rock planet. She'd figured out how the earth machine operated after a good while, so, no issues here. Nearby, Star Quartz was also looking around at the landscape, though more curious than most. "... Is this natural, mother? ..." "I have no idea. And stop calling me mother," Peridot replied. While technically correct as to who put her in the earth, Peridot's no mother by biological means (that'll be creepy anyway). "... Can we join them?" "You can if you want to," Peridot allowed, shooing her away. Star gave a small smile before going away. Peridot took a glance to Star before Peridot walked the other way with her audio log. Peridot found this to be interesting, to say the least. She was aware of ice planets, of course, but she wasn't aware a planet like Earth would end up with similar qualities. Looking behind, she saw the evidential footprints left from her walking. It wasn't an issue before but they're so prominent in this snow. Added note; I don't recommend stealth during the first snow event; tracking too obvious. As she went along, the green Gem continued wandering alone in the winter wonderland, taking note of her surroundings. The blue sky and white snow were a nice touch to the entire place. Incredible to think though, just yesterday the open fields were dried up green, and suddenly white snow was everywhere. Peridot felt more comfortable with the snow when ... *WHACK!* "What the -" *BAM!* "Ow! Hey!" Guess Somebody wanted to throw snowballs about. Two already struck Peridot right in her temple, and the green Gem was a bit on edge as she tried to look frantically for whoever was doing the crazy snowball throwing. Peridot waited for something to happen again, but after a minute nothing else seemed to occur ... Peridot spun around, and caught the culprit; he looked green himself (oddly enough), an eye patch over his right eye and his hair spiked up. In his hand, he had an awaiting snowball. "AHA!" Of course, the snowball whacked her right in her head, knocking her to the ground. Luckily for her, snowballs weren't too dense. The other new fella smiled a creepily big grin, Peridot just upset with him. Peridot got the snow off of her face. She didn't know how to get a snowball working, but all she did was grab a lot of snow off the ground, and readied to throw it. The snow, however, wasn't exactly packed together so all that happened was that she tossed snow off in the air. Of course, whoever was there went off, and Peridot quickly went after him. ~~~~~~ Sometime later, the other Gems were handling their own way in the winter wonderland. For Jasper, that basically meant going around and trying to get used to the sudden change in environment. She'd been on earth long enough to know things can change about time and time again, yet this sudden snowfall was out of nowhere for her. The brisk air tickled her throat with each breath, but it was a minor feeling Jasper easily ignored. Each step in the snow felt a bit odd too, the snow wrapping around her feet each time she took a step, and leaving a large footprint every time she lifted her foot. With the rain, the footprints would go away, but in snow that wasn't as quick as it sounded. She got some snow in the palm of her hand, picking it up from the ground in front of her. It didn't seem to be very dangerous. "Having fun, Jasper?" Jasper turned around, seeing Garnet standing there. Guess the fusion wanted to check in on her. Jasper just sighed. "Eh, I'm fine," Jasper said. When Garnet saw the snow in Jasper's hand, Garnet began to think a little bit. That snow surely looked like a pretty good snowball. Ruby and Sapphire inside Garnet's head began to get their ideas ... "Hey, Sapphire?" "Yeah?" "Want to start a snowball fight?" "Oh yeah." Soon, while Jasper was turned away, Garnet went down and got a pretty decent sized snowball made in her hands. with the heat from Ruby, and cooling from Sapphire made the snowball into a perfect, almost shiny sphere of snow. Just solid enough so it'll stay together, but smooth enough for it to not deal enough damage like ice would. Garnet looked to Jasper with a smile, and readied to throw the snowball. She couldn't miss ... "What's with this stuff?" Jasper wondered. Just before Garnet could throw the snowball, both sides of her ready ... then Jasper threw the snow backwards. The large amount hit Garnet right in the face, covering her whole head in snow. Garnet's future vision didn't come into play fast enough to avoid it. It wasn't until after Jasper heard the hit did she turn around to see what happened. Funny thing too, Garnet was still in position arm wise to throw her snowball at Jasper. Adding insult to injury, Jasper smirked as well. Even if she didn't mean to, it was humorous to catch Garnet off guard. "I'm starting to enjoy this 'snow' now," Jasper commented. "Good to know," Garnet said, proceeding to chuck the snowball she had at Jasper's face. Not entirely what Garnet expected, but, she still had her laugh. Jasper quickly shook off the snow from her face, and by the time she looked back Garnet already had another snowball ready, looking smug as ever. They both knew what's coming up. Immediately, Garnet jumped back far, and used a strong ground impact to make the snow into a three sixty snow fort before Jasper could even throw another snowball. Jasper didn't had a clue how snowball fights worked, but if its anything like how projectile fights work, then Jasper can get the idea fast. While in her fort, Garnet began to make up her own ammunition of snowballs to use, knowing that Jasper would draw heavy fire. Jasper also used her strength to quickly make a wall of snow as protection, following Garnet's lead on it. While Garnet had her ammo in number, Jasper's idea of ammunition had to get a little bit bigger... Garnet glanced out from her wall of snow, seeing if Jasper was doing anything on her end. Well, seemed Jasper was busy with something, but Garnet was ready for whatever was coming her way. For Jasper, the huge Gem gotten her new ammunition above her head; a snowball the size of a car! If you got fire, it might as well be strong. Garnet got her ammunition, just before Jasper threw the huge snowball at the fort. The fort proved pointless, and Garnet had to jump aside before she could get buried in snow. It was on! Garnet and Jasper went at it like crazy for a good twenty minutes. If this was an actual fight, Garnet would be the sharpshooter while Jasper would be the cannon shooter. And, the area was clear on how much of a battle they were doing, snow tossed about everywhere. Whenever Jasper got a boulder of snow together, so much snow was removed the ground was clearly visible. As they were going at it though, they ended up having a little visitor; Lion. Roaming about in the new snow, the snowball fight easily caught his attention, and saw how much was going on. Seeing the smaller snowballs though, well, it was like a tennis ball to a dog. Speaking of which, Blue also was with Lion, and he two saw the snowballs fly in the air. Soon, it became a little too much for the pup to handle, and as Garnet threw one higher up, Blue gunned for it! While the dog caught the snowball with flying colors, it left him right in the line of fire, and it wasn't until too late when Jasper realized Blue was there too (I.E after she threw her cannonball of a snowball. Luckily, Lion rushed in, and with one roar the snowball exploded before it hit him. No point in any innocent bystanders to get hurt. Both Garnet and Jasper stopped for the moment, both covered in snow, as Lion picked up Blue like he was his own cub, and walked away ... "Let's say you won," Garnet decided. Fun, sure, but the scale was a bit too high. ~~~~~~ Further away from the others, Peridot was still trying to get at her little trouble maker. Luckily for her, as per mentioned in her log, tracking was pretty easy. As she was in pursuit, she got a better sight of her target. He had a look of pure punk written all over him; leather jacket, black boots and all. He even had a bit of "bling" in the form of a large wrist band on his right wrist. By appearance, he looked about at tall as Peridot. He still had his fun with chucking snowballs back at her. "Why you little -" Peridot suddenly stopped herself when the same person she was chasing gave Peridot another surprise. Suddenly, as he got to the top of a hill, a set of objects appeared in front of him in mid air. These objects were hexagon platforms, which he jumped along with ease to gain some height. When he got high enough, the other hexagons disappeared so Peridot couldn't follow him. Peridot felt she was being mocked with the kid's creepy smile, only making her even more angry. However, the hexagon summoning could only mean one thing ... This guy was another Gem! As if she knew enough Gems on this planet anyway. It didn't help that he still had ammo with him, making it rain snowballs down on her. Peridot didn't know if he was just doing this for fun or what, but Peridot wanted even and wanted it now. No Gem messes with her and gets away with it! ... What she liked to think. "Get down here, you clo-" her remark was cut short when a well aimed snowball slammed in her mouth. Peridot spat it out, oddly not hearing a laugh come out of him, and Peridot had enough with this guy. "Okay, I'm coming up!" Peridot yelled, rubbing and jumping as high as she could. Her training with Ruby really came into play, jumping just high enough to grab the hexagon platform. The Gem immediately tried to get her to get lost, but Peridot didn't let go. And, after seeing how high they were, didn't want to let go. They gotten themselves pretty high up, Peridot scrambling to get on the platform. The other Gem, smiling nervously now, tried to keep the hexagon balanced all the while. However, his hexagons couldn't handle an extra Gem. Then, as soon as Peridot got herself on, the hexagon ended up disappearing ... "You clod." Soon, both started to plummet down to the ground below. Peridot screamed as she fell, not able to fly to save herself. Luckily though, her screams were heard by someone on the ground, and as Peridot fell, something grabbed her mid air. Peridot still was strongly tense, but soon realized she wasn't falling anymore. The other Gem though slammed into the snow, a noticeable impact hole of his body in the snow. Surprisingly though, Peridot's savior turned out to be Diopside! "Hey Peri, nice of you to drop in," Diopside said with a grin. Obvious joke, but Peridot was just glad not to get hurt. The other Gem though got himself out in a daze, a friendly smile and a wave to Diopside. Peridot only hissed at him. Diopside though was unnerved by the Gem's creepy smile, backing up a bit before he got out. As he turned to go, it took a split second to get a proper view, but they both caught a glimpse of his gemstone. The gemstone was located on the back of his neck (an odd spot), but something else too; a crack in the gemstone! Did that happen from the fall? No; he didn't land on his back, he landed forward so hitting the gemstone from that was ruled out. Before either one of them could ask, the Gem was ready to venture for a closer look when ... "Peridot!" The call was from Kyra farther away. He didn't know about the other Gem yet, but he did hear Peridot's scream. Hearing the voice though, the other Gem bolted off out of sight before Diopside and Peridot could react. A few moments later, Kyra soon appeared from the top of one of the hills, heading down to them as Peridot was placed on the snowy ground. As he was moving though, his scarred leg was kept off the ground as much as possible, almost like he either had a missing leg or a large limp in it. "Everything alright?" Kyra asked urgently. "What do you think - this clod out of nowhere and was throwing this stuff at me!" Peridot gripped, picking up some of the snow again. Kyra noted the extra footprints as well, leading away from them. "Oh Rose, another one?" Kyra commented, though mostly it was to himself. They've got enough Gems to keep track of, and suddenly another one just popped up out of nowhere and already messing around with the group. Kyra just sighed, starting to move again with his three-leg walk too noticeable to ignore. Kyra sensed the two had the question on mind. "Sensitive to cold. A bother, I'm sure." "Oh," Diopside noted. "Look, how about you two go off to the others? Steven wanted to meet by a frozen lake Rainbow found. I'll come back later," Kyra insisted. Kinda odd how Kyra, who wasn't even the leader of the group, was giving off orders and suggestions so freely. Still, hanging with Steven was a good idea to Diopside, and she went off to look for him. Peridot watched Diopside go in one direction, and Kyra go the other way. Not wanting to deal with that jerk, Peridot went to join Diopside, but not before adding another log to her note set. Gem Log: Apparently, there are other Gems outside of this Earth group that are currently evident on this planet, as one assaulted me while on my study - an Emerald I think. The Kyra agreed to investigate while I and the Diopside meet with Steven at this solid mass of ice. Personally, I'd prefer to get even with that clod soon enough. ~~~~~~ For that supposed other Gem, Kyra had to go rather far from where he found Peridot and Diopside in order to find him again. With not much wind, and clear skies, the footprints were easy to follow. The only issue was movement; Kyra's leg was still a bit sensitive to the snow, so he had to keep it off the ground as much as he could. Of course, it wasn't easy with the lots of snow around him. Either way, Kyra still wanted to figure out who else was here. Like a bloodhound after prey, Kyra brought his head down to judge the tracks a bit more. The more prominent they are, the sooner they were made. And the sooner they were made, the closer he was to whoever else was here. At the moment, the footprints were pretty details, so he was getting close to catching up. Eventually, Kyra stopped and looked around a bit more to make sure. The footprints continue straight until they turn behind a snowy hill. Kyra listened closely around the area, beginning to move off away from the footprints. He didn't ignore them though, he instead moved alongside, over the hill rather than around it. Soon, peeking over, he spotted the Gem waiting with a lot of snowballs beside him. He expected Peridot to follow him, and got a bit of snowballs readied up again, but when he turned and ready to throw, only then did he realize Kyra was there instead. Kyra jumped forward, and quickly pinned him down before he could react to anything, his scarred hoof on his chest. Seeing the rose flower, the other Gem wasn't sure if he should fight or run. Both options would have to come up after getting out though. Kyra's eyes shown a merciless firm showing, and Kyra wasn't going to let him run off so quickly. The Gem's cheeky grin turned to a nervous one, but didn't faze off from a smile either way. "Now, if I may; what were you doing messing around with one of the elite?" Kyra asked firmly, but he didn't answer. His lack of response left Kyra more annoyed, pressing down harder. "I'd appreciate an answer," Kyra stated, but the Gem still didn't waver. Kyra became annoyed, but then a thought soon came across his mind. He still remembered the imprint of his body back where he found Peridot, so, Kyra began to scan his body for any gemstone. So far though, he saw nothing, but when Kyra forcefully turned him over, he saw his cracked gem on the back of his neck. With a rough sigh, Kyra picked him up with his tail, wrapping it around his feet. Kyra looked at him directly in the eyes, the other Gem a bit nervous. "Consider lucky punishment has already been done," Kyra scoffed, before roughly throwing him into the ground. He quickly raced off out of sight, as Kyra watched with rough eyes. Still, Kyra just turned around and started to go off back from there. ~~~~~~ At the lake in question, which was a decently sized lake, completely frozen all over. Some cattail plants along some areas of the lake were the main plants that were about above the snow cover. It was clear where the lake was, which was completely flat compared to the landscape around it. Rainbow was already there, getting the snow off the ice a bit so the ice was easier to slide on. Steven was already there, with Pearl, Amethyst, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Lapis, Jasper, and Star Quartz. With some ice skates (thanks to Pinkie again), Steven got himself all set to go onto the ice. Still, Jasper, Lapis, and Star Quartz weren't sure what the deal was here. Before anyone got onto the ice, Diopside and Peridot joined up themselves. "... What're you doing?" Star asked eventually, soon after Steven got on his skates. "Having fun on the ice," Steven replied happily, readying to go on himself. Pearl stayed with him to keep his balance, though Amethyst, once again using her shape shifting on her feet for some ice skates, went right on the ice no problem. Surprisingly, Amethyst showed off how quick and good she actually was on the ice by going circles around the lake. The purple Gem was soon joined by Rarity. "You're just going in circles for nothing. What's the point of this?" Jasper said, not interested in the idea at first. Amethyst soon went by her, skating backwards casually. "Can't catch me," Amethyst suddenly said, referring to Jasper. Almost right away, Jasper "I can to!" Jasper snapped. Amethyst went back the same way she came. "Can not." "Can too!" "Prove it!" Of course, the large Gem was ready to charge after her. Before anyone could stop her, Jasper ran out onto the ice. However, not only the ice shockingly held her up, but Jasper ended up tumbling and sliding after three steps. Amethyst easily avoided her as Jasper ended up out on the lake. Jasper tried to gain her balance, but all she did was tumble about like she lost muscle in her legs. Amethyst simply circled her with a grin, arms behind her back and sliding to the side. She ended up making one circle around her, and going just out of range ... then Jasper fell through. Jasper got herself out, now wet, with a glee-filled Amethyst still out of reach. Amethyst always wanted to give that a try, and she'd done it. Jasper could only pull herself out, shaking off the water as Amethyst kept on skating. Jasper stumbled time and time again on the ice, the others watching her the whole time. For Lapis, she went out onto the ice herself, having an idea in mind. Sure, Amethyst had her fun showing off, and Jasper wasn't having much of it. Lapis landed over by Jasper as she murmuring angrily to herself. "That little runt. When I get my hands on her -" "Don't have to. Watch this," Lapis insisted, making a quick hop into the hole in the ice. The others didn't notice apart from Jasper, as Amethyst stopped for a brief moment, looking pretty macho. "Amethyst, watch what you're doing!" Pearl insisted. Though, as Amethyst was standing there ... "Eh don't get so up tight, momma bird! Just having some -" Suddenly the ice under her fell from under her, getting her under the water! A yelp got out just before she fell, the cocky Gem now soaked herself in the cold water. After a little bit, Amethyst hauled herself out, with Lapis suddenly popping up from the hole and onto the ice. All Jasper did was smile. It was a trick, sure, but Amethyst had it coming to her anyway. Some of the other Gems quietly chuckled (even Pearl). When they were done though, Twilight seemed to be thinking on about something again afterwards, looking at the holes in the ice. Applejack caught her stare after a bit. "Somethin on your mind?" "Well, a bit. How long did they say this snow was here?" Twilight asked. Applejack though for a little bit, hoof to chin. "A day, why?" Applejack asked, confused. "Would a day make ice this thick?" Twilight wondered, looking to the hole. The ice looked very thick for just one day of a cold spell. Even if magic was apart of this world, even a little bit, natural ice that thick can't just happen. Twilight flew over to the hole in the ice where Jasper fell through. The ice itself looked rather thick as she looked through, thick enough to hold a truck probably, but Twilight wasn't going to test that. "Come on Twilight, you can act suspicious some other time," Rainbow suddenly said, flying over and nudging her side. "But, Rainbow -" "But nothing. Come on, you're too uptight, just chill out. You think anypony's worried about that?" Rainbow Dash pointed out, Twilight seeing the others nearby. Steven steadily went along the ice with the help of Pearl, like a mother and child. Amethyst was still zooming along the ice with her skates, with Rarity not too far away. Peridot and Star were still along the lake, Peridot looking intently at the skates. She was probably wondering if it was a limb enhancer or not. Twilight realized that Rainbow was right, but before she could say anything, Rainbow noticed somepony else coming over from the path. Coming down to them, Kyra had kept to his word and joined them at the lake. However, he wasn't alone, as he had someone on his back, running into her on his way over. Whoever was at the lake edge chilling out noticed Kyra first with his extra guest. "Hey, you made it!" Diopside said. Kyra stopped nearby, nodding, as his guest got off his back. Steven looked back to the shore of the frozen lake, and saw who was there with him. "Connie!" Steven skated over to the shore slowly, balancing just long enough for him to get to solid ground. Only then did Steven fall onto the ground, but he was fine. For Connie, she had on her own winter clothes for some fun, but her mother got her in some protection against the cold. To put it simply; Connie looked completely round in her thick coat, like as if someone inflated her like a balloon. Connie was still happy to see them, though Peridot (who'd seen Connie a number of times before) wasn't sure how to react to seeing Connie like this. Steven went over, and hugged his close friend. "Steven! Great to see you!" Connie said with a grin. Diopside also hugged her with a big grin, but Peridot was more focused on Connie's sudden growth, staring oddly right at her body. "Has your mass increased?" Peridot asked, poking what she thought was Connie's stomach under the coat. Connie felt a little embarrassed, for sure that Peridot may have gotten the wrong idea. "No, no, it's just my coat. Look," Connie said, unzipping her very thick coat. She had on her regular clothes underneath the stuff, so, no surprises there. Peridot still looked quite puzzled with her coat, especially when comparing her coat with Steven's smaller one. "What exactly is this "coat" you speak of?" Peridot asked. Connie zipped up her coat again. "It helps you keep warm. Here, try mine," Steven offered, taking off his coat for Peridot to try. Peridot took a moment to look it over before trying it on. It was a bit big on her, but it wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, it was pretty warm and cozy. Peridot giggled a little bit, enjoying the feeling of the coat. However, Steven was getting a bit cold without his coat keeping him warm, but Peridot didn't look ready to give it up yet. "Can I have my coat back?" "You'll be fine!" Nearby, Rarity saw the commotion going on and decided to help out. First thing she did though was remove the coat from Peridot. "Hey!" "Peridot, darling, don't fret. I got just the thing," Rarity assured, giving the coat back to Steven. Being a pony of fashion, the unicorn had went on ahead and made some backup coats. Since Peridot wanted one though, Rarity altered one of these and gave it to her. The smaller coat, which was pinkish with a fluffy white trimming, for Peridot perfectly. It was just as cozy as what Steven had, so there was not a complaint. As that was handled though, Kyra looked out to the others. As he was looking, he could see plenty of the ponies and Gems going about, but noted that not all of them were there. "Had any of you seen Garnet?" Kyra asked. "Not really, dear." "Nah, probably busy doing some other Gem thing." "I see. I'll go check." Kyra began to go again, but as he turned he accidentally staggered, and his bad hoof sunk deep in the snow. It felt like a freezing sting, a pained groan escaping Kyra before he readjusted himself and shook off the snow from his leg. This wasn't ignored by the element of generosity, and the unicorn quickly got out an extra scarf from her winter fanny pack (come prepared). Rather than wrap it around his neck, Rarity wrapped it around his leg, like making an extra horseshoe from scratch (not the metal kind mind you). "That feel better?" Rarity asked. Kyra tested it out, and the scarf kept the snow off of his leg. Kyra simply nodded; it will have to do until the snow goes away. Still, he could only wonder where had Garnet gone off to ... ~~~~~~ Off further away, the Gem in question was actually enjoying the snowy weather a little differently this time around. Garnet was given a break, and Ruby and Sapphire both were actually out together (not in a fusion sense). Garnet had fun in her own light with the snowball fight, so Ruby and Sapphire took a moment to chill out, and have fun in the snow. Sapphire was having a better time of it than Ruby, but Ruby kept a good attitude. This was mainly because Ruby was a Gem of heat, while Sapphire was a Gem of ice, so, naturally an ice Gem would do better in the cold. At the moment, actually, the two were busy working on an igloo, their heat and ice working hand and hand. So far it was going fairly well, the main base being pretty good at least. Sapphire helped in the main construction of the ice igloo, until the base was fully set. Ruby helped with her own heat, to keep it from falling into itself. However, Sapphire and Amethyst weren't the only ones helping out with the igloo; Fluttershy helped a little bit with the igloo, humming a little tune as she went on. All Flutters was doing was tapping the snow in a little, but that was about it. As she was tapping at one part of the igloo, suddenly Pinkie Pie popped her head through the snow wall. A bit much, and it got snow on both of their faces. "New window," Pinkie said with a grin, popping her head back into the hole. Fluttershy shook off the snow. "Uh Pinkie? Igloos don't have Windows," Fluttershy said in her usual tone. Pinkie slid out from the entrance on her back. "It's a house, every house has a window! Big ones, little ones, holes in the wall." "Well ... I'll just patch this up," Fluttershy decided, getting snow off the ground. Before she could though, Sapphire floated down to her. "It's alright Fluttershy. Leave it open," Sapphire told her. Fluttershy, a little embarrassed but agreed to leave it be. Soon, Pinkie poked her head through the hole again. "What amazing future did you see when we need it open?!" Before Sapphire could reply, Ruby (who was working on top of the igloo) suddenly began to slip and tumble. Ruby ended up falling on Pinkie's bushy cotton candy head, breaking her fall. "That's what," Sapphire said. "You are very good at that, Sapphire," Fluttershy complimented. "Thank you." "There nothing you can't see with that SUPER PSYCHO EYE!" Pinkie commented, her eyes bulging out as she said that. Ruby got off of Pinkie's head as Sapphire moved her hair aside. "Well ... Actually, my visions aren't always." "What do you mean? You've been doing so well." "I know. But ... I have a friend to help decide what fate's become real and what don't," Sapphire explained. With a smile, she turned to Ruby, who rubbed the back of her head. "You see, before I met Ruby, my life was all planned out. I saw my entire life from beginning to end, and I expected everything to happen ... When Ruby came in though, my whole life became so much more dynamic. A lot more fun." Pinkie looked ready to cry tears of joy, with a huge smile on her face. "AWWWWWW! That's so ADORABLE!" Pinkie beamed, hugging them both tightly. Sapphire and Ruby smiled on that, though soon after they were, somepony else began to appear from further away. Up in the sky, Rainbow Dash took the moment to see where Garnet was, only to find Sapphire and Ruby there with Pinkie and Fluttershy. "Hey gang, the others are at the lake, you coming?" Pinkie suddenly gave a overly dramatic gasp; she was caught up in so much before she forgot about the lake. So, before anyone said anything else, Pinkie was off like a bolt of lightning. Guess that's one pony off to the group. "Oh my, I'm so sorry. We were working on an igloo," Fluttershy said sheepishly. "Eh, no sweat. Just head off to the lake," Rainbow said, pointing the way. Fluttershy nodded, and began to fly off on her way. "You two coming along?" "In a minute Rainbow," Sapphire suddenly said. Ruby didn't get the chance to say her input, but Rainbow nodded and went off. Sapphire then started to go into the igloo, signaling Ruby to come in with a wave of her finger. Ruby did come in, seeing Sapphire sit down, looking out the igloo window. Without a word, Sapphire patted the ground next to her, and Ruby sat down. "Tell me what you see," Sapphire said. Ruby looked out the window for a bit, seeing the sky outside. Nothing seemed different until something caught her eye. Although faint, the red Gem noticed a slight silhouette of a nearby star. A regular star wouldn't be able to be seen in the daylight, but this diamond star was just bright enough to be seen. Only that galaxy can shine that brightly. Ruby and Sapphire took a moment before Ruby spoke. "Sapphire? You think Homeworld will be too much trouble? When we go back, I mean," Ruby asked. "We'll be alright." Sapphire gently placed her hand on Ruby's hand on the ground. "I promise."