A/N: Amethyst/Ruby fusion! This is also how Amethyst met Ruby and Sapphire. This takes place before Rose met Greg. Remember to leave a suggestion in your reviews!
"Ruby," Rose comforted the small red warrior as they warped back to the Temple after a mission. "Sapphire will come back, eventually. It's not your fault."
"No it is!" Ruby shouted. "I couldn't protect her."
"Garnet got poofed and you just happened to regenerate first," Rose informed. "There wasn't anything you could do."
"Don't you know how long it takes for her to finish?" Ruby cried. "It could take days!"
Ruby looked down at the round blue gemstone she was holding and whispered, "You just love testing my patience, don't you?"
She could just imagine Sapphire's playful smirk right now. But Ruby knew she wouldn't stay mad at her forever, she just wanted to fuse again. She already felt smaller and weaker, like something great has been cut in half. She needed Sapphire; she felt like a better person with her, less dramatic and impulsive.
Rose sympathetically patted Ruby's head. "I bet deep inside, Sapphire is trying to finish as quickly as possible to be with you."
Ruby grumbled. "I hope so."
Waiting for them at the Temple was Amethyst, looking like an excitable puppy as she sat by the Crystal Gate.
"Rose! Garnet!" she squealed. She paused when she saw that the Gem fusion was not next to Rose, instead replaced by a smaller red Gem carrying a blue stone.
She immediately raced to Ruby's side. "Who are you?" she asked, touching Ruby's headband, which earned her a chastised smack from the red soldier. Amethyst looked up at Rose. "Where's Garnet?"
Rose gasped, "Oh my stars, I think this is the first time she's seen you defuse!"
Ruby bit her lip, realizing this was the first time she met Amethyst while not being Garnet. She didn't know how to introduce herself.
Luckily, Rose took care of that for her. The Quartz leader stroked Amethyst's back and said, "Amethyst, this is Garnet, half of her, at least."
Amethyst's jaw dropped and she squealed. "Oh man, you're Ruby! Rose and Pearl told me all about you! This is awesome!"
The young purple Gem began to touch Ruby again, petting her hair and grabbing her gemstone. Ruby pulled away in embarrassment as Rose snatched Amethyst away from her, but the Gem kept reaching out to touch Ruby.
"Amethyst, stop it," Rose gently chastised her. "Ruby's had a bit of a rough day."
"Do you know who I am?" Amethyst asked excitably once Rose put her down.
"Yeah, I already know who you are, Amethyst," Ruby answered.
Amethyst kept asking questions. "Why are you so small when Garnet is so tall? Which half of Garnet are you? Where's Sapphire?"
Ruby fought back her tears as she held out Sapphire's gem. "We got poofed during the mission. She still hasn't come back yet."
Amethyst's euphoria quickly subsided. "Oh man, is she gonna be like Pearl?"
"No, Amethyst," Rose answered. "Sapphire usually takes a couple of hours. You know what, since this is the first time you met her, why don't you keep Ruby company as she waits?"
"What?" Ruby cried.
Rose whispered in Ruby's ear, "She's been waiting to meet you for almost a whole decade. She likes you. And you need someone to help you wait."
"Fine," Ruby mumbled, in which Amethyst squealed in response.
"Huh, now I'm finally taller than somebody," Amethyst giggled as she compared her height to Ruby's.
Ruby just groaned in response.
"It's weird how you're half of Garnet but you act nothing like her," Amethyst chattered. "Garnet's usually so quiet and mysterious."
"That's basically Sapphire's contribution," Ruby answered. She had gently placed Sapphire's gem on a pillow, keeping her safe and comfortable.
"So what do you add into Garnet?" Amethyst asked. "Do you give her future vision?"
"That's also Sapphire," Ruby mumbled.
"I guess you're Garnet's social awkwardness then," Amethyst summed up.
"Hey," Ruby cried. "Garnet doesn't just embody me and Sapphire's traits; she embodies what we feel about each other."
"Rose told me about how you two first fused," Amethyst commented. "Too bad I wasn't there to see it. She said Garnet had cotton-candy hair at first."
Ruby chuckled. "That was our first time. We got better at it later."
"How come you guys don't defuse often?" Amethyst asked.
"We like being Garnet," Ruby answered. "I feel stronger when I'm fused with her."
Ruby looked down at the shimmering blue gem sitting the on the pillow.
"But now I feel totally weak!" Ruby cried. "I miss being fused! I like being myself and all, being a fusion is like the greatest feeling in the world. Being Garnet is the best feeling in the world. And now without Sapphire, I can't feel it."
"Well, if you're that lonely," Amethyst suggested. "How about we fuse?"
"Why would we need to make Sugilite . . ." Ruby's words trailed off once she realized in order to have Sugilite, she needed Sapphire. Come to think of it, she always fused with the other Crystal Gems as Garnet. But as herself, she had only fused with Sapphire.
"Come on, you said fusion completes you," Amethyst said. "So it doesn't always have to be Sapphire."
In Ruby's opinion, it did, mostly because fusing with others didn't compare to fusing with Sapphire, but Amethyst was almost right. And who knows how long it'll take Sapphire to regenerate? It didn't matter if things got out of hand to Ruby; she was just too bored to even think about the consequences. So she took Amethyst's outstretched hand and danced.
A column of swirling light formed and faded away to reveal a fusion that was only a few inches taller than Garnet, with four muscular arms and two burgundy eyes. Her skin was a deep scarlet color and her wild curls went out in every direction, reaching her shoulders and kept away from her face with a red headband. Her mouth was filled with razor-sharp teeth, similar to Sugilite's.
Rubellite.
"Finally," Rubellite cried, stretching her multiple arms. "I felt so bored without Sapphire."
She summoned a pair of gauntlets and a whip, combining them to create a spiked flail. Rubellite grinned with satisfaction and swung it around, smashing a wall to bits.
"Ruby?" a gentle voice called out.
Rubellite turned around to see a small blue Gem, newly regenerated, wearing a long blue dress with puffy shoulders.
Sapphire levitated a couple of feet so she was at eye level with the fusion. She giggled as she placed a gloved hand against Rubellite's cheek. "Should I be jealous?"
Rubellite chuckled in response. "Don't worry about it, I was only waiting for you and got bored."
"I knew that," Sapphire grinned.
Rubellite defused as quickly as possible and Ruby ran into Sapphire's arms.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Ruby cried.
"Aw, that's so sweet," Amethyst cooed.
Sapphire laughed. "I think this is the first time she's met us, not Garnet. Do you want us to stay like this a little longer?"
"Nah," Amethyst answered. "I kinda miss Garnet. And I can tell Ruby does, too."
Ruby scowled but didn't hesitate when Amethyst hugged them before watching the two Gems fuse again.
Garnet appeared in burst of light, wearing a new outfit due to Ruby's and Sapphire's regenerations.
"Glad to see you again," Amethyst sighed, clutching Garnet's legs.
"Me too," the fusion smiled.