The Gem blinked in surprise. This was new. This outcome was… strange. She took a second to glance down at her hands. Her skin was supposed to be Blue — no, red — but it was a maroon. She touched her hair. Her hairstyle wasn't its… knee-length straightness… or was it a similar afro?

I didn't expect this outcome… Someone in her head whispered. It looked to be her. She shook her head. This was amazing. She seemed to be someone entirely knew.

She then remembered what had just happened. Just as that Gem was going after her — no, Sapphire. Or someone else, that Ruby — no, she'd jumped in the way. Either way, Ruby fell and then this happened.

A voice in her head sounded like it was laughing, making the maroon-skinned gem jump in her skin. This is like Pyrope! A jolt of shock went through her. We fused!

The other part of her made her calm down. She stood up and stared at the two gems in front of her. She was unsure whether or not to be surprised, happy, or both.

Alright, half of her said. We're fused. This is…

The other half seemed to read her mind's mind. Great?

She felt shock for both herself and the first half. Yeah!

We're going to be shattered in seconds.

The new Gem noted the situation. There were in fact, two gems. One had already reached on the ground for a destabilizer she dropped.

Her left side already had a fist summoned onto her hand. The Gem held her fist out defensively.

The Heliotrope stepped towards them. Both sides of her told her to look up at the pink Gem, Rose Quartz. She gave a nod and stepped behind the orange Gem.

Work together, both parts of her whispered.

There, she gained a sort of unity. She felt calm, but also restless. She stood up taller just as the Heliotrope prepared to swing again. Her left leg went forward and her right one back. She moved no-where but down, which dodged the blow closely enough.

I said together! they both said.

She felt her right side pull out another gauntlet with a flash of light. Her left hand aimed for the destabilizer. Her right seemed to be doing the same thing. It met the destabilizer on both ends, crushing it into pieces. With that, her right fist stopped, but her left went up for an uppercut. She lost balance and fell as the Heliotrope clasped her jaw.

She's going to summon her sword. Her right side took a step back. You lead. I'll use my future vision to follow.

Sure enough, her left side took much more control. Her left leg always made the first movement. Her right came right after. Sometimes, they were timed together.

Her left fist made another swing for the Heliotrope's head. Her right side stopped. She didn't want to hurt anyone. On the contrary, half of her burned with fury.

The Gem poofed, landing on the ground.

She's only got a few minutes, if she's anything like Amethyst. Her left hand's gauntlet dissipated and picked up the Gem.

"We should crush it," her left side said, this time aloud. Both of her sides started. This voice was new. It was deep and smooth. Almost like Rose's, but stronger-sounding.

In front of her, Rose held the orange Gem in a grapple. She pushed her against the wall. "No."

A shield came from Rose's hand, pushing the Quartz into the wall. "Could you help?"

The gem nodded. Both her sides summoned their identical weapons. Her right hand unsummoned hers almost as soon as she realized what her other side, Ruby's side, was going to do. Ruby's side wanted to hurt this Quartz. To make her pay. Quartzes — at least kindergarten Quartzes — were the Gems that got her entire class shattered. All the friends that Ruby had were killed because of them.

Sapphire's side froze in shock as she aimed straight for the orange gemstone where her nose should have been. It cracked and the Gem poofed before she even it the wall. Her gemstone fell to the floor, making the crack just a bit larger.

Good.

Good? Sapphire's side made the Gem feel terrified. You fatally injured a Gem! Because she was a Quartz!

Serves her right.

The Gem's insides started to hurt. She felt like she was being torn apart. Her vision started to blur as she heard Ruby's side shouting something indistinctly.

Her vision turned white.

Then she was no more.

Rose stared at the Gems on the floor.

"She killed all of my friends!" Ruby shouted.

"Just her?" Sapphire said.

Rose turned to the cracked gem, a Jasper by the looks of it, on the floor. She picked it up.

"Well, not her. But any Quartz that came from a kindergarten caused it!"

Sapphire got up from her knees and left the room.

"You're just mad because we fused!" Ruby shouted.

Rose stood up tall and glared at Ruby. Sapphire was right, for whatever they were arguing before they unfused. "You should have just poofed her."

"Now you're just like Sapphire!" Ruby huffed. "They were trying to kill us."

Rose shook her head. "No, actually. A destabilizer would just poof you."

Ruby threw her arms in the air. Her hair was lighting up the room and leaving black marks on the ceiling. "How was I supposed to know?"

Rose opened her mouth to argue but stopped. It didn't matter right now, did it? They should leave for the cave she and Greg had found. "It doesn't matter. Grab everyone before they reform."

Then there was the Jasper. She remembered what happened when Yellow Diamond showed the others what happened when a cracked gem reformed. She then said that the monstrosities that resulted would be great weapons.

"We need to go," she said, shuddering at the memory of what a cracked Emerald looked like. "Come on."

She ran down the halls and picked up the pace. She told Greg to tell the rest of the gems that there were visitors to the estate, and to get them together unless something went wrong.

And looking at the two gems sitting on the floor, something had certainly gone wrong. "Ruby, find Sapphire and Amethyst. Get to Greg. Then we've got a place to show you. Alright?"

Ruby, who was running beside her, nodded. "Got it, Rose!"

AN: Okay. I do say, this is a rather short chapter, and I'm sorry my chapter lengths fluctuate, but I write my chapters so that they're all one scene. Just to point that out. Trust me, the next chapter will be longer. :)