Steven, Connie, and Pearl came walking down the center of a ravine, listening closely for the sounds of a corrupted gem.
"Now, you two, since this mission is a test to see if you can fight on your own, I'll be standing back and examining you two while you're in action." Pearl told the pair.
"Yes, ma'am!" Steven and Connie both said at the same time.
Everyone came to a halt when they heard a roar echo throughout the ravine.
"We're getting close." Pearl whispered.
Connie instinctively slipped her hand into Steven's; a thing she does when she's is nervous.
"It's okay, Connie, we can fuse to fight the monster." Steven said, reassuring Connie.
Connie smiled, leaning against the side of Steven slightly.
"You're the best." Connie said with a half-smile.
"Nuh-uh! You are!" Steven said, giggling.
Connie also giggled, only to be hushed by Pearl seconds later.
"Focus, you two. Any loud noises could startle the monster and make it run away." Pearl whispered, holding her finger up to her own lips.
Everyone slowly walked down the ravine, eventually coming to turn.
"Steven, Connie, peek around the corner to see if the monster is there." Pearl ordered.
Steven and Connie did as told, slowly leaning their faces around the corner. The two both spotted out a giant bear-looking corrupted gem, immediately leaning their faces back behind the wall.
"So was there anything?" Pearl asked.
"Y-yes." Connie responded with a shiver.
"Then why are you just standing there? Are you gonna go and poof it?" Pearl asked.
Steven and Connie locked eyes, giving each other a quick nod.
Within seconds, Stevonnie stood before Pearl, and they immediately summoned their shield and pulled their sword out of the scabbard on their back. Stevonnie sprung into action, leaping out from behind the wall and running at the corrupted gem, which immediately spotted them and snarled. The monster swung an arm at the fusion when they got near, hitting them and causing them to loose their balance, making them fall to the ground with a thump.
"You can do this." Stevonnie mumbled to themself, hopping back up onto their feet just in time to deflect one of the monster's arms with their shield.
Stevonnie hurled the shield in their hand at the monster's face, having it smash against it's eyes and distract it.
This is the perfect opportunity, Stevonnie thought, the perfect opportunity to poof it.
Stevonnie slid under the corrupted gem, thrusting their sword into it's chest.
The monster stood still as it realized that it had just been impaled with the blade of a sword. Suddenly, it fell to it's side and hit one of the walls of the ravine, then disappearing with a poof.
Pearl ran toward Stevonnie with open arms, a smile across her face. Stevonnie also opened their arms, hugging Pearl when she reach them.
"You did great, Stevonnie!" Pearl started, "When you got hit by the monster and fell to the ground, I was worried I'd have to come out and help you! but nope! You proved me wrong! I can't wait to tell Garnet about this!"
Suddenly, Stevonnie was replaced with pink light, their components falling out of it and onto the ground.
"Thanks, Pearl." Steven and Connie said at the same time.
Steven and Connie looked at each other, smiling.
"We did great!." Steven said to Connie, leaning over and hugging her.
Connie blushed, hugging him back.
Suddenly, a rumbling sound was heard throughout the ravine.
"Oh no! When the monster hit the wall it must have caused an avalanche of rocks!" Pearl shouted, pointing up at the arrangement of small and large rocks that feel from above
Steven and Connie hopped onto their feet, Connie grabbing Steven's hand, and both of them started running down the ravine, trying to get to the warp that was only a block away.
Pearl was out of sight, and Steven and Connie wondered where she had gone.
"Pearl!" Steven called out in hopes that he would get some sort of response.
No response.
"Pearl!" Steven and Connie called at the same time.
Still no response.
Steven looked over to Connie, seeing tears in her eyes and a look of worry spread across her face.
"Steven," Connie started, "if we don't make it out of here alive, I just wanted to say... I-I l-"
Connie was cut off as she tripped over a stone, falling face first onto the ground.
"Connie!" Steven shouted, kneeling down and lifting Connie's face up from the ground lightly.
She was unconscious.
Steven licked his palm, about to heal Connie with his spit, only to feel a sudden shock of pain rush through his head as something heavy hit it.
Then there was darkness.
Steven jolted up, immediately feeling a sharp pain in his head.
"You should lay back down. You took quite a hit." Garnet said, looking at Steven in the eyes.
Steven laid back down.
"W-what happened?" Steven asked, putting his hand up to his forehead and feeling a bandage.
"You were hit in the head with a giant rock." Garnet responded.
Steven couldn't remember anything.
How did he get here?
Why was he hit in the head with a rock?
What was he doing to get hit in the head with a rock?
"Garnet, why was I hit in the head with a rock." Steven asked.
"Pearl said that a corrupted gem hit a wall of the ravine and caused a rock avalanche." Garnet responded.
A corrupted gem? Why was I near a corrupted gem, Steven thought.
"Steven! You're awake!" Pearl shouted as she walked in the door. "I can't believe it! I went to go and find a safe path that would take us to the top of the ravine, but you two ran off! I found both of you lying on the ground knocked out."
Wait, "You two."? Who was the other person, Steven thought.
"Pearl, who was the other person?" Steven asked, worried to hear the answer.
Garnet turned toward Pearl, locking eyes with her.
"You.. Don't remember?" Pearl asked.
Steven froze, knowing who it most likely was.
"It was Connie." Pearl said quickly.
Steven froze.
"Where is she!?" Steven shouted.
"In the hospital.." Pearl responded with a sigh. "I just got back from dropping her off."
Steven hopped off of his bed, running down the stairs.
"Wait!" Pearl called after him.
Steven stopped just before running out the door.
"Steven, just stay here for now." Pearl said, meeting eyes with him.
"B-but I can heal her!" Steven shouted.
"Steven, try healing the cut that's going all the way down your head." Pearl said.
Steven spit into his palm, placing it on the top of his own head.
Nothing happened.
"You're too stressed out, meaning your healing powers won't work." said Pearl, "Now go lye on your bed again. Standing up is gonna make your cut hurt more."
Steven would've argued, but deep down he knew that Pearl was right. There's no point in him going to the hospital if his powers didn't work.
He was scared. Connie could be very injured, even injured enough to maybe be... No, he was not even going to think of that possibility.
(Author's note)
This is part of a collaboration, so me and the other person will be switching off writing each chapter. Sorry if chapters take longer to come out btw, I've had 0 inspiration lately.