Hey, guys. Ellis here.

Sorry, it took so long. I had a writer's block and basically, planned out future events for this story but not this part. I just had a surge today, so thank goodness for college! Why do I get my creative surges at college? I don't know, but I'll roll with it.

In other news, I went to a con this past weekend and met some awesome SU cosplayers. I went to an 18+ SU discussion panel by a group called Pendragon. If you have a chance and have the patience (and tolerance), I recommend going to it cause those guys brought up some interesting topics underlined in the series.

Without further ado, Part 9!

Penelope raced around the entire area with her gauntlets on. Jasper wasn't answering her radio and she was worried. What could have happened? Was she injured again? Was she dead? Did she really not know how to work the radio or was she in a compromise situation where she needed silence? She didn't know, she just wanted to find Jasper.

She stopped running and panted. She had stamina, but it would take forever to search the whole Great North. She needed to get to someplace high to scout the area. She found a fairly large rock and quickly scaled it. Even on top of it, though, she could barely see above the trees. She fumed and jumped, trying to see over the trees. What she didn't expect was to jump really high till she nearly reached the clouds. She didn't stay up there for long as she felt herself fall when she couldn't go any higher. She panicked and wished that she had something to slow her fall. She saw a glowing pink platform formed underneath her and landed on it. Her eyes sparkled as she discovered her newfound power. She grinned, with her jumping and making platforms, she can find Jasper much easier now.

With no time to lose, she starting off with some smaller jumps to get the hang of it. After a while, she started making bigger jumps as she scanned the area. Within a minute, she found Jasper fighting the other Corruption and… a boy in pink bubble? She frowned and hopped down just in time for Jasper to poof the Corruption.

Normally, she go to Jasper, but they weren't alone. So, she hung back a bit to watch the interaction as another gem appeared. She was beautifully slender with porcelain skin and a pretty round gem on her forehead. She carried a spear that she pointed at Jasper after she recognized her. She looked scared that Jasper was here. She wondered why, but kept watching. Now that she had a closer look, she realized that there were two people in the pink bubble; a boy and a girl. The girl was carrying a huge pink sword, so she was fighter, for sure. The boy just looked like a tag-a-long.

She didn't think much of it until she heard Jasper chuckled, "Hey, Rose. Look what I got!" She held up the gem she caught.

Penelope just stared wide eyed at the two in the bubble as the boy took a picture. Was the girl this Rose person? She did have the sword. She shook her head. She can't leave her alone with them, she might get hurt!

"Jasper!" She yelled out from her hiding spot, "I got the other Corruption! Let's go! Where are you?"

Everyone seemed shocked that Jasper had someone else with her. She didn't care, though, she just wanted to go home. Jasper turned back to them and simply grinned as she began to walk away from them. Penelope let out a sigh of relief and rushed through the trees quietly so Jasper thought she was still looking for her. She found a good spot and popped out a few feet in front of Jasper, pretended to look for her, and ran towards her after "finding" her.

"You're okay!" She yelled, hugging her.

"Like I said, nothing that I can't handle. Though, you were pretty crafty yourself, Pinky." She smiled, smugly.

"Ah! I've been caught!" She stuck out her tongue, "But, seriously, that was a close one!"

Jasper chuckled, "I'm sure. So, did you really get the other one or was that just a ploy?"

"I did get it. I bubbled it and sent it to the house, so it's with the others." she looked at the one in jasper's hand, "You want me to bubble that, too?"

She shrugged and handed it to her, "Knock yourself out."

Penelope took it, bubble it, and send it off. She looked back at Jasper observing the action with mild interest, "What?"

She shook her head, "I don't how you do that."

She shrugged, "I just picture a bubble around it then think of home as I send it off. Nothing special, really."

Jasper merely shrugged, "Whatever. Let's go home. You can't stay out in this weather for much longer."

She stared at Jasper as she started walking. She felt herself smile when Jasper said "home". She had only been around for nearly a month and she was already calling Earth home. Huge progress!

"Hey! Hurry up or you'll freeze your gem off!" Jasper yelled at her, impatiently.

"Coming, Auntie!" She called, running after her towards the warp pad. Only to stop short in front of it as she saw it. Her eyes widen when she thought about getting back on it again and she gulped. She really, truly hated that thing.

"Come on! You know it won't kill you!" Jasper said, picking her up by the waist this time and walked onto the warp pad. Penelope squealed in fear as the light beamed them home.

After that, she swore to never to set foot on that thing again. She didn't care what Jasper said. She rather walk than go on that thing. She took a warm shower and proceeded to watch more Camp Pining Hearts with Jasper.

The next morning, it seems like Jasper let her sleep in some. She got dressed and went out to the garden to find Jasper near the strawberry patch. She smiled, "So, you did find the strawberries."

Jasper blushed, "W-well, you said that you had them. I just wanted to know the location for next year's harvest!"

She giggled, "Then, if you help me pick them next year for the market, I'll give you a bucket and that will be your share. Deal?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I always keep my word. It's more of a curse than a blessing, though."

Jasper stood, "Why's that?"

Penelope gave her a sober look, "I've done a lot of things that I'm not proud of till I came here. At one point, I was asked to break my word to a child. I didn't. They tried to get someone else to do it. But, I still didn't break my word…"

"What was it you promised the child?" Jasper asked, curiously.

"That no harm will ever come to them as long as I live. No matter the cost." She looked down at her hands, "My cost that day was my humanity. I became a monster to kill other monsters… It doesn't really take much to become one, you know. I'm not proud of it, but I don't regret saving that child…"

She looked up at Jasper with sorrow eyes, "Can you promise me that you won't be a monster?"

Jasper looked confused, "Why? I've already done things that make me a monster. I've shattered other Gems, fought in a war, and forced another Gem into a Fusion! You saw how the rebels looked at me! How am I not one?!"

"You've changed, Jasper."

Jasper became flabbergasted and Penelope explained, "Yes, you have done all those things and they're not pretty things. But, you're, at least, admitting that what you did was wrong. That's the first step to bettering yourself! But, you've done things that have also been non-destructive as well! You acknowledged me without demanding to see my gem, you constantly tell me to eat, sleep, and kept checking on me to make sure I was okay. You, even, help me with my garden and go to town with me! You're making an effort to even try new things like stealth! You're actually a really good Gem! You're not just another Jasper among hundreds of others back on Homeworld, you're Jasper; Auntie Jasper! And I love you, not this "Perfect Quartz" that everybody makes you out to be cause nobody's perfect! And you don't need to be…"

"But, the Diamonds—"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE DIAMONDS OR WHAT THEY THINK! THEY'RE CLODS!" Penelope yelled out of sheer angry, loud enough that Jasper was sure everyone within a 10-mile radius could hear if she hadn't dropped her jaw at the Diamonds being called clods.

About five miles away, Peridot perked up from watching Camp Pining Hearts with Lapis.

"I just heard someone yell Clods." she said, her eyes widen as she scanned the area for the sound.

"You're probably just imagining it." Lapis stated, not taking her eyes off the screen.

"Perhaps… I mean, it's not like we have anybody live near us, right?" Peridot shrugged and carried on with her show.

Jasper was still deeply shocked that the little pink Gem could actually get like this. But, she understood her words and their meaning as Penelope was panting from the outbursts. Still, she couldn't get over it.

"You called them Clods…"

"And what about it!?" She snapped, "The Diamonds this, the Diamonds that! I don't care! The Diamonds shouldn't dictate what you can or can not be! Pink Diamond may have been an exception, but the others have no right with the damage they've done!"

"What are you talking about? What damage?" Jasper was confused now.

"What is Corruption?" She asked with gritted teeth. Her eyes burned into Jasper's, making the bigger Gem a little uncomfortable.

"I… I don't know… All I know is that they used to be Gems, like us. I think the two we handled are both Quartz soldiers. But, that's all I know." Jasper admitted, hands raised.

Penelope searched her eyes for any lies but found none within Jasper's. She released the breath that she hasn't realized that she have been holding.

"You really didn't know about the Diamonds' plan, didn't you?"

"The Diamonds' plan?"

She really didn't know anything. Penelope sighed, "You were right about one of the Corruptions being a Quartz… She was actually a Jasper like you. Her name is Biggs. She was from the war. I was hunting her corrupted form and found that she was attracted to my singing. So, I sang a song to lure her out and…" she paused, "She nearly reverted back to her original form when I saw her."

"What?" Jasper exclaimed, "Y-you— She reverted?! How?"

"I don't know! But, she did! She told me that corruption was like a gem disease of some kind and that it was the Diamonds' doing!"

"And you bubbled her?"

"She was still partially Corrupted! She started reverted back to her corrupted form when she mentioned a song and a bright light at the end of the war! She… she asked me to bubble her while she was still herself… I also gave her my word that I would find a way to reverse it. I intended to keep it!" She stared at Jasper, "If it happened once, maybe I can reverse it completely!"

Jasper stared at her, skeptically, "And you expect me to believe you?"

She sighed, "No… I don't expect you to believe me without proof… But, would it hurt to try, anyway? To see if it's even possible to reverse it?"

Jasper continued to stare at her before sighing, "Fine. We'll give it a try. But, you need to eat first and form a plan. I'm not just going to set a corruption on you without a solid plan of action!"

Penelope smiled, "Right! After breakfast, then!"

They started to head back to the house when she remembered something.

"By the way, what happened to the walkie talkie I gave you? I tried calling you on it, but you never respond!"

Jasper cringed, "Oh, right…" She reached to her nose and pulled out a very smashed walkie talkie… If it could even be called that…

"It busted when I fought the other one… I thought you wouldn't notice…"

Penelope eyed the broken device, uneasily, "Well… I guess it worked out anyway. Right?"

So, your thoughts?

Sadly, this story will end in a few more parts. But, it's not over yet ;)

Laters,

Ellis Alpha