Shifting Jewels -⭑- Prohibited Wish

Chapter 2: Strawberry Trip

Star's gaze lingered on the fallen gem, its vibrant red hues now dulled by the golden corruption that had taken hold. His weapons returned to their places within his gem with the flick on his true hand. The air around him hung heavy with a mix of emotions, a complex tapestry woven from joy, grief, and fear.

Joy surfaced at the sight of Painite, an old companion he thought lost to the ravages of time. Grief welled within him, knowing that despite the years that had passed, Painite still harbored resentment and hatred. Fear, however, clutched at his core, an icy grip that tightened with the looming threat of the corruption that had claimed his friend.

Approaching cautiously, Star moved towards the gem as if the very act of proximity might trigger the other's reform. He hesitated before gently nudging it with his foot, as though testing the waters. When no reaction followed, he reached down and cradled the corrupted gem in his hands, a sense of regret lingering in his touch.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice barely audible, as if speaking too loudly might shatter the fragile moment. His finger traced the intricate cracks on the gem's surface. "I'm sorry I didn't find you sooner."

Before Painite could attempt to reform, Star enveloped the gem in a sphere of deep navy blue, cradling it gently. He hesitated to send the other gem to the temple back in Beach City, opting instead to shrink down the bubble small enough to fit it into his pockets. Clutching the bubbled gem in his hands, he stood and walked over to the nearby pillar. Retrieving his jacket, Star concealed the gem under the fabric, beginning the journey back to the nearby human town. As he walked, he couldn't bear the silence, so he decided to speak aloud.

"Things have gotten better, at least in my combat skills," Star murmured into the open air, absentmindedly rubbing the bubble with his thumb. "When I last visited Rose, I could handle nearly three whole minutes in a fight with her. I wonder how she is; it's been, what, a hundred years since I've visited?"

He was certain that if Painite could hear him, he'd be complaining about Star talking his ears off. Star weakly chuckled at the thought, the memory quickly tainted by their current relationship. "It wasn't my fault," he began, hopping down the stone path while keeping the gem within the bubble steady. "Well, it was, but could you blame me? I couldn't bear the feeling of being just some slave to them. Blue was cold and rude to me, assigning me a purpose without even checking if I was functioning properly. Sure, I'm glad she didn't, because if I wasn't, she would've shattered me, but the thought would've been nice. Yellow was just an ass to me, telling me to ensure Pink would win the war. I'm not even going to mention White; she was terrifying. Pink was a lot better before, well, you know. She was the only one who treated me like someone alive, but even then, she was distant and only really interacted for war-related matters." Star rambled.

"When Rose offered my freedom, she treated me like I was something alive, not just some tool to see into the future. How could you have stayed? Did you like being their slave? Being nothing more than what you were made to do?"

Star could already imagine the words Painite would say if he wasn't poofed and bubbled in his hands. "My purpose is what I am made to do. Why should I fight it?"

"But what about after it?" Star responded to the whispers of the question. "After the war, would you be shattered? Poofed? If you were lucky, you'd be taken by Yellow and sent to fight there. But is there really nothing for you other than just claiming worlds filled with life to make more repressed gems? Earth is a free world, Painite. It's not too late to renounce your allegiance to the Diamonds. I doubt they would even take you back if you somehow get to Homeworld again. They've probably already made thousands of Painites on some claimed world of theirs, and maybe they've already created thousands of Star Sapphires too. So what's the point when they've already got copies of us?"