13. Internship.

August's internship with the gems begins today. He didn't know what his role as a trainee would be, it was a mystery to him. And at lunchtime Augustus came to their house and knocked. No one answered. He knocked again, and this time it was Pearl who opened the door.

--- Oh, August. Ready for the first day of your internship ?

--- I hope so.

--- Follow me. We'll tell you what your role as our intern will be.

He and Pearl entered the house and went to the critical plate at the end of the room.

--- This is the Warp. This device allows you to move from one point to another in a matter of moments.

--- So it's a teleport ?

--- No, it's a Warp.

--- Okay, call it whatever you want. And how do I use it ?

--- You can not

--- Why ?

--- The warp only allows gems to teleport. You will only be able to use the Warp if one of the gems helps you.

--- Pitifully. So where are we going ?

--- We're heading for the Geode.

--- Geode ?

--- Yes. Strange activity was observed there. This will be your first mission with us. So get ready.

Then Pearl took Augustus ' hand and they both stood on the Warp. A bright light enveloped them, and then they slowly flew in a white beam. Beyond the boundaries of the white beam, space was visible.

--- Are we in space ?!

--- Yes. All the Warps are connected to each other, and in order to go from one to the other, we pass through space. After all, if you try to get from one point to another on Earth, then we will simply split into atoms.

--- It's creepy.

--- We've arrived

When they came out of the beam, they found themselves in a deserted place. There were only rocks and rocks everywhere. Well, in the middle was a huge black sphere. There were different patches of colors in it, and if you looked at it for a long time, you could see the galaxy.

--- Wow. How did it end up here ?

--- Explosion

When Pearl and Augustus reached the sphere, Garnet and Amethyst were waiting for them.

--- The geode was formed here due to a strong explosion. This was formed due to the attack of the Diamonds.

--- But how did she get here ?

--- Do you see different patches of color ?

--- Yes

--- All these are precious stones. Our comrades and enemies. No one was spared. Now they are broken, merged in place, forever.

There was an awkward silence. There was a sense of unease in the air. Although Garnet said all this with a calm face, it was clear that she was very angry. Her hands were clenched and she could hear her teeth grinding. But she quickly calmed down and continued.

--- But that's not the main thing right now. So this is your first internship.

--- About this. What should I do ?

--- Watch, learn, protect us from the rear.

--- From whom to protect ?

--- You'll find out now

--- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Suddenly, a sharp cry rang out. It wasn't a cry from a man or a beast. It was the cry of a monster.

There was a hideous-looking creature sitting on the Geode. It was huge, black body, it had no eyes but had three heads and three tails. It was the size of a small house.

--- Corrupted

--- Corrupted ?

--- This creature was once a gem. When the diamonds attacked us, the gems didn't split. They turned into terrible monsters. They don't have anything from their past lives. They only act by instinct.

--- What should we do ?

--- You watch and learn. Pearl, Amethyst, and I will deal with him. Attack !

And the fight started. The Gems were crowding the damaged one with their numbers and teamwork. They worked very well together, as if they were one. They were winning until Augustus heard a sound behind him. They had uninvited guests.

--- Guys ! Here are a few more !

--- What ?!

Indeed. Other damaged rocks were coming up behind them. They were almost a copy of the huge one, only they had one head and one tail.

--- I'll cover it !

--- Stop! It's too early for you !

--- This is my job as an intern ! Protect you from the rear.

--- Good ! But be careful.

They were getting closer. They felt outnumbered, but they were attacking the wrong person.

--- Come on ! Let's have some fun !

Augustus abruptly launched an attack on them. The damaged ones were small and weak, but there were a lot of them. Very much. But that wasn't a problem for Augustus, so why did he spar with Garnet ? But even the strongest can run out of steam if there are a lot of opponents.

When Augustus hit them, they broke up into beams of light and left a stone in their place. For every one defeated, there were two more. It was a bit complicated. With each blow August felt that he was running out of breath, where was the help ?

--- You guys gonna be there soon ? I'm getting a little tired.

--- Wait a little longer ! We almost exhausted him !

Trusting them, he decided to fight with all his might. He struck and struck, blow after blow, but their number did not decrease. He had almost no strength left when the gems were finally able to deal with their opponent.

--- We're going August !

Even with the help of Augustus ' gems, it was much easier. Even so, the battle continued for another hour. And only then, except for the gems and Augustus, there was no one left on the field. Everyone is very tired.

--- It...was....long.

--- It's been a long time since we've had such a long battle.

--- Yes. I think it's worth noting the efforts of our intern. Keep it up and you will soon be able to fully join the Crystal Gems.

--- Well done August !

--- Great !

--- Now let's go back and throw a party for the first task of August.

And when they returned, they did. The party was over small. There were only the gems, Stephen, Connie, and Greg. Greg was Stephen's father. He was a middle-aged man with loose hair, a big belly, and a great sense of humor. The party lasted until the evening. And after cleaning, everyone left.

" It was another unusual day. It seems to me that every day in Beach City there are more and more different situations. It's a little disturbing. "

When he had finished his dinner and returned to his room, he noticed a mirror.

" I completely forgot about it "

He picked up the mirror and looked at his reflection.

" It took almost an eternity for me to look at myself in the mirror. "

Augustus's appearance could be called beautiful. He was quite fit, his face was without a single blemish, his hair was yellow, and of course his diamond-shaped eyes.

--- Nothing has changed. I just got older.

Just as he was about to put the mirror back, something unexpected happened.

--- Nothing has changed

Augustus ' voice came from the mirror. The mirror completely mirrored his voice and face.

--- You say ?!

--- Say ?!

Apparently the mirror could only repeat his lines. But even that interested him a little.

--- I'll ask you a question. You can only answer yes or no. Ok?

--- Yes

Apparently the mirror was alive

--- Are you alive ?

--- Yes

--- Are you a mirror ?

--- No

--- Are you inside the mirror ?

--- Yes

--- What's your name ?

---....

" Exactly. It also repeats my lines. "

--- Good. I'm going to repeat the alphabet, it will help you to communicate with me normally.

He recited her alphabet clearly and slowly

--- What's your name ?

--- [ L. A. P. I. S ] [ L. A. Z. U. L. I ]

--- Why were you sealed ?

--- [ W. A. R ] [ M. I. S. T. A. K. E ]

--- Is there anything I can do for you ?

--- [ R. E. L. E. A. S. E ]

--- How ?

The mirror showed that there was a rock at the back.

Augustus quickly turned the mirror over and found the stone. He took it and, with all his strength, began to pull. Augustus used all his strength, and only then did the stone gradually begin to move away. Pulling with all his strength, Augustus finally released the stone. As soon as the stone was released, it began to levitate and a bright blue light radiated from it. It grew brighter and brighter until the figure of a girl appeared.

It was a girl with blue skin. She was wearing a dress, and a blue ribbon was tied around her neck. her rock was visible on her back, but it was broken. As soon as it formed, it turned to August.

--- Thanks. I'm Lapis Lazuli.

--- You are welcome. I'm August

--- I'm so grateful to you. I've been there for so long. In the dark and...

She didn't have time to say anything as she plummeted. Augustus caught her before she hit the floor.

--- Are you okay?

--- No. I spent a lot of energy. And my rock is broken. I'm so tired.

--- Rest in my room for now. Tomorrow we'll figure out what to do

--- Thanks. I'm so grateful to you....

She fell asleep. Augustus laid her on the bed and lay down beside her. As he covered himself with the blanket, he felt Lapis unconsciously hugging him in his sleep.

" More weird stuff. Now a new gem appears. What will happen next ? Huge spaceships ? No, this is nonsense. I'll have to ask Lapis tomorrow. In the meantime, sleep. "

And that's how August's first internship ended.

So, another gear was added to the mechanism. The beginning of the end was laid, the wheel began its course, fate began to weave its threads. What will happen next ? I'm looking forward to it.