Chapter 38

"This is Eagle-1! I have three birds down and have taken damage! I'm going down! I repeat I'm going down!"

Before the pilot could eject from his falling jet, his plane seemed to slow to a crawl as a whirlwind of air surrounded his wounded plane. The pilot saw that he was slowly being lowered to the ground.

"Uhhh...Overlord, something is putting my bird down for me...that make any sense?"

"It's probably the Gems. Just roll with it, Overlord out."

On the ground Turquoise had her hands raised in the air and was chanting as her eyes lit up like spotlights. Her hair was whipping around her as she manipulated a flow of air around the falling jet. The air flow was slowly bringing the plane down out of the sky and out of the reach of the Wind Piercer.

"Turquoise, hurry up!" Amethyst shouted as she dragged a Burner underneath the treads of an Abrams tank with her whip, crushing it like a grape. "We have to keep moving!"

Turquoise grit her teeth as she gently laid the F-22 on the ground. The pilot kicked his way out of the cockpit and ran towards the U.S army's armored column.

"Oh, man, I owe you big time!" he exclaimed as he caught his breath.

"Hey, fly boy!" one of the Army Rangers shouted. "Get to a transport and get your ass out of here!"

Turquoise glared up at the Wind Piercer angrily. She remembered when there were whole swarms of the drones during the Galaxy Wars.
And it only took one to bring down every human airship within the city.
They were lucky that it only seemed to be able to target air units as it could easily rip apart those on the ground.
How the H.L.A got their hands on one was beyond her, she was just grateful that there was only one.
For now, they needed to keep moving and figure out how to deal with the Piercer later.

Garnet ducked as a RPG rocket flew over her head and stuck the building behind her. Another group of Hybrids and Burners were advancing towards the armor column.

"Contact, nine o'clock,!"

The tanks turned their guns towards the charging Hybrids and fired. The shells exploded in a cloud of fire and shrapnel, destroying several Burners and wounding the rest. The earth suddenly cracked as Burners burst from the ground.
Garnet slammed her fist through the chest of one of the creatures while Pearl drove her spear through another one's face.
Carnelian threw her six chakram disks through the air, decapitating a Hybrid and maiming several more.

The ground split again as more Burners clawed their way out of the ground. Now within rifle range, the U.S soldiers open fired using their new "Breaker" rounds.
The muzzle flash from the new rounds was a bright blue as the top secret propellant ignited within the firing chamber.
The new bullets would punch deep into their target, then detonate in a shower of white sparks.
But even with their new bullets, the Gems and the Army was still vastly outnumbered by the H.L.A forces.
The best they could do was push forward towards the Monastery and deal with the attack waves as they came.
To make things worse, something was jamming the U.S soldiers' communicators, which meant they could not send or receive information to the local command base. They were fighting blind. Luckily, the H.L.A wasn't known for using traditional tactics, they mainly seemed to use mob tactics and blitz attacks.
But the H.L.A weren't the only one's in this battle. There were still plenty of Anvil mercenaries between the Gems and the Monastery, and each and everyone of them was armed to the teeth with experimental weaponry of Adler's design.

As the Gems and the army reached the street near the movie theater, a loud metallic pounding echoed from the street corner.

"Get ready!" Garnet ordered as the pounding drew closer.

What charged out from behind the street corner were nothing short of technological marvels. (By human standards anyway.)

The sound of metal smashing against metal was followed by a parked car being tossed like a toy. With loud, clunky movements, Adler's latest war machine lumbered out in front of the U.S armor column.

"What the hell is that thing?!" One of the tankers shouted.

"Shut up and fire!"

One by one, the tanks began to fire upon the metal beast. The cannon shells bounced harmlessly off of the machine's shield like arm.

"Adler has been watching too many old sci-fi movies!" Amethyst shouted over the loud gun fire.

With a loud clang, the machine lowered it's blast shield and flashed it's red eye. A red search light flashed over the Gems and the U.S soldiers.

Within it's soulless mind of wires and processors, the machine came to the conclusion that the objects in front of it were not Bureau personnel, and therefore were to be terminated.

"Multiple hostiles detected!" the machine blared loudly as it raised it's blast shield over it's eye.

Steam hissed as the machine's right arm raised and unfurled a three barreled cannon. The cannon barrels began to spin and glow bright green as energy began to build within it. Knowing nothing good was about to happen, the tanks began to reverse as they tried to get behind the street corner behind them.

"Move back! Move back!" the lead tanker shouted as the armored column retreated.

"Whats it doing?!" Pearl shouted as the machine dug its hydraulic outrigger into the street.

"Nothing good!" Azurite shouted as the Gems began to take a few steps back.

The machine groaned and hissed as it locked itself into firing position.

"Targets locked! Neutralizing!"

With a flash of green light, the machine began to fire laser light blasts like an automatic cannon.
The Gems were lucky that the machine was targeting the larger targets first; the tanks.
One by one, the tanks were blown apart as the laser cannon punched through their thick armor like it was made of paper.
Unlike Rose's laser light cannon, the weapon that the metal monster wielded fired continuous short blasts of laser energy like a Gatling gun.
After one blast, the three barrels would rotate before firing another blast.
How Adler managed to create something like this weapon was unknown to the Gems, all they knew was that it had them scurrying like roaches in the light.
Wood, concrete, metal, nothing stood for long against the withering light show.

Luckily, the Gems were not the only ones who were targeting the machine.
Smoke and shrapnel burst across the machine's shoulder as an RPG rocket struck it's shoulder. The machine turned and fired upon a group of H.L.A hybrids that were attacking from the west. With the machine's attention drawn elsewhere, Garnet noticed the thinly armored back of the beast. She could see a red vapor seeping out from within it.

"There!" Garnet shouted as she pointed at the machine's back. "Between it's shoulders. That's it's weak spot!"

"Well what are we waiting for?!" Pounamu shouted before bolting out of cover and charged the machine.

The green Gem vaulted off the ground and raised her staff to strike the machine. But the machine was not as slow as it appeared as it's torso spun around and hammered her into the ground with its arm. Before Pounamu could recover from the attack, the machine raised it's foot and slammed it down onto her.
With a loud thud, the machine dug its hydraulic outriggers into the street, locking the warrior underneath it's foot.

"Threat Level Upgraded. Classification: Pitiful." The machine blared as a red laser scanned over the trapped Gem.

Before the machine could finish off it's victim, several blasts of energy pelted against it. With a red flash, the machine scanned the area then lowered the blast shield over it's eye.

"Threat Level Upgraded. Classification: Problematic."

The energy blasts had come from Pearl's spear as she tried to draw the robot's attention away from the downed Pounamu.
They seemed to have little effect on the robot's thick armor, but they did manage to draw it's attention as it began to fire at her.

While the robot fired at Pearl, Garnet and Turquoise rushed at it before it could change targets. Turquoise, threw her tomahawks and ruptured one of the thick hydraulic fuel lines in it's foot. White fluid sprayed out of the machine's foot as the outriggers lost power.

As the machine stumbled from the lose of balance, Garnet slammed her fist into the machine's chest, smashing the blast shield that protected it's eye.

"Pearl, now!"

Pearl leaped over Garnet and drove her spear deep into the machine's eye, blinding it. The machine twisted and spun as its analytic driven mind tried to make sense of what had happened.

"He's big, but stupid!" Pearl shouted as she twisted her spear, further damaging the machine.

Amethyst's whip coiled around the machine's arm and held it in place while Carnelian help Pounamu off the ground.

"Oh man, Steven would flip out if he could see this thing!" Amethyst shouted as the machine struggled against her. "Too bad he's not here!"

Suddenly, the machine stopped flailing and smashed Garnet and Pearl off of it's body. It then kicked Turquoise in the face and snapped Amethyst's whip. With a mighty swing of it's arm, the machine slammed Carnelian and Pounamu into the side of a parked car.

"Primary optical sensory unit damaged. Switching to auxiliary sensory systems!"

As if the machine hadn't been blinded, it began to fire upon the Gem warriors with it's laser cannon. The Gems scattered and ducked as fast as they could.

"How can it still see us?!" Pearl shouted as she slid under a blast of light.

Garnet noticed that the machine's aim was very off, in fact, it seemed to be struggling to target all seven of the Gem warriors. But blind it was not as it could still shoot accurately even without it's eye. That's when she noticed that the machine was targeting everything that was moving around it.
It was firing at the Gems, their ranged attacks, and even chunks of debris.

"It's using some form of radar to target us!" Garnet shout as she tossed a large chunk of concrete at the machine.

Suddenly, an idea formed in her mind.

"I have a plan!" she shouted as she ran from cover and slid behind the burning husk of a car. "Just trust me!"

Garnet heaved the car over her head and leaped into the air. Once she was high enough, she tossed the car at an angle so that it would arch before falling.
As the car reached the highest point in the air, the ever alert Wind Piercer tore through the air and fired at the car. As the wrecked car fell to the ground, the Piercer followed it, firing it's diamond hard pikes. The pike tore through the car and punched deep into the armor of the war machine that stood beneath it.
Sensing that it was taking damage, the machine raised it's cannon and began to fire up at it's new target; the Wind Piercer.

Laser beams flashed into the sky while crystal pike rained down like blinding hail. Flames sparked as one of the pikes ripped through the machine's body. But the machine was still firing up at the crystal drone with everything it had. Suddenly a blue spark erupted from the Wind Piercer's body as it's crystal form was cracked by the constant barrage of laser fire. Turquoise planted her feet firmly on the ground.

"Brace yourselves!" she shouted as she readied herself for what was about to happen.

Before the Gems could ask why, a bright blue light flashed from the Piercer. It's body had finally taken all the damage it could and the mystical energies that powered it now could not be contained. The night sky became blinding as the Piercer exploded in a giant ball of light and mystical energy.
The bast blew out windows as far as the temple as the shock wave tore through the city.
The moment the drone was destroyed, the remaining army units found that their communicators were working again and began to call for support.
As the dust cleared, nothing of the Piercer remained; but the machine still stood. Before the Gems could express their dismay, the machine slumped over onto it's arm. Sparks were popping off of it while fire crackled out from it's body.

"C-c-catastrophic d-d-damage d-d-detected !" the dying machine announced with it's artificial voice stammering. "S-s-system failure imminent. Probability of mission failure: one-hundred percent..."

With the loud groaning of tortured metal, the machine finally fell to the ground with a cloud of black smoke rising off of it.

Amethyst plopped to the ground as a wave of exhaustion fell over her. She wasn't the only one exhausted, the Gems were all tired and battered from the battle with the war machine.

"How does Adler think up stuff like that?" the purple Gem exclaimed in frustration. "Alloys, lasers, now frickin' killer robots!"

"He needs to be stopped!" Pearl stated firmly as she cautiously approached the burning machine. "Should such technologies be perfected...no it wont lead to that."

Pounamu brushed the dirt off of her short cut jeans and scowled bitterly. She then walked up to the machine and kicked it.

"Piece of garbage!" she spat mockingly. "Thought you could get the drop on us, huh? Not in this life time!"

As Pounamu stomped the machine one last time, it's back suddenly opened up and ejected the shard container. Garnet picked it up and felt her stomach lurk.

"It's a Gem shard," she stated somberly. "It's Tsarina's."

A deep sick feeling washed over the Gems as they stared at the small sliver of gemstone.

"Does...that mean she's...dead?" Amethyst asked with her voice full of dread.

"No, I still sense her," Turquoise responded as she pressed her fingers to her temples. "She is hurt...oh no..."

"What, what do you see?" Pearl asked.

"Adler he's...he's carving small pieces out of her gemstone. Not enough to kill her...she is awake, screaming. He is keeping her from healing...pain stabbing, cutting, grinding-"

Turquoise raised her tomahawks and snapped to attention.

"The Rook and the Pawn are on the move!"

"Iron and Titanium?" Carnelian asked worriedly. "Please tell me it's not Iron!"

Turquoise's eyes suddenly widened. The two presence she had sensed had just merged into one massive and volatile...thing.

"Something is coming for us!" the blue Gem shouted as she readied herself.

The Gem's readied their weapons and started to look in ever direction that an attack could come from.

"When?" Azurite asked as she tried to keep her nerve.

The ground began to rumble and crack. Whatever was coming after them, it was coming from the ground.

"Now, scatter!" Garnet shouted as she leaped off the ground.

Seconds after the Gems scattered, the ground erupted in a blast of rock and dirt as a huge hulking figure burst out from below them.

With a loud and strained grunt, a massive arm reached out of the crater and pulled it's master up to the surface.
As the dust cleared, the Gems stared at a beast the likes of which they had never seen before.
Standing at least thirteen feet tall, the beast was covered head to toe in sloppily welded full plate armor.
It's head was encased in a Roman gladiator Secutor style helmet with the left eye hole covered up by a thick metal plate.
A steady cloud of embers and ink black smoke seeped out of the creature's helmet.
The creature was slumped to it's right as it's right arm was far bigger in proportion to the rest of it's body.
It's right arm was lined with short rusty iron railroad spikes.
Instead of a hand, the beast had a solid sphere of metal with three sharp metal isosceles pyramids floating over the base, much like Peridot's hands.
Instead of a left arm, the creature had three jagged chains with curved blades on the ends of them. The chain tendrils swayed and writhed like angry snakes.

"It's an Alloy fusion!" Garnet shouted as the giant began to move.

"Yeah, but which Alloys?!" Amethyst shouted back.

The giant amalgamation let out an almost sad sounding bellow as it began to shake it's head.

"CAAARRRNELIAN!"

Carnelian couldn't believe it, the aberrant that towered over her knew her name. That could only mean one horrible thing; Iron was part of it.

"Iron...?"the orange Gem rasped.

At the sound of the name, the amalgamation began to suffer. It seemed hesitant, like it didn't want to be apart of this. But then the bladed chains began to jab and pull at the amalgamation's exposed neck. This began to anger the beast and soon that blind anger was aimed in the Gem's direction with a tug around it's neck.

"ILMENITE!"

The amalgamation lunged forward and smashed it's massive spiked arm into the ground, breaking the concrete like it was made of eggshells.
Following the attack sprang the three bladed chains, slashing and jabbing wildly as the amalgamation slowly shifted forward.
The Gems were astonished at how powerful these amalgamation was compared to Vanadium. Vanadium was strong, but nowhere near as strong as this Ilmenite was. Each drop of it's massive arm shattered the earth and sent shock waves rolling.
Despite the fact that it moved so slowly, it made up for that with it's almost independently thinking bladed chains.
They would keep the Gems suppressed and constantly on the defense while the amalgamation would ready the next arm drop.
The Gem's ranged attacks were useless against the tank like body of the amalgamation. Even Garnet was having trouble landing hits on the monster.
His armor would bend and dent, but that only seemed to encourage the monster.

"We have to find away to separate the two!" she shouted as she ducked beneath the reach of the blades.

"Yeah, no shit!" Pounamu shouted angrily. "I'm gonna tear that little punk ass out of that thing!"

Pounamu charged forward with her Taiaha staff raised. She waited for Ilmenite to attack using his arm again, then at the last second, she leaped into the air and began to run up the amalgamation's arm. Dodging the lashing whips of the chains, Pounamu managed to crawl her way around the creature's back.
Unlike a Gem's fusion, it seemed that Alloy fusions always had one glaring weakness. While the armor on the Alloy's front was almost three feet thick, the armor on it's back was warped and covered in flaws.

"Time to crack this tin man open and see if he has a heart!"

Pounamu drove the sharp end of her staff in between the amalgamation's shoulders and began to pry it open. Ilmenite roared out in anger and pain as he tried to reach behind is back, but his massive arm made that impossible. The chains however had no trouble whipping around and driving their blades into the attacker. Pounamu knew this and at the last second she kicked off the creature's back and let the chains drive themselves deep into their host. Purple sludge geysered out of Ilmenite as the chain's pierced clean through his body.

"That looked like it hurt!" Pounamu cackled as she slid underneath the creature's legs.

Suddenly, Ilmenite raised his arm to the sky and let out a low roar. Garnet began to notice that all the fires and smoke from the ruined city was being drawn around Ilmenite's arm in a whirlwind. The air became hotter and the smoke began to hurt the Gem's eyes. Carnelian watched in horror as the creature's arm became veiled in flames and smoke.

"SORRY!" Ilmenite roared as he slammed his arm down to the ground.

The moment his arm hit the ground, all the smoke, heat, and ash the burning city had produced was unleashed in a giant shock wave. The ground rolled and buckled and debris turned to coals as the firestorm scorched everything. But before the wall of ash and fire could reach the Gem's, Turquoise began to chant and summoned a vortex of cold air around the Gems. The vortex stopped most of the heat but none of the shock. The Gem's were sent flying backwards as the shock wave struck them. Then all they could see was darkness.

Steven and Connie both ran to the patio once they hear the explosion. From the temple, they could see the bright orange flash from blast. Steven bit his bottom lip as he silently cursed himself. He felt like a coward. While his friends were down in the streets fighting for their lives, he was stuck back at the temple. Steven finally couldn't take it anymore.

"That's it, I'm going down there!" he shouted as he grabbed his back pack.

"Are you crazy?!" Connie exclaimed. "You promised Pearl you would stay here!"

"I promise Pearl a lot of things..." Steven muttered as he loaded his back pack with whatever he could think of. "But I can't just stay here and wait while my family is down there."

"Darn it, Steven!" Connie shouted as she grabbed Steven's hand. "I can't let you go down there while you leave me! I wont let you! After what the Alloys did to me, you honestly expect me to sit back and do nothing?"

Steven grabbed Connie's hand and held it firmly.

"What are going to do to stop me?" he asked in a very serious tone.

A small smile crept across Connie's lips. Steven knew that smile, she was scheming something.

"Not a thing," she answered with calm and cool tone. "Cuz' I'm coming with you."

Steven shook his head. He wasn't about to let Connie put herself in danger.

"Out of the question. I can't have you putting yourself in danger. This is official Gem business-"

Connie tightened her grip around Steven's hand and pulled him in so that the two young lover's bodies were pressing against the other.

"You don't get it, do you?" she asked with a playful smile. "I'm not going to let you go alone. Because I'm coming with you."

Steven felt his heart pounding in his chest as he felt the warmth of Connie's body. He could feel her heart beat as well, it beat at the same rhythm as his.

"You-you mean...fusion?" he asked as a smile spread across his face. "Are you sure about that?"

Connie playfully pushed herself away from Steven and twirled over to the stereo. The speakers began to pound out loud fast paced club music, one of Amethyst's CDs no doubt. Connie spun on her heel and strutted up to Steven. Connie took Steve's hands in hers and started to sway her hips to the beat. Slowly but surly, Steven began to move to the beat with Connie.

"Are you ready?" he asked nervously.

Connie answered him by planting a kiss on his lips.

"Let's dance..."

As the smoke and ash cleared, the Gems were all scattered on the ground. With a hiss of pain, Carnelian pushed herself off the ground. Her head was pounding and her ears were ringing.

"Garnet, Turquoise, anyone?" she asked out loud.

Carnelian could hear the loud heavy breathing of Ilmenite coming from behind her. The orange Gem slowly turned around and found that she was well within striking distance. The amalgamation snorted as it began to approach her. Carnelian was on her own. Her weapons were useless and she wasn't strong enough to handle the giant that was drawing ever closer. That's when it hit her, the only way she would survive was to reach the Alloy trapped within the amalgamation. She needed to reach Iron, her friend. Carnelian raised her hands and dropped her weapons.

"It's me, Iron," she stated in a calm voice. "Remember me, Carny?"

The amalgamation showed no reaction as it built up speed. Carnelian smiled and held her arms out towards him.

"You said you'd protect me." the orange Gem stated as tears began to roll down her cheeks. "You said you would take care of me!"

The amalgamation shifted it's weight as it readied it's next crushing attack.

"We're friends, right Iron?" Carnelian asked as sorrow and dread gripped at her heart.

Ilmenite let out a roar as he brought his arm down to crush the orange Gem into dust.

"Friends don't hurt friends!" Carnelian shouted as she prepared for her imminent demise.

Garnet opened her eyes to the sight of Carnelian standing with open arms as the amalgamation brought down it's arm.

"Carnelian, no!" Garnet shouted.

But instead of crushing pain followed by death, Carnelian felt nothing. She opened her eyes and saw that Ilmenite was holding the massive club arm over her head.
He was shaking and breathing heavily as he held his arm I place with all of his might.

"Carnelian...?" the amalgamation asked with a quiver in his voice.

Suddenly, Ilmenite let out a pain filled wail as he began to thrash madly as the barbed chains began to slash and stab at him. Ilmenite slammed his head into the buildings around him as he fought against himself.

"NO MORE!" he shouted as a huge crack split down his torso.

As if trying to keep it's host from falling apart, the chains wrapped tightly around the crack in Ilmenite's armor. With a loud snap, Ilmenite managed to break his arm at just the right angle so that he could reach his chest. He cried out in agony as he forced his broken arm to twist and dig into the crack!"

"I AM NOT ILMENITE!" he screamed as his armor split open wider. "I AM IRON!"

With a flash of light and smoke, Ilmenite vanished as the two Alloys were thrown apart. Iron it the ground hard while Titanium landed on his feet.

"You had to go and fuck it up, didn't you?!" he shouted hatefully at the wounded Iron. "Should have known your stupid little crush would have lead to trouble! Now Iron...now you're a liability!"

Titanium swung his chain as he glared at Iron. His cold eyes then turned to Carnelian and smiled.

"You ever have to put down a dog that you love? It breaks your heart..."

Without warning, Titanium's chain shot through the air and pierced deep into Iron's chest. Rust colored fluid gushed as Titanium dug and tore at Iron's insides.
Iron grabbed at the chain as it wrapped tightly around his heart. With a loud wet pop, Titanium tore out the white hot Geissel shard out of his chest.

Hatred, pure, blinding, unrestrained hatred coursed through Carnelian as she bolted at the Alloy. Before he could react, she drove her chakram discs into his shoulders. Titanium laughed in a mixture of pleasure and pain as he elbow dropped the orange Gem in the head. Just when he thought he was gonna have some more fun, a white spear pierced through his stomach. As he looked towards were the spear had came from, Pearl leaped forward and drove her spear through him and pinned him to the ground. Titanium was laughing as she twisted and pried her spear.

"You savage animal!" she shrieked the Alloy's purple body fluids stained her pale skin. "You wretched heartless animal!"

Titanium cackled as the pale Gem hurled insults upon insults at him as she twisted her spear.

"Keep goin' you tease!" he laughed. "I'm sooo close!"

At this, Pearl swung Titanium over her shoulder and right into Garnet's fist. Titanium's goggles shattered as Garnet's gauntlets slammed into him with the strength to break mountains. As he hurtled through the air, Amethyst's whip coiled around him and she slammed him into the ground.

As the Gems began to surround the outnumbered Alloy, a loud roar split the air. Like something one would see in the trailer of an action movie.

Lion leaped through the air and pinned Titanium to the ground. Riding on top of Lion was someone no one expected to see.

Stevonnie!" Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl all shouted in unison.

Titanium scowled as he glared up at the pink cat and the...thing that rode on it's back.

"Nuts to this!" he shouted.

The Alloy headbutted Lion as hard as he could right on Lion's noise. The shock of having one of his most sensitive sensory systems smashed staggered the big cat and gave the Alloy enough time to slip out from underneath him. The Alloy inhaled and then released a blinding cloud of black smoke.
Once the smoke cleared, Titanium was gone, as was the Geissel shard.

"IRON!" Carnelian screamed as she rushed to him and dropped to her knees. "Iron, please hold on!"

Iron coughed up more rust colored fluids as he clutched his opened chest.

"C-Carn-Carnelian...? he rasped as he looked up at her. "I...I hurt..."

"Shhh...it's okay, Iron," Carnelian assured the Alloy as she cradled his head. "It's okay, I'm here now...you're going to be okay."

Iron lifted his arm and pulled his helmet off. His gray eyes were filled with tears and his lip was quivering.

"I'm sorry, Carnelian," he sobbed loudly. "I'm so sorry I hurt you!"

Carnelian shook her head and smiled.

"You have nothing to apologize for," she stated in a soft motherly voice. "You stood up against a bully. That's all that matters."

The rust colored substance that once covered Iron's organs began to revert back into blood as what little power was left in him faded. Iron coughed up blood as his lungs rattled.

"Adler...said he would...take you away if I didn't obey him..." Iron whimpered, ashamed. "I am stupid...should have known better..."

Iron's eyelids began to feel like lead as the life slowly left his body. Carnelian cradled him and tried to keep him awake.

"Just-just hold on Iron, I'll-we- Turquoise might...Turquoise?" the orange Gem asked with pleading eyes.

Turquoise was silent as she gazed down into the eyes of the Alloy. That's when she saw it; a black feather.

Turquoise felt the air grow still as her eyes fell upon a woman dressed in black. The woman was looking over Iron with curiosity.

"Please, don't take this one," Turquoise pleaded silently. "The life he has lived has been a sad one. Might you give him a second chance to live a happier life?"

At this, the woman in black looked up at Turquoise and smiled.

"I have not come for him, Turquoise," she spoke softly.

Turquoise sighed sadly and cleared her mind. She had had centuries to come to peace with this moment.

"I understand, but might I ask one last favor of you, great one?"

The woman in black smiled and nodded her head.

"Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and the two children. Please, show them the truth of the Shinar Spire. Show them who it was who really kept us hidden."

The woman in black nodded her head and lifted her black veil. Turquoise shut her eyes and made her final peace.

"I am ready, great one. Today my debts are repaid."

The woman in black kissed Turquoise gently on the cheek, as she did, black feathered wings unfurled from her back.

Suddenly, Turquoise's fell to her knees. Her body glowed bright white as she retreated into her gemstone one final time.
Her gemstone fell and landed on top of Iron's bleeding heart. What little mystical energies that was left in Iron recognized the gemstone as something it needed. Slowly, the energies began to mend and close Iron's wounds. His body began to glow as a happy warmth rushed through him.
Iron looked up and saw the woman in black and Turquoise smiling down at him. Tears fell from his eyes as he gazed up at the two figures.
In that moment, he had clarity.

"Thank you...Turquoise..."

With a bright flash of light, Iron was gone, and in his place was a sleeping infant.

Words failed the Gems as they couldn't comprehend what had just happened. Carnelian gently picked up the infant and looked over it.

It had rust colored skin, brown hair, but when it opened it's eyes, Carnelian's heart melted. The child's eyes were gray, the child was Iron.

"W-w-what just-what just happened?" Amethyst stammered as she struggled to grasp what was happening.

Garnet knew, she knew all too well.

"Turquoise gave up her physical form, to save Iron's life..." she spoke somberly. "And in return, Iron was given a second chance."

"But-but why?" Pearl asked as she kneeled down to get a better look at the child. "Why now, and why her?"

"Because her time had come..." a soft voice spoke. "Iron's had not."

A gray haze fell over everything. Time seemed to stop for everyone except Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Stevonnie. Standing where Turquoise once stood was the young Gem, Amber.

"Amber?" Pearl asked dumbfounded. "What-what are you doing here?"

Amber's gemstone glowed bright as she opened her arms.

"I'm taking you four to the Shinar Spire," she spoke in a voice that sounded much older then she appeared. "I'm taking you four to the heart of the Spire, to meet the old one who protects it."

With a bright flash of yellow light, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Stevonnie were gone, leaving a few black feathers in their place.

Yep...that happened.