Tiger Iron

Tiger Iron is an artificial fusion accidentally made, and currently residing, in the Emergency Kindergarten.

## Appearance

Tiger Iron is a tall, imposing Gem, being almost twice the height of a typical Quartz soldier. They have two arms, conjoined at the elbow, on their left side, while their right hand is a foot with a thumb. Tiger Iron has three legs; the right leg has a hand instead of a foot and the final leg comes out where a tailbone would be. They have two mouths—one in the typical place, the second on their chest—with full lips and long canines. Both of these mouths are capable of speech, and sometimes speak in succession. Their Gemstone is on their right elbow.

Their skin is mostly black, with orange and yellow portions that themselves respectively have dark red and dull yellow markings. Their hair is a salmon pink color, with two dark brown buns sticking out the top resembling cat's ears. They have two eyes, but while the right eye is gold and normal, the left eye has three different-colored irises clumped together. They wear a tattered version of the standard Pink Diamond soldier uniform, with boots on their right "hand" and back leg.

## Personality

Due to emerging fused in the first place, Tiger Iron's components don't normally express their own individual personalities, instead functioning as a singular entity. In spite of this, they consistently refer to themself in the plural, implying that, even at their most stable, they see themself as multiple Gems.

Tiger Iron is timid and spends a lot of time hiding in their exit hole, the only place they currently feel safe. Despite the fact both their components are quartzes, they express a dislike for combat, only fighting when they feel threatened; however, they are easily startled, and it doesn't take much to make them feel threatened.

## History

Tiger Iron was injected as two separate Gems in the Emergency Kindergarten on Mars. Due to the sloppy nature of their Kindergarten, they were injected too close to one another and ended up permanently fusing during the incubation process. Despite the lax standards in the Kindergarten, they would have been shattered had they not frightened the other Gems and used their raw power to escape.

Knowing they would be shattered on sight, Tiger Iron went rogue for the sake of survival. After Mars was abandoned, they returned "home" to the Emergency Kindergarten.

## Abilities

Tiger Iron display standard Gem abilities, such as agelessness. Their weapon, if they have one, is currently unknown.

### Natural Abilities

* **Exceptional Strength:** While most Gems already display superhuman strength, Tiger Iron is stronger than two Quartz soldiers combined, putting them at an advantage in combat.
* **Stability:** Despite being a forced fusion, Tiger Iron is surprisingly stable. Their components often work together flawlessly, similar to a same-Gem fusion.

### Skillset

* **Acrobatics:** Tiger Iron has mastered the use of their physical form, and is deceptively quick and nimble.
* **Unarmed Combat Proficiency:** While Tiger Iron never summons a weapon, they don't need to, being skilled in unarmed combat.

### Weaknesses

* **Cumbersome Build:** Tiger Iron's sheer size and awkward limbs, while allowing them to intimidate weaker Gems, can make it difficult for them to evade attacks.
* **Stress:** While their components are usually in perfect sync, extreme stress can cause Tiger Iron to mentally split, making their movements slow and clumsy as their components struggle to work together in their own body. If they grow upset enough, they will unconsciously attempt to separate, hurting themself and possibly "poofing" in the process.

## Relationships

Tiger Iron is known and, to an extent, feared by the Gems of Mars, especially those that live in or patrol the Emergency Kindergarten.

### Tiger's Eye

Immediately upon emerging, Tiger Iron was forced to fight Tiger's Eye to prevent their own shattering. They were able to overpower the Chalcedony and destroy her form. While they are aware of her existence from overhearing the conversations of other Gems, they hold no grudge against Tiger's Eye and simply hope the two never meet again.

## Trivia

* Tiger Iron's exit hole bears an uncanny resemblance to Jasper's, though much larger.
* Tiger Iron's status as a forced fusion references the fact that, in real life, tiger iron is an aggregate gemstone and not its own mineral.
* Tiger Iron's pallet (not including their Gemstone) has fifteen separate colors. This makes their pallet the broadest for any Gem in the Mars AU.
* Tiger Iron's Gemstone is modeled after real-life tiger iron.
	+ Originally, Tiger Iron's Gemstone more closely resembled that of a forced fusion. However, this was changed because their creator decided that, since they weren't made from pre-existing Gems (and so their components' Gemstones weren't fully formed yet), it wouldn't make much sense for their Gemstone to look like that of a "traditional" forced fusion.
* If they somehow fused with Basalt, they would form a Thunder Egg.

## Gemology

Gemstone Information

* Tiger iron is an aggregate gemstone consisting of hematite, tiger's eye, and red jasper. The exact proportions of each mineral vary from stone to stone, with some being almost completely lacking in one of the minerals.
	+ While the nature of tiger iron's formation isn't understood by geologists, it is believed to be some form of sedimentary rock.
* Amusingly, tiger iron is sometimes referred to as "mugglestone," especially when it has relatively low amounts of tiger's eye. The name is believed to come from "Moclestone," an area in great Britain where the stone has been found, rather than the Harry Potter franchise.
* In addition to the area of Moclestone, tiger iron has been found in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and in the Lake Superior area of the United States.
* Tiger iron is affiliated with the root, sacral, and solar plexus chakras, as well as the zodiacal signs of Scorpio and Leo.
* Metaphysically, tiger iron is considered to have the properties of all its components along with some unique to it (such as spiritual protection).
	+ It is considered a grounding stone, a property it receives from hematite.
	+ It supposedly has blood-cleansing capabilities received from red jasper.
	+ It is believed to energize and induce clarity, similar to tiger's eye.

## Gallery

Tiger Iron's exit hole, as seen in The Forgotten PlanetTiger Iron's original designTiger Iron's original Gemstone design