Steven embarks on a quest to fix some of the pain and brokenness that his mom left behind, but gradually discovers the hurt goes much deeper than he expected…

While Steven is more or less on board with accepting the Diamonds as his family, most of the others have understandable reservations.

Garnet: We can’t just hand Steven over to Blue Diamond, she’s a shatterer!

Bismuth: She’s not gonna hurt him, look at her! She really thinks he’s one of them. […]

Connie: Are you guys okay?

Pearl: It’s just Blue Diamond’s power. She’s obviously relieved that Pink Diamond wasn’t shattered after all.

Yellow Diamond: How could you do this to us, Pink? Why did you let us think you were shattered? Why the strange disguise? Why are you doing that voice? Why didn’t you say something at the trial? And Blue, please stop crying. I can’t see.

Because Steven’s just too nice to ask anyone to stop crying.

Steven: Well, apparently Mom- oh geez, you don’t know what a mom is. Okay, Pink Diamond took the form of Rose Quartz permanently after faking her shattering. Then Rose Quartz gave up that form to create a new life with my dad – me. Rose passed her Gemstone and some of her powers on to me, but that’s all. I…I don’t have any of Pink or Rose’s memories. I’m sorry.

Yellow Diamond: I’m sure your memories are in there somewhere, Pink.

Steven: Actually, I go by Steven.

Then the Diamonds ask how “Pink” survived their ultimate attack, since it was intended to destroy all the Gems on the planet…which leads Steven to introduce them to Centipeedle.

Yellow Diamond: What am I looking at? No one should have survived our attack.

Steven: Centipeedle’s mind is broken. I’ve tried to heal her, but it didn’t stick.

Yellow Diamond: Heal her?

Steven: But maybe you two can help her! You’re so much stronger than me, and I got close.

Blue Diamond: Well…that’s not something we normally do…

Yellow Diamond: This is completely unprecedented!

Steven: But you did this to her! You have to help her, all of them!

They reluctantly agree to try, and they actually kind of succeed! Yellow is able to restore her original form, Blue restores her capacity for speech, and then Steven heals her mind…

Centipeedle: I’m sorry for my failure to heed my Hessonite’s evacuation orders. My team and I tried our best to make it out, but…but you’re here, it must’ve worked! You’ve finally avenged Pink Diamond! You destroyed Rose Quartz!

Then they let go, and she goes right back to normal, because Rose honestly did kind of make a mess of things.  But what’s really heartbreaking is why she made those mistakes: She genuinely believed that her family wouldn’t care if she just disappeared.

Yellow Diamond: Ugh, Pink! How many perfectly adequate Gems did you have us ruin?

Blue Diamond: Sh, Yellow! Pink’s been punished enough. She’s been trapped here on this awful planet with these creatures…

Steven: Do it again, it was working!

Yellow Diamond: How long do you expect us to hold her together?

Steven: I don’t know, forever! You did this, so you have to do something.

Yellow Diamond: We can only do so much. If it was the four of us-

Blue Diamond: Oh no – we can’t let her see this.

Steven: Who? Who do we need?

Yellow Diamond: What do you mean, who? White.

Pearl: White Diamond? […] Steven, White Diamond isn’t like us. She isn’t even like them! You have no idea what she’s capable of.

Steven: I just want to talk.

Of course, when Steven is intent on helping people, there’s no stopping him (or at least not from trying).  When they tell him that White Diamond hasn’t left Homeworld in eons, he just proposes a trip to Homeworld.  Unfortunately, both of the Diamonds’ ships were wrecked in the fight.

Blue Diamond: You don’t still have yours, do you?

So Steven thinks of Rose’s “junkyard” in the desert…

And wouldn’t you know it, those pyramids look awfully like legs buried in the sand.  And they stand up when Steven lays a hand on them.

And if you’re thinking those spaceships look like you could form a giant robot out of them…well, you’re not wrong.

And so Steven prepares to set out on another space adventure!  This time with actual preparation!

Connie somehow manages to come along with her parents’ blessing, and Amethyst is excited to see Homeworld for the first time, but the others have much more mixed feelings on the venture.

Greg: Garnet, should I be worried?

Garnet: Steven will be fine…

Bismuth opts to stick around and look after the home base (plus Lapis and Peridot, who have yet to reform after the battle).

Bismuth: I’m not gonna join a Diamond entourage! I know what you’re doing, I get why you gotta do it, but I’m not gonna lay my Gem on their anvil.

Steven: Anvil?

Bismuth: Okay, let me put this in Earth terms for you. You’re about to enter the lion’s den. Luckily, you’re a lion, too. You gotta roar at them in their language! You’re the one that has to do it.

Steven: I bet when Mom took off it was pretty graceful, huh?

Pearl: No, not really.

Now that Steven actually knows who his mother was, and he’s getting to know her “family”, he’s starting to understand her in a way he never could before, both the good and the bad.

Steven: Should I have brought a gift for White Diamond? We are dropping in unexpectedly, and I want to make a good first impression. Her help will mean everything for the corrupted Gems.

Pearl: Steven-

Yellow Diamond: Hm. Good impression? We’ll be lucky if she ever speaks to us again after this! […]

Blue Diamond: The thing is, White…can be difficult.

Yellow Diamond: When we show up in this ship, it’ll be irrefutable that the last six thousand years are now the biggest galactic embarrassment that’s ever happened, and we’re the ones to blame. If you don’t want to be in a bubble for the next few millennia, I suggest you let me do the talking.

It’s interesting how we get to see a different side to the Diamonds, too…but I’ll wait until next time to start getting into that.  Because we still need to meet the last one…

All of them (including the Diamonds) are surprised to find a warm(ish) welcome waiting for them on Homeworld – and Pink Diamond was expected.

White Pearl: Pink Diamond, your presence is required.

Yellow Diamond: Come on, Blue.

White Pearl: Only Pink Diamond’s presence is necessary.

And with that, Steven is carried off in a bubble to meet White Diamond.

I love how eerie they make White Diamond’s room feel just by making it all grayscale.

White Diamond: Pink! There you are. Hello, Starlight, you certainly gave everyone a scare. We’re all just thrilled to see you safe and sound.

And then the creepiness is completed by White’s condescending smile.

White Diamond: As for this latest little game of yours, thank the stars it’s over! Did you have fun? Did you get everything out of your system?

Steven: I-

White Diamond: Good, good. Everyone is so relieved. Welcome home, Pink.

And now we’re starting to see exactly why Pink Diamond would want to run away…

Until next time…