"That's right!" exclaimed Steven in a miniature Pink Diamond suit, "We need to throw a party! Get all the Diamonds-myself included-together in one room, under one roof, having the best time of our lives! It's gonna be the start of a new Era! Era Three™! Era One™ REDUX!"
Connie and the Crystal Gems applauded at his proposal. Then a Diamond Chime™ sounded and the Yellow Diamond's Pearl entered the room. She approached Steven.
"Pink Lasagna," she said.
Steven chuckled, "All joking aside, please just call me Steven, no 'Pink'."
"Very well, Steven-no-Pink," She's getting there, "You are wanted in My Diamond's quarters."
Steven followed Yellow's Pearl, excited with the idea of the Yellow Diamond wanting to speak with him again. He already got her to laugh back in the sauna-sorry-extraction chamber, but what could he do now? He's dealing with a misanthrope, Pink or no Pink. They stopped outside the doorway into the Yellow Diamond's quarters. The Pearl instructed him to wait outside while she went in to announce his arrival. She came out holding a Direct Diamond Communicator™, the same type that Peridot used.
"This call came to My Diamond by mistake: It's for you," the Pearl explained, "Return that when you're done."
Steven pressed the button equivalent to HOLD.

To his delight, it was Lapis Lazuli and Peridot on the other end. They squealed in sheer happiness.
"Hey!" said Steven, "You're back! You've regenerated! You look...good."
Indeed, to Steven's surprise, they looked exactly the same.
"Yes," said Lapis Lazuli, "Bismuth told us what we missed and we just had to call you."
"Well, it's been a bumpy ride over here. The Diamonds still don't have a clue who I am, and we're trying to get White Diamond to come out of her room so she can heal the corrupted gems. So I'm suggesting we throw a party!"
"I've heard stories from my ex-fellow Era One™ Peridots," said Peridot, "Pink Diamond parties were legendary. Everybody had a good time."
"So what else did I miss back on Earth?"
And they both said "Christmas," with Peridot adding "Whatever that was."
"WHAT? I guess time moves differently on Homeworld."
"Actually, Steven, not at all."
"Huh. I guess that explains all those nighttime invasions, and why the Gems I've met don't know what a 'weekend' is. What day is it now?"
Peridot handed her communicator to Lapis Lazuli while she dug out her tablet.
"It's December 30th."
"Woah! That means tomorrow is New Year's Eve!"
"Ah yes, the celebration of the Earth completing another revolution around the Sun... That's the most mundane excuse for a celebration I've ever heard!"
"Awwww. It's not just about that," assured Steven, "It's a time to forgive and forget all the bad things you've done in the past. Get reacquainted with the ones you love; and most importantly, planning for next year! Looks like mine will be to heal the corrupted Gems."
"Oh," said Peridot, "Well since you put it that way, party on!"
Yellow's Pearl came into view. Peridot shuttered.
"Steven-no-Pink, My Diamond is expecting a very important call. Will you be finishing up any time now?"
"I'm sorry guys," said Steven, "I gotta go. If you could repair the Galaxy Warp™, that would help us a lot for the trip back!"

"So yeah, I'm now proposing that Homeworld take this opportunity to forget about those sixty-something thousand years of embarrassment, so we have a clean slate for the year 2019!"
Steven was back in his quarters, sharing his ideas with the visiting Blue Diamond. The Crystal Gems were already one step ahead of him, preparing invitations for the party.
"Hmm..." the Blue Diamond pondered, "I might have to run this by Yellow, but if you insist on celebrating a holiday that originated on...Earth...by all means, go ahead. Our top priority, remember, is getting White to come out."
"Hey, I never missed a New Year's Eve party. And if that was a Homeworld tradition too, I'll bet neither has White."
The Blue Diamond chuckled, "You always find new ways to surprise us...Steeeee...vunnnn..." she tried again at pronouncing his name.
"You're getting there."
"Even if you call yourself Steven, you'll always be our beloved Pink!"
"Oh yyyyyyeah...about that," Steven pulled a book out of his hot dog bag and handed it to the Blue Diamond, "Connie said you should read this. She said it would mean a lot if you knew what a 'mom' is."
The book was titled Sex for DUMMIES. Nuff said.
"I'll...have a look at this when I get back," said the Blue Diamond.
"Oh, one more thing? Who should I speak to regarding party decorations?" asked Steven.
"And we'll also need a DJ to keep the music going!" added Amethyst.
The Blue Diamond turned downward toward her Pearl, who pulled out a Rolodex from her gem and took a few cards.
"These Aquamarines may be of some help," she said, handing the cards to Steven.
"Oh. Uh... thank you!"

Steven examined the cards as the Blue Diamond left. He didn't know the Aquamarines by facet/cut number yet, but he could tell that one of those was the one he had a bad encounter with back at Beach City. Steven himself was about to leave, when Pearl called him over.
"Steven," said Pearl, "We finished the last of the invitations. I probably already know the answer, but as your Pearl, It's customary for you to tell me what to do next."
"I thought you were against the system!"
"I'm not proud of it either, but as the phrase goes, 'when in Rome'..."
"Okay," declared Steven, "Pearl, you and the others go to the mail room and deliver the invitations. Make sure all three Diamonds and their Pearls get one."
He handed some of the Rolodex cards to Garnet and Amethyst, keeping a few for himself.
"Here, why don't you go for a walk around Homeworld and get familiar with the lay of the land, and when you're ready, try talking to these gems about decorations for the party."
"What are you gonna do?" said Amethyst.
"I'm gonna hire a DJ," Steven held up the card he kept, "I'm not excited myself, but I think I know this Aquamarine."
Amethyst did not like where this was going, but Garnet gave her a pat on the shoulder, assuring her that everything is gonna be all right. As for Steven, he knew just the guy to hire for the party. All he needed was an Aquamarine to collect...no...invite him (peacefully and politely).
"Now that I think about it," he thought out loud, "I guess we're also gonna need a few US-to-Homeworld power adapters..."
And as he spoke, a few of them showed up beside his feet. Thanks, pebbles!

Just as he suspected. The Rolodex card directed him to the same Aquamarine he met on Earth: the one with the teardrop-shaped gem on her cheek. The feeling was mutual.
"So you're a diamond now," she said.
"Yeah," chuckled Steven, "I guess word travels fast around here."
"If that's the case, then I must be one of yours."
"Really? You used to work for my mom?"
"Not 'my-mom', Pink Diamond!" Ugh...not this again, "Before I got reassigned to Blue Diamond."
"The blue looks good on you," Steven complimented.
Then they heard a noise from elsewhere in the room.
"Aquamarine Facet H2G2 Cut 10CC! Is this human bothering y...Pink Diamond? What a pleasant surprise!"
She looked like the Holly Blue Agate from the Zoo, but skinnier, brighter...and nicer.
"Sky Blue Agate," Aquamarine introduced, "Our dispatcher."
"Sorry, Pink," said the Agate, "But if you wanna hire an Aquamarine, you gotta run it by me first."
"Oh," said Steven, "It's just that...we've met before."
"Yes, I've heard about that. It seems we owe you an apology for how bad the encounter was: This is one of the worst Aquamarines working within the Great Diamond Authority™'s jurisdiction. Aquamarine, apologize."
"I apologize."
"Good. You, come with me."

Steven followed Sky Blue Agate into her room.
"Honestly, that was the only Aquamarine I've ever met. What are the other ones like?"
"Rest assured, the others are smarter than that one. They know humans. They can take 'no' for an answer. Have a seat."
Two seats and a desk between them appeared out of nowhere. Both occupants of the room sat down.
"Now Pink, Rose, Steven...whatever, kid of a thousand names, how may I help you?"
"I can't believe I'm doing this myself," Steven pulled out his smartphone, "But I'm throwing a party to celebrate my 'return', and I would like to get another human to be in charge of the music."
"Anybody in particular you have in mind?"
"Yes, actually. Here's a picture."
Steven opened up a webpage on his phone and handed it to Sky Blue Agate. She wrote down all the relevant information on a notepad.
"Anything else?" said Agate.
"Tell him to bring his own music, and something to play them on: we have power adapters. Also, give him this," He handed the Agate an invitation for the party, "You can come too if you want."
"So...just him?"
"Yes, that is all."
Sky Blue Agate tore off the slip of paper she was writing on from the notepad, and handed it to Steven.
"Sign here, please. I'll send the most polite Aquamarine available."
Steven wasn't sure whether to sign it 'STEVEN UNIVERSE' or 'PINK DIAMOND', so he did both, with a 'son of' in between for good measure.

The next (Earth) day, the ballroom was all set to go. The Aquamarines hired to do the job did a pretty damn good job! On one end were the four thrones for the four Diamonds of the Great Diamond Authority™. On the other end was a giant holo-screen. Steven arranged to have a camera attached to the giant telescope in the observatory. The telescope was aimed in the direction of Earth, and looked down on the majestic Times Square of the famous New York City (Accept no substitutes, Empire City). Steven, Connie, the Yellow and Blue Diamonds and their Pearls, and the rest of the gang stood near the exit, supervising the finishing touches to the decorations.
"Isn't this amazing?" Steven said excitingly, "Just imaging the fun we're gonna have the moment the clock strikes midnight!"
"What is...fuuuuunnnn?" said Yellow's Pearl.
"Uhhh..." Steven was left speechless.
"Don't mind her," said the Yellow Diamond, "We haven't had a party for so long, she forgot what the word meant. I'm sure it'll come back."
The Yellow Diamond looked over at the Blue one, who was speechless for a different reason.
"What's with you?"
"I understand now..." said the Blue Diamond, quietly, "You might want to read this."
She handed her fellow Diamond the book that Steven gave her earlier. The Yellow Diamond opened it up and found herself speechless for a few minutes as well. Finally, she put the book down.
"Excuse me," said the Yellow Diamond as she slipped quietly through the exit.
Then Connie said aside to Steven "Maybe the book wasn't a good idea as we thought it would be."

Later...
"What time did you say the party was gonna start?" Steven asked Pearl.
Garnet answered for her, "We reasoned that 9 PM (Eastern) would be an appropriate time."
"Thank you, Garnet," said Pearl.
"Garnet?" said the Blue Diamond, curiously, "Doth that call herself a Garnet?" Garnet felt displeased, but then came a kicker, "I say you look more like a Cuprite or a Spinel."
"Regardless, I'm glad you approve," said Garnet.
Steven looked at his smartphone. It was 8:30. The last of the Aquamarines was stirring the last bag of mix into the giant punch bowl. Now there was enough for everyone.
The sound of a rocket or a car could be heard outside. Yellow's Pearl went outside to see what it was. Outside was a DeLorean (iconic, sure, but this particular one was a lemon), with a rocketship fitted to the back. From the opposite side, the gullwing door opened, and out stepped Todd Zeppelin: the greatest radio personality in the universe (second month running)! In one arm was a stack of records and a portable turntable. He went round the car, and up the stairs to the ballroom. Passing Yellow's Pearl, he stopped to toss her his car keys.
"Excuse me?" she said, "What do I do with these?"
"Aren't you the valet?" said Todd.
"No, I am a Pearl, servant to the luminous Yellow Diamond."
"I'm terribly sorry," Todd started back down the stairs, but was stopped by the Pearl.
"I assume you're here for the party. Allow me to carry those in for you."
She took the records and the turntable from Todd's hand, giving him back they key.
"Thanks," Todd handed the Pearl a 20, "Here's a little something for yourself."

The Yellow Diamond found it weird to see the Yellow Pearl carry in a stack of...'records'...whatever those are, but then she realized it must be because the DJ was here. Indeed, Todd showed up a few minutes after.
"Welcome," Steven shook his hand, "Did you have trouble finding the place?"
"Nah," said Todd, "Though I wish I could say the same about finding a parking spot..."

At 9 o'clock, the party was in full swing, just as planned. With Todd at the controls, all the invited gems (and then some) were on their toes from one beat to another. He packed the best dancing albums he had in his collection, among which were the likes of "Stars on 45", The Rolling Stones' "Let it Bleed" and, for waltzing, Pink Floyd's "A Collection of Great Dance Songs" (yeah, they're pretty great, Roger).
On the holo-screen displaying Times Square through the telescope, it was also happening. Everybody was having an amazing time on this, the Homeworld's first New Year's Eve party. Everyone...except for the White Diamond, who still didn't show. Steven was worried. This was the whole reason he threw this party, to get White to come out, and help him and the other Diamonds fix the corrupted Gems back on Earth (that and, after all, it was New Year's Eve). Perhaps she didn't get the invitation...or perhaps she's arriving fashionably late.
Steven stepped outside to get some air. To his surprise, standing before him was the White Diamond's Pearl, in worse condition than before. The crack that crossed her eye grew longer, almost to her nose. He couldn't look at that anymore. 'It's now or never', Steven thought. He licked his hand and rubbed it over the Pearl's pearl. Slowly but surely, the cracks healed. White's Pearl broke free of her disturbing pose.
"Thank you, Pink Diamond. My Diamond is aware of the ball and will be here shortly."
"What's taking her so long?" asked Steven, concerned.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to look away from a holo-screen some times?"
"...Yes."

Now this is what Steven and the Diamonds wanted. An inspiring ball, like back in the day. He looked over from his tiny throne, toward the doors, and saw a familiar shadow. He reached forward to tap his glass of punch with a fork, grabbing everyone's attention. Todd Zeppelin took the record off, and replaced it with a slower, more quiet track.
"My fellow Gems and Diamonds, and everyone in between!" Steven declared, "Tonight marks the dawn of a new year on Earth," he gestured toward the holo-screen, "And a new Era on Homeworld! No longer will we think about the bad things that happened in the past! No longer will only one type of Gem be assigned to only one task! From here on, we only need worry about what's in store in the future, for all of us big or small. To paraphrase, 'All Gems are created equal', and I have a dream that we all act like it. For I, Steven Universe, the son of Pink Diamond (we'll pass the book around), have returned with a dream. To bring about peace around the world...no...the universe! And to restore and heal those that have been corrupted: casualties of a war we want to leave memories of it behind. They had no say in the matter, and by gosh golly, I'm sorry for all of them."
The crowd didn't know what to think. Then Todd, touched by his speech, started clapping. Everybody started mimicking Todd. Slowly, the exit doors began to open.
Steven continued, "This is the dawn of Era Three™! We're gonna make Homeworld great again, and we're all gonna do our part. That goes for me, Yellow Diamond, Blue Diamond, and now..." he looked over at the doors, and was thrilled that the guest of honor has finally arrived, "WHITE DIAMOND!"
She was greeted with a thunderous round of applause. Also at this point, "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" was blaring out the speakers at that critical peak of a moment. Then they all turned quiet again, anxiously waiting for the White Diamond to say something.
"... ... ... ... ...I missed something, didn't I?"
"White Diamond," Steven raised his glass, "The Gems that remained on Earth were never obliterated as originally intended. Instead they were corrupted, and to me, that is much much worse. Because you have no idea how they made my otherwise enjoyable time on Earth...a living hell. And we can't save those corrupted...without your help. So what do you say?"
Everybody looked at the White Diamond. Even the other Diamonds. Somehow, even the people in Times Square looked up at her. Finally, the White Diamond gently picked up Steven. Everyone gasped as to what she was going to do next, then she moved Steven close to her cheek and they nuzzled.
"Oh, Pink, perhaps that 'little game' of yours did you some good after all!"
"So will you do it?"
"YES!"
Everybody cheered, and the White Diamond took a seat at her giant throne, setting Steven back down to his. Steven called for everyone's attention again, and gestured them to face the holo-screen.
"Okay everybody! The clock in New York is about to strike Midnight! TEN! NINE!"
A few Gems joined in. "EIGHT! SEVEN!"
Then more Gems. "SIX! FIVE!"
Now the Diamonds. "FOUR! THREE!"
And now everybody, "TWO! ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR! Happy Era Three™!"
Todd saw his cue to put on another record, the last one for the night. It was the song no New Year's Eve party was complete without. And everybody sang along.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days of auld lang syne.
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.