[Cozy's Perspective]
It was the next morning, and Knox was leading an extremely distraught Cozy Glow through the streets of Ponyville towards Sugarcube Corner.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked worriedly.
"Of course," Knox replied. "Although, you might want to let me talk to her first. After all, this'll be quite the shock for her."
The closer the duo got to the nearby bakery, the more nervous Cozy grew. Before she knew it, she was clenching her teeth as Knox slowly opened the bakery door... and BANG!
A torrent of confetti burst out of the bakery as Pinkie, along with a few other ponies, shouted "Surprise!"
"Welcome back, Cozy Glow," continued Pinkie as she ushered the two utterly shocked ponies into the building.
"Pinkie," Knox questioned, "You already knew about Cozy Glow?"
"Well, duh, silly," replied Pinkie. "How else would I have known to plan this party? I got a letter from Twilight about it last night! I'm so happy for you, Knox!"
Cozy Glow was just watching the scene unfold. She may have been a criminal mastermind, but even she had been surprised by the party. There was punch, baked goods, and a few party games set up as well.
"Good golly, professor," she said to Pinkie, "all of this is really for me?"
"Sure!" exclaimed Pinkie. "After all, if Twilight and Knox think you deserve a second chance, then so do I!"
She proceed to hit Cozy Glow on the crown of her head.
"Hey!" Cozy exclaimed, but she soon noticed that the overexcited party host had only been putting a party hat on her head.
The party was small, thankfully. Cozy wasn't exactly ready to reenter the Equestrian social scene quite yet. The guests were just Pinkie; Knox; Pinkie's sister, Maud; the Cake family; and Cozy Glow herself. She introduced herself to the guests she hadn't already met and proceeded to talk only to Knox and Pinkie for the rest of the party.
Pinkie truly had thought through everything for the party. The bewitching bell pinata may have been in poor taste, but the rest of the festivities were quite enjoyable. She'd even gotten Mrs. Cake to display the sprinkle shakers Cozy had once gifted to her. Honestly, Cozy was just surprised Mrs. Cake had kept them, especially after her second attempt at world domination.
Pinkie spent most of the party asking Cozy seemingly random questions out of the blue. Most of them were easy to answer, but then Pinkie asked her what it was like being turned to stone.
Cozy visibly cringed and remained silent for a long moment.
'Imagine standing perfectly still for months, frozen in an eternal scream. Imagine thinking you'll never see another sunrise or sunset, or anything for that matter. Imagine being trapped in your own mind, constantly tormented by the sins that plague your past. Imagine coming face-to-face with your inner demons because they're the only ones you can talk to.'
This was what she wanted to say. This was the truth. Instead, she said "Cold... Cold and stiff..."
Overall, the party wasn't nearly the waste of time Cozy had expected it to be. She'd even gained a new ally in Pinkie Pie. If she was to be accepted after all she'd done, she would need every ally she could get.
'And to think,' she thought to herself as she and Knox made their way towards the School of Friendship for her therapy session, 'I thought it would be hard to gain the trust of Princess Twilight's friends. Now, I have one more pony I can trust. Now, hopefully things keep going this well for my master plan.'