There was a crowd of students gathered in front of a large stage built in front of the School of Friendship. Today, there was a graduation ceremony taking place. But not a typical graduation ceremony. This was a special impromptu ceremony celebrating the accomplishment of one filly in particular.

Apple Bloom stepped up to the podium in the middle of the stage, and started to speak.

*ahem* "Thank you all fer comin' this fine afternoon." Apple Bloom said. "As tutors of the School of Friendship, we're proud to introduce y'all to the school's latest graduate!"

"A graduate? In the middle of the semester?" Smolder whispered to her friends.

"Um. Who exactly is graduating?" Gallus asked to Apple Bloom.

"Well, yer about to find out in just a few short moments. All ah can say is, you may be a little surprised. But I assure ya, this is fer real." Apple Bloom said.

Just behind the stage, there was Cozy Glow, whom was getting dressed up by Twilight Sparkle and Spike. Starlight was backstage as well, making sure things were going smoothly. Cozy was dressed up in a graduation gown and cap. Though she appeared dressed for the part, she seemed a bit unsure.

"Um, Twilight?" Cozy asked.

"Yes, Cozy?" Twilight replied.

"I'm nervous." Cozy said.

"Well, you said you wanted to make a good impression on everypony sooner than later, so the CMC and I came up with this idea, and you agreed to it.” Twilight said.

"I know, but do I really have to show off to everypony like this?" Cozy asked.

"It isn't showing off. It's showing off... how much you've learned about friendship for real." Twilight explained.

“It’s just, if there are any creatures in Equestria who saw my evil nature, it's the School of Friendship. Even the student 6 are in attendance.” Cozy said.

“Which is precisely why I think this moment is so important.” Twilight said.

"They'll be happy to see the new you, Cozy." Spike said.

“Yeah, but…” Cozy said, nervously.

Twilight draped her wing over Cozy Glow.

"Hey, Cozy. You can do this. You’ll do great. I know you will." she said.

Cozy's eyes twinkled and glistened. There was no feeling better than being assured by Twilight.

Cozy nodded affirmatively. *sniff* "Okay, Twilight." she said.

Apple Bloom received the signal from Starlight that the graduate was ready to come up.

"Alright. That's enough prelude from me. Everypony give it up for..." Apple Bloom said.

Cozy Glow walked onto the stage, and waved nervously at everyone.

Everypony gasp at the sight of Cozy Glow. Cozy was put off by how shocked everyone was, but she trotted up to the podium anyway, and started speaking.

*ahem* "Greetings, every creature." Cozy said.

Cozy looked at the confused audience. She took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"I wanna start by saying thank you to all of you for coming to my graduation ceremony and speech." she said.

The crowd remained fairly quiet. Which I suppose is good, it meant they were listening, but Cozy found it a little unnerving.

"I know a few of you may be surprised to see me again... I'm sure a few of you might be thinking she doesn't deserve a friendship diploma. She's just trying to trick us again." Cozy said.

Twilight looked at Cozy, and gestured for her to change the subject.

"But uh... enough about what I'm afraid of you all are thinking. Here's what I have to say. *ahem* This might sound unbelievable coming from me, but Twilight Sparkle and her friends have taught me so much about friendship over these past few days. I'm no longer the power seeking filly you all remember me as. Now, I finally get it.” Cozy said "Twilight was right. Power isn't the reason to have friends. You don't make friends to have them do your bidding. You make friends for the connections you make with them. Friends make you feel good, they're there to help you when you need them, and you do the same for them in return. Your friends want to be your friends because they feel the same way about you."

The student six looked at one another. A few of them appeared skeptical, while some seemed intrigued.

"I never understood that before. I wanted Twilight's position as Headmare, because I saw how many friends she had, and how powerful she was. And I wanted that for myself. But like I said, power isn't the reason to make friends. All the power in the world is meaningless compared to the feeling that special spark with your friends." Cozy said.

There was neither clap, nor groan from the audience. Mostly a feeling of bewilderment. Starlight stepped onto stage to ease things.

"Very well put, Cozy Glow. I believe it's quite clear that you've learned a lot about friendship in such a short amount of time. I think being able to trust Cozy to do good is reason enough to call for celebration." Starlight said.

"Indeed. And although there will always be more to learn about friendship, I also wanted to announce that I've made the personal decision to not return to the School of Friendship. My time at this school is done." Cozy said.

There was a small gasp from the audience.

"But, we'd hate to see Cozy leave the school empty hoofed. So, considering how much she's accomplished, we still wanted to reward that. That is why, to commemorate her leaving the school, I present Cozy Glow with her very own School of Friendship diploma!" Starlight said.

Starlight handed Cozy Glow a furled up diploma. This did come as to a shock to many audience members. Mostly the student 6, who were baffled.

"Thank you, Headmare Starlight. Though, I don't think I necessarily need this diploma to prove my newfound knowledge of friendship. Even so, I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who showed me kindness in the School of Friendship in the past, even if I didn't express it back truthfully at the time. This place still feels like my old home.”

Cozy could see the student six ruffling their feathers. At least for those whom had feathers.

"Now before any of you get up in claws, this diploma's blank. This whole ceremony is purely recreational." Cozy giggled.

Cozy unfurled and showed off the blank diploma.

"Then why are we here?" Gallus asked.

"I just wanted to... reconnect with some of my old pals at the School of Friendship before I move to Canterlot. Very soon, I will be moving to Canterlot, where I will live under the careful watch of Princess Twilight Sparkle.” Cozy explained. "I figured you'd like to know what I've been up to all this time, and where I'll be going. I thought some of you would be happy for me."

The crowd was still fairly quiet, though they were starting to lighten up to her.

"But you know, speaking about friendship is one thing. Doing kind things is another. And I have something nice I would like to do for three little fillies." Cozy said.

Three little fillies stepped onto the stage. They were the ones from Sunny Valley orphanage, where Cozy Glow was also from.

"These are some fillies who I've known for a long time. Ziggy, Miranda, and Little Miss Trombonist. They don't have many friends, but I hope some of you will be their friends, as I welcome them to the School of Friendship!" Cozy said.

The three fillies smiled nervously. Starlight shook each of their little hooves, welcoming them to the School of Friendship.

"And trust me. Just because they're from the same town as me, doesn't mean they're anything like me. So you all needn't to worry about a thing." Cozy said, giggling.

A small amount of applause did start to emanate from the crowd.

"You know, I think I'm actually sort of... glad, for Cozy Glow." Silver Stream said.

"Yona think so too. But, Yona not supposed to trust cute pony?" Yona said.

Sandbar stood up. "Cozy Glow? Is this all for real?" he asked.

*Cozy nodded* "As real as it gets." she said.

Twilight came out onto the stage, and put her hoof to Cozy's shoulder. Twilight also winked at Cozy, which made her smile.

Seeing Twilight so openly accepting of Cozy Glow gave a sense of confidence in the crowd.

"Cozy Glow!" a pony from the audience called out. "So you're really Twilight's right hoof pony? What's that feel like?"

"What was it like being an alicorn!?" another voice cried.

"What does suspended animation feel like?!" said another voice in the crowd.

Cozy and Twilight looked at each other, playfully.

"It looks like I got a lot of questions to answer." Cozy said, joyfully.

"Then I'll let you get to it, Cozy." Twilight said, smiling.

Cozy leaped down from the stage, and engaged in fun conversations with everypony, and every creature. Starlight and Spike stood next to Twilight and watched over Cozy.

"Another friendship lesson successfully taught." Spike said.

Twilight continued watching Cozy interact with all the students. Making good conversation with them, and having a good time.

"How's it feel?" Starlight asked.

"It's even better than I could've imagined." Twilight said.

"I've got my eyes open, but, I'm willing to give you another chance." Gallus said.

"Yona agree." Yona said.

"If Twilight trusts you, I guess that's as good as it gets." Smolder said.

"Thanks, guys. I'm not asking for much. But I appreciate you all giving me the benefit of the doubt." Cozy said.

"Have you heard any word on if Princess Twilight will try to reform Chrysalis soon?" Ocellus asked.

"Um. I don't know for sure. But I do know that there have been talks." Cozy said.

One colt walked up to Cozy and asked a particularly pressing question.

"Rumor has it that you're Princess Twilight's new daughter. Is there any truth to this?" he asked.

Cozy took a step back and silently gasped when she heard their question.

"Uh... Let's just say, I'm looking forward to spending time under the Princess's wing." Cozy said, smiling.

The CMC fought through the crowd, and all came up to Cozy to congratulate her.

"Way to go, Cozy!" Apple Bloom said.

"We're so proud of you, Cozy Glow!" Sweetie Belle said.

"We're so proud of you for graduating!" Scootaloo said.

"Oh, thank you so much, Cutie Mark Crusaders." Cozy said. "But, it was more ceremonious, than official."

"We're proud of you regardless. I think you do deserve some big recognition for how far you've come." Scootaloo said.

"Good luck on your journey in Canterlot, Cozy." Sweetie Belle said.

"Yeah... Canterlot, huh." Cozy said, slowly.

"We're sure going to miss you when you leave for Canterlot." Scootaloo said.

"Yeah... ... I'm going to miss you all too." Cozy said.

The three of them gave Cozy a big group hug. Though, Cozy couldn't help but wonder about the future.

I'm not sure I want to say good bye to them... Cozy thought i her head.

Later that day, when the sun was nearly about to set:

Outside of the Castle of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle was nearly ready to head back to Canterlot, with Spike and Cozy Glow by her side.

Starlight Glimmer, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were all gathered to say good bye.

"So, this is it, huh?" Rarity asked.

"For now. Until we're all needed to come together again. Which, may not be that far in the future after all." Twilight said.

"Even though, we already had a good bye when you left for Canterlot the first time, I'm still feeling choked up." Rainbow Dash said.

"Me too." Pinkie said.

The mane six and Spike swelled up with emotions, and all gave each other a big group hug.

Cozy saw the mane 6 all hugging each other, so she turned her attention to the CMC. She stood in place, not knowing what to say just yet.

"What's on your mind, Cozy?" Scootaloo asked.

"Thinking about something?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Is somethin' the matter, Cozy Glow?" Apple Bloom asked.

"No, I'm fine. I'm uh... I'm just going to miss you three." Cozy said.

"Likewise, Cozy." Scootaloo said.

Cozy started to weep.

"It's just... you three were the very first friends I made while in the school. You were the first ones who extended their hooves out to me. I guess, it's just difficult for me to say good bye to you guys."

The CMC gave Cozy a big group hug.

"Oh! I love you, Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Cozy said, weeping.

"We love you too, Cozy Glow." they said simultaneously.

Everypony was finished hugging. Cozy turned her attention to the mane 6 once again.

"Thank you, everypony. I really mean it. None of this would've been possible without your reach. Literally. I would've been stuck in stone for a really long time if no one reached out to me. That's what I was most worried about, but I really do appreciate everything you've done for me, mane 6. You guys didn't have to give me another chance. I probably wouldn't have given me a second chance after all the things I did." Cozy said.

"Nah. It wouldn't have felt right leaving you in stone for all that time." Rainbow Dash said.

"An besides, we got to see the real you, and saw that you ain't so bad." Applejack said.

"In fact, you're actually really sweet." Fluttershy said.

"Oh, you're too kind, really." Cozy said, blushing. "You all didn't have to do this. You all chose to do it."

"Of course we're willing to offer friendship. So long as you're ready to accept it. We never thought for a moment that a filly was truly definitely out of the question for redemption. We always planned on reaching out to you. We just weren't expecting Twilight to do it so soon, and to be so sure about it." Rarity said.

"Though, I guess that's on us. It shouldn't have come as any surprise." Fluttershy said.

"I guess I'm the one who was mistaken all this time. I thought that you guys were really willing to seal me away forever, and not even consider my feelings. Boy did you all prove me wrong." Cozy said. "I convinced myself that what I was doing would get me what I wanted. I had no idea that friendship from you guys could be something I truly wanted, or would enjoy so much. Thank you all."

"You're welcome!" they all said.

"I'm proud of you, Cozy." Starlight said.

"Thank you, Starlight. That means a lot coming from you."

Starlight and Cozy gave each other a big hug.

"You know, it feels good not having to worry about scheming, or keeping up some fake appearance. It's nice to just relax and let ponies enjoy you for the real you." Cozy said.

With hugs and goodbyes given, it was time to go. Cozy Glow stood next to Twilight and Spike, as they were all ready to fly to Canterlot.

"Until next time, everypony." Cozy said, with a twinkle in her eye.

Everypony waved bye to her.

"You ready, Cozy?" Twilight asked.

Cozy nodded.

"I am." she said.

Twilight, Cozy, and Spike all took flight, and flew for Canterlot.

Everypony below continued to wave good bye, as they flew into the sunset.

"And there they go." Sweetie Belle said.

"I really am gonna miss her. Feels like we just reconnected with her, only for her to leave a short while later." Apple Bloom said.

"That's because, that's exactly what happened." Scootaloo said.

"Well, still. It'd've been nice to have gotten to know more about this new Cozy Glow." Apple Bloom said.

"I'm with you there." Scootaloo said.

"Even so, we should all be proud of her. And support her for this next chapter of her life." Sweetie Belle said.

"Right. So, it's back to our usual day to day lives then?" Apple Bloom asked.

"...Suppose so." Scootaloo said.

The CMC's respective sisters approached them and put their hooves around them, as they all watched the trio fly off.

"Hey, come on. Don't fret too much, squirt. She's in good hooves with Twilight." Rainbow Dash said.

"Yeah. You're right, Rainbow Dash. I know exactly what that feels like." Scootaloo said, smiling.

Everypony swelled up somewhat. It was uplifting to see Cozy Glow in a better place. Not too long ago, such a thing seemed inconceivable. But they were all pleasantly surprised by Cozy Glow's true nature. None of them really considered, or could've thought that Cozy could be anything other than what they witnessed beforehand. But, thanks in part to their perseverance , and willingness to understand Cozy Glow, her true colors started to glow. And what they found wasn't scary. They found a friend, who was actually pretty sweet.

Author's Note

I apologize for the long wait between chapters. At first, I put the story down so I could work on Cozy Towers, as I ended up having a mad scramble to get it done and refined in time for the due date. (And then the due date got extended after I already submitted and declared the story done. Oh well.)

And then further delays because I started to focus on other projects, and cause I wasn't sure how many more chapters I would need to wrap up this story. So, for the sake of delivering something, here it is. There's still one more chapter to go. Sorry it's taken this long.