Late one night, Falcon Dive raced Buffer through the Castle of Friendship's hallways, with the fast flyer coming in first place, as always.
"And the winner is none other than Falcon Dive! Of course, that's me." the griffon said in a proud tone.
"Falcon, it's really late, should we be sleeping by now?" Buffer asked.
"Well, since it's near eleven, I suppose...that's enough. We should totally get some shut eye." Falcon Dive replied, after looking at a clock nearby.
"Goodnight, anyways," Buffer yawned, before walking away.
"Goodnight," Falcon replied, supporting his buffalo friend to the hallway that contained their bedrooms.
However, instead of going directly to bed, Falcon Dive peaked his head out of his room to check if Buffer's bedroom door was closed, before flying off to the Castle Library, where the rest of their best friends were waiting.
"There you are, Falcon Dive! So, is Buffer tired out?" Sunshine Rays asked.
"Totally! He's mostly driven off to sleep!" Falcon Dive proudly declared.
"But there are chances that he could wake up in the middle of the night, or can be sleepless right now. And if he needed to get a drink and leave his bedroom, he might discover that you are all having a meeting without him," Sunset Shimmer told the creatures, standing outside the Library doors.
"Which is why we asked you to guard the Library entrance throughout our meeting, Miss Sunset Shimmer!" Yellow Bright reminded.
"And as soon as we are done, you can return to your Crystal Mirror guarding job," Evergreen added.
"Sure, I know that!" Sunset replied.
"Alright, every creature." Luster began, "As you all know, Buffer's twentieth birthday is coming!"
"And since twenty is two tens, and one decade is ten years, some creature that is twenty years old is actually also two decades old!" Volcano defined.
"Right," Luster responded, before going back to her speech, "As I was saying, Buffer is going to turn two decades old, next Saturday!"
"And because Buffer saved our friendship back there when we were in the catacombs underneath Canterlot, we decided to help him make his birthday party even more special!" Alkali cheered.
"But how? Buffer probably already has celebrated his birthday over nineteen times! He knows what a birthday party celebrating his birthday is like!" Nature Bloom pointed out.
"But not this one!" Luster declared, "Now, has any creature guessed why I told you all to come to this secret meeting without Buffer this morning when he went to the washroom, leaving us in the Dining Room?"
Every creature thought for a while, before Krona asked, "Is it because Luster has something to tell every creature except Buffer?"
"Half right," Luster answered.
"Because you have a surprise for him?" Alkali asked.
"Closer to the answer," Luster replied in a sing-song tone.
"Isn't it obvious? With Buffer's birthday near, and a surprise for him, it's because she is planning..." Volcano began, before being cut off by Yellow Bright.
"A surprise birthday party!"
After the series' theme song intro played, Luster confirmed, "That's right, I have decided, that we should throw Buffer a surprise birthday party to celebrate him becoming two decades old, and thank him for saving our friendship."
"Sorry to say this, Luster Dawn, but, I think Buffer already know that he's going to have a birthday party!" Falcon Dive pointed out.
"Yeah, he already told our families to come next Saturday to celebrate," Sunshine Rays proved Falcon Dive's statement true.
"Unless you erase his memory, he probably will not..." Yellow Bright began, before Krona cut him off.
"Erasing memory is not nice!"
"Don't worry, every creature, I already had this whole surprise party planned since the day Buffer sent those invitations!" Luster declared.
In a flashback...
"I knew that a surprise birthday party is not very unexpected, thanks to many stories about one. So I decided, that the only way a party like that will not be expected, is to throw it when the creature it is for will least expect it, which is a week before the day that a birthday party can be held. I made sure he does not expect it, by supporting his idea to invite all of our families over for his birthday party on the actual day, and delivering his invitations to them. But before I do so, my alarm clock went off, which was part of my plan to ensure I can get to my room with the invitations without any creature following, when I disappeared to the said location to stop the ringing, so I can alter the invitations to tell the guests to come the week before, in secret. And, to prevent Buffer from learning about it, I told the guests to send their replies to me and not to him, and I casted a spell on the mailbox so I can keep track of all the mail it gets, until all the replies came."
Luster narrated her explanation as a montage showed what happened many days ago: During breakfast in the Dining Room, Buffer talked about having his birthday party, inviting the families of the Heroic Ten. Luster's parents, alongside the rest of the creatures agreed with him, and he was soon seen writing the invitation letters, before giving them to Luster to magically deliver the letters.
Suddenly, an alarm clock ring could be heard, causing Luster to say, "That must be my alarm clock! But I didn't put any alarms other than the morning alarm...it could be broken!"
Luster then teleported into her room with the invitations she was levitating with her magic. She turned off the alarm before changing the words on the invitations, telling the guests that Buffer's party was a surprise for him that she would be organising. She then sent the invitations away, before telling her friends that she fixed her alarm clock, and sent the invitations out.
A few days later, Luster collected all the mail that were replies to the invitations, and told every creature that their families were able to attend the party, "Every creature! The replies to the invitations came! And most of our family members can make it! And, sorry about opening those letters without your permission, Buffer. I kind of forgot that I was not supposed to do that."
"It's alright, Luster. At least you can tell us who's coming and who is not." Buffer assured.
"You're right," Luster responded, before asking their best friends, "Now, who wants to hear the list of creatures who can make it to Buffer's birthday party?"
"Maybe the list of creatures who can't make it is shorter!" Volcano suggested.
"Alright, list of creatures who cannot make it, it is!" Luster replied.
After the flashback ended, Luster's friends expressed shock to learn how good their intelligent leader was at coming up with successful plans.
"Wow, that is...really unexpected." Alkali commented.
"But isn't altering some creatures' letters, especially to the point that you made the receivers know that the letters aren't from the said creature, without the original sender's permission, something not right?" Sunshine Rays asked.
"And, Luster was deceiving every creature! Especially Buffer!" Krona roared.
"Now, now, every creature. Let's just accept the fact that nothing can be done to undo all of this," evergreen told the others.
"But, Luster, if you had this all planned out since long ago, why didn't you tell us until the day before the night you told our families to come?" Nature Bloom asked.
"I actually would tell you all my plan, but I was afraid that some creature will not be able to keep the secret from Buffer this long!" Luster answered.
"Some creature?! Who? Me? Volcano? Nature? Sunshine? Falcon? Yellow Bright? Evergreen? Krona..." Alkali listed, before realising something, "I think I know who you're talking about."
"Wait, Luster thinks Krona can't keep a secret from Buffer?!" Krona asked.
"Well, now that we thought about it, you barely told a lie, Krona." Volcano pointed out.
"Yeah, it's like forever since you last told a lie!" Falcon Dive supported Volcano's sentence.
"Not to make any creature panic, but if you told Buffer the truth..." Evergreen began, before being cut off by Yellow Bright.
"The surprise will be ruined!"
"Especially after Luster worked so hard to make it happen!" Sunshine Rays added, before turning to Luster, "Still, I don't approve your methods to achieve it."
"But...Krona can keep secrets a secret!" Krona insisted.
"Without lying? That's...not very possible." Volcano stated.
"Trust Krona, she really can tell the truth and keep a secret at the same time!" Krona pleaded.
"I'm sorry Krona, but I've already planned that your role to help out with the surprise party is to stay in the Castle and mark the attendance of the guest. We'll handle the rest by getting the supply and ensuring that Buffer does not find out until sunset."
"Cheer up, Krona! At least you don't have to avoid Buffer and feel bad!" Yellow Bright pointed out.
"Unfortunately, I have planned for each of us to take turns being the distraction. And to ensure that Buffer will not be able to join us for breakfast next morning by having all of us to ensure he sleeps late tonight, while we use a special sleeplessness spell that Miss Sunset Shimmer showed me the other day! So we can all act normal around Buffer tomorrow, preventing him from suspecting anything!" Luster explained her plan.
"That sounds like a well-planned plan!" Alkali commented.
"Except for the part Krona can't see Buffer at all," Krona complained.
"Only until the party!" Evergreen pointed out.
""Well, Alkali and I don't have to teach tomorrow since it's a weekend, so, we can help out!" Volcano insisted.
"I may not be a fan of surprise parties fearing that some creatures can be sensitive, but knowing that Buffer isn't that kind of creature, I suppose I accept it," Nature Bloom added.
"Me too, I would never want to let my best friends down!" Yellow Bright joined in.
"Something like a surprise party organisation may not be any big adventure, but it can be one! I'm in for it, especially since it's the first time ever I get to do it!" Falcon Dive exclaimed.
"I dislike the deceiving ways, but, for once, and just for once, I'm in." Sunshine Rays sighed, joining her hoof with her best friends' hooves and claws.
"What about you, Krona?" Luster asked the only creature who was yet to join.
"Fine. If Krona's friends insist." Krona responded, placing her hoof on every creatures' hooves and claws.
"Operation surprise birthday party is in go!" the nine creatures declared in unison.
"Now, knowing that Buffer is the listening expert who can identify if some creature is telling the truth or not by observing their expressions and tones, he will not be easily fooled." Luster warned, "So we must be extra careful while talking to him tomorrow..."
The next day, Buffer yawned as he walked out of his room, Luster then appeared, greeting him, "Good morning, Buffer! Wow, you look really tired! What time did you sleep last night?"
"Eleven plus, that's what. Don't blame Falcon Dive for racing me," Buffer replied.
"Oh, Falcon kept you up late? Well, that's not very usual, but we know him, always wanting to get some exercise , probably just trying to help you get some too, so you can be healthy." Lustre responded.
"What are you doing here? I thought you'd be in the Dining Room, with the rest of our best friends, as usual every breakfast and dinner?" Buffer asked.
"Well, we were waiting for you, and since I can teleport, I came to get you," Luster answered, before using her magic to teleport them into the mentioned room.
"Buffer, there you are!" Sunshine Rays greeted, the moment she saw the buffalo, after he was teleported into the room.
"Sorry we ate our breakfast before you came. It's just that, oats are not good when soaked in milk for a long time," Nature Bloom apologised.
"Long?! It isn't even an hour! It's just five to ten or fifteen minutes!" Falcon Dive commented in a protesting tone.
"Anyway, here's your oats!" Yellow Bright told Buffer, giving the latter a bowl of the said food.
"Thanks, Yellow Bright," Buffer responded, before noticing his best friends leaving the Dining Room, asking them, "Where are you all going?"
"Well, we all got some things to do today," Volcano answered.
"Totally! Today, I got to help Madam Fluttershy attract more animal care helpers to take care of big animals that cannot be kept as pets for most creatures! Next, I have to help Captain Rainbow Dash by encouraging her Wonderbolt Cadets, then I got to help Madam Rarity encourage more creatures to take Fashion as a job so all of Equestrian and Beyond can have enough dress shops and not...make fashion designers super stress with their demands when a time comes that they need formal outfits!" Alkali explained.
"I got errands today, as well. You see, some creatures need to learn patience, and as the Element of Patience, I am the creature for the job!" Evergreen added.
"We all got things to do, but mostly, at different times of the day!" Yellow Bright pointed out.
"Well, if you all say so,I'll just go help Krona make some heavy deliveries..." Buffer stated, starting to walk out the door, before halting as Volcano told the former.
"Actually, instead of delivering with Krona, we decided that you have to try to work without her,"
"Wait. What?" Buffer asked in a confused tone.
"You see, most of us don't work side by side," Sunshine Rays explained.
"Yeah, I totally work as a lookout all over Ponyville, and also, a protector and hero whenever disaster strikes. But when there's no disaster, as usual, I will be up in the skies without any of you accompanying," Falcon Dive gave an example.
"I may have to read some books with Luster at times to find some good, moral lessons for my good story writing guide, but I still write the book alone." Sunshine Rays contributed.
"I may rely on Alkali to ensure our students pay attention and learn from our lessons, but other than that, I work alone doing science, as my personal self-given job." Volcano ended.
"We may like staying together as best friends, but sometimes, we can't be physically together," Evergreen stated the main point.
"So, you must be ready for when the times come, that you can't be with your friends!" Yellow Bright dramatically added.
"But don't worry, Krona may be busy with her deliveries, but you may run into us while doing yours," Nature Bloom assured.
"Some of us, the chances of you running into me are not high," Falcon Dive pointed out, "I'll be high in the sky, looking out!"
"Perhaps we have done enough talking, every crater? Because it's getting late!" Luster told her best friends, levitating a clock for them to see.
"Sorry, Buffer! We got to go!" Alkali exclaimed, before rushing off.
"Oh, and Buffer, don't worry about not doing delivery with Krona for the first time. It's just checking who the package is for, take it to their residence..." Luster explained, before Buffer told her, "I know that, Luster."
Luster then teleported herself outside to have a last talk with the others, "Alright, remember, whenever Falcon Dive does the warning signal, it means that Buffer is getting close to something that can give him a hint to finding out our plan! And if Falcon Dive does another signal, it means that some creature is already handling it!"
"Don't worry, I mesmerised those signals! Tilted eight and an upside down seven for warning and resolved respectively!" Falcon Dive assured.
"And we all know what does signals look like," Sunshine Rays added.
"Hopefully we will notice them," Nature Bloom contributed.
"For the creatures who can notice it by being around, that is." Alkali chimed in.
"What are you all chatting about?" Buffer's voice could be heard asking, startling his best friends.
"Whoa, Buffer! You really startled us!" Luster grasped for air.
"Sorry, my hoof steps are not so loud, should have known you couldn't hear them and will not hear me coming," Buffer apologised.
"That's alright, all is forgiven." Evergreen responded.
"And about your question earlier? We don't have time to answer right now," Yellow Bright lied.
"But, I thought that you were all in a rush?" Buffer reminded.
"Well, we were, but then one of us tripped on the other, and the rest of us gathered to check!" Falcon Dive cooked up a story.
"Really?! Who's hurt? And, why did you kept on stopping for a while as you said that sentence? You usually would talk fast with no brakes when some accident or emergency happens," Buffer asked, before noticing every creature's anxious faces, asking, "And, why are you all showing those expressions?"
Fortunately for the surprise party-planners, Luster hid behind Volcano and Alkali's large bodies so Buffer could not see her horn glowing as she was making a few illusions nearby, while levitating a small stone to hit him by the back, making him face the illusions of three colts.
"We're so sorry, Mr. Buffer!" the Earth Pony colt apologised.
"We were playing with stones and accidentally hit you!" the unicorn colt explained.
"We never had the intentions of hitting you, and we will not play this around here, nor anywhere with creatures that can be hit by our stones, ever again!" the pegasus colt finished.
"It's alright, young colts, I can identify that you didn't mean it," Buffer assured, having observed their expressions and tones.
Luster levitated the stone that hit Buffer, at the same time she made the unicorn colt illusion's horn glow, so Buffer would think that the colt was levitating the stone, while telling the buffalo, "From now on, we're going to take these stones away from here. Starting now, goodbye and sorry about hating you! by accident!"
"Don't worry, one apology is enough!" Buffer called, before turning to face his best friends, only to find that they had vanished, before facing back to the direction the colt illusions went, to find that the colts disappeared as well.
Unknown to him, Luster casted an invisibility spell on he and her best friends, as they sneaked to Ponyville, hiding behind a house.
"That sure was close," Yellow Bright heaved a sigh of relief.
"Way too close, that is! I can't believe I messed up!" Falcon Dive complained.
"I don't blame you, Falcon." Sunshine Rays assured.
"But we have a problem, disappearing like that can make Buffer think about us all day!" Volcano pointed out.
"Not if one of us convince him that everything is alright!" Luster declared.
"Are you sure you can get Buffer to believe you?" Nature Bloom asked.
"Well, I'm the obvious leader of our team! Why wouldn't he trust me?" Luster pointed out.
"You do have a point," Evergreen commented.
"Anyway, I got to get going, some creatures need my encouraging skills at work!" Alkali told the others, taking off.
"And I got lookout watching!" Falcon Dive added, blasting off, before Luster teleported herself in front of Buffer.
Buffer was walking towards town a moment before Luster suddenly appeared, startling him.
"Sorry, Buffer. Did not mean to scare you by teleporting myself in front of you without warnings. And...I just came to tell you that every creature disappeared earlier behind your back is because they rushed off, and I had my own things to do. Which, I have to get back to right away, just dropped by for a second so you won't worry!" Luster told the buffalo, before disappearing.
Luster then teleported herself to the Castle Library, where Krona and Sunset Shimmer were reading books, waiting for Luster to arrive.
"I'm so sorry it took longer than planned! Things got really complicated, as Buffer figured that we were lying!" Luster apologised before panicking.
"Luster, every creature could have just told Buffer the truth..." Krona began, before being cut off by the mentioned unicorn.
"And ruin the surprise?! No way! Plus, now that he's probably doing deliveries and won't be thinking much about our behaviour this morning, he won't be any trouble for you Krona, as you mark the attendance of our guest inside the Castle when they arrive!"
"But, Krona can keep secrets secrets! She knows how to avoid telling the secret while telling the truth!" Krona complained.
"Sorry, it's just that...we won't believe it until we see it, and now is not a good time!" Luster replied, opening the Castle Library doors, before walking down the hallway to the Castle entrance.
Meanwhile, at Sugarcube Corner, Yellow Bright paid a sack of bits to Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich, before the married party ponies gave him a huge box with a cake inside.
"Alright, Yellow Bright! Here's the cake you just paid for! I think that you need a wagon to carry this oversized pastry to the Castle!" Pinkie told the yellow-coated Earth Pony.
"Don't worry, Luster is on her way to teleport this cake, right around now." Yellow Bright stated, a second before what he said happened for real.
Luster, having used her magic to teleport into the shop, approached her Best Friend, "I'm here! So, is the cake ready?"
"It sure is!" Yellow Bright responded, before he and Luster heard Buffer's voice coming from outside.
"Delivery for Madam Pinkie Pie and Mr. Cheese Sandwich!"
"Uh oh!" Buffer's pony best friends gasped in unison, fearing that Buffer would discover them, and soon the surprise!
"The extra Whisking Machines we ordered, Cheesy! They're finally here!" Pinkie squealed, opening the packages outside Sugarcube Corner after rushing outside to receive them.
"Um...Madam Pinkie Pie? Did you see Yellow Bright in Sugarcube Corner? I thought I heard him saying 'it sure is', but am not sure who he was talking to." Buffer asked.
"He's talking to us! Asking if something he bought from us is ready or not, and when we told him that it is, he repeated what we said, 'it sure is'!" Pinkie Pie cooked up a false explanation to protect the Heroic Ten's surprise.
"Are you sure? You sounded little uncomfortable and nervous back there," Buffer asked.
Nearby, Falcon Dive, who had been spying on Buffer, realised that the mentioned buffalo was close to discovering the surprise. Knowing that he needed to shake Buffer off, he quickly turned to passerby Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
"I totally remembered it wrongly! I do tend to forget my own birthday, after all!" Pinkie Pie tried to prevent buffer's suspicions from growing.
"Oh, really? I doubt that something like what happened a few minutes ago can be forgotten that fast!" Buffer protested, before hearing Diamond Tiara call out to him.
"There you are, Mr. Buffer! What explains the deliveries today being very slow?!"
"Yeah, Diamond Tiara and I have actually ordered some packages, that we are yet to get!" Silver Spoon added.
Seeing that the two mares were going to keep Buffer busy and distracted, Falcon Dive did the upside down seven flight pattern after whispering to himself, "That will keep him busy!"
Meanwhile, inside the Castle of Friendship, Luster heaved a sigh of relief, as she told Krona, "Good thing Yellow Bright told Madam Pinkie Pie and Mr. Cheese Sandwich to keep the cake and surprise party a secret, otherwise it'd be ruined back there!"
"Krona already tried to tell you, tell Buffer the truth!" Krona repeated what she tried to say.
"What?! No way! Plus, Buffer can already be getting suspicious, we better get everything ready and keep him away from the Castle until the party!" Luster declared.
The scene change back to showing Buffer's conversation with the two mares.
"I may be delivering without Krona beside me for the first time, but I'm still delivering at my usual constant pace!" Buffer explained.
"Oh, really? If you are delivering at your constant pace, why are you still talking right now?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"Wait. Why am I still talking right now?!" Buffer asked in a panicked tone.
"And not to mention, that we didn't see Miss Krona around, so you better double your speed and pick up the pace!" Silver Spoon added.
"Wait, you didn't see Krona around?" Buffer asked.
"What are you still standing here for?!" Diamond Tiara roared, "Just get delivering!"
After Buffer rushed off, Falcon Dive approached the mares, "Thanks for helping me throw Buffer off his conversation with Sugarcube Corner's workers. But, unfortunately, you did not do a totally good job, saying that Krona was not seen around!"
"What are you talking about? We only said that we did not see her around!" Silver Spoon pointed out.
"But that can make Buffer suspicious! He's the Element of Listening for creature sake!" Falcon Dive argued.
"And?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"Don't you get it?! He'll think about what he heard you say! He'll brainstorm why you said that, and soon form a chain of thought, that can make him realise that Krona is not doing delivery today!" Falcon Dive responded in a gradually getting louder tone, that multiple creatures nearby could hear.
"Wait. What?!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon asked in unison, making Falcon Dive gulp and nervous chuckle, before the screen faded black.
After the screen regained its colours, Silver Spoon angrily approached Falcon Dive, causing him to back off a bit.
"Falcon Dive, you told us to ask Buffer why deliveries aren't delivered at the rate they used to be!" Silver Spoon angrily reminded the griffon.
"And that's really not because of Buffer, but because of Krona?!" Diamond Tiara roared.
"Well, it's a really long story that I cannot tell right now, unfortunately..." Falcon Dive nervously chuckled.
"You'll pay for this, Falcon Dive!" Diamond Tiara scolded.
The sound of bits could be heard hitting the ground, causing the two mares to look down at the bits the griffon just dropped, telling them, "Here you go, the bits to pay! Now I got to go. Hopefully paying you will set things right between us!"
After finishing his sentence, Falcon Dive took off at a high speed, asking himself, "Why did I said all that?! I really am an out-of-control web-of-lies maker! Making just that! Plus, failed to keep an eye on Buffer for the whole day until the party! I got to quickly find him and hopefully signal if he gets close to finding a clue that can expose the surprise!"
At Ponyville Bookstore, Sunshine Rays was purchasing sa few books and banner that was meant to be for Buffer's surprise birthday party. She walked out of the building, where she coincidently bumped into Buffer.
"Sunshine! What are you doing here? And is that a...banner?"
Quickly picking up the books and banner she dropped when she collided with her Best Friend, Sunshine Rays replied, "A banner? Your eyes could be playing tricks on you. It's just a blank long sheet of paper."
"Really? I never remembered any paper like that being sold here, especially when I do deliveries and delivered the things here with Krona," Buffer stated.
Realising that Sunshine Rays could use help, Falcon Dive quickly did the tilted eight signal, which Luster Dawn saw while buying apples at Sweet Apple Aces from Applejack and the farmer's husband Caramel.
"Oh great. What now?" she groaned, teleporting herself to the location.
"Buffer, shouldn't you get back to your deliveries? They aren't going to deliver themselves, you know!" Sunshien Rays pointed out.
"Oh, right. Sorry, I just kept on getting distracted today," Buffer replied, before pulling his cart of deliveries off.
Luste then appeared in front of Sunshine Rays, telling the pegasus, "I came here as fast as I could! Is everything al..."
"Don't worry, it's alright." Sunshine Rays assured.
"Actually, everything is not alright," Falcon Dive admitted, "Buffer can actually find out that Krona isn't doing deliveries today and..."
"Brainstorm about it? Think about why we were not telling him the truth?!" Luster finished for the griffon, causing the latter to nervous laugh.
"Alright, now we really got to be careful, we can't tell lies to Buffer, or he'll think that we're up to something!" Sunshine Rays declared.
"Volcano and Yellow Bright are handling the food, Nature Bloom and her animals are doing the decorating, all is left is the guests, shouldn't be that much trouble." Luster figured.
"Don't forget that Alkali will be getting some costumes from Madam Rarity for the party!" Sunshine Rays reminded.
"And, trying to decrease Buffer's suspicions!" Falcon Dive added, "I mean, we were not good at keeping secrets from him! He can tell that we're lying!"
"And since he never saw Krona back there, he has every reason to think that there is something weird and unusual going on," Luster ended.
In the Castle Kitchen, Volcano used his fire breath to instantly warm up the food that Yellow Bright made. After finishing with the heating, Volcano called to Krona, "Krona! Food is ready! You can pick it up to the hallway where the party will be!"
"Of course Krona knows that, Volcano." Krona replied plainly, entering the room and pulling the food wagon out.
"You're not upset about not getting to see Buffer this morning, are you?" Yellow Bright asked.
"Krona never got to show that she can keep secrets! Even from a Best Friend like Buffer!" Krona sadly cried out.
"Sorry Krona, it's not that we don't believe you, it's just that, we don't want to take risks." Volcano explained.
"Risks? As if Buffer's surprise birthday party is everything that matters!" Krona huffed.
"It's what matters to them now, but it won't when the party really starts!" Yellow Bright trie to cheer his best friendnd up by his usual method of mentioning a positive outcome, but it did not work on Krona.
"Don't need to try cheering Krona up, Yellow Bright. She can handle it." the yak sadly said, pulling the wagon of food to the hallway.
Meanwhile, in Ponyville Post Office, Buffer eventually discovered his best friends' earlier lies.
"Alright, every creature! I'm finished with the earlier batch of deliveries, and now I'm ready for more!" the buffalo greeted his fellow workmates.
"There you are, Buffer! Chop chop, we don't have time!" Featherweight, one of the workers, told Buffer, giving the latter a load of packages, "You and the other package delivery creatures will unfortunately have more packages to deliver today."
"Really? Why? Is it because there are more packages than usual?" Buffer asked.
Featherweight shook his head, "No, it isn't. It's because your Best Friend, Krona did not come at all! Your best friends told us that Krona will be busy today with something else."
"Wait. What?! But they told me that Krona started delivering packages before I do!" Buffer said his thoughts out loud, before gasping, "They lied to me!"
Outside the Post Office, Falcon Dive whimpered to see and overhear the whole thing. He quickly made a crash noise outside the Post Office for Buffer to hear and get distracted by, and dashed off to warn the others about Buffer's recent discovery.
At the Castle of Friendship entrance, Krona welcomed her distant relative Yona, and the latter's family.
"Yona! Distant relative, Krona glad to see you again! And Sandbar, and your babies, Terracotta and Zenith."
"Great to see you too, Krona!" Yona happily greeted back, "Great to see you as always, distant relative!"
"Are we early? If we are, we are willing to help," Sandbar asked.
"Sure! Of course Yona and Sandbar can help! With the food...or games..." Krona suggested, a second before Falcon Dive crashed in.
"Sorry every creature, but it's an emergency! Is Luster around here?" the griffon asked.
"If it's an emergency, why didn't Falcon do the signal?" asked Krona.
"Because I really forgot and messed up?" Falcon Dive nervously chuckled.
"Messed what up?" Yona asked.
"Well, did Luster ever told you that Buffer's surprise party today is a surprise?!" Falcon Dive asked.
"Oh, right!" Sandbar replied.
"That doesn't matter now! Protect the surprise!" Krona reminded the griffon, alarming him to do the tilted eight signal, only this time, it was a lot bigger than the previous ones, meaning that it was a big emergency.
Seeing the signal, most of the creatures rushed to the Castle of Friendship, while Evergreen, who was at the Train Station when Buffer's family arrived, expressed anxiousness.
"Is everything alright, Evergreen?" Buffer's younger sister, Cushion asked.
"Well, I just decided that you should...take a quick tour around Ponyville before going to the Castle of Friendship!" the Kirin replied.
"Thanks for the suggestion Evergreen, we can use a walk after sitting in the train," Buffer's father, Bulwark replied.
"And we can't wait for the party!" Buffer's mother Mainstay added.
"Can you please don't mention anything about the party?" Evergreen asked.
"Oh, right. It is a surprise for my big brother!" Cushion exclaimed.
"And surprises are ruined when found out before it can even happen!" Evergreen pointed out.
The scene then changed to the show what was happening in front of the Castle of Friendship, with the creatures gathering.
"Did Buffer came here?" Luster asked before gasping, "Did he find out about the surprise?!"
"Nope, he is not here,..."Falcon Dive answered.
"But if he isn't here, why did you do the signal here?" Volcano asked.
"Wasn't the plan as clear as day?" Yellow Bright added.
"You only do the signals in the areas Buffer is when he's close to finding a clue?" Sunshine Rays reminded.
"Sorry about all that..." Falcon Dive scratched his head with his right claw, before telling his best friends, "But that's not the problem. The real problem is, Buffer found out that we were lying to him in the morning! He knows that Krona did not do deliveries at all today!"
The creatures gasped with Nature Bloom saying, "There's no doubt that he will find out about the other lies,"
"And then the surprise party!" Luster ended.
"Worst of all, the guests don't have Falcon Dive to guide them away from Buffer!" Volcano pointed out.
"Well, Krona's distant relatives are guests, and they won't be in trouble; they're inside the Castle right now!" Krona told her best friends, joining their conversation.
"Krona! Shouldn't you be inside making sure that our guests stay out of Buffer's sight?" Yellow Bright asked.
"And marking their attendance?" Nature Bloom added.
"Sorry, it's just that Krona think that she can help best friends protect..." Krona began, before being cut off by Sunshine Rays.
"The secret? We already talked about it a hundred times!"
"Your integrity can ruin it!" Luster added, before they heard Buffer's voice could be heard asking them, "Ruin what?"
The creatures turned to see their buffalo Best Friend, right behind their group conversation.
"Buffer! What are you doing here? Got any deliveries for us?" Luster asked.
"No, no deliveries for you." Buffer replied, before being cut off by Yellow Bright.
"Wait. Is that a no we don't have deliveries, or a no no deliveries, so that means we do have deliveries?"
"That's a little confusing," Nature Bloom commented the question.
"You do not have any deliveries," Buffer answered the question, before confronting his best friends, "But I do have something to deliver to you: Some questions! Why did you lie to me about Krona doing deliveries before I do, when she really was not?!"
"Well...we thought she was?" Falcon Dive lied.
"You sound very nervous, are you hiding something from me?" Buffer asked.
"Hiding something? What are you talking about?" Sunshine Rays asked, pretending to not know what the buffalo was talking about.
"Sunshine, you seem to be lying to me again, just like you did at the Book Store," Buffer responded.
"It's outside the Book Store, and you should get back to your delivering deliveries job, especially since you got that wagon of packages!" Sunshine Rays corrected and suggested.
"Sorry, Sunshine, but I'm not letting that distract me again. You all are hiding something from me," Buffer confronted.
"What makes you think that?" Volcano asked.
"Well, you all had breakfast without me this morning, something you would barely do." Buffer began.
"We're so sorry about that!" Nature Bloom apologised.
"You all had a conversation without me and Krona, and then all disappeared behind my back?" Buffer reminded.
"Well, we were in a rush!" Falcon Dive answered with a lie.
"And I already told you that everything's fine! We were busy!" Luster added.
"But what about Madam Pinkie Pie and Mr. Cheese Sandwich? They seemed to be hiding something from me, when I asked them about Yellow Bright at Sugarcube Corner." Buffer questioned.
"It was a question that they don't want to answer?" Yellow Bright answered in a gradually becoming high-pitch tone.
"And why would they not want to answer that?" Buffer asked.
"Because they don't want to?" Yellow Bright gave a silly answer, but it did not stop Buffer from interrogating the team.
"Yellow Bright, you barely answer questions like that! What is going on with every creature?!" Buffer continued asking.
The nervous creatures gulped, before Krona stepped up, "Alright, if Buffer wants a good answer, Krona is going to give him
one."
"What?! Krona, NO!" Luster blocked.
"Krona has had enough of this, best friends!" Krona announced, making them gasp, before she began,"The only reason the Heroic Ten have been hiding things from Buffer all day is because they're hiding a certain truth that they don't want Buffer to know!"
Nature Bloom fainted while the rest of the creatures were overwhelmed by Krona's betrayal, as the screen turned black.
"The truth is..."
Krona and Buffer's best friends expressed extreme anxiousness as Krona was close to saying what she was going to say, "Better off being told later than now. Truths are best when told at the right time!"
The creatures gasped to see that Krona not only told the truth, but kept their secret from Buffer.
"But, what about you and the deliveries? And everything else?" Buffer asked.
"Those are better when explained later!" Krona declared, "Right now, Krona got to do something that she will tell Best Friend later."
"Alright," Buffer responded, "Good to know that you are going to tell me the truth after all!"
"And this time, Krona's helping Buffer with deliveries! Delivering together! Like always," Krona declared, lifting some of the packages on her back.
After Buffer and Krona were out of sight, the creatures were still shocked to see what went down.
"Wow, Krona was right all along. She can keep secrets while telling the truth!" Luster said her thoughts out loud.
"She was really good at it! I mean, she protected the secret better than we can!" Falcon Dive commented.
"But we doubted her and never gave her a chance," Sunshien Rays sadly added, causing the others to express guilt as they agreed.
"We have to make it up to her!" Nature Bloom figured.
"And I think I know just what can do it!" Luster declared.
That evening, Krona and Buffer finally returned to their residence after their long day.
"Thanks for helping me with the deliveries again, Krona. And assuring me that the truth that our best friends are hiding from me isn't nasty." Buffer thanked his delivery parter.
"That's alright, Buffer! They know that there's a right time for everything, like Evergreen always say! So they kept the truth a secret from you until the time is right!" Krona responded.
"So, when is the time right?" Buffer asked.
"Be patient and wait, Buffer! Like what Evergreen always say!" Krona answered, before opening the Castle of Friendship's doors, revealing a well-fitted hallway with decorations, a feast and a lot of creatures who exclaimed, "Surprise! Happy birthday Buffer!"
"What?" Buffer asked, jaw-dropping.
"Happy birthday, big brother!" Cushion hugged her older brother, as their friends and family gathered around them.
"I don't get it: I sent invitations for them to come to my birthday party next week!" Buffer said his thoughts out loud.
"Actually, Buffer. I planned a surprise party for you the whole time, hoping that it can make your twentieth birthday special," Luster admitted.
"Especially after how you saved our friendship back there in the catacombs underneath Canterlot!" Evergreen added.
"And you will never believe how she did it," Sunshine Rays contributed.
"You see, I completely changed the invitation letters and sent them so every creature will come for your surprise party and not your originally planned party. And made sure you don't get your replies by telling the guests to send me the replies, and I lied to you the day I announced who can't make it. Last night, I got our best friends keeping you up late while I casted a sleeplessness spell on myself and the others, so we can go through a plan to prepare your surprise birthday party today. I really am sorry for deceiving you." Luster explained, hanging her head low.
"Don't worry, Luster. Apology accepted, and I can't believe that you all managed to prevent me from suspecting this!" Buffer exclaimed.
"It is actually all thanks to the surprisingly good secret-keeper that the surprise is saved!" Alkali told the buffalo.
"And that is none other then..." Volcano began, before saying in unison with the rest of his best friends, minus Buffer and a certain yak.
"Krona!"
Buffer turned to see the mentioned yak, to his surprise, she had changed into a shimmering, sparkly formal dress.
"Krona?" Buffer asked.
"Krona may be tough and full of integrity, but she is surprisingly full of surprises!" Krona proudly declared.
"And Krona, we ae still really sorry about not giving you a chance to talk to Buffer today, " Luster apologised.
"We all are sorry," Nature Bloom added.
"It's alright, best friends. Krona loves telling the truth, but she would not tell every creature all the truths she know! She will never tell the public all the identity stuff the security guards will ask for!" Krona responded.
"You do have a good point," Yellow Bright commented.
"Can't believe we never thought of it!" Falcon Dive scratched his head.
"That's alright, because we have learnt our lesson,"Evergreen pointed out.
"And we will report it to Princess Twilight Sparkle, right away!" Luster announced, levitating a quip and a scroll.
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
Today, most of my best friends and I learnt a valuable thing or two about friendship. Just because a friend is some creature who barely lies does not mean that they are not good at keeping secrets! They can have the ability in them, that can only show if you gave them the chance! Krona really proved that there is a way to keep surprises a secret without lying: telling the creature that the surprise is for that the truth is better told later, as there is a right time for everything. The most surprising thing we have learnt is indeed Krona's unique, unexpected ability to tell the truth but not a secret that is aimed to be kept unknown to others. From this experience, we learnt that those who are honest and full of integrity, really are trustworthy.
Signed, your faithful student,
Luster Dawn.
After finishing the letter and using her magic to send it away, Luster and her bets friends joined the festivities, as Pinkie Pie performed an extended and a bit altered version of the song, 'Make a Wish' for the birthday party's owner.
"Get your hooves and claws up, party's starting out right now
Every creature, every creature get down
Time to make a wish, better make it right now
It's been a year and today is your birthday party
Make a wish, it's your birthday
Make a wish, it's your birthday party
Make a wish, it's your birthday
Make a wish, it's your birthday party
Aw oh
Aw aw aw oh oh
Aw aw oh
Aw uh uh aw oh
Aw oh
Aw oh aw aw oh
Started out great and it just got better
Every day you learned a little bit more
Time to celebrate, now we're all together
And in a year, we can see what you wished for
Close your eyes and concentrate
My little pony friends, uh uh aw oh
Think all the wishes you can make
Why should it ever have to end?
Make a wish, it's your birthday
Make a wish, it's your birthday party
Make a wish, it's your birthday
Make a wish, it's your birthday party
Aw oh
Aw aw aw oh oh
Aw aw oh
Let's celebrate your birthday
Aw oh
Aw oh aw aw oh
Let's celebrate your birthday party!
YAY!!!"
After the song, every creature ate a slice of the cake, with some of them wearing costumes, while Buffer commented,"This is my best birthday party ever! Even though it's not on the day I wanted it to be on,"
The Heroic Ten shared a laugh before Luster joked, "Well, at least I did not plan for it to be a month before the day!"
Another eruption of laughter was formed, before Falcon Dive said, "I'm glad that this party is still a great party! Everything is going so well here, is all that matters now!"
"But it was still a good surprise, isn't it?" Nature Bloom asked.
"It is. But the real best thing about it is none other than being organised and created by my best friends," Buffer told his best friends in a warm tone, causing them to group hug.
"Aw..."