Six mares, down one of their numbers, but still plus a dragon. The lot of them were still stuck navigating the winding corridors of Canterlot Castle. It had been a moment of companionable silence before Spike’s face scrunched up.

“Hey, ya know, I just thought of something-”

“Don’t hurt yourself!”

“Thanks, Rainbow Dash. So I just thought about something, and I guess I could ask her but I don’t remember seeing Starlight Glimmer during that whole cookie zombie prank.”

Rainbow Dash burst into laughter. “Rainbow horse apples!” Did- did she just make up profanity? “That one was great!”

Pinkie looked wistful. “Yeah, I’m real proud of that one.”

“And I’m real proud of you, Pinkie. And the rest of you girls!” Rainbow Dash clutched her chest. “When you girls go through that much trouble to mess with me, that’s when I know you really love me.”

Fluttershy looked up. “Rainbow, I’m not really sure that’s the lesson you were supposed to take from that.”

Applejack, rather, glared upwards. “I swear on the soil-” Seriously, they’re making this up. “-if you start thinking that means you need to start trying harder, I’m-a clip your wings and string you up.”

“Aw, calm your plots, girls.” Rainbow raised her hooves placating like. “You guys said your piece, and I’m not gonna forget it after that.”

Twilight looked back and up. “Honestly, I’m worried that we may have gone too far with that prank too.”

Fluttershy gulped. “Me too. We made Rainbow Dash actually think she hurt us.”

“I ain’t,” Applejack huffed. “Not this time. We tried talking it out with you that time, Rainbow, and you didn’t listen. Drastic measures had to be taken.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Man, next time, you guys need to skip the chit-chat and just hit me with your best shot, okay? Because, lemme tell you guys, when you put real effort into it, you’re almost as good as me at pranks.”

“How about, next time, you just make sure there ain’t no next time and you don’t drive everyone up the wall with your shenanigans.”

“Meh.”

“I’ll meh you, missy!”

Rarity trotted next to Twilight and Spike. “Starlight was remarkably absent from the whole debacle.”

Spike nodded. “Yeah! Rainbow Dash nearly got the whole town, and that’s why everyone was in on it, but maybe Rainbow Dash missed Starlight.”

“Or- or maybe Starlight thought that maybe if we tried just a little bit harder to talk it over, we could have gotten through to Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said, somewhat desperately.

Rainbow Dash reached down, ruffling her mane. “It’s cute that you think that.”

Applejack kept giving her the stink eye. “Alright then, you clever mule, what happened with you and Starlight?”

“Heh, that’s easy! I got her and then she got me right back.”

Twilight sighed. “I won’t ask what you did, I think I heard the explosions.”

Pinkie bounced beneath the pegasus. “But Dashie, what did Starlight do to you?”

Rainbow lazily twirled her hoof. “She hit me with a spell that rearranged my nervous system. All my movements were reversed.”

Twilight stumbled, looking back with a shocked expression. “What?”

“Oh yeah. You won’t believe it, but she hit me in midair.” Rainbow Dash made a striking motion. “You’ve been teaching her good, Twilight.”

“That’s- that’s not- that’s not what- not what I- ugh!”

Fluttershy covered her mouth. “Oh my gosh. Did you get hurt?”

“I wiped out, I’m lucky I didn’t end up in the hospital again. It was awesome!”

“Okay, first question, Twilight, what in the hay is wrong with Starlight?” Applejack turned. “Second question, Rainbow Dash, what in the hay is wrong with you?”

“Hey, I can take what I dish out.”

“Uhhuh.”

Twilight pressed her eyes closed, making a sound like the unwanted child of a grunt and a sigh. “C’mon, girls, we’re almost there.”

Rarity tilted her head. “To where are we going again?”

“It’s a nursery room, mostly unused.”

Spike raised a claw. “That’s where I slept when I hatched!”

Rarity perked. “Really? Maybe it’s Flurry Heart then, and she’s our mystery immortal.”

“Maybe. It’d be nice if Princess Celestia actually explained all this to me.”

Rainbow hovered up just above Twilight. “Ha, I think she just likes to see the look on your face. That mare is a master prankster.”

Applejack huffed. “Of course, that’s how’d you see the princess.”

Pinkie nudged the farmer with a happy bounce. “It’s all in good fun, Jackie!”

“Uhhuh.”

Rainbow scowled then, looking down at Twilight. “But you’re sure it’s not you, right Twi? I don’t wanna find out and then- then I-” She grit her teeth, not quite able to get the words out.

Rarity was able to say it. “And then we all end up leaving you behind.”

Twilight frowned, looking forward and not at her friends. “Girls, I don’t enjoy the prospect either, but I’m sure Celestia would have told me that.” And unspoken and doubtful Right? hung in the air.

“I can assure you, you do not have the enduring spark.”

Well, that was a new voice. It was from higher up the high vaulting ceiling, it was kind of scraggly in quality and amused in tone, like it were at the edge of giggling, or cackling. It was one of those voices that edged as close as possible to being described as ‘androgynous’ while also still being unmistakably male.

Not a pony, though, definitely not. The mares and one dragon saw that when they looked up at the figure simply floating in midair. Bipedal, mostly covered in golden yellow fur with a wild golden mane and a matching magic aura wrapped around him. His face was furless, with pinkish-brown skin, and a sinewy tail writhing behind him.

Pinkie smiled and waved. “Hi!”

Rainbow looked askance between them, an expression mirrored by the rest of her friends. “Yeah, uh, hey, you, guy.”

The monkey man huffed and his aura winked out. He dropped two dozen feet, his aura briefly flaring before he hit the ground and he landed in a soft crouch. Standing back up, his tail wraping around his waist, the monkey man gave a cackle. “I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself.” He flourished and bowed dramatically. “I am Sun Wu Kong.”

Twilight smiled. “Well, Mr. Kong-”

Sun Wu Kong rose, holding up a finger. “No, no nope. ‘Mr. Kong’ is, eh, confusing.”

“Huh?”

“Please, call me ‘Sun Wu’.”

Pinkie Pie waved frantically. “Can I call you ‘Sunny’!?”

“I shall allow this.”

“Okay,” Twilight said unsure. “Sun Wu. What were you talking about?”

“The enduring spark,” He repeated with a knowing smile, holding up his paws as if offering the knowledge physically. “It is-”

“Wait!” Twilight looked back and reached into her saddle bag with her will. A quill and parchment flew out and into the dragon’s claws. “Spike, take notes!”

“Oo!” Pinkie bounced. “Are we about to get another lore dump? We’ve been getting a lot of those today.” She looked meaningfully at Fluttershy, who cringed at the memory. Pinkie flinched and moved to hug Fluttershy, whispering apologies to her. Rarity joined that in a moment.

Rainbow looked between that, Sun Wu Kong’s attentive audience and then Applejack. “Don’t we have, I dunno, somewhere to go?”

Applejack shrugged. “Eh, this might be important. Besides, are you gonna tell Twi’ she can’t learn new things?”

“Eh, nah.”

Sun Wu Kong had looked at Twilight, shifting expressions over a few seconds. First, surprise, his mouth thinning, his eyes widening and his head pulling back. Then he smiled again, revealing teeth, relaxing forward and his eyes lidding, amused. “Studious, aren’t you?”

At Twilight’s enthusiastic nodding, he continued, “Alright. The spark. I don’t know every detail, but it was taught to me that the spark acts as a kind of bridge between a living thing’s animating life force and a sapient being’s immortal soul. Mortals have a fading spark, one that will dwindle with time and finally be snuffed out when they die. Then their soul becomes free of it fetter and passes on, and the life force disippates.”

Twilight perked up, her horn blinking so as to ask a question or make a comment. “But the Ageless are different, right?”

Sun Wu cackled and clapped his hands. “Yes, yes! The immortal ageless possess an enduring spark. Their soul and their life force are welded together permanently. Through the soul, the life force is kept whole. Through the life force, the soul is fettered to this plane. Through all that, the immortal is kept alive and unaging.”

Sun Wu pointed at Rainbow Dash and her raised hoof. “Yes?”

“So, that doesn’t apply to Twilight, right?”

Sun Wu shook his head. “No, no!” He tapped the side of his head. “I can sense these kind of things. Most immortals can’t-” Sun Wu preened, hand on his chest and another through his mane. “-but I can.”

Rainbow perked, feeling a little more relaxed with that answer. “Oh, cool.”

Rarity perked, raising her head from the Fluttershy cuddle party Pinkie was running. “Most?” She excused herself and moved to the front of the herd and the monkey man. “Excuse me, Mr. Sun Wu?”

“Just Sun Wu.”

“Sun Wu, of course.” Rarity flipped her mane. “Am I correct in guessing because of your wording that you are one of these immortals?”

“Ahha, yes!” Sun Wu hopped on each of his feet. “I am! Here on dear Tia’s invitation all the way here from Don Ki!”

“Would I also be correct in assuming as well that you are a-” She fluttered her eyelashes. “-prince?”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Gonna try seducing this one, Rares?”

Applejack joined in, sniggering. “Yeah, don’t you remember last time? Do you want cake in your face again?”

Rainbow leaned toward her, half-whispering conspiratorially. “Although, uh, since he’s a monkey, maybe it won’t be cake.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity snapped. “It’s a legitimate question without any kind of ulterior motive, you cad!” She turned. “Sun Wu, I really must apologize for my friends- Sun Wu?”

Sun Wu’s demeanor had changed. His face was blank was blank, his head and arms hung down, all that energy seemed to have disappeared. The herd collectively stared at him with worry, except for the cuddle party continuing on in the back.

“Rainbow Dash, I swear, if you’ve insulted him, you will have the pleasure of being strangled by silk. I insist you feel honored, as it will be a treatment normally reserved for the sultans of Saddle Arabia.”

Twilight decided to pipe up against the historical inaccuracies, “Actually, strangulation by silk cord was used by-”

“Not now, Twilight.”

Rainbow crossed her forelegs. “Me insulted him? How do we know it wasn’t your featherin’ gem digging?”

“G-g-gem DIGGING!? You uncouth, tactless reprobate!”

“You wanna go, drama princess?” Rainbow seemed less angry as she was eager. “Cause I know you got the moves, Rares. You act like a lady, but I know you fight like a-”

Twilight tried to step in. “Girls, this sounds like a friendship problem. Maybe-”

“Not now, Twilight.”

Rarity narrowed her eyes, flipping up to her hind legs. “Oh, I’ll show you my moves, alright! I’ll-”

“I-” Sun Wu growled and there was power there, that cut through the argument and even put a tragic end to the cuddle party as every pony flinched to turn towards him.

The simian clutched his fist closely and grit his teeth. The golden glow returned but seemed to have actual force behind it now, a pressure that all the mares felt pushing on whatever passed for supernatural senses to each of them.

“AM!” His fists raised up and the air actually began to shake as his magic power vented unevenly from his form. There was a squeak that was more like a malnourished shriek. Three ground bound ponies took steps back and a pegasus flapped out some distance too.

“THE MONKEY KING!” A buildup of force was released and blasted out as a gale force wind and searing bright light in every direction. Manes were whipped around, faces were covered and the ponies just weathered the rush of air and blinding flash.

As quickly as it began though, it ended, his aura winking out. Four ponies and a dragon shook their heads, till the spot in their eyes were gone and the ringing in their ears were clears.

“But no,” Sun Wu added, calmly, looking down at Rarity. “I’m not actually royalty, as such. I prefer the role of guardian.”

Rarity blinked, as much to see again as out of disbelief. “Oh.”

A nearby door in the hall opened and one dazzling white mare stuck her head out with a frown. She took stock of the situation and focused on the simian. “Sun Wu?”

The monkey man spun on his feels to face her. “Celestia!” Sun Wu looked around, looking frantic and then gestured to Twilight. “Celestia, look, I found your prized student! This is her, right?”

Celestia nodded. “Thank you very much, Sun Wu.” She smiled then, as her eyes settled on a very important pony. “Twilight.”

“Princess!” Forget the mad monkey man, forget her frustration at being ill-informed, forget the burning curiosity. The princess was here, she was a filly again and Twilight rushed in for a hug.

“My former student,” Celestia said fondly as a leg and wing wrapped around her smaller frame. The tip of her wings brushed lightly against Spike, still on Twilight’s back. She looked up at the rest of the herd. “My beloved subjects. Please, why don’t you come inside? I have someone I dearly want you to meet.”

Sun Wu crossed his arms. “The new immortal.”

Princess Celestia frowned again, eyeing him. “Shouldn’t you be attending the King Kong?”

Sun Wu Kong cackled. “Of course, of course! I’ll be off and a flea out of your fur!” He demonstrated that by picking a small bug out of his own mane and popping it into his mouth.

Celestia nodded before she gazed at the herd again. Her frown became confused. “Why, where is Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy?”

“Up here!”

Eyes turned up again and spotted a new pair of occupants several dozen feet up where Sun Wu had been. Fluttershy clung desperately to the rafters up above, shaking. Less desperately, more cheerful, Pinkie Pie clung to Fluttershy with just her forelegs.

“Fluttershy, it’s alright. Please come down,” Celestia spoke with a force of motherliness far greater than even Fluttershy could muster. What came off her in waves in just that instant was clearly just an amplification of the aura she shed unconsciously from moment to moment.

With that, it was easy to coax her down and gather the herd to her and through the door. The last two to linger were Rainbow Dash and Rarity. The two of them were standing close to each other, paused in the middle of the hall. The silence between them lasted for about five seconds and a third until Rainbow Dash spoke.

“So.” Rainbow Dash gulped. “-what do you practice? I think I saw something like East Wind Subtle Breeze style in your stance.”

Rarity answered her wearily, cautiously and tiredly. “Flowing Water Over Rock style.”

“Nice. I’ve seen you fight, Rares, and you fight good, real good. I respect that, I respect you.”

Rarity sighed. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash, but I’d rather not be using it on you.” Then she flinched as a blue wing wrapped her body.

“You’re not a gem digger, Rares, I know that.”

Rarity stepped closer to the stronger pegasus. “It was just a silly fillyhood fantasy that got out of control.”

“You were too good for him.”

Rarity nestled close to her. “Thanks, champ.”

Rainbow Dash grunted and escorted Rarity through the door under the gaze of two immortals. Celestia gave Sun Wu one last look before she closed the door.

“Good bye, aunty!” He sang song and exulted in the sound of shocked response from her little ponies. Grinning then, he got his bearings as he gathered his power once again, pressing his two fingers to his temple and focusing.

You are far better than them, said something much like a thought.

Sun Wu’s concentration faltered for a moment as he looked around, eyeing the hallway. Something like a flicker in the shallow shadows caught his eye but he spotted nothing.

Do whatever it is you please.

Sun Wu Kong shook his head and vanished in a gold-white flash.

No one here is strong enough to- oh, he left. Well, alright then, fine. I didn’t want to tempt you anyhow.

“-and that is how the Good and Heroic Trrrrixie-”

“Wow, you just roll those R’s all over the place.”

“-humiliated the cult leader so greatly that his entirely lair collapsed.”

“Listen to her, this mare is a hoot!”

“Also because you let him flip the self-destruct switch while you were busy posturing over your victory.”

“Like, I got to hold the baby, so that was pretty cool.”

“Bah, that’s not Trixie’s fault!”

“At least the explosion was fun!”

“Like Tart it wasn’t! You had him!”

“Trixie had victory in the field of her horn!”

Daring Do, Cheese Sandwich, Tree Hugger, Night Glider, Trixie Lulamoon. Also, Princess Celestia and one recently, officially, named Nyx. Princess Nyx? Maybe, probably, definitely. She had all the right equipment for it.

Not that equipment though. Despite what certain rag mags claimed, that the Celestial Sisters surely had to represent all of equinity, and that included the firmer sex. As well as Twilight and Cadance, the latter of which would have made Shining Armor’s sex life very interesting. The former, however, would have had no effect on his sex life at all, despite what those same certain rag mags claimed.

Where was I?

Right, you had these guys. These girls, mostly, and then there was Cheese. The whole lot of them gathered in the nursery, letting personality just fly around. Cheese Sandwich and Night Glider enjoyed each other’s presence-

“-then I said to the guard, ‘No, that’s not my tail, that’s my scarf!’”

Night glider grabbed her gut, spasming with laughter. “Oh my gosh, is that what happened!? That’s amazing!”

Cheese made a motion like he were using a garrote. “So that’s how I ended up taking out the patrol.”

“I remember that! S’pretty handy. I just kicked them in the face, ya know?”

-as did Princess Celestia and Tree Hugger-

“Can I hold the baby, Sun Mom?”

Celestia had no right idea where that particular epithet came from, but she would allow anything that seemed to hint at irreverence from her little ponies. “Of course, my little pony. Here- hold her head.”

Tree Hugger cradled the little foal, rocking her in her forearms. “Hello, Night Daughter. The world says hello to you too.”

Celestia covered her mouth for a demure giggle. “You have quite a way of speaking of the world, Tree Hugger.”

-and Daring Do and Trixie just crashed their egos together.

“The Cunning And- And… T-Tricksome…? No wait.”

Daring Do crossed her forearms. “No, no, keep trying.”

“The Wise And Cunning Trrrrixie-”

“Oh wow, he is right, you roll those all over the place.”

“-carried this team! But she could not have done it without all of you.”

“See, that- that- I don’t- that’s the opposite-”

Oh, yeah, and speaking of egos.

“Ah-ha, if it isn’t the B-Team.” It was Prince Blueblood and his smugly smiling expression slipping through the nursery door.

That particular epithet made Trixie rear. “B- B-team!?”

Daring Do was right behind her and glowered. “And what exactly is that supposed to mean?”

Blueblood flipped his mane as he came all the way inside, closing the door behind him. “An educated mare such as yourself should know very well, Daring Do, more-so than your vagabond companion. But then, if the rumours I hear that you need your books’ fans to solve simple puzzles are true, maybe you’ve taken too many arrows to the skull.”

Trixie glanced to the side. “If you want to strangle him, let me offer Trixie’s aid.”

“All of you are second stringers, at best, called upon by my dear Aunt Celestia when she can’t be bothered to send the real heroines of Equestria.” Prince Blueblood looked thoughtful and then grinned again. “No, wait, I’m sorry, Princess Celestia couldn’t even be bothered, remember? She delegated that task to me, the second-string royalty. I guess that really clinches it, eh?”

Night Glider shrugged. “Eh, I wasn’t really in it for the glory. I think I like it more when no one knows what I did.”

Cheese pumped a hoof. “Man, I’m just glad I was invited!”

Tree Hugger sidled up to Blueblood, nudging him. “Hey, hey, Blueblood, you gotta hold this baby.”

Off put by their non-reactions, Blueblood indeed took the foal from her, cradling her gently. A quick discussion between them erupted as the very best way to hold the baby. Blueblood’s attempts to act like a mule about it were simply rolled over by Tree Hugger’s inability to acknowledge negative vibes, yo.

Trixie stared off into space, only vaguely in his direction. She couldn’t rightly see him anymore, because she was quite blind with rage. On the other hoof, Daring Do could see very well, see it in her mind’s eye how and exactly where she was going to smack her whip and ruin that pristine white coat.

“Blueblood,” Celestia gently interceded. “Your terrible display of employer-to-employee interpersonal skills aside, is there any reason why you’re here?”

Blueblood put a hoof on his chest. “Why, I was actually awaiting the arrival of your A-Team. I heard your prized students and her subordinates were coming this way. It seems they haven’t arrived yet and-” He trailed off.

“Is there something else, Blueblood?”

“There is this monkey man, outside?” Blueblood gestured doubtfully. “He’s just floating there, up above.”

Celestia blinked, her head just rearing back in mild surprise. “A monkey man?”

“THE MONKEY KING!”

Everypony not a princess jumped in surprise at that loud shout shaking its way through the door. Nyx giggled, waving her hooves about, delighted in everypony’s reaction more than anything else. Celestia sighed, actually rising from her lounging position and going to the door.

“I had better go see what that is.”

Author's Note

Well, I definitely don't own Sun Wukong. Or the other references connected to him. Do you like the way I used him? Like part of it? Really dislike it? Feel free to take from it for whatever purpose or reason you goy.

Lessee, the bits about "sparks". Steal it, steal it and use it better than I did. Take it, it's yours! What else do you need? Do you need my soul? Have it, I don't need it anymore!

Does anyone want to write about the adventures of the B-Team?