//------------------------------//
// In which our Travelers find a Oddly Bat-Winged Creature 
// Story: The Unfortunate Secret Story of Us 
// by Commander Rainstorm 
//------------------------------//



"So what, exactly, are the Elements?" Applejack asked, confused beyond words.

They had finally arrived back at Ponyville to think of a way to get the Elements back, the bat (the name Black Knight bestowed upon it) tagging along. They decided it would be Spike's pet, beacause he could not reach the higher shelves. And, according to Fluttershy, he very smart. With the help of him (who already seemed to know the library like it was on the back of his wing), they managed to locate the book on the Elements. Unfortunatly, it had very advanced vocabulary, and did not hold much information.

"Well, from what I can understand, it's six jewels that have the power of Friendship. There seems to be pony forms of them too, if the jewel Elements are destroyed. Unfortunately, we need to find these ponies." Twilight explained.

"But Celestia said that they are right by you! Or, at least, that's what I thought she said. She never got to finish." Rainbow said, her sisters nodding by her in agreement.

"But the only ponies by me were-" Twilight gasped,"you!" A spark in her eyes were all the other ponies saw before Twilight was out the door.

"Come on! Let's go!"


------*****------


The door split with a resounding CRAK! 

"Rainbow Dash, you know the door was unlocked."

"Of course I knew that. It was for the awesomeness Twi."

Twilight facehoofed. 

"Let's just go inside, ok?" Twilight said through her hoof.

Nodding and pointedly ignoring Twilight, Rainbow Dash trotted inside, followed by the eight other ponies accompanying her. 

"Hello? Anypony here?" Rarity called. All they heard was the echo, bouncing around the room.

But unfortunately, there was somepony there. A EVIL somepony. They were to late to realize this as giant bat wings unfurled, casting huge shadows on the wall. The figure's shadow soared over them, and seemed to land in front of the eight explorers. The thing was, they couldn't actually see the creature there. It was only shadows. The ponies shrinked back in fear, only Rainbow standing up, cloth proudly wrapped around her neck like a bandana. Scilence claimed the scene, Rainbow and the frigure seemingly staring each other down. Soon, her sisters joined in, glaring at where the creature's eyes would be. Wind whipped around them, moisture and heat joining in. 

This time, the shadow shrinked, a faint, rasp whisper finding the ponie's ears, "They have been blessed by her! We are too late now!" And promptly flew off.

The three sisters smirked, but this was not good. Though they had scared off a enemy, it seemed that he had gone to alert his master. And no matter what they had learned about their gifts (Flare's clip was firmly clasped into her mane, Dash's tied around her neck, Rainstorm's tied with a string, tightly tucked in her mane, Rarity's decorating her saddlebags, etc.) and their enemies, well, let's just say, they would see how wrong they were.