“Ruby, what’s wrong?” Amoux asked, his nose up.
Ruby breathed in and out. In and out. Once her heart rate calmed, she addressed Amoux. “I got spooked. That book is made from cured pony hide, and it’s from a single pony.”
Ruby took more time to calm down. Amoux and Ebony sat beside her. Ebony looked towards the sleeping ponies. The shout didn’t wake any of them, but Long Shot’s ear flicked.
“He does that. I don’t know why, but it always happens. I’m unsure if he can hear us, but he seems to respond fast. So Ruby, the book?”
“Right…” Ruby looked at the book. “One of you gets to pick up the book.”
Ebony picked up the book. Looking at it, she saw something. “Ruby, do you have some paper? I can see something on the cover.”
Ruby gave her the paper and a pencil. Carefully, Ebony drew the symbol. Once she was done, it looked like a six-pointed starburst and a crescent moon. “Isn’t that similar to Twilight and Shining Armor’s mark?”
“Yes. So is this a family spellbook?” Amoux asked.
“Then why would it be bound in pony hide? That seems counter-intuitive. Cured pony hide is resistant to magical influence, including runes. It would take an extreme amount of magic. At least forty unicorns just to get one enchantment to stick. I found ten.”
“There’s a catch. One form of magic that’s very powerful and sticks to cured hides. May I see the book?” They turned towards the voice. Long Shot had his eyes on them. The golden eyes glowed, and he yawned, showing the long fangs, and other things. “Ebony, the book?”
Ruby grabbed some paper, quills, and ink well. Her research into magic did mention that pony hide could be enchanted with specific magic, but no one had attempted with confirmation. Ebony brought the book. She walked around him before giving the book. Leaving, she whispered, “pony slayer.”
Long Shot didn’t acknowledge that he heard her. She just knew. As for the book, it met his expectations. The cover was artistic and needed a vampire’s eyes to see. The mark denoted Clan of Moonlight. “This book is from one of the five major vampire clans. Houses Crescent Moon and Star Shooters were the most powerful clan, and guarded the sixth clan.”
“Sixth clan? As in Princess Celestia missed one!?” Ruby exclaimed.
“They were never in Equestria. House Star Shooters made sure of that while they lived. As for why the sixth clan was worse than anything Equestria has seen. Unlike the others, the sixth clan hunted whatever moved, with no pattern. To them, it mattered not that you were young, old, healthy, pony, vampire or other race. You wandered into their territory, you were considered prey, and prey is hunted and consumed, usually in pieces.”
“Are they still around?” Ebony asked, her charcoal body shaking.
“I don’t know, Ebony, and only a vampire pony would know where to check for them. It may be years before their seals break, or they’ve already broken, and are waiting for some poor explorer to bring them to Equestria.” Long Shot paused. While the sixth clan was important, it wasn’t the topic. He didn’t like talking about them, but they were apart of the vampire pony culture.
“You mentioned two houses. I thought vampire ponies always stayed within the family,” Ruby stated in between her note takings. "Also, how old aver the vampire clans? None of this is any of the historical texts I've read."
“Clans are made of one vampire pony house and multiple pony house names. The Crescents and Star Shooters had a close relationship and mixed. They had a symbiotic relationship. The vampires would protect the ponies while the ponies served as food. This changed near the same time as Nightmare Moon's rise." Long paused, trying to organize his thoughts. There was a lot of history to the vampire ponies, and Twilight would need to learn it, too, if she was vampiric. "However, we've gotten a bit off track. The important part is what happened during the Crusades. All the vampiric houses went into hiding. We have a few reports mostly about the five major clans: They were wiped out. Took roughly six hundred years for Celestia and Church of Light to accomplish."
“How does one open the book?” Ebony asked, for Ruby. The red-furred unicorn was busy with her notes.
“Only family members can. They dribble a bit of their blood onto it, and it opens.”
“Which were the vampire ponies?”
“We don’t know. What we do know is that Crescents were very good at making shields, while Star Shooters were more generalized, but always had stronger base magic. This, in turn, made their offensive magic more destructive, and binding magic more permanent.
“With the book and the presence of blood, we have to assume that a member is still at large. Also, Twilight is a member of this ancient vampire clan. As such, we are treating her as a royal pureblood. No pegasi or siblings, until after she’s been awake for some time.”
“Why restrict who can visit her?” Ruby asked.
“If her family is just regular ponies, then to a vampiric Twilight, they are food. Each of the three tribes can be turned into vampiric versions of themselves. The unicorns prefer pegasi. Pegasi prefer earth ponies. Earth ponies prefer unicorns. Siblings, especially older are also considered food since if they can’t defend themselves from their younger siblings, they don’t deserve to procreate. As to the parents, they may be able to stop Twilight from turning them into food, but they must not show weakness, even when the vampire opens a live pony up.”
“By opens a live pony, they?” Ruby asked.
“Do the same cuts as a coroner or pathologist does when doing an autopsy.”
Ruby’s quill broke. Quick Fix woke up. He looked at the others and stretched. “Just what I needed.”
“How much did you hear?” Long Shot looked over at the unicorn.
“Enough of it that you should inform Princess Celestia of a loose vampire. As to Twilight, her family records only go four hundred years back. The house books disappeared a thousand years ago.”
“How would a vampire look?” Ruby intoned.
“Similar to Long Shot. They’ll have more pointed, tufted ears, long canines, either two or four depending on whether they are vampony or vampire pony respectively, and if a flyer, leather wings. They are usually larger than most ponies and have a wider chest and stance. Their magic will allow them to blend seamlessly into any shadow or dark backgrounds. Magic won’t detect them if they slip into the shadow Equestria. It that happens, you’re looking at class one.”
Long Shot blinked. He was exactly right, and Ebony and Amoux growled at him. They positioned themselves between Ruby and him. They were primed for attack.
“Ebony, Amoux, what has agitated you?” Ruby asked. She knew about their heritage, but never saw their true form… Until today. Ruby stepped around them, towards Long Shot. “Long Shot has worked with us for years, I’m sure we can give him the benefit of the doubt.”
Ebony and Amoux look at each other, then to Quick Fix and Ruby. Quick Fix was… They weren’t sure. Ruby looked worried but stood up towards Long Shot. As much as they didn’t like being lied to, they knew Long Shot had secrets, and vampire ponies and vamponies smelled the same. Like how Long Shot smelled.
Long Shot had his ears folded back, muzzle resting on his forelegs. He knew this day would come. Only Quick Fix truly knew his heritage, and only when it was necessary. Why did you have to say long canines? I like being able to pass myself off as a thestral.
“Thank you, Ruby. However, they are right to be wary. They don’t know whether I’m a vampire pony or vampony. Quick Fix gave them the clue they were missing. Unfortunately for me, I keep to a more thestralian look. This means when I yawn, ponies that know about vampire ponies think I’m a vampony.” He spat the last word, his wings lightly fluffing. “Seems you all figured out I am vampiric out sooner than the last group. I will commend you on that. However, I'm a turned vampire pony, class one. Not a vampony. Only Princess Celestia knows this. It will stay that way, understood?”
“How long? Proof?” Ebony asked.
Long Shot checked the integrity of Ruby’s anti scrying methods. With them at an acceptable level, he let all his illusions drop. The wolf ponies circled him, prodding or sniffing here or there. He only growled when one pulled on his wing without permission. “Before Nightmare Moon. As for who turned me, a member of clan Crescents. This is why I recognize the book so easily, and why I stay in the back when Celestia joins us. I know you have questions, but we should answer them after Twilight awakens.”
“Fine.” The others nodded their agreement. “However, you will answer one question first: How often must you hunt?”
“Once every five years. I have to feed every three months. My donors know that I’m thestral, but not vampiric. I haven’t turned anyone. Ebony and Amoux make your preparations for combating a demon pony, with very strong healing.” Long Shot headed for the door.
“Where are you heading?” Ebony growled.
“Follow up a rumor of a pony evading guards after being hit three times. He crashed somewhere in the commoner’s district.” Long Shot walked out. He spread his wings and took to the air.