Hunter reluctantly followed closely behind Eclipse, as he pass by all of the very structures he once knew were graffitid and mostly in rubble. How long exactly was I dead he thought to himself. A familiar scenario from his childhood, rubble, crimson stains upon the ground, and bodies of ponies, and ponies left out to simply die. Luna, his once trusted leader, has abandoned everypony, just as Celestia had abandoned him.
Eclipse stopped, causing Hunter to run into him. But after a few seconds he returned to reality, snapping from his thoughts. Eclipse lightly smiled, "Oh Twilight Sparkle, where arrreee yoooou?" He said in a sing-songy tone.
A small voice replied, "When does the madman march?" she asked, mystifying Hunter in the perceivingly clever riddle.
Eclipse smiled and replied, "When good ol' Big Ben chimes, halfway to midnight."
The voice replied, "Correct, now part two." The pony cleared her throat, "Where is the sound coming from, and what does it sound like?"
Hunter baffled by the riddle and codes they'd created, couldn't follow anything of what was going on. So he just sat back and listened to them answer each other.
Eclipse chuckled, "There under the floorboard, it's the sound of the beating of his hideous heart. Beating like the sound a watch makes when enveloped in cotton." As he finished that a door opened slowly, and a lavender unicorn gestured them inside. "After you Hunter," Eclipse said pushing the lost stallion inside the door frame.
Once inside the door slammed, and all that was heard was the echo of clicking locks. That radiated throughout the hollowed-out tree.
Eclipse approached the lavender unicorn and began speaking to her, "What's the report from Canterlot? Is anything salvagable there?" Eclipse's voice shifting into a business type tone, one that was a 'no bullshit' kind of thing.
The lavender pony looked down, "Unfortunately not, Luna's troops destroyed it when forcing everypony out of the city. But everything can be rebuilt, but it will take time. We need Luna, taken care of..." The lavender unicorn moved over to Hunter examining him slowly, "Who's the new guy?" she inquired softly.
Eclipse suddenly remembering, "Ah yes! Hunter, this is Twilight Sparkle, Twilight Sparkle, this is Hunter." Eclipse pushed Hunter closer to Twilight and gestured him to shake her hoof and say something.
Hunter opened his mouth, "Hello Twilight, nice to meet you, i suppose. Given the circumstances, you're all lucky to be alive." Hunter said with the same melancholy monotone gravely voice of his.
Twilight lightly smiled, "We owe our survival to Eclipse here. He saved us from Luna's troops, when we took our trip to Canterlot, unfotunately they got my faithful assistant Spike. We couldn't save him, and the remaining troops took his body away. With his bones we can revive him, but it will take more energy, to form new mucsle and tissue and cells of all kinds." Twilight moved to the bookshelves now half empty, or half full. "I used to be Celestia's 'Faithful student' but then i found she just wanted me away so she could destroy Equestria piece by piece." Twilight's tone changed to a weeping, but infuriated tone. "I will never again serve Celestia, her name disgusts me, and her morals, simply misguided." she finally finished
Hunter couldn't control his outburst, "I was with Luna, and after finishing my deed assassinating Celestia, and for so many years I awaited Luna to embrace me back. But no, she threw me out like common garbage! Now my very blade is out for the taste of Luna's blood, I hunger for retribution. I will not be stopped in my quest to destroy Princess Luna!" He noticed his voice had gotten loud and echoed throughout the hollow library, and he immediately quieted, no longer uttering a peep.
Twilight's eyes brightened, "Eclipse, this is exactly the stallion we were looking for! His anger, his desire for revenge! Not to mention his connections with Luna! This is exactly what we've been looking for. But he's probably rusty, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity should be able to help you. They're in what remains of Carousel Boutique, they'll ask, 'When does the madman speak?' and you'll reply..." Twilight was cut off.
Hunter replied, "A quarter to three, shall the madman speak to me."
Twilight smiled, "Great, you've got it. the next part is, 'What is secured in the pipe?'" she finished.
Hunter stayed quiet, not being able to answer this one. Slightly embarrassed after answering a question before perfectly.
Twilight chuckled heartily, but softly and replied, "You will reply, 'Amontillado' okay?" Her smile connecting her cheeks in a way that was somewhat comforting. "Now go, if anypony asks. This meeting never, ever happened!" she opened the door letting the two stallions out of the library, and receded back inside, with only the noticable click of the locks.
Eclipse moved towards Hunter, "come, we have much to accomplish young one. You're very strong and determined, but your skills are rusty. You must train, go seek the ponies. You musn't forget the passcodes." Eclipse said now walking away and condesing in a thick cloud of smoke and floating off.
Hunter nodded slightly, and made his way to the ponies. Prepared for the worst possible situation available.