Onyx looked over the plans that he had created and could not help the smile that spread over his face. He slowly nodded before he could continue. He looked back, having heard footsteps behind him. The girls were walking down the stairs along with Candance, who smiled at the sight of Onyx. Candance was the one to speak up, explaining what the girls would be doing. Onyx nodded because it was still pretty much the same, along with looking for the Central core processer for the ward. Onyx spoke up, giving them some advice. "You should go look for a library girls… not talk to the various subjects along the way."
Twilight blinked before nodding because that was honestly an excellent idea. Twilight slowly tried to think about a way to find the library before looking at Rainbow and smiled. She spoke up with a hopeful tone of voice. "Rainbow, could you help us find the Library really quickly."
Rainbow nodded her head and took off after she had heard the request. Twilight quickly turned to her other friends and gave them various tasks before she looked at Spike and smiled at him. Spike already knew what he had to be doing, which was helping her in the library. Onyx watched the girls move off to talk to the citizens before speaking up, distracted by the Rune again. "I need the central matrix core before I can complete this Twilight."
Twilight nodded and looked at Rainbow, who quickly flew back who promptly told them before Twilight sent her to help the other girls speak with the Ponies. Twilight and Spike quickly took off to the library so they could begin researching. Leaving Onyx and Candance alone, which caused the women to look at him smiling, she spoke in a low tone with a tiny bit of teasing. "So Onyx, what are you planning to do to the tower to make it possible for Harmony to affect the tower, and what does it do right now."
"The tower currently works off of love allowing the Crystal Ponies to power it with pure love, which drives back King Sombra's Oily magic, but we need a massive blast of Harmony to destroy the Filth near the domain of the Crystal Ponies." Onyx spoke distractedly, describing what the Tower does currently before continuing in the same tone of voice. "I can not make any major changes to the tower, but I can make it so Harmony can be channeled through it without any problems a couple of times before the Runes need to be remade."
Candance's eyes slowly went crossed because of the technical details Onyx was spewing, but from what she was understanding was that the Tower would throw King Sombra away. While he needs to make it so Harmony would destroy the clumps of Filth nearby. She slowly hummed while looking around and realized that she was not feeling tired and looked around. She asked aloud, not considering Onyx in confusion. "Why am I not as tired as before?"
"That would be because the tower is giving off love energy which you are using and is allowing your reserves to refill along with stopping you from getting more tired." Onyx answered her while slowly painting some Runes on the outside of the edge of the array, not allowing them to interfere with the main actions of the Tower. "You should stay where you are because the Tower is assisting you with keeping the current barrier up."
Candance looked at the Tower, really confused because it sounded like it was aware. She decided that she would just ask instead of just leaving herself ignorant. "So is the tower sentient that it could pick who it was supposed to be helping and what not?"
Onyx let out a low snort before stopping and thinking about the question and nodded his head slowly in thought while describing it for her. "The Tower is not sentient like you and I or any of the girls, but it can pick up what I call magical intent."
Candance nodded before sitting down and relaxing her body. She looked at the various Crystal ponies watching them and waved at them, which caused them to move off and hide from her. She slowly frowned, worried, and looked at Onyx. She spoke, saddened by what just happened. "Why do you think they ran from me, Onyx?"
"Because the way you are using the tower is probably really close to how the queens of old used it, and as much as we like to hide things they notice… they know King Sombra is coming to attempt and take over them again and that you are protecting them." Onyx slowly described what was most likely happing with a low tone of voice. "Anyone that attempts to help you without the main battery being here will most likely be tortured and killed by the creature."
Candance nodded with sadness radiating off of her before she could speak up and answer or rebuttal Onyx. Onyx spoke up with a tone of Resolve. "All we need to do is find whatever stands in the center and gather enough love and hope and Harmony and end Sombra."
"You make it sound so simple, Onyx." Candance could not help it when she looked at Onyx's back and could not help but compare it to Celestia's and Luna's and could not help but admit that Onyx has the same silent resolve that they have. "And what happens if we fail Onyx?"
"We will not fail because it would mean these people would be in danger." Onyx's tone took on a stern tone of voice almost like gravel. "We will save them and show them that Sombra is not this undefeatable monster."
---Time Skip---
The girls brought the information that they had found to Candance and Onyx while Shining stood guard. Twilight was the one to describe the festival that they would be making. "…And then at the end, we would show off the crystal heart using the love of the people."
Onyx nodded and quickly pointed out that the Heart was most likely the central Battery matrix and that he needed that to complete his work. Twilight shook her head and looked at Rainbow, and this was way too important for her to be able to do on her own. "Rainbow, I need you to find the Heart while we set up the various stalls and food."
Rainbow saluted because this would hopefully be really easy and quickly took off before stopping and asking where she should search. Onyx was the one to answer that the Tower is where she needs to look, causing everyone to look at him confused, causing him to sigh and explain. "Sombra lived here when he controlled the Crystal Empire, and he would not trust anyone but himself to look after the heart so he would keep it nearby."
Rainbow nodded and took off and looked and moved to the bottom while moving her way up. Twilight and the girls took off and started preparing the various goods and stall, leaving Onyx with the newlyweds. Onyx knew of an excellent way to help Candance and did not really like doing it. "So, how was the newlywed life?"
Candance launched into a talk that was so mushy that it was embarrassing while Shining watched the glow of her horn remain steady. Shining was shocked that it was so easy before noticing that Onyx's eyebrow was slowly twitching in annoyance. Shining could not help the small smile that appeared listing to his wife natter Gossip with Onyx.
---With the girls---
Twilight could not help but look at the various games and things they would have to be doing before letting out an explosive sigh which caused the girls to look at her. "I still have no idea what the secret test that Celestia wants me to complete is because there is no way I can do this alone. Onyx needs to rework the matrix for the Rune Scheme, Rainbow is trying to track down the Heart, you girls know how to plan a good-looking party/festival, While I have no idea what I am supposed to do to help."
The girls smiled while they watched Twilight freak out because it was painfully obvious that Celestia is trying to teach Twilight and an actual lesson, not a test about herself. Rarity was the one to point it out to her. "What if this is not a test like you are thinking, Twilight? What if this is another lesson disguised as a test?"
Twilight blinked and quickly tried to think about what it could honestly be and realized that it might be a lesson on delegation before shaking her head because that honestly makes no sense. Twilight already knew how important Delegation was before sighing and looking at the girls. "Now, that makes sense to me, but if I do not figure out the lesson, I will not be able to give her an adequate answer."
Before they could continue, Rainbow showed up slightly panting while holding a pulsating Crystal heart. Rainbow set it down with the girls and sat down for a second. She spoke up, panting. "That… thing… really… does… not… like… me… it… sapped… my… energy…"
Twilight nodded and looked it over before picking it up magically and was surprised that it was slowly sucking her magic. Twilight sighed because this was really important that she got this to Onyx as soon as possible. She told the girls that she would be back and took off with the Heart, hoping to find Onyx but was surprised when she saw him sitting cross-legged outside of the Runic Scheme. Twilight quickly spoke up, getting his attention. "Onyx, Rainbow has found the heart, and now I am handing it over to you just to let you know that it absorbs magic from the person holding it…"
Twilight blinked when she noticed it was gone from her magical grip and that Onyx was holding it one-handed while gloved and was showing none of the symptoms that Rainbow and her were showing. She spoke up with a question on her tone. "How on earth were you able to hold the thing with no problems?"
"My magic and it do not get along, and so we repulse each other… Love is pretty close to Chaos magic in all honestly, and mind is pretty much Structure." Onyx informed her while he looked her over and flicked her forehead, and refilled her magical reserves. Twilight looked surprised that Onyx was able to replenish her magic by flicking her on the forehead and watched him quickly get to work, watching the wings get more and more solid while still looking Ethereal, marking them as incomplete. Onyx could tell her question. "I will either get my wings or fail when we activate the damn tower and banish Sombra."
Twilight nodded before heading back off to the girls leaving Onyx alone. Onyx sighed and looked at the wings in worry. He spoke aloud the reason why he was able to gain his wings from this. "This damn tower is Candance's godly artifact."
Onyx slowly stretched out his body before he heard footsteps and looked at Candance, who was looking at the Heart with an intense level of focus. Onyx spoke slowly while he reached out to her and flicked her as well. "Candance focus… you almost lost the spell that was protecting us."
Candance nodded before looking at the Heart again and could not help it. She feels a connection to the thing and decides to ask. "Why is it so important to me, Onyx?"
"It is most likely your godly Artifact… I heard Celestia and Luna have one that changed their Cutie Mark slightly." Onyx answered while hiding what he was doing from her. Candance nodded and blinked before realizing that her Cutie Mark might be different compared to before. Onyx slowly described what the Heart was and what it was doing. Candance smiled while watching Onyx work and realized that he truly loved working his Runes. What most do not realize Candance handles all types of love, not just love in the traditional sense.
---Ethereal Realm---
Harmony and Discord looked over the changes that Onyx was doing to the Heart and could not help but admit that it was really small the changes that he was making. Discord was the first one to speak up and could not help but admit it. 'He is truly an impressive being.'
Harmony could not help but smile at the fact that it was looking more and more like that Onyx was really going to succeed. Harmony spoke up in happiness at Discord. 'This is going to be really close, though, in all honesty.'