---Onyx 2nd POV---
As Onyx was working on the Rune Engine, deciding on what he wanted to fuel it with before deciding on water as the primary fuel source. He blinked as he heard the Ponies of Ponyville locking up and realized that it meant the episode of Zekora the Zebra was starting before deciding he had no real interest in interacting with this episode.
As Onyx made his way over to Big Mac home so he could help him build the engine. He was shocked that Zekora was walking into town as he was leaving. Onyx greeted with no trouble whatsoever. "Hello Zekora, how are you?"
"This one is fine, and how are you, Onyx?" Zekora asked slowly, not used to Ponies greeting her.
"I am fine, and I wish you a good day." Onyx walked past her with his bag on his hip. While they walked past each other, he was looking at the ponies nearby in amusement.
Zekora waved goodbye to Onyx before moving into the town for food. Onyx could not help but wonder how the episode was going to be different. "I cannot believe that Pinkie will fall for the curses after all I told her about what they were when she wanted to learn about Everfree, and the others are going to blame her for their magic 'curses'."
As Onyx showed up at Apple Acres, he quickly went looking for Big Mac. Onyx found him looking over various notes about what looked like sales. "Howdy Mac, how are you?"
"Good." Big Mac replied as he set down the papers. "What are you doing here, Onyx?"
"I have the supplies in my bag, and I want you to help me build a small scale of the engine that we made. I figured that you could use a distraction." Onyx explained why he was there and what he was attempting to do. Onyx explained in mirth. "Zekora is in town, so everyone is currently Panicking."
Big Mac snorted because I had explained that all her so-called curses were plants that the Everfree grew before he sighed in worry. "Applebloom probably saw her and went to Applejack."
"Pinkie is currently having fun with her friends because I explained the same thing and is probably humoring her friends and Applebloom," Onyx explained while he yawned.
"Are you okay, Onyx?" Big mac asked in because this was the first time Onyx showed that he was tired.
"I am feeling extremely burnout with the engine, and I am most likely going to have to drop it for a while," Onyx explained with annoyance radiating from him.
"I thought your Talent was researching Runes?" Big mac asked, confused about Onyx failing in research.
"What? No, my Talent is the ability to make things with Runes, I am the production, but research is my passion." Onyx explained, happy to talk about his Talent with a friend. "I was so surprised when I got runes added to my Cutie Mark after all the way I found it was following my mothers' steps."
"What about you, Big Mac? Any surprises for your Talent?" Onyx asked Big Mac.
"Was surprised that I had a talent for farm equipment I can maintain and create. I wish I could have gone to college to pursue but happy to help the farm." Big Mac admitted a little sad that he never got to use his Talent.
Onyx looked at the rune engine and smiled. "Want to use my engine and build a farm machine?"
Big mac looked at Onyx in surprise before looking at the engine and seeing how they could use it to power a piece of farm equipment, making maintenance extremely easy. "Sure, you want to use something like this on a piece of farm equipment?"
"Might as well make a tractor that could use it." Onyx planned out and built a tractor around the engine. Big Mac looked at the build and smiled before nodding his head in agreement. "Let us do this. Scale model first and then the version in the machine and then the machine itself."
As we slowly put the parts together, Onyx could not help but smile that he could help his friend when he could.
---Time skip 2 hours Same POV---
As they stood there looking at the completed scale model engine and quickly fueled it up with a gallon of water which was the most the scale model could hold. "Ready, Big Mac?"
"Ready Onyx." Big mac confirmed that he was ready and watched as Onyx flipped the switch and watched the engine start. They watched the engine start leaking steam as it ran at full power and ran out of water fast with a gallon. It was maybe going to last 8 minutes, but it was moving at a projected 15 miles per hour. "It runs perfectly, but it uses a lot of Water fast, Onyx."
"I will need to change the runes again because it is using more water than it should of and I need to figure out if the runes are too powerful or that it has to be different runes," Onyx admitted as they watched the engine turn off while the steam floated out the window. "A gallon of water should have lasted a little over 40 minutes."
Big mac nodded before he noticed a small problem with the engine itself. "Too many parts."
Onyx was confused and saw what big mac was talking about and realized that the magic fuel was being used faster than he had thought with so many parts. Onyx rubbed his face with annoyance. "I need a more efficient rune scheme to consider the parts. As well as making the engine simpler."
Big mac stopped Onyx by putting his hands on his shoulders. "I will make the engine while you make a better Rune scheme, I can already see multiple ways to make it better, Onyx."
Onyx smiled at Big Mac in happiness. "Are you sure, Big Mac?"
"Yup." Big mac smiled and looked at the engine again. "Need to make the tractor from scratch anyways for the engine it would be better to build it all from scratch."
As Onyx and Mac took apart the engine, they were surprised that granny walked in and looked at the mess they were cleaning up. "Good boys."
As they watched her walk off, Onyx asked her in confusion. "What was that about?"
"Most likely about us cleaning up after ourselves," Mac admitted in thought.
---Time skip 40 minutes---
As Onyx prepared to leave, he quickly said bye to Mac before making his way home. When Onyx arrived and moved into his lab, he quickly pulled out the most current version of the runic scheme he had. As he plotted out the system, he realized that he was currently losing a total of 48 percent of his current power. "How the hell did I lose over half of the power?"
He looked over the scheme in confusion about the amount of power he was losing before sighing. "The suction rune is not powerful enough."
With a new suction rune, he would be able to get the scheme to power the current engine for 18 minutes which is not exceptional nor even close to the 40 minutes that the original plan was supposed to be showing. He quickly looked over the other runes for different ideas and saw that the rune running the machine was just as terrible for the engine as the suction rune. "With these two changes, I can get to 35 minutes based on power usage."
Onyx slowly looked up in thought because this was looking much better. "I am so confused about how I got these wrong beforehand?"
Onyx quickly tried to think why he got the runes wrong before realizing that he was doing too many moving parts at once. "I was trying to make the engine, the vehicle itself, and the rune scheme on my own, and I am not a research pony no wonder I was overwhelmed."
"I knew I would have troubles with my creation, but I was completely messing up everything." Onyx tried to figure out why
"Could it be because I was doing everything myself." as he mused aloud, he heard the front door open and looked outside and saw that Pinkie was setting off an alarm of his, the alarm that said she was carrying poisonous plants. He quickly looked her up and down and not moving over to hug her. "What have you been in plant wise?"
Pinkie blinked before describing the blue flower. Onyx nodded his head. "You were in poison joke; I do not know how to cure it."
"Dangerous?" Pinkie asked, slightly worried.
"Na, it will go away in a week, and it plays jokes based on what you were doing while in the plant," Onyx explained about what was most likely going to happen.
"I was talking a lot and very fast." Pinkie explained before listing to Onyx snort, and he moved to talk.
"Your tongue is going to swell up, and it won't fit in your mouth, and every time you talk, you are going to spit." Onyx laughed at the situation that his girlfriend was going to be in.
Pinkie looked at him, trying to see if he was serious before seeing that Onyx was. "How do I cure it?"
"A plant in the Everfree has the primary ingredient, and Zekora most likely will be able to cure it." Pinkie made a face about going back into the Everfree forest. "I have never had to make it, and it takes a top-tier brewer to complete."
"Understood." Pinkie sighed before laying down in bed.
"Having fun with your friends, dear?" Onyx asked because it sounds like Pinkie would tell them about Zekora.
"They will not listen to me when I informed them that Zekora is not a creepy pony." Pinkie explained that no one would listen to her.
"Pinkie, I did not say she was not creepy. I explained that she was not a bad pony like everyone seems to think." Onyx admitted to Pinkie with a worried tone.
Pinkie looked at Onyx in confusion. "But you said all of her stuff had an explanation."
"It does. Zekora is a top-tier brewer." Onyx explained slowly. "Does not mean she is not creepy and that she does not do creepy things."
"Let us get to bed because it looks like you are exhausted." Onyx slowly led Pinkie to the bedroom so they could get some sleep. Pinkie looked at Onyxs back and smiled happily even if she did not believe Onyxs explanation.
---Time skip next morning---
As Onyx woke up, he saw Pinkie snoring away with a massive blue polka dot tongue. He could not help but snort and going downstairs to make a smoothie. Onyx slowly counted down as he set the smoothie on the table before he heard Pinkie scream. As she rushed down the stairs in her sleep shorts and shirt, she rushed past, grabbing the to-go cup with a smoothie. Onyx watched her run out of the house to what looked like Twilights house. "Told her."
Onyx looked at the tea he was brewing. "She probably hopes that Twilight will have a cure that way; they will not have to walk into the Everfree forest."