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The streets of Theria reeked of a foul rot. No where near as pleasant as the smell of fish, Pangaré thought as he trudged through the partly empty streets. There was the occasional agonising moan coming from one of the misty alleyways that he passed sullenly. His peaked cap hung low over his eyes, almost acting a deterrent for the abhorrent disgrace this once great city had become.

Theria, the capital city of Caballus, was no longer the great sight it had once been. The air once rung with the sounds of docking bells and baying seagulls. A thriving atmosphere was a common sight. Market stands paraded the dirt streets and you couldn't hear yourself think over the loud and bustling sounds of the community as they went about their busines. Fish being sold and various other underwater herbs. Necklaces made from seashells and artwork created from sand. Rings and trinkets and little things which gave the content residents of the Fishing District pleasure, you could find it all on this street. No longer.

The seagulls were gone. The markets were gone. The people were gone. There was only... that smell. That smell meant a lot of things. A failing city. An unclean city. A city that has practically given up any hope of restoration a revitalisation.

Before the plauge, Pangaré often went on walks here and reminisced of the times he spent in these streets as a child. His close friends and family, playing hoofball in the streets. Sitting around a cosy fire when the cold nights rolled around and feasting on the catches of the day. Falling asleep to the delicate and haunting sounds of the church bells. No longer.

Many ponies were dying. Many were already dead. The poorer parts of the city began falling first as starvation began to run rampant. Since the lengths of the moons increased, the sea levels have been rising. Many of the seaside towns, towns like Wither and Connemara, were washed away by the frantic and unforgiving tides of the ocean. Foundations ripped from underneath the many houses of ponies that had made the beaches their home. When the fishing ports went, so did the fishers... and so did the fish. With Caballus's main export being neutralised, the cities economic welfare began to plummet. This of course affected many parts of the government, including sanitations. An unwise move. Pangaré's work as Minister of Sanitation meant he was responsible for the cleanliness and functioning of the complex sewer system below Theria. When the cleaning stopped, the rats came, and with the rat's came a terrible disease. It was simply named Death.

The symptoms of Death came very slowly but apparently affected many hundreds of ponies in the lower areas of the city. It began with a irritating cough. Many assumed it was just the common cold, an ailment made even more common because of the countries increasingly low temperatures. But as the cough became worse, so too did the strength of many ponies. Ponies were bedridden for months as the cough slowly began to tear away at their throat, causing an upshot of blood for every single cough. The distinct and colourful coats of the ponies who caught it would turn and shadowy black and their eyes would become bloodshot red. Slowly and painfully, many ponies succumbed to the violent bug.

The middle class and upper class of the city found themselves protected for the time being, but there were rumours of ponies having caught the bug in the Business District. If this were true, then the entire city may soon find that they, like the others, will catch the Death. Precautions have been made in the meantime. Witchdoctors from Quagga ship potions and other herbs to keep the sickness at bay for only a few, and the workers in the Engineering District of Theria made a draft of a device which could filter the harmful toxins in the contaminated areas of the city.

That was what Pangaé wore now. The mask was heavy at the front and only covered his nose and mouth. A long cylindrical tube extended from the mouth where the air would be filtered before entering the body's system. Pangaré didn't quite understand how it was supposed to work. Infact, the device was still in it's testing stages... Infact, Pangaré was a part of that very test. He had courageously and foolishly taken up the task of testing the device in the Fishing District of the lower end of the city.

Pangaré was nervous. Although he had never doubted Theria for the quality and skill of it's engineer's, something about this mask made him uneasy. The smell seemed to be enhanced through it and the air felt thick. Pangaré thought he could chew through it if he tried. His neck was craned and felt heavy and tired from the weight of the device. Pangaré only had to walk a short distance, there and back again. Copper Bolt, an engineer in the district jokingly said to him before he left, 'If you don't come back, we'll know to start again.' Pangaré might not come back.

A loud and earth rendering screech came from the skies above where the Pangaré stood. A dragon. Caballus had not seen dragons for many thousands of years. They were only really ever spotted in Quagga, with Equestria having dragon problems occasionally. The panic that was first caused when a dragon was spotted nearly shut down the entire city. It had only flown overhead but that was enough to send the Caballians in a state of frenzy. Guards would patrol the streets night and day for about three weeks before it was decided that the city was safe from the fire breathing demons. Dragons fascinated Pangaré and he was even quite glad that they were showing up, although he kept that thought to himself. Dragons are not stupid. Some are even smarter than many ponies. If they were as wise as people say, they would keep their distance from the Caballus.

The thick clouds made the dragon difficult to see. It's large grey silhouette could be seen through the clouds as it flew over and warped and moved the darkened packets of moisture. Pangaré watched as the clouds that had been moved were replaced by more almost instantly, a weather that cannot be changed or controlled. Even dragons were powerless. It's wingspan only made more impressive by the sheer size of the body, tail and head. How any set of wings could support that kind of weight was a mystery. And if something was a mystery, you'd blame magic.

*****

Copper Bolt was becoming worried. He was a fine engineer, he knew that. One of the best in the world, in fact. The Caballus University produced some of the finest tinkers and technicians from any four corners of the world. Caballus was an Earth Pony clan before the Unicorns and Pegasus came forwards. A country without magic or weather control for many hundreds of years resorted in some of the finest technilogical achievements to emerge. Magic was looked down upon an Caballus. Caballians liked to keep things traditional, trying to steer clear of magical intervention where possible. It would seem at this point in time though, Copper Bolt could really use some magic. He lifted his forearm to check the time. Thirty minutes had passed since he watched Pangaré march off into the lower district, he should be returning any moment. That is, if he was as good of an engineer as he would have hoped.

Copper Bolt turned to his assistant, a young mare by the name of Driver. She was still young, fresh out of education. A bright young mind with a bright future. Her coat was auburn and shone in the street lights which rose up above them, her bright red mane seeming to burn ablaze on her head. The mark on her flank, simply a screwdriver. Nice and simple, it tells all it needs to tell.  She had her head buried in a notebook and appeared to be scrawling something obsessively. A drawing, Copper Bolt discovered as he peered over her shoulder.

Alongside Copper Bolt and Driver was another older pony. Copper Bolt was completely unsure of his name. He had been a professor at the university but Copper Bolt had never been taught by him. He had a grey coat with a thick white mane which curved around his ears and formed a neatly trimmed beard. An enormous gear decorated his flank, which seemed to shine when the light hit it. He wore a thick leather belt which was fastened tightly around his waist and from it hung an array of different tools and devices. He was simply taking notes, and refused to speak when Copper Bolt approached him, resulting in a very awkward silence which hung in the air. Copper Bolt found himself oddly motivated to break the silence with Driver.

"How long has it been now Driver?" He asked quietly, even though he knew how long it had been.

"You know how long it's been Copper, I just watched you check your wrist-watch." Copper Bolt stammered and turned his head away, slightly embarrassed. A moment passed before he made another attempt at conversation.

"Drawing anything interesting?" He inquired.

"No."

"Oh. So then, what are you drawing?"

"The street."

"That's interesting."

Driver smirked and lowered her sketchpad slightly. "Shut up." She said promptly, as she smiled.

"Why are you sketching the street?" Copper Bolt asked, genuinely intrigued. He looked in the direction that she would have been observing and huffed. "You can't see a damn thing it's just... fog."

"Well maybe I want to sketch just... fog." She said it with a slightly snappy tone.

"Maybe your drawing really izn't that interesting." Copper Bolt exclaimed, becoming slightly impatient with the mare.

"It'z not about vhat you see. It'z about vhat I see. You see fog. I see a scene in a play. I see a story. A murder, imminent. I see a dark figure wading t'rough eet. A knife. I see blood cake zee walls of zee street and I 'ear zee 'eavy breathing of an injured mare before it eez silenced," she said sullenly. Copper Bolt gulped nervously. "Or I see a romantic scene. Two lovers running to'vards each other, unsure if zee figure zey're running at is zee pony 'zey love. As 'zey approach, 'zey see. And 'zen 'zey smile. And 'zen cry as 'zey embrace one another. I look at 'zhis fog and I see a 'ole manner of 'zings which you can't see. But iz it interesting? No. Not at all. You can't become interested in some'zing you know izn't 'zhere. It'z just a fantasy."

Copper Bolt had his mouth agape as she spoke, unsure of what she was supposed to be getting at. A metaphorical observation or the ramblings of someone who is utterly mad. Either way, poetically, it was quite beautiful.

"Can you two shut up?" They both turned their heads towards the Equestrian accented older pony, who wore a disgruntled frown on his face.

"Whats the matter? Something turned up?" Copper Bolt inquired as he peered off into the fog, eagerly expecting to see Pangarè emerge, a stupid grin across his face.

"No. I just get fed up of young ponies flapping their lips for the sake of flapping their lips. Do me a favour, both of you, and be quiet. We'll make a game out of it." His Equestrian accented tone was patronising and Copper Bolt didn't care for it at all, but it was enough to keep Driver and him from saying another word.

A few moments passed and it seemed for a while that the fog looked like it was going to fade. It didn't seem to matter as a silhouette appeared through the fog, wearing a very familiar looking mask. Pangarè. Copper Bolt let out a very audible and suggestive sigh of relief to see him emerge. The pony approached slowly until he reached the three others and proceeded to remove the mask from his face. As he did, he let out a exasperated sigh and with his hoof pushed his mane out of his face, slicking it back until his eyes were visible.

Driver lowered her sketchpad and pocketed her pencil before speaking, "I guess now we wait."

The older pony spoke next, "It's a strong 90% possibility that, if the mask was ineffective, Pangarè will contract the plague. How fucking encouraging, Pangarè thought. "According to Mr. Chatty over there, the mask will reduce that 90% risk a whole 99%. Let's hope he's as good as the professor insisted he is."

"Don't worry. Copper Bolt is the finest engineer in Theria." He smiled warmly at Copper Bolt which was equally returned. The was a distinct gleam in Copper Bolt's eyes as he did.

*****

Back at the keep, the four ponies worked tirelessly in writing up documents describing the test. Pangarè showed no immediate symptoms like many ponies who contracted the plague, which was an encouraging sign and Pangarè heaved a sigh of relief at that knowledge. It meant it had worked. The damn thing works, Pangarè thought, smiling to himself.

"You're going to be a rich pony, Copper." The older pony exclaimed. "We all are." He grinned behind his white beard and chuckled gently to himself.

"How do you mean?" Copper inquired. "'We're not making any money from this. It's something the country needs, it'll be a free service." He had to take the moral high ground.

The older pony scowled. "Don't be so damned ridiculous. The plague has had ponies in the middle and upper districts terrified for months, you don't think they'd be willing to pay top prices for a product like this?" He exclaimed as he reached across the table and held up the prototype of the mask. "We could make millions here. How else can you possibly hope to keep up supply of these fucking things?" He through it back onto the table with and it connected with a loud thud which reverberated through the large hall they sat in.

He continued before Copper could counter, "We set a price and they will pay it."

"I will not take money off the terrified. We have always had a free healthcare service. 'Why change that now in the face of all this death and despair? I will not stoop to such lows, old man. We will make many of these masks and we will worry about the cost later." Copper Bolt was stern in his opinions and stared directly at the older pony who's eyes were purely focussed on the sheets that lay in front of him.

"Be it on your head, Bolt. But think about this. We all know I am the one paying for all of this. This entire study and test was funded under me, and the final products will be financed under me. An executive producer if you will. I cannot afford to make this a free service, I will lose out on thousands of bits. Hundreds of thousands if you want to be a little more realistic, if we are going to supply the entirety of Theria. The price will not be too extreme, fear not." For the first time, he looked towards Copper Bolt. His eyes were stern and his pupils dilated a fair bit. Perhaps he had taken something, Pangarè couldn't help but think. Copper Bolt appeared to be both disgruntled and visibly upset by the troubling commands from the pony he so unfairly relied on.

*****

The outcome of the meeting was pleasing to both Copper Bolt and Pangaré. It transpired that full production into the masks would be carried out in Equestria under the supervision of the royal guard and entire initial shipments of the final product were expected within two to three weeks. They were full aware that the plague would still be a major threat, masks or no. But for now they could rest easy knowing that things were progressing.

Copper Bolt lay over Pangaré, gently and delicately kissing his neck. They lay lazily atop one another in bed, above the covers, embracing each other in a display of love. His hoofs massaged his colt's sides and he heard Pangaré let out an audible sigh of pleasure. Copper Bolt grinned and saw this as a good indicator to begin moving his hoofs further down his lover's long, outstretched body. Pangaré shuddered quite dramatically as Copper Bolt's hoofs ran over a sensitive area on his hips.

"You never did like it when I touched you there, Pan." He muttered seductively as he prodded the same area, making Pangaré shift uncomfortably, he smiled and laughed nonetheless at his teasing notions.

"I never said I didn't like it, you daft colt. You just... catch me off guard sometimes. Today I walked through the most plagued area of Theria, I believe I can hold my own when confronted with an overly intimate pony such as yourself coming into contact with one of my more ticklish spots." Pangaré smiled lovingly down at him, although Copper Bolt wasn't looking back. He had begun softly nipping at Pangaré's chest and he soon found himself sinking back into the realm of pleasure.

"Copper... Copper stop for a moment." Pangaré sullenly demanded as he lifted his lovers head with a hoof from under his chin.

"What is it? Did I actually hurt you? If you want me to stop touching you there I-"

"No, no it's not that at all. What I just said. About walking through the most plagued area in Theria. It happened, right, tell me. Please tell me it happened." Pangaré's voice shook almost uncontrollably. "That wasn't a dream. You've saved us all. You saved me."

Copper Bolt was becoming both concerned and confused at his lover's almost heartbreaking rambling. He slid up so he could be eye level with Pangaré, but he didn't smile. He didn't quite know how to respond. "I didn't save you Pan, from anything." It was at this moment he gave his colt friend a stupid grin, "You said when you got back that I was the finest engineer in Theria. You know what I didn't tell you? You were absolutely right. Pan, there was no risk of you dying out there, if that's what you were scared of, regardless of what that other pony may say."

"No. It wasn't even that." Copper Bolt edged in closer, as Pangaré voice was almost a whisper of it's normal self. Suddenly Pangaré lingering head shot up and he planted a soft, loving kiss on his partner's lips. It didn't last long and when Pangaré moved away he was smiling. "Forget I said anything, hon." The volume and presence had returned to his voice as he snaked his hoof around the other colt's head and drew him in for another, longer wetter kiss.

Copper Bolt forgot his anxiety and melted into the kiss, moving his hands from the more erotic areas of his partner's body as he embraced Pangaré in a tight and unrelenting hug, fearful that whatever was plaguing his colt friend's thought's would keep him awake that night.