The collar beeped and dug into my skin. The stupor I was in vanished as its metal claws pierced into my flesh, and the sharp magical shock that discharged through my neck burned away at my cells. I stumbled back from the window I was standing at, blinking away the red in my vision, and desperately tried to breathe. My saddles bags clattered at the movement, and I almost dropped the pail of water I had between my teeth. Seconds passed as my senses cleared and the seared scent of fur disappeared from my nostrils. I looked behind me to find the shuttle doors wide open, docked at the exit platform and waiting for my exit. The collar made another threatening ding, but the message was clear enough. I stepped from the shuttle out onto the exit platform. The doors closed behind me and the shuttle launched, disappearing into the skyline somewhere behind me as I made my way down the platform. The mega-highway in front of me was vacant, with the howling wind rolling through the empty skylanes. Tall buildings stretched up into the heavens, each more elegant and vibrant than the next. It wasn’t very often I managed to get a job in the third ring of the city, but every trip was a beautiful trek through the unicorn tier in Canterlot. Such a luxurious life put even the second ring of the Pegasi to shame, but at least they had the freedom to fly. Such a simple freedom, and yet… I glanced back at my flank, at the scarred flesh on both sides. Even with all the surgery the faint outline of a brush and a palette remained. The wrench and mop that had been tattooed on top looked like a sticker in comparison. The unicorns had all the magic and wonders of life. And all the power. At least they kept us around. And gave us work… It wasn’t painting, but it’s not like there were many earth pony artists anymore. Horns were much more versatile than hooves with a brush. They need cleaners more, anyways. It kept me fed, most of the time. Being a cleaner wasn’t too bad either. ... My destination appeared in front of me. Right in the third from the left lane, and probably the reason they had temporality closed this skylane. I glanced at the red smear in the road as I walked closer, and then up at the buildings overhead. The poor bastard must have splattered open like a water balloon. Most of the internals had been cleaned up, but the red stain on the pavement would need a good scrub before it was washed out. I put down the pail of water before I opened my saddlebags, taking out the chemical cleaners and the mop. The chemicals bubbled and sizzled as I poured them on the stain. I took the mop in my mouth and scrubbed the now reddish mixture. It took several more applications before I managed to wash the road back to it’s healthy concrete gray, but eventually it was done. I cleaned the mop in the bucket and threw the water down a nearby drain. No sooner then when I had finished packing, had one of the signs on the mega-highway blared to life with a loud buzz. A bright yellow two-minute countdown appeared on the sign, before alternating to a small graphic of a pony running away. I made my way back to the exit platform, as it carried me back upwards to the shuttle station. The road behind me dinged again, and the howl of the air disappeared and was replaced with the howl of engines as personal craft began to whizz by. There was a soft hiss as a shuttle docked behind me and the doors open. I stared at the highway for a few seconds. Some part of me wanted to run and leap into that traffic, to eat the chemicals in my saddlebags and fling myself off the edge of the shuttle platform into the depths below. The scars on my side burned hotly. This isn’t how things should have been, isn’t what my life should have turned out to be. Inside, I screamed out at anything to help me… to hold me. The collar tore into my neck again and shocked me. I blinked. And stepped into the shuttle ... And watched the doors close... At least I did a good job. You couldn’t even notice the stain.