Only Human

Hate, that was the only thing Rainbow had left as she shambled through another town that she no longer cared to know the name of, her clothes only a few weeks away from falling apart entirely. She hated the human soldiers who were strutting around Equestria like they owned the place threatening anypony who even tried to stand up to them, she hated the fact that it was better to be thought of as one of them then to reveal herself as the former element of loyalty. She hated the ponies around her for being turncoats and cowards switching from one master to another the second they were in danger, 'loyalty my ass.'. She thought to herself remembering the mass laying down of weapons that followed when humans first made landfall. She hated her body, not just because it was human but because it was weak. Only a few days after she'd been shoved into this disgusting bald meatsack it turned out her lungs would start burning whenever she tried to run, surely some kind of ironic punishment specifically tailored to her. Yet more than anything she hated the gods, physical, immaterial, saint, spirit, didn't matter, she hated them all the same.
Immature bastards the lot of em, and worse yet, it was becoming more and more apparent to Rainbow that they had been playing her her entire life. She was DESTINED, to become the element of loyalty, she had no choice in the matter on whether everything in her life would be arranged so she could end Luna's hissy fit. None of it was real, her friendship with the traitor? Fake, just another way to get the elements together. Her constant failures to join the Wonderbolts and having to settle for a weather team position in some backwater hamlet? Organized entirely so she'd be in the vicinity of the old castle when Nightmare Moon returned. Maybe every thought up until the war really had been 'harmony's will' but when they stopped being useful to it, well it just up and left them. Threw them away once they found new puppets to play with. That was the one bright side, no matter how horrible her life was at least she made her own choices. After all not even the lowliest god would bother with some poor, feeble monkey bitch like her in any meaningful ways.

"Oh, Reed Pen, grant us wisdom and guide our choices..."
Rainbow turned seeing a family of Unicorns leaving a shrine, the youngest member staying just a bit too long before the mare she assumed was her mother dragged her away. That was another thing she hated about the spirits, now that the world had gone to crap it seemed like everypony and their mother had become religious. Houses of worship already outnumbered the Starbucks's which had began to pop up. Every few blocks you'd find ponies worshipping something, Faust and Luna, Discord, Saints, nature spirits, or one of those multi armed human deities that seemed to be popular in Canterlot. The prayers were simple, usually praying for food or safety as if the very beings they prayed to didn't let this happen in the first place. Still something about the shrine caught Dash's eye and she decided to investigate.
It was medium sized, nicer and older than many of the roadside chapels she'd seen in her life. It's purple greenish stone facade only showing the slightest signs of age, a few stains from centuries of incense use being apparent on the base, which as Rainbow noted, was covered in coins. Another very good reason to check the place out. As for the occupant, the only clue was the stern bust of a Unicorn in eastern garb which sat underneath the ramshackle roof, presumably a sage or some kind of minor god. The characters underneath weren't in standard Equestrian script so whoever this pony was or what he was supposed to do, Rainbow didn't have the slightest idea.

She looked around cautiously to make sure the coast was clear. While her ratty hoodie while offering protection and anonymity it did obscure her vision. seeing the opportunity Rainbow quickly reached down and shoved half the bits into her pockets. She'd take more but right now anymore suspicion was the very last thing she needed, and a few bits could get her a lot with the economy how it was. Hell this could get her a warm place to sleep for the night or three hot meals, more than she usually got in a week in her self imposed exile. She lifted her head with a mocking smile towards the stern bust it's eyes locked on hers. "Snooze you loose bud." Rainbow walked away cackling at her own joke, the coughs only interrupting her stream of laughter occasionally as she walked back to the market. The smell of roasted vegetables overpowering the smell of incense with every step.

"Uhh-Excuse me."

Rainbow froze. It was a mare's voice, not hostile but definitely pointed. She'd been found out, the only reason they weren't burning her at the proverbial stake is that they probably think she's with the military occupation. If they found out who she was, they'd, they'd, well let's just say it wouldn't be good. And in small towns like these, words got around, everypony knew each other, and they'd know her. Rainbow reached into her jacket pockets, feeling the cold metal on her smooth skin, grasping them with her dirt encrusted fingers. It was too late to put them back, it was fight or flight.

Rainbow swiveled around eyes mad, her face contorted in a simian snarl designed to use her new canine teeth to their fullest advantage. "What?!" She screamed, she didn't know who this pony was or what they wanted but the fact they were taking an interest in her was not good. As the anger cleared and Rainbow's posture loosened, she began to get a better look at her potential prosecutor. She was a Unicorn, young adult, seafoam green coat with dark black hair tied in a long braid. Her big blue eyes nervous but determined, and oddly enough... compassionate. Rainbow hadn't seen compassion in a long time, or at least compassion that wasn't condescending self righteousness from Twilight or the Traitor made solely to make them feel better.

The unicorn pawed the ground once more with her front hoof, "Sorry.. to bother you uhh." The Unicorn looked her over clearly having a hard time with human genders, "Miss, but.." The Unicorn's tongue seemed to get caught. Once Rainbow would have found it endearing, now it just reminded her of the traitor.
"But.." Rainbow growled sarcastically, her shoulders slumping while her hands took a defensive position over the bits. The Mare's eyes scanning her all over.
"B-but it looks like you need some help." Oh-another kiss ass, probably thinking she was some lost pow and the humans would reward her and her miserable peasant family for this act. Rainbow turned around clutching the money tighter and prepared to walk off.

"Please miss." The Unicorn's voice was closer now, "My mother and I are seamstresses, would you at least let us fix your clothes. I-I promise I won't bother you afterwards." Rainbow froze and looked back, memories of Rarity rushing through her mind and filling her with a warmth that now felt uncomfortable.
She threw her hands in the air and screamed, giving one last animalistic wordless curse over her dying dignity before turning around and walking towards the mare. "Urgh fine."

"Wonderful, you'll just love our work, once my mother made a..." The Unicorn Mare who Rainbow had picked up was named Suture String would not stop talking as the two of them made their way through the tight cluttered allies, passing by a seemingly random mix of commercial and residential buildings. At first Rainbow hated it, Suture had gone on for hours without even asking her name (not that she would give it), but it grew on her. It had been the first time in months where Anypony spoke to her and she wasn't the main conversation point. Something that used to infuriate her back when she felt being the plaything of some incorporeal bucks made her hot shit. The one thing that really stuck out to her though was this, when Rainbow asked her why she cared this is what she said.
"Nopo-Nobody should have to live alone without a home, I should know... I've been there." At that moment all the resentment left Rainbow's body despite her best efforts. Her father was an isolationist, never wanted to get involved in overseas policy. ESS took him away, Suture thought he was most likely dead. After that the war had taken her and her mother's house in Baltimare forcing Suture and her mother to trek halfway across the continent on hoof, the only thing guiding them being a dim hope that perhaps their extended family survived and had enough food to spare for them. "You know..." Said Suture as they approached a three story building connected to others by a forest of clothes lines, a hex sign proudly displayed on the door in which Rainbow would no doubt have to duck to enter. "After all that it was hard not to be angry.."
"At the humans?" Rainbow's voice was a little too positive to be coming from a natural born human. Not that her host noticed, instead staring off into space.
"Humans, ponies, my dad for not keeping his mouth shut, Celestia for starting this Harmony forsaken war, my aunt and uncle for not doing more to save us when Baltimare was burning."

Rainbow ran her fingers behind her beanie looking about awkwardly, "So... how'd you get over it.". It was awkward small talk but there was just enough of a hint that Suture could tell Rainbow was having a very similar problem.
"I dunno.. I just got tired. Like I just didn't have the fuel to be mad anymore." That was oddly profound in a very simple kind of way. But then she had to say something that ruined it, "You know I think that was the ancestors trying to help me move on. I remember praying at Reed Pen's shrine and the next morning I just had that realization." Rainbow instinctually scoffed, of bucking course she'd get religious on her. "What?" Asked Suture, still just a bit too polite to be offended.

"Kid." Said Rainbow with heavy sigh, "That wasn't the ancestors or spirits or whatever, and if it was I don't want any of their goddamn help." Rainbow crossed her arms. Having such nimble expressive appendages was one of the few things she enjoyed about her new form.

"If you don't believe in them that's fine. I respect your beliefs." There was a trace of offense in Suture's tone, as she opened the door, "But I'd prefer if you at least tried to respect mine as well." Rainbow laughed.
"Don't believe? Pssh I believe in all of them!" She said almost slamming her head in an upspring of sardonic mirth entering the darkened home. Suture String stared at her some more as if waiting for a punchline but as none came her irritation turned to abject confusion.

"But.. why..."

"Because I've had enough of their bucking help, I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for them." Rainbow was now on a tirade, "They dumped me into this hellhole, alone and miserable after using and abusing me ever since I was a bucking fo-" Rainbow stopped herself, "Kid, sorry got used to ponyisms." Good excuse. "Point is they only care about themselves, and it'd be better if you never have to meet them." Rainbow wanted to walk off as she normally did, she'd had enough ponies push back at her. Telling her it was all 'x's plan' or 'she needed to see the big picture' and those were the nicer ones. But she couldn't, all her motivation left her like she was deflating balloon forcing her to stare into Suture's big, empathetic, innocent eyes.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." She pulled up a chair for Rainbow with her Telekinesis as the human sat down, her body shuffling awkwardly in the seat clearly designed for ponies. "You know I wasn't religious until I started donating to the Reed Pen shrine."

"Nice, you think he's spending them on cider or worm medication?" What did a ghost need with cash anyways? Rainbow remember seeing those Haygyptian mummies in the Cloudsdale museum when she was a filly. Even back then the thought of leaving all that valuable stuff with some dead pony who couldn't leave his coffin felt like such a waste to her. Couldn't it go to orphans, or public works or even like a living king?
"Actually, Reed Pen was a Scholar and official of the Ma Dynasty, who did everything he could for those less fortunate than him. He wanted his shrines to act as donation centers for ponies.." She paused looking at Rainbow Dash, "Or creatures without much to their names. He said that if no other spirit would step in then he'd do it himself." Rainbow's faced softened, a thoughtful look overtaking the mask of scorn that stood there a few seconds earlier,

"So he became a god so he could keep on giving to charity." Suture nodded enthusiastically clearly hoping she had helped Rainbow see the light. Rainbow leaned back into the chair sticking her legs out. Just a bit of her old affable and cocky demeanor coming back. "Not really my style, but I can respect that." Rainbow once again grasped the bits in her pocket as Suture began to work on cleaning her. "You know," She whispered to herself, "maybe some gods aren't so bad after all."