It was an average but happy day at Canterlot High, and while most of the other students were going about their normal lives, happy that things had settled down since the Friendship Games, the ones who saved them all, AKA the Rainbooms, were currently in the music room and filling the hallways with wonderful rock and roll music.

At the moment, they were all playing the song ‘Shake Your Tail’, now with Sunset replacing Twilight and adding in some sweet rhythmic guitar sounds.

As they played, their world’s Twilight, AKA Sci-Twi, was watching and taking notes during the whole thing, as well as enjoying the music.
Their magical ears, tails and wings had also appeared as they started playing, and when they finally finished, they disappeared. They used to wonder how and why it happened, but due to the events of the Friendship Games they finally had some answers, pleasing them a great deal.

“Oh yeah! We still got it!” Rainbow said, excited.

“Thanks to the non-stop practicing we’ve been doing lately,” Sunset pointed out as she set her instrument down.

“I have noticed a significant improvement in the quality of your music since last week,” Twilight added.

“That’s good to know.” Fluttershy smiled.

“Indeed. By the way, are you sure you don’t want to join us, Twilight?” Rarity inquired.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun!” Pinkie encouraged.

“And I guess I could let you be lead singer again… well, this version of you anyway. The other you used to do it before she went back, and…” Rainbow began.

“Alright Rainbow, don’t confuse her,” Applejack interjected.

“Oh, it’s ok, I’m uh… not really comfortable being on stage…” Twilight admitted. “Unless it’s solving a problem in front of everyone that is…”

“I feel your pain…” Fluttershy nodded, sympathetically.

“It’s ok, Twilight, but if you ever feel up to it, your more then welcome to,” Sunset Shimmer assured her.

“Thank you,” Twilight said, gratefully. “And thanks for letting me take notes on your magic and ponied up forms.”

“Hey, no sweat, someone’s gotta record my awesomeness for the history books!” Rainbow said proudly, which made everyone glare at her. “Uh… I mean… our awesomeness…”

“And I still have so many questions about your world, Sunset Shimmer.” Twilight told her. “For instance, I remember you talking about ‘cutie marks’ one time. Just… what are cutie marks?”

“Oh, well they represent a pony’s special talents,” Sunset replied.

“Special talents?” Fluttershy echoed.

“Yeah. You see, it usually appears when a pony is just a kid and when they discover what makes them unique from every other pony,” Sunset explained.

“And they need a mark on their butts to know?” Rainbow Dash asked, baffled.

“Actually, it appears on a pony’s flank, thank you,” Sunset corrected.

“So how many cutie marks do you think there are?” Applejack inquired.

“No one knows, billions of possible combinations and symbols.” The fiery haired girl shrugged. “Each one representing a certain talent a pony has.”

“What?” Pinkie Pie asked, dramatically shocked. “Boy, that’s a lot of special talents!”

“I suppose,” Sunset Shimmer admitted.

“So… what was your special talent, darling?” Rarity questioned, curiously.

“Oh, that’s easy, magic, just like Twilight, er, Princess Twilight, I mean.” Sunset said with a sheepish grin as she glanced at the other bespectacled Twilight nearby, who was busy writing notes.

“Fascinating…” she remarked. “And… I’m guessing that these ‘cutie marks’ have a certain… magic to them, right?”

Sunset nodded. “That’s right, and actually… now that I think about it… everyone here at Canterlot High pretty much always wears a symbol that could be their cutie mark back in Equestria, including you guys.”

“Really?” Fluttershy asked looking just as surprised as the others.

“Yeah.” Sunset confirmed by nodding again. “Usually on your shirts, skirts or hair. See?”

As Sunset gestured to the certain symbols on their clothing and hair, they each all looked and were quickly fascinated.

“Huh… well I’ll be…” Applejack remarked.

“I always thought it was just something I really liked, I never thought anything of it,” Rainbow admitted.

“Me neither… but I guess we’re more connected to our pony selves then we thought,” Twilight deduced

“Seems that way,” Fluttershy agreed.

“Indeed… of course we don’t have them on our ‘flanks’ as it were like they do,” Rarity pointed out which suddenly gave Pinkie and Rainbow Dash the same crazy expression as their eyes widened at the exact same time before sharing a smile.

“That’s it, Rarity!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Uh… what’s it?” The fashionista asked, confused.

“I think I know a super awesome thing we can do after school today!” Rainbow Dash revealed.

“Me too!” Pinkie piped up, raising her hand. “And I think it’s the same thing, right Dashie?”

“Duh, why do you think I smiled at you anyway?” Rainbow Dash pointed out.

“Oh yeah.” Pinkie giggled.

“So… what is it?” Applejack questioned.

“Well, to put it simply, it’ll separate us from everybody else and make us more like our pony selves,” Rainbow stated, smirking.

“How?” Fluttershy asked, innocently.

“We’re gonna get tattoos on our butts!” Pinkie revealed, excited. “Yay!”

It took a full ten seconds before what Pinkie said finally registered in the heads of Rainbow and Pinkie’s friends, and when it did, their eyes all widened to the size of dinner plates. It was only then that finally… they spoke.

“What!!?” They all exclaimed, shocked beyond belief.

“You heard her, we’re gonna get what’s on here…” Rainbow said, slowly as she pointed to the rainbow lightning bolt symbol on her shirt and then gestured to her rear end. “…On to here.”

“Please tell me you're joking,” Rarity said, disgusted.

“Am I laughing?” Rainbow inquired.

Pinkie looked at Rainbow closely, too closely for her comfort, and then turned to the others. “Nope! She’s not laughing.”

“Oh dear…” Fluttershy remarked, covering her mouth.

“Rainbow, did you get hit in the head with something?” Applejack asked her, with her hands on her hips clearly displaying her displeasure at the prospect. “Why would we want to get tattoos?”

“Why not?” Rainbow shrugged, not getting it.

“Rainbow, those things are permanent. And the procedure to get them off… isn’t pretty.” Sunset stated, wincing.

“But I won’t want to get it off.” Rainbow reasoned. “I mean, why would I want to get rid of two awesome man-made cutie marks on my cheeks?”

“Because… it’s plum crazy?” Applejack answered, raising a brow.

Rainbow shook her head. “Hmm… nope, that’s not it.”

“You really want to mark your body for life just so you can feel closer to your pony self?” Rarity questioned.

“I do too!” Pinkie waved. “It sounds like fun!”

“And painful…” Fluttershy added, gulping.

“Hey, nothing worth having is gained without a little effort,” Rainbow reasoned.

“Maybe so, but if they make a mistake on it you’ll never forgive yourself,” Twilight pointed out to her.

Rainbow smirked. “He won’t, trust me, I know a guy and he’s the best tattoo artist in town.”

“You're seriously considering this? Both of you?” Applejack pressed harder.

Rainbow and Pinkie both nodded. “Yes!”

“You do know that this might not make you more like your pony selves, right?” Sunset Shimmer questioned.

“Maybe not, but it’ll be fun!” Pinkie reasoned, smiling.

“And what if your parents see them?” Fluttershy pointed out, fearfully.

“Ah, they won’t, our parents rarely pay attention to us as it is and it’s not like anyone else is gonna see ‘em,” Rainbow rationalized.

“Unless they get a good look of these!” Pinkie beamed as she turned, grabbed the top of her skirt and pulled it up, while also pulling down part of her underwear and exposing part of her cheek.

Most the girls sitting near her recoiled with disgust and averted their eyes from what Pinkie was showing them while Rainbow just grinned at it.

“Gah!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Eww!” Rarity squealed.

“Aww! Pinkie!” Applejack scolded, sounding disgusted.

“Nasty…” Sunset Shimmer remarked.

“Eep!” Fluttershy squeaked as she blushed bright red and covered her face.

“Aw, come on! It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, we’re all girls here, remember?” Rainbow Dash pointed out.

“Yes, but it’s not something we desperately want to see!” Rarity pointed out. “Now put that away!”

“Ok…” Pinkie whined as she adjusted her panties and smoothed her skirt.

“Hey, if you're all so worried, why don’t you guys get tattoos with us?” Rainbow offered.

“Now why would we want to do that?” Applejack questioned.

“Yeah… didn’t we already go over how risky and extreme it is?” Sunset pointed out.

“And how painful…” Fluttershy added.

“Not to mention the possibility of getting caught…” Twilight finished.

“Come on, please? We’d be indebted to you all forever,” Rainbow practically begged as she got on her knees.

“And they can be like our own personal marks of friendship!” Pinkie chirped.

“Marks of friendship?” Fluttershy echoed.

“Yeah! Something that signifies all of us as friends, something we all did together and can share, both experience wise and visually.” Pinkie said, wiggling her brows suggestively.

“Well… as long as they aren’t done somewhere where everybody can see them…” Rarity said. “And they look pretty…”

“Of course!” Pinkie Pie nodded.

“But… what if someone does see them?” Twilight inquired, nervously.

“Then I’ll say that I forced you all to do it and take the fall before we all get them removed.” Rainbow stated firmly, causing everyone to look at her shocked and gasped.

“What?” Fluttershy asked, stunned.

“No way! You don’t get to make that call!” Applejack said.

“This is my idea,” Rainbow pointed out.

“And mine!” Pinkie added, leaning close to Rainbow.

“So I should take responsibility if this goes south… for once. And I won’t force you all to do it, but me and Pinkie are doing it so…” Rainbow Dash began.

“Oh, we’re doing it with you alright,” Sunset Shimmer told her.

“Huh?” Rainbow responded, surprised.

“She’s right, we can’t let you do this alone,” Fluttershy said, looking concerned.

“If you go down, we go down with you, that’s what friends do… right?” Twilight said, a bit unsure.

“Right on, sugarcube.” Applejack nodded, tipping her hat which made Sci-Twi smile

“And the idea of having something that binds us all together that’s not magic does sound appealing,” Rarity confessed.

“I know, right!?” Pinkie smiled, eagerly.

“You guy’s sure? It’s permanent, remember?” Rainbow Dash reminded them.

“We know, but I never really took chances so… I say… why not start now?” The other Twilight pointed out, smiling.

“Same with me.” Fluttershy nodded. “And I don’t want to feel left out…”

“Plus, it would make me feel like I’m in my old pony form again.” Sunset Shimmer admitted.

“Great!” Pinkie smiled widely, freaking the shy girl out a bit.

“Then it’s settled! After school, we hit the tattoo parlor!” Rainbow declared.

“Hooray!” The party girl cheered. “Cutie Mark tattoos… here we come!”

“Oh boy… I sure hope this ain’t gonna be something we’ll regret…” Applejack confessed to Rarity.

“Ditto…” Rarity nodded, still looking a bit nervous like the others were while Rainbow Dash and Pinkie began to excitedly talk about their upcoming tattoos.