It's Not The Only Problem

Three days have passed since the accident the ponies had at their homes. They're still not completely used to the sensation quite yet, nor are they very pleased about the fact that they have to stay like that until Zecora comes back from her long-distance journey. When the ponies went to go see if Zecora would know any spells to transform them back to normal. However, as soon as they arrived at her hut, the place just so happened to be deserted. A note was left for anypony who happened to drop by was attached on her door:

"To my friends in Ponyville,
I am off on a trip back to my hometown, which is out of Equestria. I won't be back for at least two weeks. I will try to get back to you as soon as I can.
Zecora"
"Well, that's just great," Rainbow Dash dug at the ground with her hoof. "When we don't need her at the moment, she's home. When we do need her, she's gone off out of Equestria!" The former pegasus pony growled with anger and annoyance.
"Easy, Rainbow. She'll be back in two weeks, according to her note. We'll just have to wait until then." Twilight said with calmness in her voice.
"Easy for you to say!" Rainbow snorted. "You were practically already an earth pony!"
Twilight ignored her friend's complaint.
"So... whut now?" Applejack questioned her. "Can we just please go to Canterlot and try to ask one of the Princesses to lift the curse off of us?" Rarity complained. Twilight shook her head.
"No, not yet."
"Well, what's stopping us?" Rainbow Dash said.
"The fact that there is a lot of commotion going on in Canterlot right now." Twilight replied.
"Oh, yeah, sure, that's what's stopping us," Rainbow snottily shot back. Twilight looked at Rainbow.
"It is. If Chrysalis found a way to get back in Equestria, then some other danger will break in as well. Who knows? Maybe Discord will return."
"Well, I think that Discord is still is in his stony prison!" Pinkie said, her wings still outstretched.
"He is," Twilight agreed, "but that doesn't mean he can't come out." As they made their way out of the Everfree Forest, Rainbow Dash wasn't all in the best mood for Twilight. Often grunting at her, and rising up ahead of her to avoid eye contact.
"I suppose I could still try to teach Applejack and Fluttershy magic," Twilight said out loud.
"Twilight, sugarcube, we've already had this discussion. Fluttershai and I aren't just cut out to have a talent in magic," Applejack told her once more.
"I know, I know, but-" Twilight was cut off by Pinkie's question,
"Hey! I just had a random thought!" Pinkie said, her new pink wings lifting her up in the air for a moment.
"What?" Fluttershy asked her. "I know mine, Applejack's, Fluttershy's, or Rarity's won't fade away, but what if Twilight and Rainbow Dash's cutie marks fade away?" Pinkie asked. Twilight gave her a puzzled look.
"What? Pinkie, our cutie marks can't fade away. It's physically impossible. Once a cutie mark is there, you can't get rid of it. Ever." Twilight replied knowingly, however Rainbow Dash looked nervous at the thought. She took a quick look at her cutie mark to make sure it was still there. Which it was. She sighed quietly of relief.
"Actually, Twi, I think Pinkie here may have a point," Applejack said. "Ah' know you and Rainbow depend on your horn and wings for your talent, so if ya don't have those anymore, maybe it will fade away?" Twilight gave her a look.
"It's not important right now. Look, there's Ponyville. We'll just have to try to adjust until Zecora comes back." She looked around. "Which means that you have to do what you have to do." With that, the ponies separated, going to their houses, or going to the job they have to do.
"Uh, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash came over to Twilight, her ears flat against her head. "I can't do my job without my wings." Twilight thought for a moment.
"Well, I guess you could try to some other job for now, and let another pegasus fill you in." She suggested. Rainbow Dash winced.
"But what kind of job will I take?" She asked, worried.
"Well, there's gardening-" Twilight was about to point out, until,
"Correction. A job that I like." Rainbow said. Twilight thought for a moment.
"I don't know what to tell you, but I'm sure that there'll be a lot of job openings," Twilight perked up, and trotted back over to the library.

In the weeks that have passed, Rainbow did not find a job that she approved of. She was miserable because of it. Her rainbow-colored mane seemed to fade of color the more she was depressed. She wanted to fly up in the clouds and sit on a dark cloud. But, she couldn't do that, either. She mainly just wandered around the park, looking for something to do.
Applejack, on the other hand, was doing much better. Her being a unicorn didn't change her hard-working style. She could still buck the apple trees, she could still do her rodeo tricks. Applejack occasionally tried to use her magic, but she was never able to lift a quill.
Nothing much changed Twilight. She missed practicing new spells, and trying them out, however she still read a lot. She still did her duties as a librarian, and she still took care of Spike.
Fluttershy wished she had the usage of her wings to help her bird friends, and search from above to find her Angel, who was still missing. Her new duty was to find Angel, and bring him back to her cottage. She even asked some of her animal friends to keep a look-out for him. She tried practicing magic everyday, thinking that it would benefit both for her friends, and for Angel.
As for Pinkie Pie, well, she actually was getting along great. She didn't mind the change at all. She tested out her wings everyday, out of Rainbow's sight, of course, for fear that she would become even more depressed than she is now. Though she was never faster than Rainbow, nor was graceful as Fluttershy, she certainly loved the thrill on being on a cloud. If she could stay a pegasus, she would stay as a pegasus.
It was difficult making clothes without magic for Rarity, she was used to the fabric levitating to her, and stitching them with her magic. She managed, however when she did get her horn back, she would easily trade her wings away for it. As she stitched up something new for her fabric, Sweetie Belle stood in her room, as she watched her older sister go back and forth in the room.
"Can't I just help out a little bit?" The unicorn asked, her big, sappy eyes looking in Rarity's direction.
"No. I've already got my hooves full with this next order I have to do. And with the amount of time already passed, and this whole horn and wings problem, you wouldn't believe how fast I have to work on this WITHOUT any interruptions." Rarity replied, not paying attention to Sweetie Belle. Disappointed, Sweetie hung her head. Then asked,
"Could I at least play with my friends for a little while? Not here, but someplace else?" She stared up at her sister.
Rarity thought for a moment.
"Yes, I suppose that would be fine. Just don't go anywhere dangerous. I can't have anything else bad happen this week."
Sweetie Belle left her sister's boutique, her ears flat as she sped off to Sweet Apple Acres to fetch Applebloom.
The little filly was inside the Cutie Mark Crusader's tree house, looking a little sad.
"... Applebloom?" Sweetie Belle stepped inside the tree house. Applebloom looked over her friend's way.
"Oh, hey, Sweetie Belle." She said, turning to look out the window again.
"Are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked, taking a step closer to her friend. She sighed.
"No."
Sweetie Belle frowned. When Applebloom couldn't smile, that means that she really wasn't okay.
"What's up?" Sweetie Belle asked, walking next to Applebloom.
"It's Applejack."
"Still upset about the accident?" Sweetie Belle said. Applebloom nodded solemnly. Sweetie Belle stared at the ground for a moment, not knowing what to say to make her feel better. Then Applebloom spoke,
"It wouldn't be so bad if Applejack didn't make such a big deal out of it," Applebloom admitted, "I mean, she never talks about it to us, and she never wants to answer our questions about what it's like being a unicorn, and she never even lets us see it. She always hides it under her cowpony hat." Applebloom sighed again. Sweetie Belle went next,
"Well, it's kinda like that with Rarity, too." She said, "I mean, she never opens up her wings. She always keeps them folded, and pretends that they don't exist. And when I ask her if I could help her around, she always tells me no. Well, she always tells me no, but this time she doesn't even looks at me when she says it. I think she just doesn't want to see the horn that I have, just to remember that hers is gone." Sweetie Belle laid down on the floor. Applebloom joined her. Suddenly, there was a burst at the door. Scootaloo was right in the doorway, her face looking determined, and her wings stretched out wide.
"Crusaders! I have an idea!" The filly pegasus said, trotting over to her bummed-out friends.
"Not now, Scootaloo," Applebloom said, her giant bow dripping.
"We're just not in the mood to gain our cutie marks today," Sweetie Belle added.
"No, no, it's not about that! I think we should try to get them back to normal!" Scoot said. The girls' heads lifted up in surprise.
"We're gonna do what now?" Applebloom asked.
"We're going to try to get your sisters', and all the rest of the ponies' wings, horns, and earth ponyness back." Scootaloo said. She sat and waited for approval. But none came.
"And HOW in the name of Celestia are we going to get them back to normal?! We can't even get our cutie marks! How do you expect us to go and change them back to normal! Besides, why do you care?" Sweetie Belle rejected the idea.
"Well, you two have been depressed ever since your sisters were switched in the first place, and I'm sick of seeing you all bummed out on the floor all the time, plus I want to help Rainbow Dash. Have you seen her? She looks terrible! She's WAY more depressed than you guys!" Scootaloo replied. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom looked at each other.
"That still doesn't explain how we're going to do it," Applebloom said.
"Well, I can't tell you that yet until you agree!" Scoot said logically. Defeated, the rest of the Crusaders agreed to try their best.