This is really a nice piece of artwork. More importantly, it hits an idea of an alternative version of "a true, true friend" I had a few weeks ago, with this image being the final consequence. In this version, Twilight would use the remembering spell she used at the beginning of season 2 to make her friends regain her memories instead of applying the elements of harmony to reset their character to normal. The cutie marks would continue to be switched, but with their restored memory they could help each other getting experience for their new talents.That wouldn't even require drastical personality changes. To be over-precise, their switched cutie marks wouldn't even require them to switch their homes and occupations as well but that would destroy the whole storyEarlier this day I read a fanfic about Babs Seed getting a cutie mark on which a pony is bullied by another. In the end, (sorry for the spoilers) it was about the fact, that the cutie mark does not necessarily force you to be what it seems to mean. It may reflect your destiny and the theme of your life, but what you make of it is one's own decision. So Babs realized (in this fanfic) that the cutie mark does not necessarily represent that she is a bully, but that she defends others from being bullied.Same with our Mane6. Yes, maybe the switched cutie marks also encouraged them to switch their roles as well, for whatever reason. But I think their main problem was not the cutie mark, but the partial loss of memory and personality making them utterly confused. Lets go into detail:Pinkie Pie loves making people happy, throwing parties and have fun. But that doesn't mean that she wouldn't like hard work. Surely, an apple farm is something else, but working in a bakery and organizing big parties also requires organizational skills, endurance and patience. I think she CAN be focused and dependable when it comes to making other ponies happy while not showing it at the same time. Probably she doesn't even need Applejacks help that much since she can just work for the rest of the Apple family (which just watched her destroying the farm in a couple of hours or what o_O). Once she has a grasp of the farm life, she will just be our cheerful Pinkie Pie all the time. Also, her head is already painted on th Apple's Barn :-D. But maybe they should build a separate barn for her partiesRainbow Dash already has a pet and has also shown caretaking skills to Scootaloo in the Episode "Sleepless in Ponyville". Maybe she lacks kindness but as the element of loyalty, she wouldn't let her new animal friends down. Fluttershy would have to teach her what food the animals need and when to show them limits (I imagine Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash performing a "Double Stare" to stop the chaos shown in the episode). After that, Rainbow will probably change Fluttershy's hut to a training base of competitions and adventures ... but also caretaking :-DRarity, on the other side, would have the hardest time, alongside with Fluttershy. None of her former experiences or personal interests would help her being a weather pony. But that would just mean that she has the highest learning curve, not that it is impossible or that she couldn't be herself in her new profession. I heard (but don't know if it's canon), that a unicorn's magic skills are usually limited to some basic magic like levitation and spells that have to do with their special talent represented by their cutie mark. The spectral rainbloom is nice, but this time, Twilight would have to help her out with some weather spells (when playing a unicorn in the game "Welcome to Ponyville" you are asked by a pegasus to help them out on weather work with some spells). Since it's more effective and related to her cutie mark, Rarity could also be able to learn Twilight's wing spell to cast it on herself. Then, Rainbow Dash could teach her all the weather and flying facts (not too high!). After getting some experience, Rarity would begin to form clouds into sculptures (as long as clouds are generally allowed to be there) and even coloring them with her magic, making even thunder clouds flash in different colors. Needless to say, that she will enjoy flying around with her wings (which appearance she can also adjust to the current fashionFluttershy, as mentioned previously, would have also much to learn to fill Pinkies role anyhow because most Ponies seem to be resistant to her sheer adorableness. To be honest, I still had to think on a way how she could probably cheer the ponies up in the episode, even with Pinkie Pie's help/advice. I'm sure that she will have to develop her very own kind of cheering and partying. Some acrobatics like your mid-air back flip seem to be a way to go. But even with her memories, Fluttershy is an unsure and socially limited pony. There is maybe just one key experience missing that resolves Fluttershy's fear of other ponies so that she can have fun with them together, in her own kind way.Applejack, well... I just do not believe she would really perform so bad when it comes to sewing. Granny Smith can obviously do sewing and most probably all the other stuff related to clothes and quickly adopted using a sewing machine in the episode "Apple Family Reunion". It's regular on the countryside that daughters learn these things from their ancestors and Applejack is surely not that clumsy since successful farm life is more than bucking trees and carrying things around. Surely she needs a helping HOOF (not hand) from Rarity to become a professional, especially since she is not a unicorn. That dress you drew would surely be the line of work she favors since it is very pretty and "apple"Twilight Sparkle, at last, gets her new destiny in every case. Her new destiny as an alicorn princess. I don't think bad of her changing her friends back because it was obviously an accident. But if it would have not been revertible, it would still have provided a special bonding experience for their friendship. Besides, having their cutie mark changed as a pony is a blessing that is only inferior to become an alicorn if the pony can handle it. It reveals who you really are, independent from what you are good at, what not and what you usually do.It's too bad that I can neither draw nor sing nor animate an alternate version of "My true, true friend" but I feel happy that some people share the same idea without being ranted at.