Twilight: I’ll always be hesitant to transform ponies aside from myself into Inanimate Objects. Cause I know how that affected my parents when I transformed them into plants during my magic freakout at my entrance exam.
 
Twilight: But if they’re willing I suppose that changes things a little. Just in that case I’d still like them to be able to move, talk, etc. cause some who are that willing may not understand how scary it can be to realize you’re stuck when you’ve had a whole life of being able to move. So in granting Maud’s Wish, I thought I’d have her feel what it’s like to have the texture and extra density of being all rock but otherwise still a pony. It’s actually not too different from when Ponies are crystallized by the Crystal Heart. Since Crystals themselves are refined rock. And me and my friends have experienced that twice now.
 
((For my thoughts on The Gift Of The Maud Pie, go here))