//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 - Stone Dust 
// Story: Cold Hooves - Warm Heart 
// by RandomGreymane 
//------------------------------//


Cold Hooves - Warm Heart  by RandomGreymane (Mike Hebel)





Chapter 1 - Stone Dust



        Dear Princess Celestia,

        It feels strange to write you again.  Not so much unfamiliar, just different.

        The train arrived in Dodge Junction in record time.  The trip was actually quite tiring.  You’d think with all the magick that goes on in Equestria a talking stone pony would be no big deal.  Instead I spent the entire trip either reassuring everypony that I was no threat or answering questions about “Do you go to the little ponies room?”  (For the record - I don’t.  And that in and of itself is a little weird to me still.)  Your letter of declaration of my independence as a sentient being helps with the former.  My keen sense of humor helps with the latter.

        Also for the record, writing with my mouth is more difficult than I recall.  I remember, a lifetime ago, learning how to do it at the academy.  Thankfully I took that elective.  While this body does not cramp up for obvious reasons it’s still mentally exhausting holding my focus on a manual task for so long.  If you will take a suggestion from a simple stone, make the class mandatory.  In fact I’d go so far as to suggest a whole semester of capped magick so ponies learn what to do without their horn being involved.

        I miss donuts.  I miss eating.  The simplest things sometimes...

        I’m currently staying in a freshly built boarding house for the week while I get settled.  (No one would tell me what happened to knock down the old one.)  Ms. Jubilee will be meeting with me tomorrow and we’ll take that one hoofstep at a time.  I did hear from a local that the accident prone pony has left so Ms. Jubilee is definitely looking for help

        This all seems so surreal.  To go from a princess of Equestria to...whatever this is.  There are times I am grateful I can’t shed tears.  I cried inside when the train set off from Canterlot.  It was all I could do to keep smiling while talking to the other ponies.

        Raw emotions.  I’ll get over them.  In truth they do seem to be the one thing that I never did get a handle on.  So it’s not unexpected that a change of bodies would fail to make any difference.

        Some part of me is soooo angry!  I’m furious that instead of being joined back to myself I’m stuck in this stone body.  And yet...in some ways it’s a relief.

        I have, in even this short time, come to terms with a nasty partial truth.  A truth I impart to you now with no small hesitation.  A truth I could not bear to keep from my faithful teacher...and friend.

        I wanted Twilight to cast me out so I could live as myself.  It’s not that I didn’t want to save you but rather that I saw a chance to both save you and free myself.  I feel terrible about it still but at least I’ve acknowledged it.  The rest is just emotional cleanup.

        Speaking of cleanup would you believe that I produce dust?  It’s not a great amount but I had to apologize when I got off the train because I left a cloud of it on the floor where I had sat.  I’m hoping that it’s just temporary.  If not then I’m going to have someone fasten a whisk broom to my tail!

        This body has so many surprises.  Whoever designed it was closer than they know to creating a replacement body for ponies.  Being slightly detached from it gives me a perspective that I’ve never had before.  I suspect that will change with time.  I can already feel myself bonding further to it.  I estimate by the end of today I won’t even remember my old body any more.

        And just when I was getting the hang of having wings too.  Phooey.

        There are of course upsides.  For one I don’t feel pain.  At least I don’t think I do.  I need to do more testing.

        My biggest concern though...will I sleep?  My body obviously doesn’t need it.  But mentally...

        Even more importantly...will I dream?

        I suspect I will but nothing about this experience is familiar to me.  When I was transformed from a unicorn to an alicorn there was at least some sense of familiarity.  And I had my magick.  Now all of that is gone.

        I had time to talk with Applejack before I left and as expected she provided an honest opinion and even suggested farming.  The few days I spent at her farm before returning to Canterlot to take my leave were the most peaceful and enlightening I’ve experienced in some time.  But they left me with more questions than answers.

        And as you know I hate having unanswered questions.

        So, as I said before, more testing is needed.  I don’t expect doing a hooves to horn...

        Oh yeah.  I don’t have a horn any more.  Again...the little things.  Easier to accept additions than subtractions.  One direction you feel more complete, the other you feel less complete.

        I must admit I long for that completeness.  It feels very empty in here.

        I have another confession.  I thought about it.  I thought about going to sleep and not waking up.  Not for long.  But I thought about it.  It would have been easy at that time.  Just a flick to separate myself into the aether.

        All in all living is still better.  If that changes I’ll get back to you on the subject.

        Tomorrow it all starts again.  A fresh start.  I got that once with my entrance to the academy.  And again when I came to Ponyville.  And yet again when I became a princess.  Now...

        I’d Pinkie Pie Promise that I would do my best but I tried that earlier and promptly showered Twilight with stone dust.  So...yeah...not doing that.

        Luna’s moon is rising.  It’s a comforting sight.  

        I hope I dream of all of you.

        Your faithful pebble,

        Alabaster