//------------------------------//
// Chapter Five: Meet Craig 
// Story: Interview with a Foal 
// by Foal Star 
//------------------------------//

Twilight waited rather impatiently for Dr. Whooves return laying down on the couch, looking up at the ceiling with a bored look on her face. The mare was twiddling her hooves and getting rather impatient as she was deeply intrigued to learn more about the doctor's story and hoped that this diaper change didn't take too long. Eventually, Derpy returned, followed by her daughter and her husband sitting on her back. The mare then plopped the doctor in his playpen and gave him a pat on the head, then asked, "Do you need anything else?"

"No, thank you, Derpy!" He chirped back, and he went about stacking blocks like an actual foal for a few moments. Twilight tried to be patient with the doctor, but it was wearing thin as she coughed, and the colt squeaked as he looked up and asked, "oh um right, where were we?"

"You were going back in time before we were interrupted," Twilight cried out; she then sat up with her scroll and quill then asked, "What happened next!?"

Dr. Whooves's face turned bright red as he continued, "Oh right! Well, to be fair, I wasn't thinking it out very well, and so I didn't actually go back in time I woke up to a Stork being right over me. 








I blinked as I was somewhat confused as to where I was? I first felt the soft embrace of a foal's blanket around my body. To my amazement, I decided to move my head up a little and saw that I was in what appeared to be a wicker basket. It was hard to tell where I was with my body completely immobile by the blanket tucked around my body. I could hear the sounds of the factory running overhead with the clanks of machines and the hum of conveyor belts. I turned around to look up at the big blue eyes of a stork wearing a hat and glasses. 

The stork peered down at me then asked, "Where is Faust's name? Did you come from?" 

"Um…f…from Equestria, but if you want to be specific, Ponyville?" I replied out loud, looking somewhat confused at the stork. I, of course, have heard of the myths or tales about storks delivering foals to their mothers. But I always thought that it was just something we told foals to cover the truth about how babies are made until they were old enough to understand. But here I was, stuck in a wicker basket staring at what appeared to be a stork talking to me.

I must've been silent for some time as the Stork then took out a clipboard from beneath his wing and asked, "so um, do you have a name?"

I was a bit suspicious to start answering this bird's questions and wanted to know more about this creature, so I asked, "how about what's your name?"

"My name? Oh well, I go by Craig and so…name?" The stork asked once more. 

I still wasn't ready to say anything as I crossed my hooves over my chest then asked, "well, Craig, before I ask any of your questions. Your gonna answer some of mine like where am I?"

Craig snickered and wagged a wing at me, then said, "sorry, but until you give me a name, your staying put, and I'm not answering any more of your questions."

I pouted, seeing Craig here had the upper hoof with me being a helpless foal and trapped in some strange dimension, so I didn't have much of choice. "Some call me Time Turner, but I prefer my nickname Dr. Whooves."

The Stork nodded as he peered through a clipboard and blinked, looking somewhat confused. "Wow, I delivered you twenty-five years ago? What are you doing back here?"

Dr whooves gulped and stammered, "I… I'm trying to fix a mistake, ya see, I made a time machine, and it blew up, then I was regressed into a foal." 

The Stork scratched his chin with a wing as he thought it over. "Ok, I think I vaguely remember a few months ago the princess of time mentioning she met a strange pony that looked like you….how did you end up here again?"

I was feeling even more embarrassed as I threw a hoof down my face and explained, "well, ya see, I went back in time again to stop myself from going back in time." I know that was rather stupid to say out loud, but it was the best way to describe my situation. 

The stork gave him a glare, then snapped, "seriously!? Did you seriously think that was a good idea? That would've caused a time paradox."

I rubbed my forehead with a pudgy hoof as I explained, "no, it wouldn't; if I never entered the time machine and turned myself into a foal, then I simply wouldn't exist, and my past self would never have turned into a foal."

The stork scratched his head looking somewhat confused. "um….I…I guess so…but why try to go back in the past in the first place?"

I chuckled as I replied back, "just ta prove science is better than magic! Even Starswirl the bearded never fully perfected time travel!"

"That's pretty arrogant of you," the stork snickered. 

"What would you know? As an earth pony making a working time machine, I think it's rather impressive," I snapped back at the stork; he had no idea what it's like to be an earth pony without magic and proving science can do as much for ponies as magic.  

The stork shook his head, "oh, I'm not going to get involved in the politics in your world. But just saying you should've considered the consequences of time travel."

"I know ta risks, now why am I here?" I snapped back as I was getting rather 

"I'm not sure; it seems you've entered the domain of Time and Space on accident. But seeing that you have come here before, I assume Princess Space wiped your memory." Craig responded rather bluntly. 

Despite the fact, I was enjoying the conversation, I was much more eager to get back to my adult self. "Otay, well, can I go see these princesses?" 

The stork shrugged and shook his head, then said, "sorry, but I'm not sure? Mortals aren't supposed to be here, let alone meet the princesses."

"Right, but um…can we make an exception for my case," I asked with a blush growing on my face. 

"Hmmm, not sure…" the stork tapped a wing to his chin, then he must've suddenly had an idea appear in his head as he exclaimed, "I do believe that there is a loophole? A few years ago, we had one soul accidentally be born from chaos magic and turn bright pink. I believe if we make them think you're another um…chaos pony as we call them…then we could, in turn, have you placed in a temporary nursery. From there, you can probably get an audience to see the princesses of Time and Space."

"Ok, let's do it!" I exclaimed as I got rather excited, seeing that not only was I going to be turned back to normal and be an adult again. But not only that, I was going to learn about the secrets of the universe. 

"Alright, then now just hold on," the stork chirped as it took the basket in his beak and flew off. I was then able to maneuver my body to look across the landscape and was given an extraordinary sight with a bunch of foals being strapped up and pushed through various machines on a longe conveyer belt, with the souls being wispy light blue wisps of smoke. The storks went about their work almost seamlessly, taking the souls' finishing products and sending them down the conveyer belt. They were switching dials and knobs as they were being processed through, and I could only imagine what was happening down there. But from its looks, they must be assigned the soul its identity, species, and gender. Were they also being assigned their destinies? So many questions that I wanted to ask but was left speechless.

"If you want to know more about the soul processing, I'm sorry, but I can't disclose that information." the stork responded. 

"Right," was all I could grumble as I was feeling rather peeved not being able to learn more. Though there was a question on my mind as the soul born from magic was Pinkie Pie's. She always caught me as odd, having been able to defy the laws of physics and her famous Pinkie Sense was something that I couldn't scientifically understand. So, despite what Craig said, I had to ask. "By any chance was the name of the soul mixed with chaos magic became a pony named Pinkie Pie?"

"Well, that's what her mother decided to name her; we don't assign names here." the stork explained. 

Seeing the stork might be off guard, I tried getting a more direct answer. "Uh-huh? But does that mean do you assign fate here?" 

"Nice try, buddy," the stork snickered as he took me to a giant vat of what looked like a pool of stars frozen in crystal-clear waters. 

I looked down into the massive vat in complete awe at how tranquil a vat of chaos magic below sparkled with starlight. Upon staring into the abyss, I was suddenly overwhelmed with terror and cried out, "Wait, hold on, maybe we can think of another plan!"

"Sorry, but this is the only way I know-how. It's this, or you get reborn as another pony." The stork explained.

I groaned as I kicked about in my padding; in annoyance at my options, I looked back down then snapped, "so why do ya have a giant vat of chaos magic anyways?"

Craig placed my basket down at the edge and explained, "every mortal gets a tiny amount of chaos magic added to their souls. Ya, see, every creature is magical, but the source of the magic comes from your connection to other mortals; the stronger your bond, the more powerful you become. But if you lose that connection, then to keep your souls from falling apart, chaos magic keeps you going."

I blinked, being somewhat surprised by all of this information. "So…we all gots magic in us?"

"Of course, you do? As I said, the chaos magic will make you feel quite different and will change you. But as I said, it's the only way to get you back home." Craig explained.

I was very against this idea and wanted nothing to do with becoming a creature of chaos? It went against my code to prove science was just as important as magic. Also, Celestia knows what this chaos magic would do to me. But on the other hoof, Craig was right. If I didn't take his offer, I could remain a foal forever, or worse, be reborn and leave my wife Derpy and our unborn child behind. So, I looked straight into the stork's eyes and said. "Fine, I'll do it."

"ok, hold on," Stork chirped, and he dropped me, and I cried out in horror as I splashed into the goo. It was like splashing into a warm bath as I felt my body absorb the magical substance. Unlike anything I'd felt before, it was like my body or soul was absorbing a mass amount of magic. Then I noticed my coat started to turn bright pink, and my mane grew out and became a giant mop of even brighter pink hair. Then as I was beginning to fully grasp the changes to my body, a red light started flashing and blaring a siren. I was then fished out by Craig. I coughed and gagged as I spat out the pink water from my mouth. Regardless of Craig's reasons for dripping me in a vat of pink goo. I wanted to scream at him, but the stork slammed a pacifier into my mouth as a flock of other storks all landed around me. I turned my head and saw they were all wearing business suits and looking somewhat professional for a flock of waterfowl. The birds were all whispering and gossiping, but they all started to clamp up as a rather grumpy old female stork flew over; this one was wearing a trim suit along with small glasses attached to a chain sitting on her beak. The bird had a rather nasty scowl as she glared at me with dark pink eyes and shouted, "seriously, Another one! We must dispose of it immediately!" 

I was somewhat scared of this stork being unsure of what they meant or what they talked about. But to my horror, the other storks around her started to nod in agreement. All I could do was sit there whimpering wondering what was going to happen. Were they going to have me be reborn? Or worse make sure I never existed in the first place?  I actually began to tear up being rather scared but then Craig came to my defense holding his wings out as he said, "hold on, Nancy, Pinkie Pie, as she's known, is quite a beautiful mortal who hasn't done anything wrong. From the dozens of deliveries I've made, all I've seen from her is how she's making the lives of the other mortals better and more joyful. She's proof those born of chaos aren't evil."

Nancy adjusted her glasses and snapped back, "remember when Discord came out of that pool, and we decided to just throw him down to the mortal realm? He almost destroyed everything and caused a reset of the entire universe. Luckily for us, he was turned to stone. I'm sorry I won't allow another chaos pony or creature to leave this factory." 

I started to tear up again seeing despite Craig's best effort this Nancy stork wasn't letting up. But then Craig got right into Nancy's face and snapped, "Pinkie Pie isn't abusing her powers and only uses them to bring happiness to other mortals. So, again we can't judge a mortal or immortal based on their mere existence. We will assign this mortal a mother as we did Pinkie and deliver him down into the world as we do all mortals." Craig then placed a wing to his chest and replied, "We're delivery workers after all that's what we do."

I looked around to see that many of the other Storks were nodding in approval while others were still giving me nasty looks. Nancy then held up a wing, and every stork looked to her as she stepped forward, eyeing me. "Then we shall leave his fate up to the princesses as we did before with Pinkie Pie."

"Of course," Craig whispered as he took a bow and then flew me away from the others and towards a giant doorway. 








Twilight was on the edge of her seat with her eyes full of wonder. "so…Pinkie Pie is made of chaos magic!? I knew something was off about her! But to think she was created literally from chaos magic?"

"Yes, but please don't tell anypony; I don't tink tis is something I should be telling ya." Dr whooves cried out.

"Of course not, but still…did you learn anymore? Like, do you still have chaos magic?" Twilight asked as she was unable to keep her curiosity.

Dr. Whooves shrugged, "I don't tink I do, and as I said, I don't have the answers. I also was super curious and asked the stork a ton more questions, but he wouldn't answer any of them."

Twilight then looked down at her notes going over what Dr. Whooves has said and asked, "but…we know that souls seem to be created in another realm? And I'm surprised to know who the princesses of Space and Time are!"

Dr. Whooves nodded as he would say more, but then he heard his stomach grumble, and Dinky chirped, "oh, feeding time!"

"Yes, it's time for Whoovesy's baba." The doctor's wife said as she came over and plopped a warm bottle of formula into the foal's mouth. 

"Seriously! Just when we were getting to the best part!" Twilight shouted once again, pulling at her mane as she desperately wanted to know more.

"Just be patient," Derpy cooed as she was cradling her husband in her forehooves. 

"Yeah, gotta be patient!" Dinky snapped back. 

She wanted to object but seeing it would probably go nowhere, Twilight just scoffed as she sat back on the sofa and grumbled, "I am being patient…."

But she realized she couldn't rush, so once again, Twilight resigned t her fate thinking about what Dr. Whooves had experienced. Despite her love for magic, she also has dabbled in science herself, studying chemistry, astrology, astronomy, and biology. From the sounds of it, a mix of science and magic could be the way of finding out more about the universe and its many mysteries.