//------------------------------//
// The Impossible Island 
// Story: The Adventures of Doctor Whooves: Series 1 
// by Time Pony Victorious 
//------------------------------//


The Observation Tower, The Lost City, Rainbow Island
32nd of Summer, 7:03pm, 102 C.R.



After the guards had conveniently and, quite frankly, dramatically revealed the name of the island to the Doctor, he collected his thoughts and produced a perfectly coherent and eloquent response.

"Not exactly winning any awards for creativity any time soon," he said before placing a bright smile on his face. "Still, lovely place. I'm especially enjoying this hostage situation we're in. Never had I had polite captors, well, on more than one occasion the Master could be cordial."

Once again, the stony-faced guards didn't react and the Doctor sighed under his breath. For once he'd like it if his abductors weren't expressionless mooks and for some fun and originality! Would it kill them to be a little more engaging?

The Doctor took a moment to admire the "Tower" as the armed and dangerous ponies informed them that this was. Despite being called a tower, this building was, in fact, the smallest of the tall skyscrapers with a large semi-transparent dome over top he felt as though he was under observation (which he generally was). There were a number of things that were off in this situation. In no particular order, this was the island he was aiming for, he hadn't gotten that wrong but according to the ponies it was called Rainbow Island.

The Time Pony made a face and glanced over his shoulder to look at Rainbow Dash. The cyan pegasus returned with an inquisitive expression and the Doctor looked away. He wanted to make a quip at how Rainbow had the honor of having an entire island share her name but he wasn't sure if she'd appreciate that.

Next, the technology was far too advanced for this time period. He had spent a few days in Twilight's time period and found no uses of any technology higher than ovens but the city had amazingly contemporary architecture and the guards themselves had guns! Guns! Something the Doctor figured would be very difficult for ponies lacking opposable thumbs but they had been modified to fit their hooves.

The entire situation was fishy or the Doctor's name was Lucille.

And it's not.

They were led through the main lobby and other than a few strange looks the trip was perfectly normal. Twilight felt uneasy as they were herded into the elevator and felt the car rise several dozen stories to Celestia knows where. She wanted explanations. If this wasn't Phoenix Island then what in all of Equestria is Rainbow Island? Twilight never came across the name in her books before.

As they ascended the Doctor struck up a conversation with Rarity. It was an odd relationship, the fashionista and the alien Time Lord. But, they both had that air of sophistication and maturity and that in rare moments they behaved like adults and could maintain a serious conversation. Still, both of them had their quirks, Rarity could be hopelessly vain and picky while the Doctor would just ramble on and act like a complete foal when he didn't get his way or when he was moody.

Twilight did think it was disconcerting to see just how easily the Doctor got along with everypony, however. At first she was a little worried that the Doctor wouldn't be received well amongst her friends but that was completely tossed aside when he essentially became best friends with them!

She should feel relieved, or even happy, by this but she felt slightly unnerved. Twilight couldn't shake this niggling little feeling in the back of her mind. That tiny little voice that keeps screaming at her to stay away from the Doctor.

There are so many unexplained things about him, that bright smile is a façade; he's hiding something.

"So!" the Doctor began, snapping Twilight out of her thoughts. "Where are you taking us anyways? You haven't explained much and I think we've deserved the right to know."

One of them looked over their shoulder at the Doctor and glanced away. The Time Pony figured it was just a standoffish personality but he realized that the pony was wary, maybe even nervous about them.

"You… shouldn't be here," the guard explained.

The Doctor said nothing for a moment and glared at the guard. The pony realized his mistake and quickly amended his words. "The city is a haven. Beyond the barrier and into the Wild is much too dangerous, nopony lives out there because of the creatures that lay in wait. You… I've never seen you guys before but there is no way that you could've lived in the Wild all this time."

"We're visitors then," Twilight amended.

"Yes, here to enjoy the sights of this Rainbow Island," Rarity agreed.

"Shame it wasn't the island we were looking for," Rainbow muttered, glaring intently at the Doctor.

All of the guards turned and looked at the mares strangely, as if they began speaking a foreign language. Twilight figured they had said something wrong which may reveal that they truly weren't around here and began to panic. She was never a great liar and in this situation, well, what could happen? They were in the past, hundreds upon hundreds of years before her own birth, what if they were killed or imprisoned?

She'd be stuck so far from home.

That thought was as scary as failing a test.

"Visitors?" repeated one guard.

"That's impossible. You're either from the city or you somehow survived in the Wild, another impossibility," explained the leader.

"Impossible is my middle name," said the Doctor with a sly smile. "And enough beating around the bush, why is it impossible? You're an island right? It's entirely feasible that visitors can come, right?"

"You really don't know?"

"Know what?!" snapped Rainbow.

Then, the elevator doors slid open without a sound and the mares gasped as they stepped out to survey the room. Well, room isn't a good word to describe this. It was immense and domed shaped with windows as tall as Twilight's library surrounding them. In the middle of the room was a large console with an assortment of high-end equipment that vaguely reminded Twilight of the TARDIS's console. Dozens of ponies milled around, working on computers and other lab equipment as hundreds of experiments were being conducted all around them.

In essence it was heaven for Twilight but it made the Doctor growl as he looked at the familiar setting. He was instantly reminded of faux-militant groups like Torchwood or, to somewhat a degree, UNIT when he looked at the scientists and gun-toting ponies working. Not only that, but when he looked out the window he saw why it was so impossible that they were traveling visitors.

A line of clouds gathered several kilometers underneath the island and when they broke through a vast blue ocean was seen even further down along with entire continents. Mountain ranges could be seen in the nearest continent, Equestria, the Doctor guessed, and just the smallest hint of cities and tiny villages that dotted the landmass.

Rainbow Island was a sky island, just as impossible as the Doctor and his companions being there.

"That's…." Twilight wanted to say impossible but after seeing the TARDIS she couldn't finish that thought.

"Whoa, are we really, you know, floating?!" Rainbow cried with an impressed tone.

Rarity shot Rainbow a look and huffed. "You used to live in Cloudsdale, Rainbow and your house is made of clouds."

"Yeah, but this is an entire island!" Rainbow protested. "That's… huge!"

"The amount of power required to suspend this entire island in the troposphere would be massive," the Doctor muttered, obviously disturbed by this sudden revelation and the implications that went along with it. "Antigravity technology is well beyond this time, not to mention being able to stabilize an entire island producing a self-replenishing atmosphere. There's something off about this, and I intend to find out what." He ran a hoof through his mane and scowled, despite how potentially disastrous this situation was, Twilight couldn't help but feel amazed at the fact that they were currently on an island floating above the earth like a cloud!

"A pony of science, then?"

A stoutly earth pony appeared in the opposite end of the room. The guards stiffened, assuming military decorum and stood at attention as the pony approached. Like most of the ponies they had encountered in the city, he wore a dark purple cloak that obscured cutie mark. Unlike the guards, he didn't seem particularly interested in the group and focused mainly on the console, checking its readings before finally approaching the Doctor who managed a polite enough smile.

"You could say that," the Doctor agreed, beaming at him. "And you?"

He nodded with a proud smirk of his own. "Professor Circuit," he said. "In all honesty, I'm not sure what kind of scientific authority you purport to be, but I can assure you that all of this is perfectly safe."

"Enough authority to know that this type of technology is dangerous on a scale like this," the Doctor answered, all amusement lost in his tone as his expression became set in what Twilight liked to call his 'frowny face'. "If left unattended, the damage this could wreak would be catastrophic, Professor. Where did you get this technology from? Who gave it to you? I can guarantee that whatever they promised they will not follow through."

He raised an eyebrow at the Doctor before glancing over at the mares. Twilight couldn't help but not feel intimidated by this portly pony in comparison to the Doctor's own youthful, trim appearance.

"I'm sure I don't know what you are talking about. And in any case, I have more pressing matters to attend to," the Professor stepped forward and the guards quickly sighted the time-traveling troupe with their weapons. The mares huddled closer to the Doctor as he stood there, impassive and calm. "Who are you?"

"Doctor," Rarity whispered. "Now would be a good time for a plan."

"Yeah, what's the plan?" Twilight asked, running a number of offensive spells through her mind as she calculated the best countermeasures against the guard ponies.

"Twilight, momentai," the Doctor answered.

"Mo- what?" Rainbow asked.

"Calm down, take a breather," he explained. "I've got an idea, of course."

Twilight sighed a breath of relief, as silly as the Doctor can behave sometimes he was always dependable in the worst situations. Then, the Doctor took a step, adjusted his bowtie, and reached in his coat pocket, no doubt to grab his trusty sonic screwdriver.

He produced a black wallet and flashed it to the Professor and the guards with a bright smile. "You've got us! It's certainly hard to get anything through you lot, brilliant job! I'm the Doctor, this is Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, and we're from Equestria's Orbital Welcoming Committee here to extend our hooves to you, inhabitants of Rainbow Island!"

Twilight nearly fell on her face at how completely ridiculous that lie was, there was no way they would fall for that! But they merely stared at the wallet, eyebrows raised, the guards lowered their weapons uneasily and the Professor tensed, a frown forming on his face.

"During one of our localized atmosphere examinations, we discovered an anomaly in sector G and upon extending our scanners, we found this island," the Time Lord smoothly explained with a flourish in his voice and a bright smile. "Naturally, the Canterlot elite went into a bit of a frenzy, surprised to find a massive floating island just off the coast of Equestria. Then, they sent us."

He moved to Twilight's side, wrapping a foreleg around her shoulder and patting her rather roughly. "Twilight Sparkle, my head scientist and scholar!" Just as quickly, he appeared by Rarity's side, surprising her considerably but the unicorn managed a weak smile. "Rarity! My personal fashion designer, in charge of decorations!" Then, finally, he wrapped a leg around Rainbow's shoulder and hugged her closely. "And here's Rainbow, personal guard, captain of the pegasi defense force and the toughest pegasus this side of Equestria!"

The guards wavered, unsure whether to lower their weapons or fire. Looking over at Professor Circuit, they tried to get a reading on his expression only to find it was as conflicted as they were. For a moment, Twilight feared they wouldn't pull this off but Circuit's aghast expression changed into a small smile.

"A-ah, is that so?" he asked trying to maintain his formerly confident tone.

"Yep! We then got on the nearest chariot and Rainbow flew us all the way up here to pop off for a visit."

Rainbow leaned into the Time Pony's ears, concerned about being put into the spotlight so suddenly. "Even if I could fly up this high without overexerting myself, dragging along a chariot filled with three ponies is impossible, Doc!"

"Yes," the Doctor muttered back, still maintaining his diplomatic smile. "But they don't need to know that."

"Well… I suppose your papers are in order then," Circuit mumbled sullenly. The Doctor stepped in quickly to prevent any further questions and wrapped a friendly leg over the Professor.

"Fantastic! Glad that everything is in order, now then, will you show me to the antigravity pulsars? I'd love to see how they work!" the Doctor led the poor Professor toward the main console as the worker ponies dispersed, allowing the two stallions to near without provocation.

The guards, finally, stood awkwardly at attention and merely watched the rest of the mares with slight concern. Obviously the lie hadn't taken well, no matter how good the Doctor's psychic paper was.

"Here are the main readings," the Doctor muttered, scrutinizing a monitor that displayed dozens of numerical values that fluctuated every second and meant nothing to Twilight but disturbed the Doctor. "That's…"

"What?" Twilight asked.

"Look here." He awkwardly pointed a hoof at one monitor to a display that resembled a graph. There were a dozen green bars that ranged from all sorts of heights, again the values meant nothing to Twilight but she saw that as the graph continued the bars extended to the full height of the monitor, completely off the charts.

"That's the main power cells, whatever is generating the power required to maintain the antigravity technology is massive, impossibly so. But here it is! A giant power source that somehow hasn't gone critical, keeping the island afloat!"

Professor Circuit shrugged the Doctor's leg off him and cleaned himself off. With something of a sly expression he smiled at the Doctor, who returned with a smoldering glare. "Critical? Impossible, I am maintaining the power fluctuations."

"So, you admit there have been fluctuations? Whatever you're using as a power source is obviously unstable, you have to shut this down before it collapses and your entire island falls to the earth," the Doctor warned. To his surprise, however, Professor Circuit laughed heartily.

"Doctor! You certainly are amusing, the fluctuations are nothing, tiny spikes that rarely occur. It is being managed, I assure you, there's no need to worry, everything is under control."

"Not for long," the Doctor argued. "You don't have a grasp on this technology, I'm not sure how you've managed it so far, but trust me you'll be out of your depth soon enough and everyone will suffer."

Twilight cleared her throat, "Everypony."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, a simple effect that would've made him seem more mysterious and charming around his tenth life but only served to make him look innocently inquisitive. "Really?"

"Sorry, force of habit," admitted Twilight sheepishly.

"He might have a point," Rarity said. "After all, there's nothing wrong at the moment, is there?"

"No…" admitted the Doctor. “But—"

"Yeah, plus, isn't it kinda cool Doc? I mean, a sky island! I've only read about these in stories," confided Rainbow.

The Professor bristled for a moment, confused about whatever those mares were talking about but smiled as the Doctor was being outnumbered by his own associates. "See? Your friends understand, we've everything under control."

The Doctor shook his head, unconvinced. "Show me the power source, I have to at least know what you're working with."

Professor Circuit considered for a moment, it would be very easy to decline and send these strange ponies on their way but the Doctor was so adamant about all of this and if he could see what the island was being powered by… maybe he would understand.

"Fine," conceded Circuit. Reaching over to the console, he pressed a button and pulled a lever. A hiss emitted from the console, the core of the machine began to shift as the monitors silently slipped under the frame. The Doctor's eyes widened as the central pillar opened up. "Be careful, it is said that the sight of it drives ponies mad."

A singular orb hovered in the middle of the pillar. It rotated and whirled as tiny pieces of debris circled it and fell into it, like a drain. Black light shone from the orb, surrounding the light were reddish flames and beautiful purple clouds. No, as the Doctor looked closely, he noticed that the clouds weren't clouds… they were miniature galaxies. All falling into the orb and with a shudder he recognized it. A black hole.

"I-is that…" Twilight started.

"No, it can't be," muttered Rainbow.

"It is awfully hideous for a power source," mused Rarity. "But perhaps the color combination might be something to look into."

"Rarity," the Doctor's tone was clipped and almost strained as his mind grappled with the ramifications of this being here. "This, my little ponies, is a miniaturized black hole."

"A black hole?" echoed Rainbow.

"That can't be right," argued Twilight. "Black holes are dense, massive! They eat up galaxies! This can't be a black hole."

The Doctor reached into his coat, procuring his sonic screwdriver and ran it on the black hole. He grimaced as he looked at the readings. "No, it is. A black hole, suspended in a triple-circuit logic matrix overlaying a compression field. This is a black hole, but trapped." He looked at Circuit with a horrified expression. "And this console is feeding off the energy produced from it, am I right?"

The Professor hid his surprise at how quickly the Doctor figured out the black hole energy source but maintained a calm expression. "Yes. It feeds into the antigravity pulsars and maintains our force-field which—"

"Produces an atmosphere within the city, probably to the whole island, that's brilliant. That's…." the Doctor's face fell as he remembered the number of times a simpler civilization was taken advantage of when presented with superior technology.

"Thank you, Doctor," smiled Circuit. "Now, if you don't mind." He pressed another button and the black hole disappeared under the shifting pillar and the console was restored. "I suppose the next issue is what to do with you next."

His tone was dangerously edged, realizing how intelligent this Doctor was and recognizing the threat he has become. If this isn't taken care of, it might spiral out of control and all of his work would be undone. "I suppose a celebration is in order!"

"Excuse m—" the Doctor clamped a hoof over Rainbow's mouth, to her dismay and surprise, and beamed at Circuit. "Of course! What better way than to extend pleasantries! That'd be lovely, wouldn't we enjoy that ladies?"

Twilight wanted to protest but when she noticed the Doctor's desperate expression she nodded firmly. "Yes! I… love parties you know."

"Really?" drawled Rarity. "As I recall, you—"

The Doctor clamped his free hoof over Rarity's mouth and strained his smile. "Love parties! So do I, it's been a while since I've danced, so we have that to look forward to. Will we be shown to our quarters then?"

The Professor looked over the strange group for a moment, as if reconsidering… before nodding and turning around, preparing to leave. "The guards will show you to your temporary quarters. Enjoy your stay at Rainbow Island."

When he finally left, the Doctor released the poor mares earning an icy glare from the unicorn and a swift kick to the shoulder from the pegasus. "Oi!"

"What was that for?!" Rainbow shouted.

"You really need to wash your hooves, Doctor," remarked Rarity, wiping the taste of dirt from her mouth.

The Doctor looked over to the guards, who stood stoically by the entrance uninterested in their conversation but he leaned closer to the mares. "We have to stick around for a little longer, this type of technology… it can't possibly exist here. It isn't only centuries beyond this time but it is also alien. Wherever they got the technology from, I can promise it wasn't from anyone friendly."

"Anypony," Twilight corrected automatically.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Fine, anypony."

Rarity made a face, ignoring the Doctor's inability to keep up with pony lingo. "But, what harm could it cause Doctor? It's keeping the island afloat, keeping all of these ponies alive. What if the technology was designed to protect them?"

The Time Lord glanced over at the guard's weapon as it hung from their armor. He looked at Rarity and shook his head. "In my experience, aliens willing to give technology to the indigenous species aren't friendly or interested in their protection."

"… Then what does that make you?"

Twilight's expression morphed into one of shock, even gasping for effect as she took a half-step back. "Rarity, what're you—"

The Doctor lifted a hoof, interrupting Twilight and gave Rarity an even expression. He didn't look angry or disappointed by Rarity's words but his eyes were so sad… so old. "I've lived for so long, Rarity. I've seen things you wouldn't believe. I've… fought creatures so evil and have beaten them time after time, all for the sake of the universe." He took a deep, shaky, breath. "That makes me one of the good guys. You have to trust me, Rarity. I've seen this type of thing before, if I don't stop it then the whole island will go down."

There was a moment of silence as Rarity became downcast, ashamed by her own accusation. However eccentric and mysterious the Doctor may behave, his actions are sincere enough. Rainbow nodded, determination fierce in her eyes.

"So, what's the plan now, Doc?" she asked, excited to jump in the fray.

"Now… We take in the sights."


~--~


The guards escorted the group into the city, heading toward an inn called The Morning Light for some rest. Although the mood was calm enough, Twilight still felt as though she were their prisoners. The Doctor, on the other hoof, was excited as the motor-chariot went down the streets, passing through amazing skyscrapers that resembles those of Manehattan.

"This looks like twenty-fourth century architecture from earth! What an amazing parallel. You ponies have a lot more in common with humans than I thought, well, I guess that's obvious considering your naming conventions. Canterlot? I can't take that name seriously, you know," the Doctor rambled.

"Doctor," Twilight said, keeping her voice low. "Why did you tell them we were from Canterlot anyways? What'll we do if they find out?"

The Doctor ruffled Twilight's mane, producing a murderous glare from the librarian but he shrugged it off. "Oh, Twilight, you should pay more attention."

"What?"

“This is obvious a massive anachronistic problem considering the level of technology here. It’s the stuff of conquerors and war fleets, yet they haven’t done anything.”

"Otherwise, we'd see this type of thing in our time period, right?" Twilight finished, the Doctor nodded with a smile.

"Yeah? So?" Rainbow asked. "This is a floating island you know, it isn't like anypony in this time period could have the means of getting here."

"But think about it," the Doctor said, almost excitingly. "Why hasn't anyone—"

"Anypony!" Twilight interrupted.

"I'll get it eventually!" he snapped, rolling his eyes. Temporal anomalies were easier to catch on than this. "Why hasn't anypony here gone down to Canterlot? They have all of this technology, a localized and artificial atmosphere, motorized vehicles, weapons and apparently space-travel since that is the only way they could find and capture a black hole. Unless, of course, they could create their own black hole but that would be a bit of a stretch."

"They could simply not be as interested as you assume," Rarity offered. "This is a wonderful city, Doctor. Why would they go down to begin with if they have all of this?"

"I can think of a few reasons," the Doctor muttered. "Conquering a technologically inferior land, for one thing."

Twilight shook her head. "I don't know how it is like in your universe, Doctor, but war isn't all too common here. In Equestrian history there has only been a small number of major battles that ended fairly quickly (though in other cultures like the Griffins or Dragons, that's a bit different). Ponies don't normally go around conquering land."

"Then why do they have those weapons?"

The mares stayed quiet for a moment, considering the Doctor's question. It was true what Twilight had told them, war simply wasn't a pony thing unless pushed far enough. Weaponry, therefore, barely evolved beyond offensive magical spells and rudimentary tools for the earth ponies and pegasi. Twilight had never seen the weapons these guards held but she had seen the Doctor's disapproving glare when he noticed them, it's safe to assume they are as dangerous as they look.

"So far," the Doctor continued, interrupting Twilight's train of thought. "I've seen unicorns and earth ponies here, no pegasi. A bit of a strange coincidence, if you ask me."

"You think that has something to do with this?" Twilight asked.

"Probably, never ignore a coincidence, I always say." The Time Lord shrugged and smiled amusingly. "Unless, of course, you're busy then feel free. Any society that is advanced enough to utilize technology of this scale focuses on weaponry, well, that's a combination that I tend to avoid."

"Still, Doctor. You must entertain the possibility of the technology being there to protect these ponies. Is it unreasonable to think that a flying sky fortress that is a technological haven should need protection?" Rarity asked. "We infiltrated their island quite easily."

Before the Time Lord could offer his opinion, Rainbow interrupted, shaking her head. "Like I said before, there's no way any pegasus could fly up here and still manage to make a proper landing on the island. Much less toting a chariot."

"This island is impenetrable," Twilight summed up.

The Doctor chuckled under his breath, earning a hard look from the librarian. Shrugging, he extended his legs, as if in apologies. "I never liked that word: 'impenetrable'. After all, we got here, didn't we?"

"Yes, but that's because we have the most powerful ship in the universe," Twilight answered, reciting the Doctor's previous description of the TARDIS.

"Speaking of which, we didn't we bring the TARDIS here? We basically left it in the middle of the forest, wouldn't anypony notice?" Rainbow asked.

Their vehicle crossed another district, the night sky cascading through the force-field creating a dim twilight shower across the city. In this light, the semipermeable bubble could be seen, covering the entirety of the city like a glass dome. The weary Time Lord sighed, remembering his home universe. Remembering home.

"It'll be fine," he answered, enthusiasm lost. "The TARDIS can keep herself hidden, it's called a perception filter. Basically hiding in plain sight, and even if she was found there isn't a force in the universe that could get in. Besides me, of course. Rule twenty-eight, you should write these down, never take the TARDIS into battle."

"But Doctor," the purple unicorn began. "Why not simply take the TARDIS back in time, before this island gained this technology and stop it from happening if you're so worried."

The Doctor shook his head. "It isn't as simple as that. I've become part of established events, going back to interfere would have detrimental effects. Besides, even if I could somehow pinpoint the exact moment when all of this began getting there would be a bit trickery than it sounds."

"So, what, we're just going to stick around then? And do what?" Rainbow asked.

The Time Lord looked at Rainbow with a bright grin, eyes filled with renewed excitement. "Momentai, Rainbow. We're just going to enjoy our stay here!"