This is a crossover between MLP and Torchwood. the fanfiction is light-hearted, but for those interested in Torchwood, be warned: it is dark, gritty, and features adult themes. Also, there will be manly tears shed.
Lightning Dust had no idea what she'd been getting into when she said she was interested in the job offer from "Star Hunter". He'd said he was a military contractor, but as far as she knew of, Cartiff didn't have any military bases, and especially not right by the bay. She was a little confused as she walked around in front of a monument, over which a never-ending waterfall flowed. She waved down a passing pony.
"Um, hey, sorry, I'm looking for somepony named Star Hunter? He says he's a captain?" Lightning asked. The pony's eyes widened, and she scurried off without saying a word. "Oh, well, thanks!" Lightning shouted after the mare.
She grumbled and turned back around, to find a large stallion standing in front of her. He was a pegasus with a dark blue coat, and a light blue mane. His Cutie Mark was apparently, from what little Lightning Dust knew of astronomy, the Orion constellation. She backed up a little in surprise, and then smirked.
"Well, you could have told me you were right behind me!" she shouted, stepping up and holding out a hoof. Star Hunter smiled, and shook it.
"Sorry. So, still interested, I take it," Star Hunter replied.
"You bet. Come on, where's the base?" Lightning asked.
"You're standing on it," Star Hunter answered casually. "Well... about a hundred feet above it. Follow me, Lightning Dust."
Lightning was a little too confused to bother questioning his meaning. She followed him down a set of stairs by the bay, into what seemed to be a small tourist's shop. Jack stepped behind the counter and pressed a button, opening up a large section of the wall. Lightning's eyes and smile both widened.
"Holy Celestia, am I joining some kind of top-secret organization?" she asked quickly. "Is this like the Equestrian Special Operations Force?"
"Please, ESOF wishes they were us," Star Hunter replied, smirking as he led her through the door into an elevator. He set it to travel to Basement Level 5, and talked as it moved. "My real name's Captain Jack Harness. What you're about to see is Torchwood. I hope you're ready."
"Born ready, Captain."
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Gettng the tour and introductions out of the way was the quicker part of the initiation process. The Torchwood Hub, as Jack had called it, was an expansive office, containment facility, and military outpost hidden underneath the streets of Cartiff. Remarkably, very little magic was used in the job. It was almost purely sci-fi level technology, which was certain to appealing aspect to the pegasus.
The agency was much smaller than she had expected. Jack was the leader of it all. He explained that the Star Hunter alias was mostly used because Jack wasn't a very pony name "in this time period". There was Colgate, who worked the computers; and her marefriend Berry Punch, who was the medical officer and undercover specialist. There was Lucky Clover, who was the engineer (in Jack's words: "he makes stuff work"). Finally, there was Raindrops, who seemed to be tasked with most everything else. Nobody really knew what Raindrops' job was, not even Raindrops.
The best part, though, was when the entire team sat down at a table to debrief Lightning on the details of the job. They set a mug of water in front of her, to drink only if she turned down the job. They also had a bottle of wine in case she accepted. Lightning liked the style.
"So, let me get this straight," Lightning said, after listening to the debriefing. "You guys hunt aliens? In Equestria?"
"Yep. The Rift spits 'em out, we chew 'em up," Colgate answered.
"What's the mortality rate?" Lightning asked.
"High," answered Lucky.
"Pay?"
"Higher."
"I'm in," Lightning said.
"Really? Just like that?" Berry asked.
"Just like that. I love a good risk," Lightning said. "Plus, hey, aliens. How many ponies get a chance like this? Wonderbolts are one thing, this is something totally new."
"I think I like her," Raindrops said to Jack.
"Yes, well, you can get to introducing her to the casual side of Torchwood later," Jack said, chuckling. A blush quickly rose to Raindrop's face, while Lightning looked a little confused. "So, Lightning, it should go without saying-"
"Top secret. Tell nobody. Got it," Lightning interrupted. "What's the penalty? Get fired? Brain wipe? Death?"
"You're really eager to join a job you can't tell anyone about," Jack remarked.
"Duh."
"Alright, I guess that settles it, then. I'll get the paperwork and a gun. We'll teach you how to fire one, then we'll get you on the field." Jack walked around the table to shake Lightning's hoof. "Welcome to Torchwood, Agent Lightning Dust."