Edited by: SilentCarto

Proofreader: Coandco

Disclaimer: I don't own The Dresden Files or My Little Pony, that is Jim Butcher and Hasbro respectively. This story takes place between books Eight and Nine in the Dresden Files.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dresden, but we've never had anyone named Sean Belfast employed here." The tired-looking HR woman gave me a pretty believable fake smile and nodded politely, subtly, toward the door. I took the hint that she wanted us out of her hair and glanced at AJ for confirmation of what I already suspected. Her small head shake told me everything I needed to know.

"Thank you for checking that for me. If you happen to see him around the neighborhood, I'd be grateful for a call. I'll leave you a business card." The look on her face told me that she could've done without it, but she took it with another fake smile anyways. She probably figured it was the fastest way to get us out of here. She was right, but I wanted her to have it just in case it didn't end up in a trashcan less than a minute after I left.

I gave her another nod and left. AJ followed close on my heels.

Noir movies and books leave out most of the boredom.

Investigating, even with magic, involves a lot of fruitless searches and drawn-out waiting. The area of town where Sean's mystery job was located was large and there were a lot of factories and complexes still running even though Chicago's manufacturing sector wasn't anything like what it used to be. We had visited six different facilities that made everything from soft drinks to industrial chemicals – not that there's that much difference between the two – and none of them had ever heard of Sean.

About twenty feet away from the entrance to the factory, I sensed more than saw a low-slung form melt out of the shadows of a nearby alley. I glanced at the wolf, but Will gave me a head shake that was a mirror to Applejack's. He hadn't scented Sean anywhere nearby. I sighed and opened the driver's side door, letting Will jump into the Blue Beetle. I gave him time to clamber into the back seat before I climbed in myself.

The girls were forted up at my place and Michael's for now and I had sent a warning to most of my friends. Whoever was watching me knew enough that identifying my friends wouldn't be too difficult. I doubted that they'd hesitate to sic Miss Dense on somebody I cared about if they thought I was getting too close.

Assuming I wasn't too close already.

I still felt like I was stumbling in the dark, but Miss Dense's attack had been a move of desperation. She was unidentifiable and didn't give me any clues as to who was pulling the strings, but you don't send a monster to kill someone in broad daylight at a crowded location unless you needed them gone ASAP. Somebody thought I was too close, even if I didn't know exactly what part of my investigation worried them.

"Land sakes," Applejack said, interrupting my reverie. "Just how many factories and workhouses have y'all got in Chicago?"

"Not as many as we used to," I said, pointing at more than a few of the rusting and abandoned husks of old factories. "We're going to check out all of the legitimate businesses around here first. If that doesn't pan out, we'll start breaking into the abandoned places and looking for criminal activity." Sunset was approaching and I figured we didn't have long until legitimate businesses closed and we had to start looking for trouble.

"Criminal activity? Like sellin' stolen stuff or runnin' moonshine?"

She wasn't entirely wrong so I just nodded and chose not to mention the gun-running, human trafficking, illegal gambling, and drug dealing that we were more likely to run across. I'd burn that bridge when we came to it.

Next on the list was a place called 'Lake Michigan Canning and Dry Goods'.

There was a guard shack sitting watch over the entrance, but you could almost mistake it for one of the crumbling ruins to either side. The small parking lot beyond the chain link fence was deserted. I would've just assumed I had the wrong place until a guy in the shack popped up at my arrival. I had a brief moment where I worried about getting Sonny Corleone'ed.

Fortunately the guy wasn't armed with anything more dangerous than a nasty scowl. "No trespassing," he barked practically the second I started rolling down my window. It set his jowls to wobbling, and I somehow gathered that his stint as a guard didn't include much in the way of patrolling.

I wanted to roll my eyes, but somehow refrained and went for a professional response instead. "Not looking to trespass, buddy." I flashed him my PI badge. "Just looking for a guy that went missing and got a lead that he worked somewhere in this neighbourhood. I'd like to ask the personnel department a couple of questions."

He shook his head and snorted. "Good luck. This dump's been closed since before I got outta high school. Your guy couldn't have worked here. Now get lost."

I felt my eyes start to narrow. Not just because the dogged old guy in front of me was being a jerk, but because some things weren't adding up. The gate wasn't exactly new, but it looked in decent shape and the opener motor appeared to be in good repair. Why not have it chained shut if they were closed? Why have a guard shack at all if they didn't have any traffic?

"Closed, huh? Why have they got you guarding an empty building, then?"

He shrugged. "Probably to keep out all the bums, junkies, and crooks that'd sneak in." His hairy eyeball said he could believe that I'd fit in any of those categories. "Honestly, I don't know and don't care. I do my job; I get paid."

I heard scratching at my lower left and saw Will briefly paw at the door then look at me. He wanted out, and I didn't think it was to use the bathroom. I opened my own door and left it open so he could get out behind me. Then I moved towards the shack. "Fine. I'll just ask you then. You ever seen this guy around here? He goes by Sean Belfast." I fished the picture Sean's dad had given me out of my pocket and showed it to him.

The guy glanced at it. "Nope, now beat it."

I'll give the guy credit: I believed him until I heard AJ softly growl, "Horseapples". My head swiveled and my eyes zeroed in on hers. She nodded slowly.

I turned back around and got in the guy's face. "I don't think you took a good look at the picture." I shoved it in his face where he couldn't avoid looking at it.

"Back the fuck off, asshole!" The guard shouted, but I could see the sweat on his forehead. "I said I never heard of the guy!"

"An' you were lyin' when you did!" Applejack shouted, the car door slammed as she got out and joined me.

"Both of you need to leave. Now!" The guard said, his face turning red and his jowls wobbling to and fro. He started to reach towards his belt where a pistol hung next to a small radio. I didn't know which one he was reaching for but I didn't want him using either one.

"Forzare Minimus," I murmured, putting a little extra pressure on his already strained belt buckle. It came off with a pop and the belt - along with the pistol, radio, and pants - dropped to the ground.

"Shit!" he yelped, bending over in a futile effort to preserve his dignity. Once he was halfway down he caught sight of Will and froze. The low snarl or the inch long canines might have had something to do with that.

"Now, I'm going to ask again and I want you to be honest this time. Have you ever seen Sean Belfast before?"

"Yes!" The guy sounded properly scared and I didn't need to glance at AJ for confirmation. "He worked here for a few weeks. He told me he heard some weird noises from the old factory. I told him not to poke his nose into anything, but then one day he got fired and I didn't see him no more."

"What kinda 'weird noises'?" AJ asked.

"I don't know. Footsteps and some loud bangs; like heavy stuff getting moved or a bunch of people working."

"What are they doing here?" I glanced at his nametag, "Doug? Why do you keep people out?"

He flinched first from me, then again when he realized he had put himself closer to Will. "I don't know, man! I swear to God I don't know! I-it's probably something shady but I never asked. Got hired over the phone, and I've never met my boss, but it's such a cushy job I didn't want to rock the boat."

I leaned further over the counter into the shack itself. "Then why'd you lie about seeing Sean?"

His laugh was short and bitter. "I'm no genius, but I can do the math. You're here looking for the kid after he goes missing. That means whatever he found, people are willing to kill to keep it quiet, and I don't want any part of that. I ain't got a chance of outrunning a hitman."

"Okay, Doug. I believe you."

He looked surprised. "You do?"

"I do," I said. "Now find your belt buckle and put your pants back on." I know I've walked into a fight undressed more than a few times, but it felt wrong leaving the man standing there in a pair of black boxers spotted with yellow smiley faces. He proceeded to do so, his face flushed from either exertion or shame.

Once he had himself together I nodded to our resident wolf. "Now if you'd transform back, Will." Everyone present stared at me for a variety of reasons. Will gave me an 'are you sure?' look and I nodded firmly. Doug the Guard started to sidle away from me like he was concerned about my sanity, and poor AJ just looked confused.

"Okay, buddy, maybe-"

"Done," Will said, having gone from a large wolf to a heavily muscled - and naked - man in the space of a second.

"What the fuck!" Doug stumbled away from Will which brought him within reach of me. I put one hand on top of his head and hooked the other one in front of him. The BO was an unpleasant consequence of being this close, but Doug had nothing on a troll or ogre in terms of smell. Then I fired up a little spell that I had been practicing to scare my apprentice with. It wasn't where I wanted it to be just yet, but a small, intense fireball flashed to life in the hand he could see.

That killed any attempt to struggle before it even began. Doug stayed very, very still.

"Don't worry. This will all be over soon." I poured power into the hand holding his head. "Dormius, dorme, dormius." Doug slumped over bonelessly, and I wasn't in a great position to support all that weight so he more or less toppled to the floor.

"What in tarnation!" AJ yelled, rushing forward. She leaned over the counter saw that he was just asleep and wiped her brow. "Goodness. Don't scare me like that, sugarcube. I thought he had went and had a heart attack from you spookin' him."

"C'mon AJ, I'm not that bad." Probably not anyway. "Will, I take it you caught Sean's scent?"

"Yeah, he spent a lot of time here in the guard shack. From the smell, he was a nervous wreck for days. It'll probably fade away in another week or two, but we were in time to catch it. Also, any chance you'll tell us what that performance was all about?" Will asked. He turned back into a wolf before I could answer, but thanks to my time as a unicorn I understood that it's much less embarrassing to be naked with fur on than as a human.

"Yes, actually. Our friend Doug needs to finish out his shift without telling anybody we were here. Threatening him to stay silent isn't likely to work, making him disappear – not like that, I meant taking him with us – will just alert his boss that something's up. The weirder things got, the more likely he is to write the whole thing off as a dream and keep his mouth shut."

Will nodded and padded his way over to the car.

"That's right clever of ya, Dresden." Applejack said, as she helped me position Doug back in his dingy chair. "Good thinkin'!" she said with a hearty slap to my back that probably left a bruise.

I rolled my eyes as I tried not to wince. Gosh, it's almost like the wizard knows what he's doing.

I settled back into the driver's seat. I glanced around, but didn't see anyone watching us. I had paid a Noid's ransom in pizza to the weefolk to alert me if they found anyone spying on me, but they hadn't reported anything and my own finely honed detective instincts agreed. I don't know if the person who took the photo and reported my trip to Navy Pier had been shaken or if they were watching my apartment.

The second might suggest that it was actually the girls they were interested in, but in the short term I was just glad to have a reprieve.

"So what do we do now?"

I grimaced. "There's definitely something shady going on at that warehouse. Marcone doesn't know anything about Sean's disappearance unless I completely misread him back at the jewel fence, so unless it's our mystery villain then there's only one other player who might be running something like this in Chicago."

AJ frowned. "That don't tell me what we're gonna do about all this."

"I'm gonna set up an interview with a vampire."

…

McAnally's Pub is a special place.

Not just because their steak sandwiches are delicious and the beer is poured from God's own cask. Or even because of the thirteen pillars, thirteen tables, and thirteen mirrors all placed in such a way to dissipate and deflect negative energy.

It's one of the only places in Chicago to have a small sign that declares it 'Accorded Neutral Territory'. To most people that would just be a weird, maybe kitschy, bar sign, but to anyone in the know, the Accords are a Big Deal. Big bad Queen Mab herself gathered representatives from all of the major supernatural powers and most of the minor ones together and they hashed out a set of rules codifying interactions between supernatural nations. It's easiest to think of it as the magic Geneva Convention. Get caught breaking it and you'll open yourself up to war from several people, mostly importantly the Winter Court.

One of the provisions in the Accords is for certain locations or establishments to be declared neutral (i.e. start a fight there and Mab will pull your balls off). They make trade, deals, and information exchanges much easier and safer for all involved.

Long story short, that's why AJ and I showed up outside Mac's just a couple hours after sunset. I could have sent her home with Will, but she'd more than proved her worth and I wanted every advantage I could wring out of a meeting with Lara.

McAnally's is decorated like an old world tavern, which is the sensible thing to do when a decent chunk of your clientele can destroy modern technology just by being in a bad mood. Not everybody who comes here has some form of power, but everyone has some kind of connection to the supernatural.

"Now this place is a mite more homey," Applejack said, taking in a deep breath.

"Yeah, Mac's a real old school kinda guy. And speak of the devil. Yo, Mac! I'll take a steak sandwich, fries and one of your darks." The bald barkeep who could've been any age from thirty to fifty raised an eyebrow at me, glanced at AJ, then started making my sandwich. He's a real chatterbox, Mac is. "Order whatever you want, AJ. I'm pretty sure Mac has menus at the bar. I'm going to find us a table."

I had just settled myself at a high top in the middle of the floor that was easily visible from all angles when all heads turned towards the door without conscious effort or thought. It wasn't just that the door had opened. It had opened to reveal a presence.

She was tall and perfectly portioned for her height. Hair so black that it was almost blue fell in an elegant waterfall to her shoulders. Her dress hugged her in ways that shouldn't have been sensual, but still made my pants about three sizes too small. No wrinkle or imperfection marred her cream-colored skin even though she was at least double my age, if not more. She was like the Platonic Concept of a woman; perfect in every conceivable way.

She was Lara Raith, de facto head of the White Court.

With a deep breath, I shoved my libido down. It was not easy, but I managed.

Mac just grunted and tapped a second 'Accorded Neutral Territory' sign that hung behind his bar. One day I will have that man's level of control, I swear.

"Of course," Lara said, her tone amused. "My apologies, Mr. McAnally." The brain-draining phenomenon of her presence didn't disappear, but it lessened to reasonable levels. Lara looked across the room as if noticing me for the first time. "Good evening, Mr. Dresden. Good to see that you're eager for this meeting."

I was eager for a lot more than that, but that's how the White Court gets you. Start thinking with what's in your pants around them and soon you won't be thinking at all, just mindlessly doing whatever they whisper in your ear.

Applejack moved from the bar to my side, her posture defensive. "Did I look like you just did when Thomas was a-flirtin' with us?" Applejack asked, glancing at me with a look of embarrassment and anger.

"Probably," I murmured in reply. Lara grinned slowly, said something to the woman trailing behind her, and stalked over to take the seat opposite me. I recognized the woman she had sent away. Justine was a petite, pretty woman, still somewhat underweight after almost dying to the Hunger of a White Court vampire. She was the woman my brother loved, and it had been his Hunger that almost killed her. Their love was… complicated, but no less real for its weirdness.

"So what is so important that you need me to meet you here, Dresden? Has my brother indicated some concern that you feel needs to be addressed?" Lara knew that Thomas and I were half-brothers, but unlike us, she could be public about being his half-sibling. We both cared about him in our own ways, but Lara wouldn't hesitate to put him six feet under if she felt it necessary.

I shook my head. "This is something different. I need to know if you own or operate a business out of a seemingly abandoned warehouse." Her look was somewhat bemused. "A specific one, I mean." I gave her the address for it.

"I'll have to ask my secretary for the particulars," Lara said and a small gesture brought Justine from the bar to her side. Justine's love meant that other White Court vampires couldn't seduce or control her, which as part of a family with Chronic Backstabber Syndrome, Lara must have valued in an employee. Lara repeated my request, and Justine rifled through a sheaf of papers before whispering something in her ear.

Lara stretched lightly, which did some very interesting things to her chest that she was perfectly aware of. "How interesting. Why do you wish to know, Dresden?" she asked with a languid neck roll.

"Because I'm probably going to burn it down," I told her bluntly.

That got her attention. "Knowing you, I can't claim any surprise, but you'll have to be more forthcoming than that."

"It's cuz that's where the feller he's looking for went missing," AJ interjected.

Lara wrinkled her nose, whether at Applejack's interruption or her accent, I couldn't tell. After a second, the look disappeared and she grinned instead. "I haven't had the pleasure of an introduction, but my, what a lively one you are." Her eyes flickered silver. "You're just brimming with vigor, aren't you?"

"Which she's not in any hurry to give away," I shot back. "AJ, it looks like our food is done. Would you mind?" She gave Lara a scowl, but nodded to me. "What she said is right, but it's not the full story. I think it's safe to assume you heard about the mess at Navy Pier." She waved her hand in a way that implied 'of course', and her eyes went back to normal. "And the pressure on Marcone?"

"Yes, someone has been taking some territory using ghouls as muscle, but they haven't interfered with my activities and Mr. Marcone seems likely to take it back with time. I haven't concerned myself overmuch, but you're going to imply that I should."

I nodded. "You bet your sweet ass, I do. Nothing came after me until I started poking around to find this missing person and then suddenly somebody attempts to kidnap my apprentice with ghouls. After that failed, somebody sent that thing to the Pier. It was seriously tough, not just some minor league monster. We kept things as covert as possible, but four of us were laying down the hurt, and whatever that thing was, it took everything we had and kept fighting. What we did to it would've killed a ghoul three times over, and you know how resilient they are. Then my missing person case leads me to a warehouse where something shady is going on and has been for a while. I've got good reason to believe that Marcone isn't behind it, so if it isn't you then we sure have one interesting series of coincidences. I think someone with power is moving on the city in a big way and so far they've managed to fly under all our radars."

Lara considered me carefully. Like a cat eyeing a particularly large and dangerous bird. "And if I did have something to do with your missing person? What would you do?" I tried to catch Justine's eye to see if that was the truth, but she stared resolutely at the floor before sliding away to visit the bar.

"We'd teach you a lesson." AJ said coldly, settling into the seat next to me. She put my plate in front of me, her own piled high with fried mozzarella and three whole apples. Which is weird because I didn't think Mac even stocked fruit.

Lara just grinned. "Oh, there are many things I would enjoy having Dresden teach me, but he's resistant to the idea for some reason." Her eyes turned a faint shade of silver and she put a finger to her lips. "Ah, my food has arrived."

Mac doesn't carry food to anyone, but that's why Lara had sent her secretary in her place. Justine set a plate with a steak, sauteed mushrooms, and some vegetable dish I couldn't identify down in front of her boss along with a glass of red wine.

"So was it you?" I asked, trying to get things back on track.

"Perhaps. What would follow if I said 'yes'?" Lara cut a small piece off her very rare steak and ate it delicately. She cocked an eyebrow at me, and I got it. This was a power play. I had called her here, getting an appointment on my time and she needed to make the point that she didn't answer to me.

"I would like to hang you from the nearest tree, but I'd settle for weregild and something to provide closure to the family."

"Dresden, you can't be–"

"AJ," I interrupted. "We can discuss this later. I'm not exactly keen to argue in front of the supernatural predator capable of killing us both." Not the subtlest way to stroke her ego, but Lara would know that I wasn't kidding.

AJ glared and seethed, but she kept quiet aside from a muttered, "Tain't right to let bad apples like that run roughshod over good folk."

Lara's smile just got more smug, which I hadn't thought was possible. "This is delightful. Wherever did you find such a wonderfully naive young woman?"

"Laugh it up all you want. In her home country you'd be flash-fried by a literal sun goddess the moment you set foot across the border."

Lara knows that I'm not good at lying and that statement surprised her even if she hid it well. "You've piqued my curiosity."

"And you still haven't satisfied mine. You've made your point clear, I don't get to boss you around. But if you don't give me a straight answer whether or not that place is yours then I'm gonna assume it's not and go in guns blazing."

Lara sighed. "Uncouth as ever, but I suppose you'd be much more difficult to deal with if you weren't so plain with your intentions. Simple levers move a simple man, I suppose. No, that warehouse is not mine. In exchange for that information I expect you to alert me to whatever you find there."

I waved my hand tiredly. "Fine. You'll be the first to know." The meeting had been tiring as all Hell, but it was worth it to know that the warehouse had to belong to whatever third party was pulling the strings. Even if my theories about their involvement in my current troubles was wrong, they were definitely involved in Sean's disappearance. I'd settle for solving at least one of my mysteries right now.

…

Applejack fumed in the passenger seat all the way back to my apartment. It didn't take but a few seconds for the wee folk I had bribed to report 'all clear', but AJ still seemed to rankle at the delay. I knew there was a storm coming, but I figured it was better to hash out once we were safely behind my defenses. I opened the door and held it for Applejack. "You're welcome inside my home."

"Thank you," she replied stiffly and got almost immediately floored by Rainbow Dash.

"Finally! You guys were gone forever! It's been so boring having to wait in here all day. I'm about to go crazy!"

"Sorry, Rainbow," I said, stepping in and shutting the door behind me. My wards clicked into place and the steady hum of that defensive energy did a lot to soothe my tired nerves. "I didn't know if Miss Dense would come back, and my apartment is one of the safest places in the city." Aside from Michael's, which is why Pinkie, Rarity, and Spike were spending the night there.

"That's okay," Fluttershy said, stroking both Mouse and Mister at the same time. "These two sweeties kept us company." All three of them looked like they could have spent the entire day like that, perfectly content.

"It was interesting to examine your lab and your literature," Twilight said, then she paused and pouted. "Although, I'm not sure why Bob said I couldn't look in your green notebook."

My heart stopped for a second. I thought I had hidden everything dangerous in my lab, but Twilight was apparently a real champ at hide n' seek. My green notebook contained the names and summoning instructions for a veritable host of demons and other unsavory spirits. I'd traded for information with some of them, but most were more of a 'last resort'. If nothing else, you needed to know something's name to banish it. Twilight might have let her curiosity get the better of her, and unlike most people who stumble onto the names of demons, she'd actually have the ability and knowledge to summon one.

I owed Bob any number of Playboys for stopping her.

"The good news," I said, "is that we've found where my guy went missing and I think it's connected to the people who attacked us. Tomorrow, we can visit the warehouse and get to the bottom of this." I paused for effect. "The bad news is that I think this is all a lot bigger than it looked at first. I want–"

"For goodness sake, we ain't sittin' on our rumps, letting you go into danger alone," Applejack shouted. Her temper was fully frayed and she vented. "We're gonna knock some sense into you one way or another. And you need to tell me why we let that White Court lady walk away. I get that she's your friend's sister, but when you said them vampires hurt and killed people I thought you meant they were hidden about it t'where you weren't sure who was doin' it. She was practically rubbin' our faces in the fact that she coulda done it and got away with it!"

Everyone turned to look at me and I felt a headache coming on. "She was baiting you, Applejack."

"Then it's pretty darn good bait!" Applejack said, she slammed her fist onto my kitchen table and cracks spread from the impact. "She outright implied she does that sorta evil all the time. If that hussy is making honest folk disappear we gotta put a stop to that."

"Wait a minute," Rainbow said. "You actually know where the White Court live and who they are? You said they blended in well with humans."

"They do, and it keeps normal humans from noticing. Wizards like me know differently, but it would be a hard sell to anyone not in the know."

"Then why don't we just kick her butt like you do everybody else?" Rainbow asked, already cracking her knuckles in anticipation.

"Thank you, Rainbow, but it's not that simple."

"How is it anything but simple?" Twilight asked, a flush rising in her pale cheeks. "If she's a villain we should take her down once we're done at the warehouse." Her smile was bright, fierce, and beautiful.

That made killing it all the worse.

"Are you willing to kill her?" I asked in a clipped tone, trying not to let my growing anger show.

"Wha-what?" Twilight's grin slipped away.

"Are you willing to kill her? Because you can't jail her, beating her up will only make her come back for revenge twice as hard, and I'd love to see anyone capable of convincing her to stop what she's doing." I took a deep breath, trying to keep my anger in check. It was boiling up inside me hot and strong, but I didn't want to take it out of her. "Sometimes you have to live with something horrible. Sometimes you fail. Sometimes the goal isn't worth the cost." Those words hurt. For me of all people to say them was ludicrous, but they were true.

Instead of being dejected, instead of being hurt, instead of being browbeaten, Twilight just smiled. "You'll never know until you try."

"Yeah! Where's the 'go get'em attitude, Dresden?" Rainbow yelled with a cheer. "You can't let jerks like that walk all over you!"

"Darn tootin', Dash. Give us the word and we'll teach them troublemakers what fer," AJ said with a cocksure grin that finally made my temper boil over. Their stubborn, beautiful, idiotic refusal to face reality just did it for me.

"There are limits to my power!" I roared at them. The room fell silent. I could have been quiet, but instead I drove the lesson home. "I don't have a demi-goddess or omnipotent magic jewelry backing me up, and now, neither do you. Learn to pick your battles, because here you don't get second chances. You just get killed."

I stormed down into the subbasement that held my lab and slammed the trapdoor behind me as I went. I heard conversation restart after I left, but the floor was too thick for me to hear what they were saying. Good. I didn't want to know anyway.

There, I thought at Lasciel. I let them be part of the investigation and help me. Now they have to either compromise their principles or start a war with the White Court. Are you happy now? I didn't get a response, but I didn't expect one. I hated her with a righteous fury right now.

But not as much as I hated myself.

I kept a cot in my lab, but I knew I wasn't going to get much sleep. Instead, I turned to my workbench. "Let's get to making some potions, Bob."