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.”
9856941
Updoot!
I've been waiting on any Dresden story to update for a year. Even Jim Butcher seems silent. Good to see it back.
Oof, Dresden, that’s rough.
They should talk to Murphy about this. And then, more importantly, they should talk to Michael. I think he’d understand perfectly well when you start talking about Harmony.
And the trouble is they’re both right. Dresden’s power is limited, and there are deeply entrenched evil powers in the world that seem (and genuinely are) overwhelming. On the other hand, with Dresden’s attitude Discord would still rule Equestria.
I think to an extent Equestria may be exactly what Earth needs. It shows the *potential*, a world where the monstrous cosmic powers really have been beaten back. Fighting and winning is possible, it’s been done.
Basically I think that while Dresden may be right strategically speaking, but he may have grown too complacent about the *necessity* of moral compromise. Which coming from Dresden is hilarious, but he doesn’t compromise personally very much. He can just be too stuck in considering the world as it is.
Wait. This story is actually CALLED great power. *headesk* Of course this is the theme.
Wooohooo! I’m so happy to see this story get an update again. Seeing Dresden and Applejack work together is a breath of fresh air as Applejack’s ability to detect liars is useful for his investigation, but the cultural dissonance between them causes friction. AJ comes from a world where evil antagonists are confronted and stopped to save the innocents whereas Dresden lives in a world where killing/stopping the bad guys can lead to other antagonists coming after him or encourage them to hurt more innocents to spite him. Overall, this chapter was well worth the wait. Hope the next one comes soon to see how the girls react after Dresden’s outburst.
P.S: Shame that AJ and Mac didn’t interact much.
The glorious thing about this sentence is that to the uninformed most will simply assume the Noid is just some obscure mythological creature. Then again the Noid does come across like some modern day faerie.
And that last thought is beautiful; compromise, or a fight they don't know they can't win.
Also, THEY LIVED! Time did not kill them to death!
9864054
I think the key thing to remember is that Equestria also used to be like this. Starswirl and the Pillars would understand perfectly.
In fact, Dresden is playing Starswirl’s role here as the well meaning and powerful but cynical mentor.
Not surprised the girls aren't happy with all the status quo monsters entrenched in Harry's world. I was shocked he revealed AJ was from another world just to intimidate Lara a bit, though I guess he doesn't view the White Court as being in position to exploit (or find?) Equestria?
Poor Harry, having to deal with all this Idealism and knowing he has to show the girls the ugly truth of the world. I can't wait to see what or who they find at the warehouse.
9864119
Pretty much the Mane 6's view of evil is highly informed by how things work in Equestria NOW not in the past.
I did enjoy AJ being Dresden's shadow, she'd make a great detective if she ever decided to retire from apple farming. Though he's probably wishing he hadn't brought her now... I'm REALLY hoping the girls don't decide to head out on their own, things wouldn't end well if they did. They might be heroes, but they're not exactly ready to deal with just how vicious the human world can be.
Thanks for Posting! I’m glad you’re back. I’m glad this story continues. It was worth the wait, as usual. I’ve been missing my Dresden fix.
I will not lie, as always, I went SQUEEE when this showed up in my feed. Slow doesn't matter because you have a fantastic grasp of the characters and the plot constantly thickens. Love it!
9864003
Yeah but in equestria all the power was in a single easily seen target. Th enemies in dresdens world are armies of monsters.
Huzzah!!
Oof. Harry may have spent a little too much time in a world where he's forced to play nice and diplomatic with monsters and mobsters. But he usually makes it work, sort of. Here's hoping the girls don't take that outburst too harshly.
AJ riding shotgun with Harry's investigation was cool, though. I suspect she got more of a conversation out of Mac than most people ever do, if only through experience with a similarly named pony.
Worth the wait.
9863987
Good news from his website - Jim finished the final chapter of book 16 this past July, and it's now in the hands of his betas and editors. A formal release date has yet to be announced though.
Also, thrilled to see an update for this story.
Until next time...
Anon e Mouse Jr.
9864260
On the other hand, he was also an actual god and just this side of omnipotent.
Main point is that Equestria also has armies of monsters etc in the past, back in the Pillar’s day, and they still beat them. Which is the point. Dresden may be right that they can’t fight everyone today, but they’re right about not accepting that the status quo is inevitable.
9864334
Remember what happened the last time Dresden broke the status quo to avenge a loved one, victim of a vampire?
Because I´m sure he does, and that´s what he must be thinking right now.
Chicago is not Equestria, period. The Powers That Be rarely trade in benevolence, or care about the puny mortals (or even the immortals). And the Magic of Friendship cannot wash away all the evil and ugliness of the world in one or two episodes. Dresden is only a single man, and no matter how powerful or special: he cannot save everyone.
9864386
I still think that blowing up the Red Court was the right thing to do. The Fomor were already there and just not on anyone’s radar. And besides, that had official Divine approval. The Angels in Dresden know what they’re doing, so far as we’ve seen.
Unless you mean burning down Bianca’s place and starting the war with the Red Court in the first place, which was also the right thing to do. They were planning a war against the white council anyway, this just hit them before they were ready.
Generally speaking it’s far better to oppose evil than not. Strategically yes, Dresden and the council can’t take everyone at once on in a fight. But they’re still willing to accept the status quo, and they’re not willing to give humanity as a whole the knowledge and self determination to gang up on the monsters. Which I have Opinions about.
This isn’t to say Dresden isn’t a good guy. Or even that he lacks integrity. He doesn’t. He just doesn’t think that the world, as a whole, can change.
Also definitely want to point out, the biggest Powers That Be in Dresden are God and the Angels, and they *do* deal in benevolence and mercy. It’s one of the things I like most about the series. And Odin likewise. Heck, even Maab turns out to be mostly on the Good Guys side cosmically even if she can still be pretty awful.
Now this is general philosophy. In specific, yes, Dresden probably can’t afford to level the Raith mansion today. He just shouldn’t accept that he never will be able to.
9864157 I understand your trepidation.
I don’t know. If I were a vampire I do not think I’d look for a world or realm or alternate dimension where there was a Demi/Goddess who controlled that big ball of nuclear fire whose very rays can turn you to dust. Of all the alternate dimensions out there that’s the one I’d stay furthest from. Given the scant information Harry divulged. But in Dresden’s universe I guess it’s always a good thing to worry.
9864520
I would be far more worried about Mab. In the Dresdenverse, Winter provides defense to worlds like Earth against Outsiders... in exchange of the usual "fees". Equestria is one of the few worlds with zero sidhe presence thanks to having its own protectors (alicorns).
Now, if only the sidhe could have some leverage over Celestia in order to change her mind just a tiny bit over the issue. Something like... her most faithful, promising and innocent student tangled in some fae bargain.
9864591
You’re right of course. The Faye would of course love a Faustian bargain with one of the Bearers. Especially Twilight. But he didn’t talk to the Fae, but to The White Court honcho. I could be wrong, but I don’t think they truck with the Faye. Of course one could have been in the bar minding his/her business and overheard it. Like I said it’s good to worry in Dresden’s Universe.
9864157
To be fair, the way he worded things left it open enough that he could be referring to any of the (lower case 'g') gods' territories that are already confirmed to exist in the Dresdenverse, not necessarily another world altogether. After all, Odin and Hades are out and about if you know what to look for; who's to say Apollo and Ra aren't as well?
Intresting thing about magic and technology. Would a metal bar chiseled from an iron meteorite then placed at the bottom of a waterfall or hotspring etc to wear away the surface to untouched material be at all manufactured?
Is it meteoritic natural iron specifically that gives the fey problems, especially given theres asteroids made of natural stainless steel, Aincient swords of divine gift and never dulling in edge or finish?
Ohh, so Thats why theyre called The White Court?
This is probably the story on the site I'm most excited when it updates!
Guess he shops at the same store as Harry.
Ha, I bet. AJ is awesome acting as sidekick here. Just great scenes all around.
That means Twilight is at Dresden's!
Awwww...I just love this kind of optimism from her.
Great chapter as always! Keep up the good work.
9864618
The question isn't if someone from the Fae might have been their to ease drop. The question is if someone can find a bribe good enough to win over the wee folk. They are Fae still even if they might be "lesser" Fae, and thus if a lord or lady of Fae, provided them with something good enough Harry's wee folk crew would have to give up the info that was wanted, though thankfully that is a deal on a scale getting Harry's godmother to turn on Mab
Ah, it’s good to be back in the DF’verse. Almost like putting on a worn leather overcoat. Or... maybe an enchanted duster.
Great to see this updating. Love this crossover and it really feels like you capture all of the characters rather well. I really do love how contrasting the main six are to the fae and humans. They act 'human' but are more forgiving and kind overall but they have firm set morals and the know how of right or wrong, unlike the fae.
I can see where the girls are coming from. In Equestria, this wouldn't stand. Basically anyone with half a brain wouldn't want something like the White Court in their country so you'd have them ousted by one means or another. Of course, the human world is a lot more complicated. As well, the girls don't have the Elements of Harmony on their person. I mean, the Elements could wholesale pretty much any big bad. Without? Yeah I could see the girls beating a number of White court vamps. Depends on how well they handle the goons. Although they aren't going to go for the kill, so they will hold back. That would hurt them. I can see both sides to this, although a part of me says that Equestria might just be the wake up call or ideal land for the magical community.
If the White Court and Equestria did go to war, I'd say Equestria more then meets this challenge. It does help that the White Court really have no means of getting to Equestria, so they'd be basically playing defensive. The only upside to theirs is that defense can cost the attackers greatly and that Equestria doesn't know a lot of how the human world works. This could be offset with aid, such as by the wizards of the world. Though on their own, Equestrians would be far tougher and stronger then 'average' wizards and humans. Not to mention Equestria is allied with several other sets of powerful creatures. a dragon or two would scare them rightfully.
9864260
Said singular targets are honestly far more powerful then most if not all of the foes Dresden has faced.
Tirek would find the other beings a feast and just eat Dresden's magic.
Discord could snap his fingers and make pretty much everyone's lives miserable if he felt like it.
Nightmare Moon was basically an evil fae of or above Mab's level. Probably more due to the moon having more sway over the planet then a single season.
Chrysalis herself was powerful and heck, had an army at her command. Changelings are honestly far more deadly then the vamps, due to their durability and abilities. Not to mention they aren't limited to what they can feed on. Justine might be immune to White Court vamp feeding but to a changeling? She'd be a feast.
Equestrian foes aren't anything to sneeze at. Not to mention that Equestria has been able to defeat and take over a land that is basically infested with monsters like the manticore, hydra, and loads of other beasts Equestrians deal with daily but are able to thrive.
It should be SOP for anyone in Chicago at this point to immediately take out as large a fire insurance package as you can on any building Dresden asks about. And hey,he's direct, and it's as much getting information from her as it is giving her a heads up. "This building his getting trashed,if you'd rather it not,start talking." Good strategy, Gives her a self motivated reason to cooperate, without being a real threat. Smart
Eh, not really. If she started making snacks of the ponies, oh yeah. (And that would just get very awkward to explain given, you know, ponies. But hey, not judging Lara.) Now, the real interesting point to consider, is how Cadance would react to White Court. Given the whole Love Goddess thing, and how they react to that.......
Too... much... adorable! HHHRRRGGGGG!!!!!!!
So, great timing on this, been binging the series again (Need something to listen to at work, and trying to cut back on spending, so relistneing to audio books I already own.) And actually more or less back to this point, about halfway through the book before this. So, yeah this was great. As to the story, things are moving along well, Harry's figuring stuff out. The whole conflict at the end.... was decent. Did kind of feel like the girls were being pushed just a slight bit too idealistic and naive about things. Not that I can't see them going this route, just the way it came off was a bit.. off? Direct? Heavy hooved? Yeah, it was a bit heavy hooved in pushing that.
I do get Dresden being pissed and snapping at them, doubly so given this is more or less the height of when Lash was messing with his emotions and pushing him to being more short tempered then even normal for him. And Mac totally knew exactly who AJ was,
So, yeah good to see the fic in progress still, and it's moving along well.
9864003
Ehhhh, Dresden is more right then the girls here, because they just do not know the whole situation and the multiple political entities and major powers that are all balanced off each other. Discord, Harry would be right there to take down, because that is something direct and simple a single big bad evil thing that needs to be pummeled until it stops messing with innocents. Even if Discord was massively out of his weight class, he'd still fight, see his response to Shagnasty.
There is nothing like the White Court in Equestria. Even if he DID take down Lara, that wouldn't stop anything, either another Raith would step up, or one of the other Houses would take over. The White Court are too numerous and too spread out and connected to be stopped in any direct way. On top of that, while they are monsters that do feed on humans, of all of them their way is one of the least atrocious and deadly. They actually have a vested interest in humanity as a whole prospering.
So no, I'm not seeing this as Dresden 'giving up' or the girls making him see he's compromising, Dresden is right, and the Girls are trying to jump into situations they do not know the details for. They are smack dap in the Dunning-Kruger effect when it comes to dealing with the types of foes Dresden has to deal with. They know just enough to feel like they know everything they need to, while not even knowing enough to know how much they don't know.
9864089
And it was obsessed with Pizza... holy shit.... if The Noid itself wasn't a demented Fae, I'd lay odds in Dresden's world it was created by someone who saw a Fae going nuts over pizza.
9864280
Why did the story not give us the glory of AJ holding a one sided conversation with Mac that leave Harry baffled how she got so much out of a grunt or two....
9864591
What would Mab want that she'd take the risk of pissing off a being on par with her, and not held in check by any of the same limitations? Especially at this point in time when the Winter Courts power is at an all time low because they effectively have no Winter Knight, and knowing this would also piss off the person she's picked as the best candidate to change that. Mab is an ice cold bitch true, but she is above all rationale and pragmatic.
9864789
It's just Iron period that messes with Fae, regardless of where it comes from.
Oh Celestia bucking yes an update!
Gods, why did I have to notice right before classes start. Now I can't stand the wait.
9864520 And there are OTHER vampires there already, who can use devoured love to become as powerful as said Sun Goddess, and who can change shape into ANYTHING and thus be ANYWHERE.
And the Dream Goddess who can FIND YOU AND TORMENT YOU IN YOUR NIGHTMARES.
Oh, and there's a god of Chaos who would almost certainly know where the vamps are at any given moment.
Not to forget the giant dragons with scales hard as steel and able to bite through diamond like it's candy.
So yeah, not the easiest universe to try usurping.
9864407 Dresden needs to train for a massive powerup in the Hypebolic Mine Chamber... Hippiebola Lion Tamer...
Mr. Popo, "You get one more chance."
"Hypersonic.." Gets bitch-slapped off the Lookout.
So good to see this updated! Had to believe the first chapter was posted back in 2014, it doesn’t feel like it’s been up that long!
I want so badly for so many things to happen in this series, but the Equestrians layin’ the smackdown on some supernaturals and dropping Harry’s jaw is pretty high up there right about now.
Have we confirmed at what exact point in the Dresdenverse this is? How long has Lash been with him? He isn’t calling her by his name for her yet, so they aren’t quite to that point, but she is one of my favorite characters and would LOVE to see her interacting more with the cast. Perhaps the presence of Equestria might speed up Harry’s influence on her personality?
I feel the difference between the girls' and Dresden's approach to fighting evil, as other commenters have pointed out, is heavily rooted in how evil beings work in Equestria versus how they do so on Earth.
Evil as the girls have fought is usually extremely centralized, and usually limited to one single person -- take down Nightmare Moon or Discord or Sombra and you've won; there's nothing left to take care of once they've been neutralized. Even when the bad guy has a non-mind controlled army, like Chrysalis, there was a way to tidy things up -- the changelings were actively being hurt by their practices, so convincing them to change their ways was relatively easy. Although I don't recall if that has happened yet from the story's perspective. Even then, the changelings were heavily centralized around Chrysalis -- they all followed her directions and moved as a unit, and her individual will and intentions were the driving force behind everything the changelings did.
Moreover, evil beings in Equestria are always the exception -- in general, you have a safe, secure and pleasant world where truly evil people are few and far between, and true threats rarely arise at the same time. The mane six didn't have to decide whether to divide their attentions between Discord or Sombra, or decide if it was more important to stop Nightmare Moon right now than go after the changelings -- evil beings are rare enough not to overlap when they arise.
Plus, the good guys there tend to have powerful weapons capable of one-shotting almost anything or to be facing villains who on some level don't really want to be evil, so there's that.
But none of these things holds true on Earth. Take the White Court -- they're highly decentralized and divided between multiple houses; Lara may rule at least House Raith and/or the vampires in Chicago's environs, but how much power does she hold over the rest? What about Houses Skavis and Malvora? What about the White Court in California or Alaska or England or Russia? There's never been any real indication of cohesive will among the vampires, or indication that they desire to be anything other than they are -- you don't have any real hooks for redeeming them, because their own biology compels them to act as they do and unlike the changelings they don't happen to have any convenient way out of it. Even if you killed Lara, another vampire would take up leadership in her stead, or another House take over, and the bulk of the White Court would probably barely be hurt in any meaningful way -- power struggles aside, killing Lara wouldn't achieve anything beyond starting a war and claiming even more lives than leaving her be would. If you're going to take down the White Court, you don't really have any options beyond hunting them down one by one -- and considering how many there are and how far afield they're found, that's a difficult task.
Moreover; at any given moment, humanity needs to deal with dozens or more threats from dozens of directions -- so, now that you're devoting all of you efforts and resources to hunting every member of the White Court and/or fighting a war hot on the heels of a nearly disastrous one with the Red Court, what are you doing about the Black Court? What about the ghouls, or the goblins? What about the fae? The dragons? Warlocks? Cults? Demons? The Denarians? All of these things will still be active, and the Council and their like having to involve themselves in a war they probably can't actually afford would be a golden opportunity for them, and there are only so many people and resources to spare -- the Council's biggest problem is that they flatly do not have the numbers required to effectively protect all of humanity, and starting wars with other powerful factions will not change this.
But on the other hand, what do you tell yourself when vampires are eating people and you're letting them? Even if intellectually you know all the other options are worse, it's hardly a morally pleasant decision to make.
9864895
wonder how many powerful beings would be willing to take a nice shiny coin.
That reality check at the end was satisfying to read. I look forward to seeing how they react.
9864949
Between books 8 and 9. That's the only point where Harry had Lash in his head and Molly as his apprentice. Among other notable hints to the timing.
9864969
Exactly (Minus this being Lara, not Bianca, Bianca was the Red Court vamp he killed to start the war.) While the girls' point makes sense in an ideal world, they do not realize how far from ideal Earth is compared to Equestria. While Harry's response was a bit over the top, the Girls were being very willfully naive about things, plus as mentioned this is the time period where Lashiel was messing with his deeper emotions to make him more irritable and short tempered.
9865052
Discord could take all the coins. And then use them all in slot machines at Las Pegasus.
When you have to give the mane six a big glass of cold hard reality, it never an easy thing to do. Poor Dresden, but he has to make sure they don't do something insanely stupid.
Earth don't have load-bearing villains most times, you take down one big threat....wellll there are a lot more ready to take their place. Unlike with all the villains Equestria has, be nice as hell if Earth villains could be taken down so nice and tidy but nope. Doesn't help that the girls NEVER had to fight a war against evil, their brawls with baddies is always over within a day or so. Longest time they had to deal with a threat was Lord Tirek as he sneaked around Equestria draining ponies of magic, which drove them nuts since they couldn't get after him till he finally showed up to fight directly.
9865111
...
Dangit! That's embarrassing.
Anyway, fixed now.
9864854
I'm not sure you're really giving Dresden's upper tier magic characters enough credit.
Tirek, he'd be wrecked by the fae if he didn't eat the magic of just about everyone else in the world, in particular he'd probably be wrecked by Gruff, the Erlking, Mab, Titania, basically any fae that one, won't be tricked by him in his weakened form, and two would outright ruin his whole career in his final form. Examples of option 2: Mab, Titania, the Ladies, the Mothers definitely, possibly Gruff and his Winter equivalent, and the Fae Kings. Well maybe Erlking might be outsmarted if Tirek learned the rules and laws of the Fae before their meeting.
Discord, I'd agree in a straight up battle of power Discord would probably win, but he has underestimated his enemies and that is extremely dangerous in the Dresden's world and the fae could probably freeze him in stone with something, there are fairy tales of such things after all.
Nightmare Moon. Dude I definitely would not count Nightmare Moon anywhere near Mab's level personally. She can control the moon. Mab is currently capable of freezing the entire planet against the will of the Sun currently and is only kept in check by Titania, spoilers if you aren't caught up on Dresden DO NOT READ THIS but realize its definitely worth considering: Mab is currently at her level while portioning off a VAST majority of her power and resources on protecting the universe from destruction, which implies to me she may just be the most powerful character in Dresden Files short of Mother Winter, the angels, and God.
The Changelings, Pretty sure fae have creatures just like them, not including their own changelings of course. In fact I think the Leanensidhe herself plays on this to some extent or another. Plus they're basically just White Courts reverse engineered with shape shifting powers. I personally could see them as a legitimate threat in the Dresden World, could definitely compete with some of the powers that be.
Also after writing this, I have now realized the fae are pretty freaking OP, no wonder they're considered a Supernatural Superpower of a 'country' in Dresden Files.
9865522
You seem to be over estimating the Fae's powers, at least in relation to Equestria. Celestia and Luna have been place (at least in this fic series) to be about on par with Mab and Titania in power. Given it took the power of both of them and Cadance and Twilight (Likely about on par with the Ladies) just to match a fully powered Tirak, the only beings we've seen in Dresden that would likely match him are the Mothers and/or archangels, both groups having so many rules and limitations to how they an use their power it's questionable if they could do anything directly.
Also, as to the spoiler, Mab isn't diverting her own personal power, just the resources of Winter to that task, there is a difference.
But yeah, Changelings wouldn't really be anything new to them.
Always a great day when this updates. Glad to see it isn't dead.
9865577
True it's been awhile since I last read the series in this fic so if its been stated that the Princesses and Mab are on equal level, then yeah you're right about Tirek then. Although I don't think I'm overestimating their power, just power in relation to Equestria like you said.
On the spoiler, I thought I remember a scene where Mab or like a magical manifestation of part of her power was taking to the battlefield personally, but it's been awhile since I read that scene as well.
Aah! My whistle, it is whetted! Or wetted? I'm not sure of the proper vernacular here but holy cow is this making me eager for more of this story (so glad it's not going to the deadshelf)
9865522
I'm not dissing on the villains of the Dresden series. I love the series and all of the villains are really good. They aren't anything to sneeze at. The thing is that a lot of the magical beings of the Dresden files have to follow rules and can't exactly use brunt force a lot of the time because of either their own nature or what they are interacting.
MLP villains don't have that restriction.
I would say that yes the Dresden villains are more 'deadly' because they are more willing to jump to murderous options compared to other villains. But the MLP villains just have more free reign in their power. The Dresden files doesn't focus more so on power level but on how they go about their plans.
As always you capture the Dresden tone and mannerisms extremely well and mix them perfectly in with our favorite girls. I especially enjoy the 'conflict' between Harry and AJ and company regarding Lara. It is a classic two good people with opposing Ideas on what to do.
PS
Some of those references, pure fun.
9866631
^Also this^ One of the common themes in Dresden is the more power a being has, the more rules and limitations they have about how they can use that power. MLP does not have that, so a being that can rip reality apart at a whim, has no limit to how they use that power beyond their own whims.