I promptly looked around the hotel room, down the immediate hallways, and at the rooftop outside and saw neither sign of a struggle nor any potential combatants. I looked at our bags and found them untouched.
Having done my best to confirm myself clear from any immediate threats and assemble a basic read of the situation, I took the most sensible next step:
I went to sleep.
Having consumed a guard-issue Instant-Sleep-Instant-Signal potion from my travel bag, I fell asleep within seconds into a dream replicating the hotel room I resided in. After a few more seconds passed, Princess Luna entered into the room, attention drawn by the concoction.
“Good Evening, Idol! I see that you are in a room by yourself. While I do enjoy catching up with you, I hope that you did not use your guard’s potion simply for leisure.”
“That I am in a room by myself is precisely the problem.”
Luna smiled. “Aww, alright. I’ll keep you company for a moment. I do have to get back to work though… You know, earlier this evening I found the most peculiar piece of trivia in the morning newspaper. Did you know that the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow is around twenty miles per hour? How do they measure that? Do they pay the swallows with food or something of the sort? Perhaps Miss Fluttershy would be able to-”
I cut her off. “I am sorry, your majesty. I request that we skip the pleasantries for now, for my charge has been taken.”
Luna faltered for a moment until her face shifted towards comprehension and concern. “Oh…” Her Highness grimaced before continuing, “please, tell me what you know.”
I promptly handed the Princess the note which had been left behind by the apparent kidnapper, which she proceeded to read, eyebrows furrowing as she read through with quickening pace.
Once she was done reading the note, she looked back to me with a scowl. “I recall that thou art attending a convention? Why were thee not watching her?”
“I was seeking an audience with Miss A.K. Yearling. I presumed my charge to be safe in the hotel room.”
“…Thee should taketh more care of thy companions given thy elevated stature, yet thou art -“ Her Highness took a deep breath before continuing. ”- You are not entirely unreasonable in expecting a hotel room to be safe. But there is no time to discuss parenting. Let us get to work.”
Princess Luna turned to leave, opening a hole in the fabric of the dream and beginning its dissolution into the ether. “I shall mobilize the sleeper agents here in Canterlot and the surrounding area.”
I nodded. Once Princess Luna activated the sleeper agents in their dreams, they would wake and mobilize the multiple guard outposts throughout the city, helping to organize Night Guard search teams without requiring the princess to wake.
The princess began to walk out of the dream before I prompted her, “What may I do to help in the meantime, your highness?”.
Princess Luna stopped and turned part of the way back, taking a moment to consider before nodding to herself. “You told me that you sought out Miss Yearling. Are you aware of her connected identity?”
“Yes,” I confirmed.
Princess Luna nodded. “Seek her assistance if you still know where she is. She has worked with the night guard in an unofficial capacity in the past and shall be capable of lending a hoof. Keep an eye out for dragonfire messages from Operational Command.”
I nodded again and saluted. “I shall”.
Princess Luna nodded back, then exited the dream, fully dissolving it and sending me back to the waking world.
Once awake, I wasted no time and gathered my saddlebag, opened the window, and leapt in to the sky, taking flight through the night towards Daring’s hotel. Upon arrival, I hoofed my way up to the adventurer’s room as quickly as possible and knocked, resisting the urge to add additional knocks in my own trepidation.
After a few long moments and some shuffling coming from inside, the door opened to reveal Daring in a pair of pajamas with paper in hoof, looking like she had had her slumber cut short.
Daring sighed, “Hey, Idol… When you said we would keep in touch, I was expecting you to send me a dragonfire message a few days later, after the convention. Instead, you sent me one in the middle of the same night and come knocking at my door… Would you mind letting me sleep?”
“I do have something urgent. My charge has been taken... and I didn’t send you a message… was it from someone else in the guard?”
“Yeah, thanks. Goodni-“ Daring began to close the door before stopping as she registered my declaration of distress. “-Wait. What?” She took a closer look at the paper in her hoof, eyes widening upon comprehension of its contents.
She looked back up and beckoned me in. “Alright. Kidnapping, hostage, artifacts. Come in. I’m going to wash my face before you give me some more detail. I want to get a better idea of who we might be dealing with while I check in with the Night Guard.”
I complied, and she closed the door behind the two of us. When she came back out of the bathroom, I described what I saw to her while she changed out of her pajamas and into her adventurer’s outfit.
She began to button up her shirt as I finished providing her with my own perspective.
“Got it,” Daring acknowledged. “You said they left the room untouched. Are you sure they didn’t leave behind any listening devices?“
I shook my head. “No, I checked.”
“Ok. Any sign you were being followed once you left your hotel?” Daring grabbed a notepad from her bag and a dragonfire lighter.
I hesitated. “I am not sure. I did not sense or see anyone trailing me, at least.”
“Hm. Alright, we’ll have to be careful if we leave the room,” Daring noted. She scribbled a few words onto a page of her notepad before ripping out said page and using the lighter to send a message.
We both continued to look at the point of the room where the adventurer’s note had been consumed by the embers, until said adventurer spoke.
“So… I do have a question for you if I may… I noticed that you tend to refer to your younger companion as a ‘charge’. Are you two not related? I thought she was your daughter or something like that.”
I responded. “No… Yes… Perhaps? We are not related. And the idea of being a parent is not one I think I fully understand. It is rather… alien to me. I have yet to come to terms with the idea. There was not much consideration of parenthood in the hive.”
“…I see.”
We sat there for a few long moments until a return message materialized inside of Daring Do’s bag. Daring promptly dug out the message and proceeded to read its contents out loud.
“Compass-One, we have identified a probable location where the hostage may have been taken, a warehouse approximately two miles East of the Limehouse Dock. However, we have identified a large number of armed hostiles in the vicinity of the warehouse. We do not wish to risk civilian casualties within the surrounding neighborhood.
Daring continued to read. “We request that you aid Shield-Two in setting up a diversion at the proposed point of surrender in order to draw their forces out of fortification. We will send a squad to provide support. From Nightwatch-East.”
Daring turned to look at me. “Well? Can you do that?”
I considered for a moment before nodding.
“Good. I’ll send the affirmation and arrange a meeting point, then we’ll head out.”