//------------------------------//
// Waif 
// Story: No Longer Lost 
// by KiroTalon 
//------------------------------//

Octavia paused several steps away from the front door of Ponyville's only fashion outlet and stared up at the opulent building.  The Carousel Boutique struck a tenuous balance of looking ostentatious without being garish.  It caught the eye, certainly, but thankfully didn't make the viewer regret it.  She was pausing because she wasn't quite sure what she was about to say, or how she expected the proprietor of the store before her to respond.  As her conversation with Cheerilee had drawn to a close, she had asked the schoolteacher if there were any other ponies in town who might know more about Scootaloo, and her first suggestion had been to talk to her best friends' families, or more specifically...

"Miss Rarity and Applejack," she said, gesturing vaguely back towards the town.  "Rarity runs the Carousel Boutique."

"Oh, that big dress shop in the south?"

Cheerilee nodded.  "Not only is she Sweetie Belle's sister, and therefore knows Scootaloo quite well, but she's also something of a connoisseur of gossip; if there's anything dark and juicy to be known, she's the one to ask."

"I see.  She's Sweetie Belle's sister, you say?  Why not talk to Sweetie's parents?"

"Rarity and Sweetie Belle's parents both work during the day, and Sweetie usually stays with her sister after school until they come to pick her up.  I'm not sure they've ever met Scootaloo, come to think of it," the magenta mare tapped her chin thoughtfully.  "But Rarity certainly has.  They've spent the night at the boutique many, many times."  She chuckled softly.  "Apparently it's not exactly Scootaloo's favorite place to hang out."

Octavia tried to imagine Vinyl attempting to amuse herself in a dressmaker's shop.  "No, it probably wouldn't be.  Well, what about Applebloom?  Why not talk to her parents?"

Cheerilee's face suddenly darkened considerably, and the smile vanished.  "Oh, the Apples...well..." she swallowed, and her voice tightened, "they, um...passed away.  Several years ago."

"Oh, my goodness," Octavia gasped, "I'm so sorry."

"Applebloom was very young at the time.  I'm not sure how much she remembers, but she was there when it happened, so I'm afraid she remembers more than she should.  We talk about it very, very infrequently, mostly just when I can tell she's been having nightmares about it again.  In any event, she just lives with her two older siblings, Applejack and Big Macintosh, and their grandmother, Granny Smith."

"I see..."

"Scootaloo is particularly fond of the Apples, for obvious reasons, and she and Sweetie Belle sleep over at the farmhouse more than they don't.  If anyone knew something unusual about Scootaloo, it would be the Apple family."

"Should I talk to them first, then?"

Cheerilee shook her head.  "No, in fact, I would recommend you spoke to Rarity first.  She may not know as much as the Apples, but she might know something they don't.  The first time I saw Scootaloo, she was coming to school with Sweetie Belle, and apparently she was only coming because Rarity had threatened to make her try on clothes all day if she didn't."  The mare giggled.  "No matter what anyone says about her, that unicorn does seem to have a unique way with foals."

Octavia smiled.  "Well, thank you, Miss Cheerilee.  I'll do just that.  Oh, and don't worry if a vaguely disturbing, spiky-haired white unicorn mare with bright red eyes and no maturity or sense of decorum comes to take Scootaloo away this afternoon," she said dryly.  "That's just my partner, Vinyl, and she wouldn't know tact if someone threw a brick of it at her head."

Cheerilee laughed.  "I see.  Did you say...she was your partner?"  The tone and the look were both familiar to Octavia.

She bristled very slightly.  "Yes, she has been my fillyfriend for several years.  Is that an issue?"

Cheerilee smiled, shaking her head.  "Not at all.  I was just making sure I had heard you correctly."  

Octavia relaxed.  "Oh, okay.  Sorry, it's just...well, we used to live in Manehatten, and ponies were mostly okay with it there, but we did have a few...incidents when we moved here.  It wasn't a big deal; we kind of expected as much, coming to a small town from such a cosmopolitan city, but every so often..."

"Say no more," Cheerilee said, waving a hoof dismissively.  "Despite what you might think, Ponyville's a pretty accepting place.  I'm honestly surprised you had any troubles at all, especially since...well, I suppose you haven't met Twilight Sparkle yet, have you?"

"The Honorable Hero of Equestria?  We haven't the pleasure."

"You should stop by and talk to her sometime.  She's actually quite down to earth, and very pleasant.  Don't let the hype put you off," she remarked, correctly deciphering Octavia's skeptical expression.  "I think you'll find you have more in common than you might expect."

It was a suggestion Octavia planned to take sometime in the future, but right now, she had to convince herself to take the remaining fifteen or so steps up to the front door of the Boutique.  Reminding herself it was for Scootaloo's benefit, she sighed and trudged up to the door and knocked on it.

She had only tapped her hoof on the wood once when the door swung swiftly inwards, revealing a beaming white unicorn with a beautifully styled purple mane standing in the entryway, her horn and the door glowing with a light blue aura.  "I was WONDERING when you'd finally muster up the courage to come and grace my vestibule!  Please, come in!"  Without warning, the unicorn dashed out of the boutique and urgently nudged Octavia inside, slamming the door behind them.  "Oh, I just can not wait to start designing for you.  You have such beautiful ebony hair, and your eyes are simply stunning!  I have just the fabric to make them pop.  Don't move a muscle!"  She dashed away, leaving a stunned Octavia to suddenly find herself standing on a fitting podium in the middle of the boutique, surrounded by full-length mirrors.

Before she could properly regain her bearings, the unicorn reappeared with a bolt of brilliant amethyst satin chasing her.  "This will look simply smashing on you, darling.  And I must say, you have such a...regal frame.  I can't wait to see how this satin hangs off of--"

"Excuse me!" Octavia interrupted the designer's tirade with slightly more force than she'd intended.  She cleared her throat and tried again, blushing lightly.  "I mean...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, but I'm actually not here for a dress."

"You're not?" the unicorn said, shock plain on her face.  "Oh, I thought for sure...you have such a beautiful face, and you carry yourself with such poise, I assumed...well, no matter!  Perhaps another time."  She smiled brightly and levitated the bolt over to a table already covered in five more, each wound in an elegant, magnificent--and doubtless extraordinarily expensive--fabric.  "So, what can I do for you, then?  A makeover, perhaps?  I'm not much of a hairdresser, but I can certainly see what I can do!  Your hair really is quite beautiful; if you wore it up, perhaps..."

"No, no thank you," Octavia said, the blush deepening slightly as the unicorn raised a hoof to reposition a lock of her mane.  "I actually just wanted to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind."

"Questions?  Whatever about, darling?"

"Are you...Rarity?"  The query sounded ridiculous the instant she said it.  This was Carousel Boutique, of whom Rarity was the owner, and this unicorn was clearly the only inhabitant of the building.

The designer didn't bat an eye.  "The one and only, my dear.  And to whom do I owe the pleasure?"

"My name's Octavia Philharmonica, and I--"

The unicorn gasped.  "Miss Philharmonica!  Oh my stars, I had no idea...oh, but I should have recognized you immediately!"

"You...know who I am?" Octavia gaped.

"But of course!  You play cello and bass viola for the Canterlot Symphony Orchestra, do you not?"

"Well, yes, but that doesn't usually garner fans for individual musicians."

"Well," Rarity gushed, "you are hardly just any musician, now are you?"

Octavia blushed fiercely at the praise.  "Oh, my...that may be a little strong...I mean, I appreciate the compliment, but I simply do what I love, and am fortunate enough to make a living out of it."

"And we are fortunate as well, Miss Philharmonica."  Rarity smiled broadly, walking over to an ornate record player in the corner of the boutique.  As soon as she dropped the needle onto the record already there, Octavia realized she recognized the music being played.

"The Six Suites..." she murmured.  After several seconds, a second realization struck her.  "This...this is my recording.  It's the first solo recording I ever performed."  She stared at the grinning white unicorn.  "But this record only sold a few dozen copies.  It was just a demo, for when I was auditioning for the Canterlot Symphony and the Manehattan Philharmonic.  How did you...?"

"I have dear friends in high--and often quite distinguished--places, my dear," Rarity beamed.  "As it happens, I was visiting a friend in Canterlot, and he insisted I hear this record.  He was quite complimentary of it, and I must say he could have been even moreso.  It is simply magnificent."

"I'm sure it's not all that," Octavia said, struggling not to beam as her face burned with a proud blush.

"Oh, but it is.  I was so taken by your performance that I asked Fancy--that's Fancy Pants, the friend I spoke of--if I could perhaps borrow the album for some time, and he insisted I keep it, that he could obtain another copy.  Apparently they are quite rare, though, and very valuable."

Octavia's head was spinning.  She had had no idea that the only solo recording she had ever produced was so popular.  At the time, she had been severely disappointed in it, as sales had been less than lackluster, and critics had lambasted the performance for the various minor technical and creative liberties she had taken in recording it.  It had impressed both of the orchestras she'd sent a copy to, though, and had garnered the earth pony her current role as the Canterlot Symphonic's lead cellist, but she had always assumed the recording itself would feature as a minor footnote in her life, an attempt to impress that had gone terribly awry.  Never in a million years could she have imagined that it would be at all popular, or valuable.  This realization had the modest pony reeling, and it was several seconds before she could regain enough of her senses to remind herself that she had come to the boutique for a reason.

"Well, I...I really do appreciate the praise, but--"

"Praise you well deserve, my dear!  I wonder if I could trouble you to sign the album itself?  I would be ever so grateful."

"Um...perhaps in a moment.  But I really did come here for a reason."

"Oh, of course you did!  My stars, how rude of me."  Rarity put a dramatic hoof to her forehead.  "Here I am, nattering on about fame you didn't even realize you had, when you simply wanted to come and chat.  Sincerest apologies, Miss Philharmonica.  What can I do for you?"

"It's...no problem.  Like I said, I just had a couple questions."

"Well, let us go to the sitting room, then, and you may ask them."  The white unicorn led her visitor into another room of the boutique.  This one was less glamorous than the fitting room, much cozier and more homey.  A small fireplace in the corner crackled quietly, putting out just the right amount of heat to make the room feel snug without being sultry.  Several overstuffed red velvet sitting chairs surrounded a polished wooden coffee table with a modest bouquet in the middle.  Rarity indicated for Octavia to situate herself on one of the chairs and then sat in the chair next to hers.  "Now, my dear, you wished to interview me, I believe?"

"Um, yes...well..." suddenly Octavia realized she had no idea how to broach the subject.  Exactly how did one explain that they had 'acquired' an orphan?  "You're Sweetie Belle's sister, right?"

Rarity almost rolled her eyes, but managed to turn the gesture into a slightly exasperated smile instead.  "Yes, I am.  She hasn't gotten herself into trouble again, has she?  I swear, that little filly spends at least as much time trying to get into things as I have to spend getting her back out again."

"Oh, no, nothing like that.  I was just making sure, because I actually wanted to ask you about one of her friends, Scootaloo."

"The little orange pegasus?" Rarity asked dryly.  "Yes, I know her, as well.  A...rather unrefined little mare, much like her idol, Rainbow Dash.  Strong of spirit, somewhat lacking in common sense.  What can I tell you about her?"

"Well, I was actually about to ask you exactly the same question.  What do you know about Scootaloo?"

Rarity tapped a thoughtful hoof on her chin.  "I suppose I know as much as there is to know, but that doesn't exactly constitute a great deal of information.  I've known her for perhaps two or three years, ever since Sweetie Belle first brought her over, begging to let her spend the night.  I acquiesced, mostly because she seemed so adamant about it, although I had my reservations.  Scootaloo was...well, not particularly well-kept.  Thin, filthy...I must admit, I was concerned for her well-being that night, but I said nothing.  As it turned out, she ended up more refined, more polite, and less...difficult, than my sister."  She laughed, a bright, almost superficial sound.  "How odd, that a ruffian like that would prove more courteous and less, shall we say, pesky than my sister, who has spent much of her life watching from my shadow.  In any event, it happens that she is only this way the first several times she interacts with somepony.  After she becomes comfortable with you, she becomes much more querulous, although she manages still to remain generally respectful.  Very clever, too.  As I said, she lacks in common sense, as is not particularly surprising for a filly--and a pegasus--but she is quite intelligent.  She often helps Sweetie Belle with her schoolwork, particularly math and science.  She doesn't seem to read much, but she will sometimes amuse herself by doing additional schoolwork beyond what her teacher has assigned her."

"She did say she likes math," Octavia agreed, nodding.

"Oh, you've spoken to her?" Rarity said with moderate surprise.

"Yes, I...well, actually," she hesitated for a moment.  "As it happens, my partner and I have recently discovered that Scootaloo is...well, was...an orphan."

"An orphan!" Rarity said, dismay plain on her face.  "Oh my dear, had I but known!  Oh, the poor thing, I can't imagine...but she never said anything of the sort!"

Octavia nodded grimly.  "She didn't want to go back to the orphanage.  Apparently she used to live in one, and it was...an unpleasant experience."

"I'm sure.  No wonder she was so eager to spend the night that evening...I knew she seemed slightly undernourished and a little dirty, but I just assumed...oh, I wish I'd been more insistent!  I did try to contact her parents, you must understand, but she was so evasive, and I never did manage to get a straight answer out of her.  I just presumed her parents were...well, like mine, actually.  Absent during the day, but generally present at night, when they came home.  I mean, sure, she was thin, but look at Rainbow Dash!  Pegasi are always slim and athletic.  How could I have known she was--"

"Rarity," Octavia interrupted the fashionista's self-flagellating lament, "you couldn't have.  No one could have.  If Vinyl hadn't found her digging in the trash behind the Black Stable, she wouldn't have known Scootaloo was in any sort of trouble at all."

"Digging in the trash...oh my stars..."  She shook her head.  "Well, this really is awful news...but you said she 'was' an orphan?"

Octavia nodded.  "Well, you see, Vinyl and I talked about it, and after...well, not a whole lot of discussion, to be honest, we decided we wanted to see if we could adopt her."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Rarity beamed.  "I'm so happy for her, and for you!  No filly should have to raise themselves, least of all one with such potential.  Vinyl is your...partner, you said?"

"Yes, she's my marefriend."

"I see.  Well, to each their own," Rarity smiled.  "I'm sure you will be perfectly excellent parents to her.  But why come to me?" she asked.  "What could you possibly need of me, then?"

"I was hoping you might be able to help me track down her parents, actually.  I wanted to do it right, you know, get her parents to agree, or at least find the orphanage she used to live at and have them make it official."

"Oh, of course.  That makes perfect sense.  I wish I could help you," Rarity said, her face falling slightly.  "But I don't know a lot more than you do.  As I said, Sweetie Belle simply brought her home one evening, introduced her as her new best friend," the unicorn giggled at this, "and then disappeared to her room.  I haven't really spent a great deal of time conversing with the little dear, to be honest.  I mostly play Mean Miss Mare, if you catch my drift, making sure they go to bed on time, bathe, eat, and so forth."

Octavia laughed.  "I know precisely what you mean. As it happens, I spend most of my time playing the same character, albeit with my mate, and not my daughter or sister."

"Your partner is, shall we say, less refined than you, I suppose?"

"We could say that, yes.  We could also say she is a catastrophe of indelicacy, devoid of maturity."  Octavia sighed and smiled.  "And incredibly, the love of my life."

Rarity giggled.  "Say no more, darling.  Love is a strange and fickle beast, the vagaries of which we mortals can ill understand."

"And how."  The two ponies laughed together.