The Quest for Family

by CartoonNerd12

Chapter 3

They sat in Sugar Cube Corner, with the Donkeys, the Cakes, and Dr. Hooves and Derpy Hooves.

Dr. Hooves questioned, "So, you're feeling a little down lately and you truly believe you'll never find your brother again?"

Thunder answered, "Right. I'm thinking I should just call off the whole search."

Flitter said, "We tried telling him that he shouldn't but he seems pretty set on it…"

Cranky motioned, "Now you listen here. It took me almost all my life to find Matilda but I didn't give up through it all. True, I was just about to when our paths suddenly crossed and when you offered me to help find her I couldn't refuse."

Flitter told Thunderlane, "And just right after we had rescued Maud from a greedy Duke we came here to Ponyville remember?"

He did remember and all memories of that day came back.

---

Cranky pulled the wagon as the three ponies were sleeping until Celestia raised the sun. They got up to see a town coming into view.

Flitter asked, "Where are we?"

Cranky replied, "Pony-Ville. I was coming here until we met on the road."

"We'll stay here for a few days and then be on our way to find my brother and Matilda."

As the sun rose higher, ponies started going around town to start their day.

Suddenly, a voice shouted, "Look out below!"

They looked up to see a grey, blonde pegasus with wall-eyes falling down and crash landed into them. They groaned in pain as she quickly apologized, "Sorry about that!"

Flitter said, "It's okay, are you alright?"

"Physically or emotionally?"

"Um, both?" she questioned.

"Well, physically I am but emotionally I am not."

Maud stated, "Why is that?"

The pegasus sighed, "There's a reason I accidently crashed into you guys, I was thinking about some pony and I wasn't watching the sky like I should have and ended up going into a collision course with a flock of geese and that's how I landed here."

Thunderlane asked, "What's your name?"

"Derpy Muffins."

"Well, Derpy," said Flitter, "who was this pony you were thinking about?"

"He's the town's resident scientist. He calls himself Dr. Hooves, and he is a genius with his creations! The only problem is… he seems to be more focus on his experiments then he does on mares…" she sighed.

"You have a crush on him." Maud stated the obvious.

"I do! He is so smart and handsome and yet he doesn't have time to notice me…"

Thunder asked, "Well have you ever asked him out or anything?"

Derpy blushed, "Well, no… but I send him gift baskets with muffins. 'Cause, I know how busy he can get and he needs to keep his strength up."

"Have you ever talked to each other?" Cranky gruffly asked.

"Only a little. I come over to see his latest creations and he sometimes let me test some of them but whenever I get close to an experiment that's too dangerous he keeps me away from it but that just shows he cares. Oh, but listen to me rambling on when I don't even know your guys' names."

"Permit us then to introduce ourselves, I'm Flitter."

"I'm Thunderlane."

"Maud."

Flitter pointed, "And that's Cranky Donkey."

He made a humph sound as he acknowledged his name.

"Are you all moving into town?" Derpy asked.

"Cranky is but the rest of us on the run actually." said Thunder.

Maud said flatly, "A Duke wanted to marry me but I didn't want to marry him. My friends helped me escape from him."

"Goodness!" Derp exclaimed.

Flitter said, "Cranky told us he was moving here before we met him. So we're staying here until we can continue on the search for his special friend and Thunderlane's brother."

"What happen?"

They told her the long story while they went into Cranky's new purchased home and helped moved his stuff in. When they had finished, Derpy had a sad look on her face.

"That's so sad… and you haven't seen your brother since then?"

"Afraid not, it's been three months now."

"While it's been forty years for me on trying to find Matilda." said Cranky.

"Matilda? Did you say, Matilda…?"

"Yes…? Why would you say that?"

Her eyes gleamed and said, "Be right back." and she flapped out while the group shrugged at her sudden departure. But when Derpy came back she was smiling, "You might want to come out here."

They gave her confused looks and when they stepped out they came face to face with another donkey. A female donkey as she gave a lovingly glance toward Cranky as he gapped at the sight.

"Ma… Matilda…?"

---

They were back in the present as the Donkeys were nuzzling from remembering that long awaited reunion.

Matilda said, "I was so surprised to find you there. I thought we would never find each other again…"

"And to think all this time, you were living in Ponyville… Had I just come here in the first place…"

Flitter pointed, "But Cranky, if it weren't for you, we never would have saved Maud from a loveless marriage."

Maud said, "It's true."

"See Doodle, you may not think traveling across Equestria all those years was good, but when you helped those three ponies you and I were finally reunited at last."

The Doc pointed, "For every good deed performed, you will be rewarded in more ways than one."

Flitter said to her colt, "And Thunder we have done so much good over the last six years, eventually we'll be rewarded for that."

"Yeah, you helped me get together with my hubby here!" Derpy wrapped her hoof around her beloved who blushed.

"It's true. I spent many a days in my lab not realizing I was missing something from my life. I kept getting the baskets but I never got the chance to thank whoever sent them. I should have realized it was from my dear friend…" he stared lovingly at his wife.

"For days, I would think of you and I remember one time that Princess Twilight Sparkle came into the library even though I didn't realize it was the princess at the time but I accidently told her my name was Derpy Hooves when I wasn't even married to you! I had it so bad…"

Thunderlane laughed, "Did you ever! I can recall the times we tried setting you up with Doc but we would always fail spectrally! But then one day, that all changed…"

Strongheart, Braeburn, and Flitter exchanged smiles, glad to see Thunder's mood was lifting as he recounted the moment that Derpy and Doc finally got together.

---

Thunderlane and Flitter stared around the Doc's labtoray. Thunder then asked as he eyed the tank with what looked like rainbow colored flowers. "What are these?"

Doc responded, "Ah, yes, this is my latest creation, flameless fireworks, still a work-in-progress I'm afraid, as I had yet to figure what makes them ignite."

Derpy's face enlarged from behind the tank as she commented, "They're pretty."

"They are rather appealing, aren't they? But it's important they stay in the tank until I have probable cause to let them out."

Flitter asked, "What made you pursue science in the first place?"

Doc said, "Quite simple, really, I've been studying science my whole life, ever since a particularly traumatic experience as a foal, I've been looking for ways to make sense of the world around me. Science provides explanations of things we never thought possible!"

Derpy mentioned, "Doc, you look like you could use a break, how about I- uh, I mean we take you out to lunch?"

His smouth growled then, "Yes, now that you mention it, I am rather peckish, what do you suggest my friends?"

Thunderlane said, "How about a hayburger?"

Flitter exclaimed, "Good idea!"

Moments later, they were in the restaurant and Doc was finishing up.

"Excellent meal, I say. I feel nourished and full and ready to get back to my lab to solve more and discover more."

Flitter pointed, "But surly you don't want to stay coop up in that lab all day."

Doc replied, "There is so much that needs to get done and besides what else could I do with my time?"

Derpy gave a sad look and Thunder and Flitter were thinking the same thing as her.

Thunder then said, "There's lot of things! In fact… Flit and I are going to take a boat ride this afternoon."

"We are?" she questioned.

"Yes, don't you remember? We had it all planned out…" he nudged his head toward Doc and Derpy and she caught on.

"Oh! That boat ride! Of course!"

"In fact, why don't you two join us?"

Derpy's eyes gleamed while Doc gave an unsure look.

"I don't know… the more time I spend away from my lab the less time I have to figure things out."

"Oh, come on, Doc! It'll be fun!" Derpy held his arm and led him out.

Thunderlane and Flitter did a hoof-bump.

---

"Aw, shoot!" exclaimed Thunder as they were at the pond where a small rowboat was in front of them. "There's only room for two, why don't you and Derpy go first, then Flit and I will use it."

Doc inquired, "Are you quite certain you'll be alright with that?"

Flitter said as she motioned him to the boat, "Very certain."

Derpy smiled, "Yeah, Doc, you'll see." she climbed.

"Well… alright then…" he climbed in after and Derpy rowed them away.

Flitter turned to Thunderlane, "That rowboat was there when we got here, were you really planning a boat ride for us?" her eyes gleamed.

He gave a bashful smile, "Guilty as charge. But when I saw Derpy's face, I had to do something, then I realized the boat ride would be perfect."

"Almost perfect, we need to set the mood and we need friends for that." she flapped away.

In minutes, they-Cranky, Matilda, Maud, Flitter, and Thunderlane-were hiding in the bushes along the bank, as they watched Derpy and Doc still in the boat.

"They need a nudge." stated Maud.

"Exactly my thoughts." said Flitter.

Cranky humphed, "The only reason I'm here is because Derpy helped us reunite." he told Matilda.

She smiled, "And now we can repay her by getting her together with the pony she holds dear to her heart."

Cranky inquired to the group in a guff tone, "What do you want us to do?"

Flitter smirked and proclaimed, "Sing."

"Sing?" they said in confusion.

"Come on, Thunder, start us off, here's the song." she whispered it in his ear.

He blushed for a bit before taking a deep breath, and began to sing, "There you see her… sitting there across the way… She don't got a lot to say, but there's something about her… And you don't why, but you're dying to try… You wanna kiss the girl… Yes, you want her… Look at her, you know you do… Possible she wants you too… There is one way to ask her… It don't take a word, not a single a word… Go on and kiss the girl…"

They sang with him, "Sha-la-la-la-la-la, my oh my look like the boy too shy… Ain't gonna kiss the girl… Sha-la-la-la-la-la, ain't that sad? Ain't it a shame, too bad…"

They see they didn't much of impact as Thunder sang, "He gonna miss the girl…"

On the boat, Doc looked at Derpy and felt something stirring, "I say… that is a rather odd senstation…"

"Is something wrong?" she looked on in concern.

"Yer… no, nothing at all…"

"Oh." she merely said and looked at the water.

It was strange, the way she looked out for him, and then he recalled the times she visited in his lab. She did that a lot, and he never understood why, whether he tried talking to some pony, they would just have a brief chat with him and be on their way. But Derpy… Derpy always stayed for long periods of conversation even if she hardly understood him most of the time but he loved explaining things to her. Her natural curiosity made him want to explore for he was rather curious himself. Suddenly without a thought or care he took her hoof.

She looked on in surprise.

"Why didn't I see it before? Your sweet curious nature, your desire to learn more… Derpy… you are special to me…"

Tears of joy nearly overwhelmed her, "Oh, Doc… do you really mean that?"

"I certainly do." he smiled.

The group knew then they were finally getting somewhere, they sung on, "Now's your moment… Floating in a blue lagoon… Boy, you better do it soon… No time will be better… She don't say a word and she won't say a word until you kiss the girl! Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't be scared, you got the mood the prepared! Go on and kiss the girl! Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't stop now, don't try to hide it! How you want to kiss the girl! Sha-la-la-la-la-la, float along and listen to the song, the song say kiss the girl! Sha-la-la-la-la-la, music play, do what the music say, go and kiss the girl… Go on and kiss the girl… You've gotta kiss the girl… Go on and kiss the girl… Go on and kiss the girl!"

While they had been singing the last parts, the two got leaned in closer, closer, and closer, and finally by the end they had their first kiss…

The group cheered on knowing they had did it.

---

Doc said at the table when Thunder had finished the story.

"Then by the next day, the flameless fireworks finally worked the moment my darling and I exchanged another kiss, finding out it took love to ignite them. If it hadn't been for you and your suggestion about the boat ride I never would have found that out or else I would still be missing something or someone from my life to make it more whole."

Derpy said, "So you see, Thunder, you can't give up! It took me awhile to finally get Doc's love but I didn't stop trying!"

His gang muttered in agreement.

"I guess I see your point… But six years is hard enough on a guy…"

The Cake twins, Pound and Pumpkin who were seven years old went up to him, Pumpkin said, "Remember last year when we wondered into the Everfree Forest?"

Thunder nodded, "You got lost that we had to come in to rescue you."

Pound mentioned, "But that wasn't the whole story…"

Comments

[Godslittleprincess]

Aww!

[Skye Mist]

D'aww~
And I really want to just pop into the story and say "Oh my god! Frickin find your bro already and stop being gloomy bruh!"

[Foxhelm]

8121887 thy is an old word for you

[CartoonNerd12]

8121980 But isn't that what Pinkie's parents use when they talk? And Luna uses it when speaking in the Royal Canterlot voice. So I'm trying to keep it in character.

[Foxhelm]

8122086 you are correct with the characters using it. However, thy, thou, thee are used as oppose to 'you'. The character using it is right, but that is not the correct usage in the context

[Foxhelm]

So when can we expect ch. 4, the story around Pound and Pumpkin and the fraternal reunion. Not that you need the prospectus of an IRL brother... but I do respond to pms... (discreetly places card on table and walks away whistling)