//------------------------------// // Splitting Up Once Again // Story: G5 Adventures in Garfield’s Pet Force // by ponydog127 //------------------------------// Back in the comic studio auditorium, while the new Pet Force were getting the hang of their new powers, Vetvix spoke to her new zombie minions through her microphone. “Get Garzooka, my zombies!” “Get Garzooka…” the mixed-up zombies seemed to groan all at once as they began to trudge out of the studio. As Vetvix watched her zombies disappear to find Garzooka, Vetvix turned to one of her guards. “Guard!” “Yes, sir,” the horned dog guard said with a salute. “That DNA scanner is useless. My zombie army will find Garzooka,” Vetvix sneered. “Get this ship moving!” “Right away,” the guard saluted and walked back through the doors to get the ship moving again. XXXXXXXX Back in the alley, it was time to make a game plan as to what the heroes were going to do next. “Okay, everypony, huddle up,” Sunny said sternly. “We've got to find a way to get the moscram from Vetvix.” “But first,” Garzooka added, “we'll have to bring her warship down. To do that, we need to get up high.” “Well, a few of us can fly,” Cobalt said, spreading his wings, “but not all of us-- where would be the highest place to go?” Misty looked around for a few moments, until her eyes caught sight of a tall antenna on a VERY tall tower, and she instantly got an idea. “That’s it!” she exclaimed. “The antenna on top of that tower would make a great harpoon for a whale of a warship!” “Good idea!” Hitch smiled. “That’ll bring her down!” “Uh, I’m loving this whole ‘planning out our victory’ thing we have here,” Jasmine interrupted, “but… what if there are others, like Jon and Garfield, who haven’t been struck by the moscram yet and need to be protected? Shouldn’t we try and think about them too?” “...Jazzy’s totally right!” Pipp realized. “How did we not think about that?” Odie shrugged, unsure of what to say to the pink pegasus' remark. “I think the best solution,” said Arlene, coming up with her own plan, “is for one of us to stay behind and look after those who haven’t been turned into zombies, just in case.” Jasmine paused for a few moments while the group started to debate on who would go, and then, after taking a deep breath, her gaze narrowed. “...I’ll stay.” This caused everyone to look at her in surprise. “Jasmine, are you sure?” Jon asked. “You’ve always wanted to be a superhero.” “Yeah!” Diamond agreed. “You even told us that this morning!” “Well, it’s partly my fault that Vetvix has the crystal to begin with,” Jasmine pointed out, putting herself down. “So… it’s probably best that I don’t go, so I don’t screw things up again.” This caused the others, even Garfield, to become concerned. Jasmine never talked herself down like this before, and… it was honestly very heartbreaking to hear such things.  While Garfield approached her and rubbed her down, Zipp was the first to try and vocally comfort the filly. “Jasmine, you know that we don’t blame you or Garfield for losing the crystal, right?” “Yeah!” Nermal agreed. “Even though you did lose the source of power to a weapon so powerful it could enable Vetvix to take over every single realm she can find, including Equestria and could be an even bigger risk to it than Opaline and Allura put together.” “Nermal!” Lily scolded, nudging him harshly with her hoof. After Nermal finished rubbing his aching shoulder, he found the others staring down at him with shock and disappointment, making Nermal realize what this was about, and realizing this caused him to chuckle nervously. “And… I’m not helping, am I?” “No, it’s okay, Nermal-- you were just being honest,” Jasmine dejectedly told the gray kitten. “I guess what hurts me most of all is the fact I wasn’t able to protect Garfield when Vetvix’s dog guards were holding him down so they could get the crystal. I just felt so… so…” “Powerless?” Sunny finished for her, and Jasmine’s sniffling was enough to give her an answer. “Yeah… I’ve felt that way before too.” “We all have at one point,” Hitch said in agreement. “It’s normal to feel that way... even as a superhero, right, Garzooka?” “Absolutely,” Garzooka nodded. “In fact, Princess Spectra even felt guilty under different kinds of circumstances she couldn’t control.” Jasmine lifted her head at this. “She did?” “Hold on a sec,” Lily interrupted. “Who the hay is Princess Spectra?” “She’s the princess who originally wore my tiara,” Jasmine explained before turning back to Garzooka. “So… when Princess Spectra felt these kinds of feelings… what did she do?” “Well,” Garzooka knelt next to her, “the first thing to do was accept what happened-- not accepting it could only make it feel harder. Then comes the hard part… forgiving yourself and remembering your worth.” “Remembering my worth?” Jasmine’s face scrunched up in confusion. “What does that mean?” “What Garzooka means is that don’t let what happened with Vetvix tear you and Garfield down,” Sunny told the filly. “You have to remember you’re both worth something, and then stand up to do what’s right when the situation calls for it.” “...do you really think I have what it takes?” Jasmine asked. “Not just to be a superhero in general, but to lead the Royal Force?” “Of course you have it in you, Jazzy!” Diamond reassured her best friend. “And if you don’t feel like you do, we can always repeat the cutie mark mantra we made up!” “Right… our cutie mark mantra! I nearly forgot!” Jasmine smiled before reaching out her hoof. “We are the ponies of Cartoon World…” “Always trying to do what’s right,” Lily spoke up, placing her hoof on Jasmine’s. “When our cutie marks come to life,” Cobalt and Diamond chorused as all four of their cutie marks began to glow, just before all four of them shouted together, “WE GLOW WITH INNER LIGHT!!” “...okay, now I’m a little jealous of that pep-talk,” Zipp blinked, causing the group to laugh. “Okay, Jasmine. If you really feel like staying with Garfield and Jon to protect them is the right call,” said Misty, “we trust you. Just promise us you’ll be careful nonetheless.” Jasmine nodded with a smile at this. “I promise. Hoof to heart.” Suddenly, before anything else could be said, the entire area began to shake rather violently, and Garzooka saw the spaceship rumbling and moving on the side of the building where it had crashed. “Vetvix is coming!” As the entire area shook, parts of a nearby billboard were falling onto the ground. And while some of the group were able to move out of the way, some parts of the billboard were heading for Jasmine, Jon and Garfield. Luckily, Garzooka was able to get them to safety as the ship became free from the building. Garzooka then set Jon, Jasmine and Garfield on the ground nearby. “You can't help us with our plan, comrades,” Garzooka told Jon and Garfield before turning to Jasmine. “Keep them and yourself safe.” “You got it,” Jasmine nodded firmly before Izzy, Misty and Sunny picked up a large chunk of billboard and held it up for the others. “Everyone!” Garzooka called. “Get under here!” The transformed members of Pet Force, Jasmine's friends and the Unity Squad immediately got under the billboard, with Arlene turning back to Garfield. “Be careful, Garfield.” Garfield gasped, realizing that his friends were heading straight out there, and immediately, his shoulders slumped. “You be careful, too…” “We’ll be back soon, guys-- we promise!” Sunny exclaimed as the group headed out, going slowly to prevent being spotted. But no sooner did they leave the alley, Garfield looked up and immediately saw Vetvix's ship above them. “Guys! Look!” “Oh no!” Jasmine yelped and immediately got Garfield and Jon to hide. “Hold it!” Garzooka told the others. “Get down!” The group immediately ducked down and froze, just as Pipp looked and saw the airship looming above them. “Oh no…!!” From her airship, Vetvix looked around for any sign of Garzooka. Part of the billboard made it look like Garfield was saying ‘Bite Me,’ but when she glanced off to the side, she saw Garfield, Jon and Jasmine hiding behind the frog trash can. “What?!” she cried. “Guard!” “Quickly,” Garzooka whispered to his team as they crept away, just as the horned dog guard approached Vetvix and saluted. “Yes, sir!” “I thought I told you to get rid of those pests!” Vetvix snapped, causing the guard to look and see Jasmine and Garfield hiding with Jon. “But, uh-- uh, I did.” “I meant for good, you idiot,” Vetvix growled. “Do I have to do everything myself?” XXXXXXXX From his hiding place in the studio, Eli could see Vetvix aiming the blaster right at the others, and he instantly panicked. “Oh no! She’s gonna shoot Jasmine and Garfield!” Thinking fast, Eli quickly pushed a button to turn on the vacuum, hoping it would be enough to get their friends to safety. XXXXXXXX “Welcome to the Fraternal Order of Vetvix's Zombies!” Vetvix declared and prepared the laser to zap Garfield and his group. The vacuum starts to suck up some things, with Garfield holding onto the trash can and Jasmine holding onto Garfield.  The villainess powered up the blaster, and the cat and unicorn duo got sucked into the vacuum, leaving Jon and the trash can to be victims of the moscram. “THIS SUUUUUUUCKS!!!” Garfield wailed as he and Jasmine flew through the vent system. “LITERALLY!!” Jasmine shrieked in agreement, wondering when the ride was going to end.  After a few moments, they hit the wall and landed on the vent, where Eli quickly unlatched the vent and they fell into his shelter. Jasmine was first to shake her head and look around in alarm. “What just happened?!” “You were almost zombified, that’s what!” Eli responded just as they looked to the screen again. Outside, Jon’s body had a frog head, while the trash can had Jon’s head. “Get Garzooka, my zombies!” Vetvix ordered, and the two zombies groaned and trudged off to do their orders, leaving Eli to sigh. “Looks like Jon just got trashed.” “This is so not good…” Jasmine muttered with fear in her tone, and she and Garfield hugged one another, wondering how things could get any worse from this point onward.