G5 Adventures in Garfield's Fun Fest

Unbeknownst to our heroes, Fun Fest was starting with Ramone taking Garfield's position as the master of ceremonies, and as hard as they were trying not to worry, Arlene and Cobalt and Lily couldn't help but wonder where their friends were and if they were going to even make it to Fun Fest entirely.

However, the show must go on, as Pipp loves to remind her friends, so they still had to make sure Fun Fest ran smoothly.

Garfield was supposed to take the stage right at the end of the show, so they had until then to make it back to the studio...

...with or without the funny water that Garfield so desperately needs.

XXXXXXXX

Jasmine couldn't help but be concerned as she looked up at the sky above, wondering if they would even find the funny water and be back in time for the show.

It had taken them all day to get this far... so how would they get back in time for Garfield’s performance?

She felt Pipp gently nudge her wing against Jasmine’s side, causing the green unicorn to emerge from her thoughts and look over at her. “You doing okay, Jazzy?” the pink pegasus asked. “You look a little… non-radiant.”

“Well… I guess I’m just worried,” frowned Jasmine. “I mean, I’m all for finishing the quest and getting the funny water, but… what happens after that? I mean… what will happen when we get the water and have to rush back to the studio? Will we even make it in time for Fun Fest?”

“That’s why you have to have a little thing we show-ponies like to call faith,” Pipp told the young unicorn. “If we didn’t have faith in ourselves or in our teammates, pretty soon, everything would fall apart.”

“Huh… I never thought about it that way,” Jasmine shook her head. “You know… I had a feeling you and Lily would get along-- you’re both passionate divas who love to entertain!”

“Heh… I really do like all your friends… and that includes you,” Pipp smiled. “You’re a real leader, you know that?”

“Heh… that’s what everyone keeps telling me,” Jasmine blushed, “even though I don’t feel like a leader at times.”

“Well, if you really wanna know what it takes to be a leader, I suggest you ask Sunny,” Hitch said, having listened to their conversation. “She knows more about being a true leader than even I do.”

“...I think I might do that later,” Jasmine smiled. “Thanks, guys.”

“Hey… you guys!” Misty cried from the front of the group with Shimmerwing. “I think you might wanna see this!”

The others stopped behind her, only to gasp and their eyes to widen. Garfield checked the map again, and to his relief and awe, there it was-- the magic pond that the group had been so desperate to find, nestled into a beautiful spot in the forest. “Whoa…”

“It really exists, you guys!” Diamond exclaimed. “The magic pond filled with funny water!”

“And once Garfield gets a drink from that beauty,” Izzy exclaimed, “it’s back to Fun Fest to show that Ramone cat who’s boss!”

“For once, I agree with Izzy,” Garfield said, tucking the map away. “Let’s do this!”

From that point, it was a full on sprint/gallop toward the pond, the group cheering and laughing, so close to their goal. “Oh, boy!” Garfield laughed. “Come on, guys!”

Suddenly, before anyone could realize it, Garfield tripped over a wire in the path, causing him to stumble and the others to crash into him. Once they rolled a little ways, a gate suddenly appeared and they slammed into it, and several signs appeared alongside the gate, keeping all those who dared to get close to the magic pond… out of the magic pond.

Zipp groaned as they picked themselves up from the ground. “I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park…”

“Well, we’re not giving up now,” Sunny told the others. “Somehow, we have to get past this gate!”

Garfield then knocked on the gate and waited for a moment. “Hello? Anybody home?”

A head suddenly popped out from the guard post, and the guard wore a top hat and had a mustache on. “Hold your horses,” he said, riding out on a humongous unicycle that made Izzy a bit jealous. Then, he lowered the seat so he could see the gang a bit more clearly. “State your business.”

“I came to drink the funny water,” Garfield told him rather bluntly. “Who doesn’t?” the guard rhetorically asked. “And why do you want to drink the funny water?”

“Well... the thing is... Garfield isn't funny anymore,” Diamond said quickly, causing the ponies to look at her rather bluntly. “What? Somepony had to say it at some point, so it kinda had to be me!”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” the guard told the white filly before he turned to Garfield again. “Tell me a joke.”

Garfield nodded and complied with the request. “How many rabbits does it take to change a light bulb?”

“One! If he hops to it,” the guard answered without hesitation. “You do impressions?”

“Of course,” Garfield answered. “Any requests.”

“Do a cat.”

“...meow.”

Hitch winced at that. “I think Sparky can do a better cat than that, and he’s a dragon.”

“Your friend here is right,” the guard said. “I’m not convinced.”

“Are you quite through?” Garfield then asked. “Yep! You’re not funny, alright,” the guard said, causing Zipp to sigh quietly in frustration. “What did we tell you?”

“So… can we get through your gate please?” Jasmine asked politely. “We kinda need that funny water and we’re in a bit of a rush.”

“Sure, but a piece of advice?”

“What’s that?” Garfield asked curiously. “Drink a lot of funny water,” the guard said with a chuckle. “They may have to drain the pond for you. You may proceed.”

“Yes!” Zipp and Pipp cheered, high-hoofing as they prepared to go through the gate… but the gate never raised. “Um… Mr. Guard?” Izzy called with the raise of her hoof. “Are you gonna raise the gate?”

“Do I look like Arnold Schwarzenhagen? Go under!”

The group seemed confused at this, but complied anyway, grunting and straining as they maneuvered under the gate before getting back up on the other side and Garfield for the lake. “Come on, you guys!”

But before they could follow the orange tabby and Jasmine, the guard approached the group once more. “Your friend is a poopy-head.”

“We’re well aware,” Diamond rolled her eyes before she, Odie and the rest of the Mane 6, along with Shimmerwing, followed after them. As the others rejoined Garfield, he and Jasmine finally reached the pond. “Funny water,” Jasmine declared, “here we come!”

She and Garfield dove right into the pond, Garfield taking in as much water as he could hold while the Mane 6 sighed in relief. “Finally… we made it!” Misty sighed in relief. “Thanks for taking us here, Shimmerwing.”

Shimmerwing chirped in response as she rested on Misty’s horn, and the other ponies laid down to take a short rest before they had to get back, but… Zipp couldn’t help but feel like they were being watched…

…and she was right.

XXXXXXXX

Back at the studio, Eli pressed the showtime button and the curtains closed. Living instruments then played lively music as the Charles emerged from the side of the stage to start the show. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Fun Fest. Our master of ceremonies, Garfield, has been detained,” Charles told the audience, making them murmur out of confusion. “Perhaps he'll drop in later, so please welcome our guest MC, Ramone!”

Ramone then arrived with thunderous applause from the audience, but Lily and Cobalt merely glared at the Spanish cat, not buying his routine for a minute. “Good evening, all you beautiful people. My name is Ramone,” Ramone told the audience. “Ever since I was a little kitten, it was my dream to one day leave my poverty-stricken litter box and perform for a wonderful audience such as you!”

This caused all of the judges at their table to swoon, completely entranced with him. “Welcome to my show!” Ramone said to the audience. “I love you, all of you!”

“Oh, gimme a break…” Cobalt muttered under his breath as the audience cheered again. “Oh, Garfield… where in the world are you guys…?”

XXXXXXXX

“Garfield, we’ve found the funny water, and you’ve had plenty to drink of it,” Zipp said as she cautiously looked around. “We better get back to the studio-- Fun Fest is guaranteed to start soon!”

“Zipp’s right,” Sunny said with a nod. “We probably should get going.”

“But we just got here!” Diamond argued. “Besides… it really is nice here. I’m sure that we can wait a few more minutes.”

But before anyone else could say a word, a figure emerged from the grass, looking to be an elderly frog… someone that Shimmerwing seemed to recognize as he approached on a lilypad. “Ah. You appear to be thirsty, my young friends.”

“Huh? No, we’re just here for the funny water, pops,” Garfield responded with a smile. “We’ll be out of here in a minute.”

“Ah,” said the frog, “but only the magic pond holds funny water.”

“Wait a second,” Jasmine stopped swimming in surprise. “So this isn’t the magic pond?”

“This so ain't the magic pond-- we moved it years ago,” the frog responded. “No, this is a sludge pit, fed by a drainage ditch from Grin City.”

Horrified by the news, Garfield and Jasmine shrieked and immediately got out of the pond, with Jasmine shaking the water out of her fur and Garfield spitting up the water he had just got done drinking... all while the elderly frog watched in amusement. “Nice spit take.”

He wound up the engine on his lilypad boat, imitating motor sounds while he approached the group on the shoreline. “So where’s the magic pond?” Garfield asked, wanting to find the pond quickly and get home in time for the show. “Not so fast, impatient one,” the frog said wisely. “Why do you wish to partake of the funny water?”

However, Garfield was getting annoyed by all these questions. “I've been getting these pop quizzes ever since I got to this place. Who do you people think you are, anyway?”

“I can’t speak for the others,” the frog responded, “but I think… I’m Freddy Frog.”

The group looked surprised at this, their eyes growing wide as they gasped in shock. “You…” Diamond blinked, breaking the silence. “You’re for real!”

“Okay… one thing is for sure,” Zipp said to her friends. “I am never doubting a storybook again.”

“That makes two of us,” Pipp answered back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you,” Garfield then apologized to Freddy. “You look so… so different from…”

“From a storybook, I know, yes,” Freddy said with a chuckle. “That was many years ago before I had to start wearing muumuus.”

“Well, it’s an honor to meet you, Freddy!” Jasmine said as she and Garfield shook Freddy’s hand. “Now, if you'll just direct us to the magic pond,” Garfield then spoke, “I'll have a drink and be on my way.”

“I’m afraid it’s not quite as simple as that,” Freddy told the orange tabby, causing Diamond to sigh. “Yeah, nothing is.”

“You must first attain a higher level of humorous enlightenment before drinking the water,” Freddy told Garfield. “Can I get enlightened before Fun Fest?” Garfield then asked. “I'm in a rush here, pal.”

“We all are!” Hitch agreed. “We have to get back to Fun Fest and save Garfield from being totally humiliated by a suave Spanish cat con-artist!”

“Then, let’s begin,” Freddy told the group before looking toward Shimmerwing on Misty's horn. “Shimmerwing, what are you doing still in butterfly form? I may need your help with this cat’s training.”

“Hold it… you know Shimmerwing?” Hitch asked in confusion. “And what do you mean by-- WHOA!!”

The group was suddenly blinded as Shimmerwing flew off of Misty’s horn, letting a bright light envelope her for a few moments. When they finally got their sight back, the butterfly was no longer there… but a new figure was.

She was a gorgeous white pegasus with the sweetest chocolate brown eyes, rainbow feathers on her wings, pink hooves, a rainbow mane and tail and even a rainbow for her cutie mark.

The pegasus sighed and shook herself with a smile. “Thanks, Freddy,” she said, her voice as clear and beautiful as a ringing bell. “I was taking so much time resting my wings that I forgot.”

“Hold it, hold it, hold it, HOLD IT!!” Jasmine suddenly interrupted, bringing the group from their stunned silence. “Shimmerwing… you’re a shapeshifter?!”

Shimmerwing let out a giggle. “I wouldn’t exactly call myself a shapeshifter, my dear. I just take the form of a butterfly or any other kind of animal until my true self can be revealed to those I trust. Making it this far was something only someone I could trust could do.”

“...I think my mind just blew up,” Izzy blinked in shock. “Yeah, tell me about it, girlfriend,” Garfield nodded. “So… are you gonna take us to the magic pond or not?”

“In time, Garfield, in time. For right now, you need to learn the ways of being funny from the first funny… anything,” Shimmerwing said, looking at Freddy with a giggle. “Just follow his lead, and I promise… you’ll get exactly where you need to go.”

Garfield looked at the others before shrugging. If it got them to the funny water and back to the show… it was definitely worth a shot.