Hello guys! I hope you enjoy this halloween fic that's one day late because I came home at four am yesterday. Obviously I have my life together :)
Deep within the underground parts of invader Zim's base, flashing lights could be seen and maniacal laughter could be heard. It was a good thing for Zim that he was so deep underground that no human heard him, or else his facade of a twelve-year-old ugly kid with a skin condition would fall.
"Finally!" He screeched suddenly as the lights stopped blinking and he held up a strange-looking gun,"And not a day too early! Tonight is the dreaded Halloween-night again and I need this to protect myself from the horrible child-monsters. They want my blood candies, GIR! My blood-candies!"
"They want normal candy more!" GIR laughed. Zim, naturally, did not listen.
"Finally, the human kids will get what they deserve! My new invention will turn them into what they truly are!"
"I thought you was makin' a cupcake machine", GIR said.
"Well. I was, but I changed my mind. ", Zim shrugged, "NOW! Let us rule!" Ha grabbed the gun, cursing as he realized how heavy it was, and exited the lab.
"Yeaaaahh!" GIR exclaimed, attempting to follow his master, but he only managed to run one circle before falling to the floor.
Zim, in his horrible human disguise, opened his front door dramatically. The kids were already out trick or treating, and the setting sun made their shadows long and foreboding. Zim repressed a shiver. He would not be discouraged by their horrifying appearance no more! Because he had the gun!
With big steps and a straight back, he walked down his yard. Nobody paid him any mind, as ell the kids were busy figuring out which houses would give them the most candy. He wouldn't use his gun right away on any ugly little to-be monster, oh no, he wanted his victory over this planet to be sweet and perfect. Like Halloween candy.
The first one to be shot would be someone special. Someone who would hate being a mindless slave-monster more than anything. Someone who was also Zim's sworn enemy.
The first one to go was the Dib.
In another part of town, namely Dib's neighborhood, the teen boy tinkered with the wolf-ears on his head for the twelfth time that night.
He wasn't too excited about trick or treating. Halloween had sort of lost it's fun last year when he accidentally opened a portal into his own mind. Now, Halloween just served as a reminder of his own fragile sanity. The only reason he was dressed up was because his dad wanted him to keep an eye on Gaz.
"There are many suspicious people out there, son!" Professor Membrane had said," It is your responsibility to make sure your sister does not get hurt during Halloween!" Even though she could take care of herself, Dib thought.
So there he was, in a cheap wolf costume that paled as he walked behind Gaz and her perfect, hand-made Vampire Piggy Hunter cosplay. It wasn't the first time that night that he wished for an excuse to just leave and hunt Bigfoot or something instead.
"Beware you bladder, Dib, and feast your eyes on my latest invention that will help me bring mankind to its knees!" Zim's voice suddenly called out. Dib turned around, already in a battle stance and saw Zim standing on a nearby slide holding a gun almost as big as the alien himself.
"Gaz, I have to take care of Zim. Sorry, you have to carry on without me", Dib said. When Gaz didn't answer, Dib glanced back and realized that she was already gone. Oh well. He turned back.
"Zim!" He exclaimed.
"That's right, Dib-human! I am Zim, and I am back to unleash my greatest, most evil plan yet! Prepare yourself", Zim said, grinning like a madman. Which he was, at least if you asked Dib.
He had stopped seeing Zim as a threat a long time ago, and that gun may be huge but there was probably a major flaw in its design that would make it backfire on Zim himself. Either literally or figuratively.
Since they weren't about to go into a hand to hand combat, Dib dropped the stance and put his hands into his pockets, happy with just keeping an eyes on the trigger.
"What? You think one gun will bring mankind to its knees? Gee, Zim, I thought you knew better than that", he grinned, enjoying the tiniest flicker from arrogance to annoyance in Zim's posture.
"Do you think I am stupid?" Zim said.
Yes, Dib thought.
"This is not a murdering gun, Dib. THIS! Is a slave-and-monster-turning gun! I bet even your puny little earth brain can understand what that means, yes?" Zim waved the gun around a bit, almost losing balance in the process.
Yes, Dib could understand what that meant. Turning humans into monster slaves. A plan with plenty of room for miscalculations that Zim had probably not considered. Stopping him would be a breeze, Dib just had to keep Zim from shooting anyone until one of those misses became prominent and the gun blew up or something.
"That sounds stupid! You couldn't think of any better plan, huh, spaceboy?" He taunted. Zim was visibly offended, flinching back with a frown.
"You dare say such lies about my ingenious plan? You must be more desperate to become my slave than I thought!"
"Yeah, well. I can't take you seriously when you gave your stupid gun such a stupid name", Dib said.
"You know nothing, stinky earthworm!" Zim jumped off the slide, getting on his PAK legs in midair and Dib knew it was time to run. Automatically, as he looked around he noticed that, off course, there was no one around at the moment to witness Zim using his obviously alien technology.
There were more important matters at hand though. Such as, not getting caught by an angry alien with a gun.
"I hope you like those plastic animal ears on your head, because soon they will be your REAL EARS!" Zim laughed behind him. Dib pushed himself a bit faster.
But as in most fictional chases, Dib found himself in a dead end with no way to escape. He turned around, facing Zim without fear. He was once again in a battle stance refusing to go down without a fight. Zim grinned, and fired. Somewhere in Dib's mind, that saying about knives and gun fights echoed.
It didn't really hurt, to be honest. Not like when a bullet or a laser hits you at least. His ears started buzzing and his body tingled somewhat as the world faded before him. Zim's laughter cut through though, and it haunted him while his knees gave in.
"Now, Dib-slave, bow! Bow before your superior master that is Zim!" Zim said. Dib went cold, fearfully expecting his body to follow Zim commands against his will.
Nothing happened.
"Eh? Huh? I told you to bow before me, you pitiful monster of fur and drool!" Zim said. Dib opened his eyes, realizing that he was not turned into a mindless slave as had been expected.
"Heh, seems your plan didn't really work, Zim", Dib chuckled. His voice was raspy and darker than normal. He looked down and realized that the gun had still half-worked.
"Uh", Zim flinched.
"Oh my god", Dib breathed, touching his face. He was all soft and furry. His hands, or more like paws, moved up to his ears, which were pointy and triangular like a wolf's. Looking around, he noticed his clothes and glasses were in a pile beneath him "Oh my god, Zim! You just turned me into a flippin' wolf!"
"D-don't eat me?" Zim backed away slightly. Dib stared at him. Did he really look that dangerous or was Zim just being Zim and overreacting?
"Maybe I will, just as revenge for turning me into an animal!" Dib said. Not that he would. Gross.
"Retreat!" Zim squeaked and turned to run, his PAK legs carrying him faster than he ever could have moved on his own.
"Hey! Wait! I need you to turn me back!" Dib stumbled after him, but he was unused to this new form and ended up on his butt. He got up again, this time on four legs instead of two, and set after Zim.
He felt … stronger. And he certainly was faster. He caught up with Zim just before the alien reached his base and knocked him down onto the pavement in one mighty jump. Predictably, Zim screamed.
"Zim! ZIM! I'm not gonna eat you, dangit! I just need you to turn me back", Dib said, pinning the alien to the ground.
"Never! You'll never get me alive!" Zim wriggled under Dib's paws, unable to escape.
"C'mon, Zim! I know there's a reverse switch or something on that gun, so turn me back and I'll let you go", Dib tried.
"LIES! You're lying to catch me off guard, but it won't work, Dib-monster! It won't work!"
"I'll just take the gun and do it myself!" Dib said and reached for the gun still in Zim's hands.
"NO!" Zim screeched. Since one was paw off his chest, he managed to free himself and move out of reach. Dib found himself growling. Without wasting any time, Zim turned around and ran the last bit to his base.
"Hey! Come back!" Dib followed, but was stopped by the locked door. He head-butted it a few times, hearing it creek and bend under the pressure. He could probably break it open, if he didn't have to retreat thanks to Zim's laser gnomes.
So there he sat, outside his enemy's house, turned into a wolf and thinking of how to get his h- paws on that gun.
A child walked past, dressed in a pirate costume. She walked straight up to Zim's base.
"Hey you! Don't go there, he's got a gun that turn you into what you're dressed up as", Zim warned. He girl stopped, halfway into knocking. She looked at him for a moment, then said:
"Go home, little doggie, go home to your owner!"
Dib sighed. The girl knocked and, luckily for her (probably), GIR opened dressed in his horrible dog suit.
"Yeeeeeees?" he said.
"Trick or treat!" The girl exclaimed.
"Aaaaw, you so cute I could EAT you!" GIR exclaimed, and then gave her three lollipops. Dib thought he could hear Zim screaming at him from inside.
The door closed and the kid happily walked away, looking to another house to go to.
"Hmm, if GIR opens the door, I might be able to get in there", Dib mumbled and figured it was worth a shot. He walked over, wary to not be shot by a gnome, and knocked. It sounded softer than usual with his furry paw.
As he had hoped, the little robot opened the door. Dib rushed over him and into the living room.
Zim was curled up on the sofa, the Halloween-gun in one hand and a laser gun in the other. The laser now pointed as Dib.
"GIR, defensive mode!" Zim barked. GIR laughed and rocket-launched himself through the roof.
"Nice try. Now give me that gun", Dib growled. The laser shook in Zim's hand enough that his aim would be totally off if he fired. Probably.
"Nuh-uh, why would I?" Zim backed a bit further into the cushions of the sofa as Dib slowly walked towards him. He could easily overpower the alien.
"I can't live my life as a wolf, you jerk", Dib said as he jumped at the alien.
"EEP- that's ridiculous! All wolves on earth live their lives as wolves", Zim retorted, trying to push the animal off him. His spider legs shot out once again, pushing Dib away.
"But I'm not a wolf!" Dib roared as he jumped back into the battle, wary of the pointy ends. Zim had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
Except behind those infuriating PAK legs! Growling, Dib grabbed them between his powerful jaws and tore them off.
Everything seemed to stop. Zim froze, staring in chock and confusion at the limp metal in Dib's mouth. Dib as well had a hard time realizing what he'd done. That had been an impulse, not meant to actually work. It probably took inhuman strength to tear off those PAK legs, and Dib had felt … something when he did it.
Something very animal and very, very scary.
He spit out the metal legs, trying to get rid of the metallic taste, and walked right up to Zim on his fours. The alien was still in some sort of trance, staring at the lost appendages. There was no resistance when Dib took the gun from him and walked off with it in his mouth.
"… You just tore out my PAK legs", A feeble voice mumbled just as Dib walked out the door. He stopped and turned around.
"Yeah, I did. So you better watch out next time you mess with me", He said. Zim hugged himself slightly, looking genuinely scared as he stood on his sofa, suddenly small and vulnerable. It actually made Dib feel a little bad. A little.
He picked up the gun again, and left the house. He was a couple of steps away when Zim finally moved. The sound of Zim running to the open door reached him together with his voice.
"Your clothes and glasses are disposed in an alley somewhere and you will never find them", Zim called," which was my plan all along! Victory for me!"
Dib looked over his shoulder and glared. He was painfully aware that this was true, and those were his spare glasses too! There would be a lot of explaining to do to his dad once he got turned back to normal.
Part of him (or part of the wolf he was becoming?) wanted to jump on Zim again. But he resisted, reminded himself that Zim was already pretty helpless and his plan foiled. He'd just go home, order new glasses, and forget this even happened.
Still, he allowed himself to growl loudly, enjoying how Zim cowered slightly.
The End
Tune in next time for Dib getting revenge and turning Zim into a human! (Probably not though lol)
/Sagapaga