Epilogue - The First Light of Day, the Shadow of Night
It had been ten years. Zim was a security official under the present Tallest Mei, Dib was a paranormal investigator, and Mel was a friend to them. Often she'd go on assignment with them, whether investigating a haunted house, or cracking down on an intergalactic conspiracy. Only now did any of them truly understand what the capabilities were of Mission Hidden Realm. They discovered that it only sent whoever you put into the void to an alternate reality where they'd get what they wanted out of life. Except for Zal. She had already achieved her ultimate goal - to save and help restore her planet.
One particular day would be especially memorable. It was in front of Dib's new house he'd moved to, where the three were sitting around, without doing much of anything in particular. Zim was attempting to use telekinetic power to lift a garden hose, Dib was fooling around with some theory, trying to get things to work right, and Mel was busy on a laptop writing up something known only to her.
"So...Zim, how's it going with that garden hose?" the Irken Invader (in disguise, of course) asked jokingly. He merely growled in annoyance. "What about you, Dib? What are you working on?"
"Just a theory."
"A theory? Lemme see!" She leaned over, a bit too much, and fell flat on her face as he pulled the notebook out of her way.
"Not until it's worked out."
"Gee, if you work it out, I guess it wouldn't be a theory anymore, now would it?"
"Okay, you can see it." Mel looked it over, then gave a skeptical expression.
"Ghosts are really robots in disguise from the Irken Empire...what the...?" Zim snickered a bit, then Dib grabbed the notebook back.
"It's just a theory!"
"To be a theory, or to be the workings of a lunatic? That is the question. Really, Dib, next thing you'll be saying that Bigfoot and Loch Ness are related!" Zim snickered some more, but paused when they saw him cover up a part of writing. The two Irken's mouths dropped wide open, and they began to guffaw loudly.
"Well, it's possible!"
"Don't worry, we're just having some fun at you. Just a little study to see how humans react to embarrassment, isn't that right, Zim? Apparently they turn a pinkish red on the face."
"How very odd."
"But, I was saving the good news for last. Dib, Zim, do you know Tallest Mei? The first girl to be Tallest of Irk and also Miyuki's sister? Well, it seems she's inviting us over."
"That's good."
"...And she seems especially interested in you two."
"What are you getting at, Invader Mel?" Zim asked, with Dib right behind him.
"Well, she's considering one of you to be her possible husband."
"Are my boots shiny enough?"
"Is my trench coat on straight?"
"Do I look sweet enough?"
"Do I look professional enough?"
"Are you two nuts?" Mel asked. She laughed, and they did as well. They began to debate over who Mei would like best, which looked kind of funny, considering Dib was now about twice Zim's height. Mel had also grown, and was about a foot or two shorter than him. It turned out that she ended up marrying some other guy, and their little debate died open-ended.
"I have to leave," Zim announced about a week later. Their little trio of friendship, as it had become since he'd cancelled invading Earth by order of Tallest Mei, was about to break. "There's nothing for me here on Earth. I'm going back to Irk to serve on official business there."
"Goodbye, Zim. I hope I see you sometime."
"Goodbye, Invader Mel, Dib-monkey." For some reason, even after they weren't enemies anymore, that name stuck.
"I'm going to a convention about the paranormal this week."
"Have a good time, Dib."
"Something seems wrong."
"It's nothing, really...it's just that I'm going to be alone this week. When do you leave?"
"Monday."
"That's in two days. Can I come with you?"
"Sure."
"Thank you. You sure have grown a lot. Ten years. I hadn't even dreamed of living this long."
"You have, though."
"I remember the first day we met - you were a pretty goofy kid."
"What about Zim? How'd you meet him?"
"That's a whole different story." They laughed, and for once they felt they led normal lives, with the only shadows hiding the good fortunes and hopes of day were those they were destined to battle. As for Zim, his life was pretty much the selfsame routine it had been. It was nearing the time in their lives when they would look instead back on the past and its fond memories rather than accomplishing those very tasks themselves, day by day, as the sun of their lives began to set on the horizon. But truly, the impact they'd made on the universe would be as everlasting as the revolutions made by the Earth, and many billons more planets alike, creating all days, nights, time, and eternity.
It had been ten years. Zim was a security official under the present Tallest Mei, Dib was a paranormal investigator, and Mel was a friend to them. Often she'd go on assignment with them, whether investigating a haunted house, or cracking down on an intergalactic conspiracy. Only now did any of them truly understand what the capabilities were of Mission Hidden Realm. They discovered that it only sent whoever you put into the void to an alternate reality where they'd get what they wanted out of life. Except for Zal. She had already achieved her ultimate goal - to save and help restore her planet.
One particular day would be especially memorable. It was in front of Dib's new house he'd moved to, where the three were sitting around, without doing much of anything in particular. Zim was attempting to use telekinetic power to lift a garden hose, Dib was fooling around with some theory, trying to get things to work right, and Mel was busy on a laptop writing up something known only to her.
"So...Zim, how's it going with that garden hose?" the Irken Invader (in disguise, of course) asked jokingly. He merely growled in annoyance. "What about you, Dib? What are you working on?"
"Just a theory."
"A theory? Lemme see!" She leaned over, a bit too much, and fell flat on her face as he pulled the notebook out of her way.
"Not until it's worked out."
"Gee, if you work it out, I guess it wouldn't be a theory anymore, now would it?"
"Okay, you can see it." Mel looked it over, then gave a skeptical expression.
"Ghosts are really robots in disguise from the Irken Empire...what the...?" Zim snickered a bit, then Dib grabbed the notebook back.
"It's just a theory!"
"To be a theory, or to be the workings of a lunatic? That is the question. Really, Dib, next thing you'll be saying that Bigfoot and Loch Ness are related!" Zim snickered some more, but paused when they saw him cover up a part of writing. The two Irken's mouths dropped wide open, and they began to guffaw loudly.
"Well, it's possible!"
"Don't worry, we're just having some fun at you. Just a little study to see how humans react to embarrassment, isn't that right, Zim? Apparently they turn a pinkish red on the face."
"How very odd."
"But, I was saving the good news for last. Dib, Zim, do you know Tallest Mei? The first girl to be Tallest of Irk and also Miyuki's sister? Well, it seems she's inviting us over."
"That's good."
"...And she seems especially interested in you two."
"What are you getting at, Invader Mel?" Zim asked, with Dib right behind him.
"Well, she's considering one of you to be her possible husband."
"Are my boots shiny enough?"
"Is my trench coat on straight?"
"Do I look sweet enough?"
"Do I look professional enough?"
"Are you two nuts?" Mel asked. She laughed, and they did as well. They began to debate over who Mei would like best, which looked kind of funny, considering Dib was now about twice Zim's height. Mel had also grown, and was about a foot or two shorter than him. It turned out that she ended up marrying some other guy, and their little debate died open-ended.
"I have to leave," Zim announced about a week later. Their little trio of friendship, as it had become since he'd cancelled invading Earth by order of Tallest Mei, was about to break. "There's nothing for me here on Earth. I'm going back to Irk to serve on official business there."
"Goodbye, Zim. I hope I see you sometime."
"Goodbye, Invader Mel, Dib-monkey." For some reason, even after they weren't enemies anymore, that name stuck.
"I'm going to a convention about the paranormal this week."
"Have a good time, Dib."
"Something seems wrong."
"It's nothing, really...it's just that I'm going to be alone this week. When do you leave?"
"Monday."
"That's in two days. Can I come with you?"
"Sure."
"Thank you. You sure have grown a lot. Ten years. I hadn't even dreamed of living this long."
"You have, though."
"I remember the first day we met - you were a pretty goofy kid."
"What about Zim? How'd you meet him?"
"That's a whole different story." They laughed, and for once they felt they led normal lives, with the only shadows hiding the good fortunes and hopes of day were those they were destined to battle. As for Zim, his life was pretty much the selfsame routine it had been. It was nearing the time in their lives when they would look instead back on the past and its fond memories rather than accomplishing those very tasks themselves, day by day, as the sun of their lives began to set on the horizon. But truly, the impact they'd made on the universe would be as everlasting as the revolutions made by the Earth, and many billons more planets alike, creating all days, nights, time, and eternity.