Scene 6: [We come back from commercials to interior palace ballroom. A crowd dances around the floor in pairs as Sam and Membrane watch on from thrones off to one side. In the middle of the floor is Zim, looking as bored as could be. Dib keeps bringing up new girls for him to dance with, one after the other.]
[The camera pans a stairway off to the side of the room. A long line of girls string up it, each waiting their turn to dance with the Prince. Tak, Red and Purple are about halfway up from the bottom. Tak is looking impatient, while Red and Purple both seem to be dreading their turn.]
[Zim yawns and doesn't bother to suppress it, as Dib brings another girl to him and leads the one who came before her away. The image of Zim blurs and the camera is now focused on his parents. The camera zooms in closer to them.]
Sam: [leans over to Membrane] Look at his face. [pointing at Zim] Was that a smile?
Membrane: [looks up from his newspaper] It was a wince.
Sam: Just a little smile?
Membrane: Stop kidding yourself.
Sam: [crosses her arms] Well, he has to find someone tonight.
Membrane: And if he doesn't?
Sam: [shrugs] This ball will never end.
Dib: [walking by, leading another girl] I don't think we ordered enough food.
[Cut to the exterior palace steps. The red convertible has pulled up in front of it. Jhonen, still muttering, climbs out and opens the door for Gaz. As she steps out, GIR speaks up from his seat next to her.]
GIR: Remember! After midnight all the magic stuff goes bye-bye!! Bye-bye!! [he waves his wand and disappears in a cloud of gold dust.]
Gaz: [shakes her head] Weirdo… [She heads up the steps of the palace and Jhonen climbs back into the car to wait. He pulls a comic book out of the glove compartment and begins to read.]
[Cut back to the ballroom. Dib has stepped off to one side, leaning against a doorway for support, panting. Suddenly, a gloved hand shoots out and grabs his arm, yanking him out the door. It's Tak. Dib sighs, and pulls free of her grip.]
Tak: [give him a false smile] I'm sure you've noticed my two lovely daughters by now – [she points towards the stairs]
[Dib looks in the direction she's pointing. Cut to a shot of Red and Purple on the stairs. Red seems to be poking himself in the eye, trying to adjust one of his contacts. Purple is swatting at a bug with his bouquet, and flower petals are going everywhere. Cut back to Dib, who rolls his eyes.]
Dib: Ma'am, as I've already told you – you might recall –
Tak: [nods] Uh-huh.
Dib: His Highness will dance with all the girls in due time. Please, try to be patient – ack!
[In a swift movement, Tak has Dib pressed against the outside wall, a hand on either side of him, trapping him.]
Tak: [flirtingly, but anyone can tell it's fake] Of course, every mother would love to see their daughters dance with the Prince, but what I really want to know is…who're you going to be dancing with you?
Dib: [gulps] M-me?
Tak: Don't try to deny it. [bats her eyes and leans in closer to him. He begins to sweat] I know you've felt something between us, haven't you?
Dib: Y-you know what? I really wish there was something between us.
Tak: Yes??
Dib: A solar system. [he quickly ducks out from under her arms and hurries away]
[Tak watches him go, looking surprised. She then composes herself and marches off, would-be nose in the air.]
[Cut back to the ballroom interior. Dib scrambles back to his post at the bottom of the stairs. Red and Purple have reached the bottom of the stairs. Red is really first in line but Purple cuts in front of him and is led, grinning smugly back at Red, by Dib out to the center of the floor.]
[Zim had been dancing with Zita before this and Dib quickly lead her away. Zim looks up at Purple, who, of course, towers over him. For one awkward moment, they just stare at each other. Then an electro-spear jabs Zim from behind. With a yelp, he leaps into the air and is caught by Purple, who begins, twirling around the room with him.]
[Cut quickly to Sam and Membrane. Sam blows the smoke off her electro-spear and grins sort-of-evilly.]
Membrane: You're a little bit scary sometimes. You know that, don't you?
Sam: [grins evilly at him] Just helping things along, dear.
[Cut back to Purple and Zim. Purple is trying to look like he's enjoying himself, while Zim is looking rather sick to his stomach from all the spinning.]
Purple: [clears his throat] Ahem.
"For as long as I can remember,
I've been looking for someone like you.
Someone with a head like yours and a torso, too.
Birds sing and you're gonna PAY if you don't marry me!!
The end!!"
Zim: [looking frightened] Help!! Guards!!
[Slab Rankle and the General from Hobo 13 march up, seize Purple by the arms and drag him off the floor. Zim is dropped to the floor, looking dizzy. Dib hurries up to him, leading Red, who scoops Zim up once again and begins twirling him around once again.]
Zim: [noting how incessantly Red is batting his eye-lashes] Um…is there something in your eye?
Red: [giggles] Only you, you're Highness!
[Cut to Dib, standing beside the orchestra. He smirks, watching Zim's face turn an even sicklier shade of green. Zim signals to Dib to speed up the music. He taps the conductor on the shoulder and waves his hand.]
Dib: [quietly] Slow it down.
[We see the hem of a green dress swish up behind Dib, and a high-heeled shoe taps against the floor behind him. Dib gulps and looks up. The camera backs up to show Sam looking down at him, angrily, her electro-spear in hand.]
[Dib laughs nervously and taps the conductor again, this time he signals to speed it up. Sam bends down and pats Dib on the head, smiling demurely, and then walks off. Dib sighs.]
[Cut back to the dance floor. The music continues to speed up and up and up until the whole of the dancing crowd is a dizzy mess. Red has gotten so carried away, that he gives Zim a final twirl that sent him spinning across the floor like a top, knocking over a bunch of other dancers as they tried to steady themselves.]
[The music kind of grinds to a halt as Zim stops spinning and skids to a stop at the bottom of the main staircase. He props himself up on his elbows, holding his head groggily.]
Gaz's Voice: [off screen] Um…did I come at a bad time?
Zim: [glances up] Huh? [Cut to a view of what Zim sees. Two or three Gazes are spinning and fading in and out of focus. Finally all the Gazes come together to form one clear picture of her. She's looking down at Zim with one eye open and an eye brow cocked. He scrambles to his feet, still a little dizzy]
Gaz: Um…hi.
Zim: Yeah, hi.
[Cut to Sam, who's over by the orchestra once again. She motions for them to start playing, and then zips off screen. She appears behind Zim, and jabs him with her electro-spear once again. Zim jumps forward and into Gaz's arms. With another nudge from Sam they begin dancing as the music picks up.]
[As the two dance the camera spins around them slowly, letting the audience get dizzy as well. Fun, no? ^_^]
Zim: You…look familiar…have we met? Not that I care, of course.
Gaz: No. I think I would have remembered someone as pig-headed as you.
Zim: What?? [But he doesn't have time to retort anything because the next music number has begun.]
"Ten Minutes Ago"
Zim: Ten minutes ago, I saw you.
You walked in exactly on cue.
My stomach was churning,
My cheeks started burning.
I wonder, is it 'cuz of you?
Ten minutes ago, I met you.
I looked up from my place on the floor.
I wanted to flair out my arms,
And scream in alarm,
And run straight out the door!!
But I'm stuck here.
And we're dancing.
Though I'd much rather gouge out my eyes.
I can see it.
You hate me, too.
So this waltz is a nasty surprise!
But this spinning around makes me dizzy,
And I'm thinking this isn't so bad…
But now what am I saying??
Am I going insane??
It's the worst night that I've ever had!
It's the worst night that I have ever had!!
Gaz: Ten minutes ago, I met you.
Though I do not think it's been that long.
It seems like forever.
This horrid endeavor,
That's got me hear singing this song!
Zim: But we're stuck here.
Gaz: And we're dancing.
[Cut to Sam and Membrane. They watch as Zim and Gaz go dancing by.]
Sam: [innocently] Who is that lovely girl?
Membrane: Never seen her before in my life. She is stunning, isn't she? [looks over at the cue card and his face turns beet red] Er…Why…if I were um… a young man…
Sam: [looks at him incredulously] Yes, dear?
Membrane: [glances at the electro-spear in her hand, and gulps very fakely] Oh…well…er…I'd, uh, be much younger, wouldn't I?
Sam: Yes, dear. [takes his hand]
[Cut to Tak, Red & Purple, watching as Zim and Gaz dance by]
Purple: [sighs] Where did she come from?
Red: Never seen her before.
Tak: Still…there's something strangely familiar about that girl…
[Cut to Zim and Gaz again.]
"Ten Minutes Ago (Reprise)"
Zim & Gaz: But this spinning around makes me dizzy,
And I'm thinking this isn't so bad…
But now what am I saying??
Am I going insane??
It's the worst night that I've ever had!
It's the worst night that I have ever had!!
[The camera backs up and we see the whole ballroom, and the dancers are all going at it full-swing. It passes over the second floor of the ballroom, which is just a strip of flooring around the side of the room, kind of like in the malls. And there are people dancing there, too. The camera continues on to the pan across the room, passing over the outside wall so that we see a clear view of the garden, where Zim and Gaz have appeared, still dancing.] [Cut to Commercials.]