Emperor Zurg's Flagship. . .
''What is our lord doing today?'' a green minion shook his head in disbelief as he and a few others witnessed Emperor Zurg perform what he called his 'daily task and rituals to start the day.'
''It's pretty much the same every day since I enlisted over three years ago,'' another walked by with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. He would need it in order to survive the next 2 and a half hours. ''One thing about Emperor Zurg is that he is persistent, consistent, and everything else in between when he does this.''
''Just seems kinda weird how he does it with that smile on his face every time; doesn't that tire your legs out?''
''Assuming he has legs.'' the minion with the mug of joe replied in a bland tone, sipping as he relished the flavor. The other fellow worker looked at him in disbelief as the thought of whether or not their lord and savior actually had legs or not came into play.
''Well, who here has asked his lordship about that?'' the other minion asked, beginning to feel his skin ripple a bit at what he witnessed, as well as the. . .form of Emperor Zurg the entire time.
''We don't get paid enough to ask those questions; just listen and execute; that's what gotten me by.''
The bridge of the ship was relatively quiet unless one were to count the sudden thrum of bass in a rhythmic pattern, followed by the high-pitched whine of what sounded like instruments sound before sounds that resembled clapping came into tow before fading. Zurg was indeed 'living it up as he's been told many times that he has done. This mandatory ritual that he developed himself for himself made short work of grogginess.
With such high acclaim (by himself, and the completely honest opinions of his workers), he dubbed it; Zurgy Time.
''Oh, how wonderful! I really must remind myself to thank myself for inventing this!'' Zurg cheered as he swung his arms back and forth as he danced without a single care in the world. This time-honored set of movements had served him well in the past, and it would more than certainly be needed for the eventual conquering of this new world. ''Work it, Zurg! Work it!'' Zurg nodded his head along to the beat of the song he was currently dancing along to, flawlessly executing every move in his personal routine.
''My lord?'' Zurg barely heard the telemetry bot call his name as he began to really get into the groove of this particular song that he had played approximately 1,012 times, this time making it the 13th, and it only seemed to get all the better every time he woke up and began to end his routine with this certain song almost every time to help set his day right for the hope that every and all of his evil plans would exactly the way that he envisioned them to go. ''We are picking up Cozy Glow's signal approaching the ship.''
''Quiet! You are disrupting my flow! I have another song in my queue before Zurgy Time is done!'' Zurg yelled back, flicking his back and forth as if pointing to different things in front of him before pumping his fist before repeating, to end with a spin and a lean to one side before going to the other. ''Whatever it is, take care of it!''
''Statement; order received; opening frontal hatch,'' the telemetry bot chirped to itself, noting the break in concentration from his master would be something that would cost him in the next 10 to 15 seconds. ''Advisement would be to take a 3 foot, and 3-inch step either left or right to avoid injury, however, advisement has not been taken into account.''
''This has to be the best one yet!'' Zurg announced as he continued began to wrap up his sacred dance, soon feeling the breeze of the outside once he began to turn around and look, only to be blindsided by a small weight knocking him over and to the floor. ''Ooof!''
''Mr. Zurg!'' Cozy Glow called out, crashing into the warlord before he managed to stabilize. Why must she always be this. . .cheery?! “Happy Tuesday!”
Groaning as he set Cozy Glow down, Zurg glared at his minion as she smiled a mile wide. “And what exactly have you come to bore me with today? How goes your mission?”
Bringing her saddlebag to the ground and digging through it, Cozy brought out some papers and scrolls that detailed her findings. It was, to Princess Twilight; very well organized and honed on the main points. “I’ve been making special drawings and notes. I think I found a way to help our mission easier,” Cozy tapped her hoof on the paper she was reading as Zurg continued to groove, albeit at a slower pace while he received the report. “Princess Twilight and her friends went on a bunch of adventures across Equestria.”
“And this will assist us, how?” Zurg asked, losing interest.
Cozy blew a raspberry, knowing Mr. Zurg would love to hear this next tidbit. “Princess Twilight and her friend had a book that detailed their adventures, what they did and who they met. If we can get that book, maybe we can go to those places and help whoever stays there to join our cause!” Cozy hovered in the air, proud of herself at finding information for the cause.
Zurg paused in his dance to go over the thought behind what was said; if visiting places that these. . .ponies went before, then they would possibly be able to employ their assistance in constructing the new Zurg Empire.
The tantalizing offer of healthcare, competitive pay, and promotion from within would capture the hearts of most. And for the ones who chose not to follow?
Emperor Zurg would make example.
“Hmmm. . .this could very well prove to be a boon to us, if we play such matters to our advantage.” Zurg said, rubbing his chin in deep thought as the song he was currently dancing to faded out. Exploring other places first would be a more tactical move to ‘gather’ outside support and conduct a final assault on the heart of this nation to seal the deal. And his newest minion was a pony, so it would make the seemingly impossible task all too easy from the inside out. “Very good; you have served the Zurg Empire well on this day.”
Cozy jumped up and down, clapping her hooves with excitement. Mr. Zurg seemed very happy with her actions, and that made her happy. The better question would be; what next?
“We now possess more knowledge than the previous day, and that will be the undoing of the entire world around us! Hahahaha!” Zurg cheered, raising a fist in triumph. The foundation was set; now it was merely time to build and frame how he saw fit. And Buzz Lightyear and his goody-two shoes Star Command lackies would be none the wiser to his schemes.
As they were not here to stop him!
“Come, we must prepare our ground forces for our first scouting mission,” Zurg walked over to the nearest console to queue up the network that provided information about everything on his ship. His minion showed promise, but would need. . .assistance as she will be deployed on a mission by herself. “Prepare for your first mission. It is as follows; ascertain if this ‘Twilight Sparkle’ plans on making any trips outside the area known as Ponyville and beyond. Convince her to allow you to come with, gather any information, and provide a distraction for the ground units to come in assist.”
Cozy blinked, not fully understanding, but knowing enough that she was going to do something by herself. “Just me?”
Pressing a few buttons and hearing a chime, Zurg slinked over to his chair and waited, seeing the floor in front of him shift and hiss with steam as two shapes rose up, their shapes contorting and changing as they soon resembled that of Cozy Glow’s figure. “Meet the Makeshift Duo. A pair of highly advanced robots that I have outfitted with the best technology, skills, weaponry, and self-learning systems for seamless integration. They will be your partners as you embark on this journey.”
Cozy tilted her head at the shapes that soon finished shaping into what appeared to be a filly and colt. “What are they?”
Zurg snickered, noting the look of suprise on her face as his creations were given live once again. This time, they would be to the test; of whether or they could stand the rigors of this color pastel world and all of its. . .ugh; friendship. “I hearby grant you the rank of Scout, do not disappoint me.” Zurg said, closing his eyes as he winded down from his dance session.
“Yay!” Cozy Glow shot up, zooming around the bridge before stopping to think for a second. “Wait, what’s a Scout do?”