Title: Transformers: Lessons Learned
Universe: G1
Pairings: None
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Author's Note: This is for the Flash Fan Fiction Friday theme "Back to School." This is an experiment. I'll let you judge how successful it is (or isn't). Word count: 220
The Military Academy was the pinnacle of martial training on Cybertron. They taught strategies, combat tactics (against both ground or aerial assaults), weapon drills, explosives, physical combat techniques, formations, survival tactics, anything and everything necessary for a new recruit. Above all else, they taught their students to follow orders.
The trickster entered the Academy. They tried to bind him to their rules. He must follow orders, they taught. He sneaked around, when they couldn't see, and played his tricks and laughed. He learned to use his gifts to cause mischief.
The quiet one entered the Academy. They tried to bind him to their rules. He must follow orders, they taught. He complied. He watched and listened. He saw what they were teaching. To 'follow orders' meant to stop thinking. This he would not do. He followed his orders, but always he contemplated them, considered them. He learned to think.
The sly one entered the Academy. They tried to bind him to their rules. He must follow orders, they taught. He nodded and agreed. And sneered at them when they left. Those in power always wanted obedience. Only fools followed blindly. Only fools left themselves at another's mercy. One must take charge of his own future, or forever be buried by those more ambitious. He'd seen it before. He learned nothing.
Author's Note: That last line can be taken a couple of ways. I'll let you decide how to read it. If you're curious and aren't sure, the trickster is Skywarp, the quiet one is Thundercracker, and the sly one is Starscream.