//------------------------------// // Chapter 38: Learning to be a General // Story: Logic and Friendship. Roger! Roger! // by Anaylze //------------------------------// It was a silent walk as Twilight followed OMM-340 to wherever he was taking her.  “So. How was your day?” she asked him  He turned his head in her direction.  “Why would you want to know that?”     “I was just wondering.”  They when silent once more before Twilight confessed.  “I just want to say that I'm sorry.”  OMM-340 was confused for a moment.  “Sorry? For what?”  “For what is happening now. All you wanted was to peacefully coexist but pulled you and ourselves in a war.”  OMM-340 was stunned. He thought she hated him just because he was part of a military. But seeing her say things that he wouldn’t have expected her to say surprised him.  “Well, that is true. The General didn’t want your kind to be involved in the war against the Empire and just wanted permission to build droid factories.”  Twilight turned her head   “Although when we said no, he didn’t listen and decided to do it anyway. You guys really need to learn about what ponies want and not try to make them go against you.”  “Is that a threat?” he asked  Twilight eyes widened and lifted her hoofs up shaking them side to side.  “No! No! No! Not a threat at all just...ugh never mind. I just when a little overboard.”  “A little.” he said   “Oh! You're making me frustrated!”  “Sorry.” he replied  Twilight sighed.  “As I was saying. It was our fault. All we wanted was peace, but we pulled ourselves into something we didn’t want. We were blinded from what made us special and we got more violent thinking it wasn’t like that.”  She was starting to shed tears.  “All I wanted was to keep my home and my friends safe, but now my home is no longer safe, and my friends are hurt from the fighting. My brother even died just trying to save Cadence. I can’t lose anypony else! But no matter how hard I try I know that everything the happened to me was all because we started it!”  Twilight then broke out into quiet crying. She fell onto the cold iron floor of the ship with her hoofs pulling down her head trying to hide herself the best way she could. OMM-340 didn’t know what to do. He was never programmed for this situation, but seeing her crying was something he really didn’t want to see let alone if other droids saw him, he could be considered incompetent. He had to at least try to get her spirits up somehow.  “Well at least you're not like me.”   Twilight paused her crying but still sniffled  “Huh?”  “You’ wouldn’t like how much I must go through. I had to deal with clone troopers at the front lines all the time during the clone wars. I usually have to command my troops to fight them, but I need to join the battle as well since they need me for further orders. I like battling but it doesn’t want to be on the front lines every time. Something like pirates would be great.”  Twilight looked at him with a confused look.  “All I'm saying is that you should be lucky that you live a normal life. Even at the worst of times.”  She smiled as she got back on her feet.  “You know. Even if you’re a droid you’re the first one that did its best to make somepony feel better. That special about you.”  It was that word again. OMM-340 felt good again. Maybe even during another war he can still feel special.  “Thank you, Ma’am.”  “Oh, now you start calling me that.” she smiled cheekily.  “Didn’t I always call you that?”  “Not before.”  Twilight wiped her eyes  “I also should apologize about locking you in a cage.”  “That was understandable for you lock me in a cage.” he reassured her.  They would have kept talking if they hadn’t heard the noise of a falling crate behind them.  They both turn to see who was behind them with OMM-340 lifting up his blaster. It was the same Gonk droid that Twilight saw before.  “Oh! hi there!” Twilight waved her hoof  “Gonk!” the droid replied  It tried to get up but couldn’t because of its weight.  “Let me help you.”  Twilight when over to the droid a used her magic to lift the droid back onto its feet  “There you go.” She smiled  “Gonk.” the droid nodded  “Twilight, we need to go.” OMM-340 told her  “Ok I'm coming.”  She followed him once more, but they didn’t walk for along once they knew the Gonk droid was following them  “Hey you. Go back to work.” OMM-340 told the droid, but it didn’t move.  “Wait. I think he just wants to come with us.” twilight told him  “Well, he can’t. He has his own tasks to do.”  “Come on. Just give him a chance, please.”  “No.”  “Pleaseeeeeee.” she begged  “No. What you're doing won’t work.”  “I gave you a second chance, why can’t you give this droid a chance.”  He didn’t want to agree with Twilight at all, but he needed to start her training and he couldn’t do this all day without risking himself getting demoded for slacking.  “Fine. He can come along.” he said disspointly.  Twilight smiled happily and the Gonk droid said the only word it knew in a happy tone.  “I think he’s thanking you.” she told him  He ignored what Twilight said and turned to walk back down the hall  “Let’s go.” he told both of them with his back towards them.  Twilight turned to the Gonk droid.  “Give him some time. Maybe one day you two will get along. Now come on.” Twilight told the droid.  The Gonk droid eagerly followed her as both of them followed OMM-340.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  When they finally got to an elevator Twilight looked at it with confusion at first not knowing what an elevator is.   “Come on Twilight in here.” OMM-340 pointed to the elevator.  “In there, but it’s a dead end.” she told him  “You don’t know what an elevator is?”  “No...”  OMM-340 would have sighed if he could.  “Come along you’ll see for yourself.”  “Gonk” the droid tried to say something, but she couldn’t understand  They both when onto the elevator along with the Gonk droid. OMM-340 when to press a button on the elevator and its doors close.  Twilight then felt a small shift in the elevator. She didn’t know what was happening but didn’t question since she got her answer as soon as the doors opened.  They were in an entirely different place, but it looked similar to the bridge she was on before but higher up.   “Are we on a different bridge?” she asked OMM-340   “Yes, we are. This ship has 2 of them, so this will be a good place to start.”  “Gonk!” The Gonk droid said in reply  Twilight looked at her surroundings and saw all the B1’s looking at her, but these ones have a blue chest unlike the red ones she saw on her way here.  “Is that the pony that invaded the ship?” one asked  “I think so?” another replied  “Quiet you 2” OMM-340 told them “She did not invade this ship she simply got onboard our ship.”  “She is now learning to become a general from the request general Kraken. I'm going to train her to be one So, listen to her orders”   The Droids were confused but they didn’t question just like they were programmed to do.  OMM-340 then turn to look down at Twilight  “Alright Twilight the first thing to learn about becoming a commander is to command your troops with the task at hand. Right now, I want you to command one of those piolet droids to active a scan of the area. All ships need to have them on at all times to check for enemy ships.”  He then turned his head over to one of the piolets.  “You turn off the radar for a moment.”  “Roger. Roger sir” the droid replied before turning off the radar  He turned back to her.  “Ok. Now your turn. Just tell that droid to turn it back on.”  Twilight looked confused.  “That’s it?”  “Yes. Will get to more difficult stuff after.”  “Umm...Ok then”   She then turned to the piolet  “Piolet. Turn on the radar.”  “Yes...Ma’am?”  The droid then turned to Twilight   “Sorry sir but should I call you ma’am?  Twilight looked at the droid with surprise.  “I’m a mare, but you can just call me twilight”  “Yes sir Twilight.” the droid replied before turning the radar back on. she would have question why they still call her sir, but she let it side for now. Twilight looked back at OMM-340  “That was easy enough. Why do we need to do something like this if it is just commanding somepony to do something you tell them to do.”  He looked that her with his blank stare  “Well, this is only the start. We will go through more difficult training soon enough.”  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For the past 2 hours OMM-340 trained Twilight all the things she needed to know about being a commander. She already knew how to lead others, but he taught her how to do battle strategies. She had trouble, but she got the hang of it and learned different ways to attack an enemy. And all this time she was eager to learn.  “Good job Twilight.” He told her impressed by how much she learned from him.  She turned to him smiling.  “Thanks. My brother may have shown me some stuff before, but you make it look much easier. Even if it took pretty long.”  “For an organic you showed that you’re a faster learn than most others.” OMM-340 complemented.  “Aw. Thanks. I knew you were good on the inside.”  Even if he was a droid, he could understand complements and he never got many, so it was nice to hear from time to time.  “Well, we have only started with one of the main things to know about being a commander, you already have good leadership and now you know simple battle strategies, next you need to learn from what I know is military culture and physical training.”  Before Twilight could answer a beeping sound came from the side of OMM-340 head.  “Hold your though.” He told her before turning on his com.   “Yes sir?” he replied.  Twilight wasn’t sure what he was doing, but then remembered that he said something about a radio to contact his commander before.  “Gonk”  “Hold on just wait. He'll be done soon.” she told her droid friend  “Roger, Roger sir.” he finished as he turned off his com  “We need to head up to the bridge. Kraken has an assignment for you.”  Twilight was surprised by this.  “Now? But don’t I still need more training?”  “Well, we will need to pause for now. He could be expecting you to be ready.”  Twilight did feel a little worried, but she reminded herself that if she failed her plan equestria’s fate would be certain.   “Alright then let's go.