//------------------------------//
// Training Accident 
// Story: The War That Killed us All 
// by ShadowBrony21 
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	The air was filled with soft grunting, hooves hitting the battered earth and clanging of armour and equipment. Some ponies were groaning with exhaustion, while others kept to themselves and pushed forwards, tugging their heavy kits. Each corporal lead their squads of ten in columns of two right behind each other while been overseen by a sergeant oberserving the whole line.
A pony fell towards the ground onto their knees, giving up to the heat of exhaustion. Those beside him rushed to his aid of helping him back up, and some offering to take some of his load.  The commotion attracted the attention of the whole line, and the movement grinded to a halt. The sergeant signalled to the other corporals to carry on forwards and marched quickly towards the exhausted pony as the other sections reorganised themselves.
"You guys! Stand back, he can stand by himself!" He ordered  the surrounding ponies.
The surrounding ponies, slowly and hesitantly took a couple steps back as the sergeant stepped right in front of the pony who had just fallen, as he struggled to stand back up with the weigh of his gear.
The sergeant looked at the pony and sighed, before simply stating. "Keep it all on, don't take any off," as the pony was about to drop his load off his back.
As the pony obeyed the commands and stood straight up, his legs were visibly shaking under the stress of the equipment.
"It takes up more energy to put your pack on and off than it is to keep it on," the commander spoke. "It is also easier to keep moving forwards than to keep stopping and going." 
The pony slowly nodded at the statement and acknowledged with a weak, "Yes, sergeant."
"There's only two more miles to mid-way," The sergeant said. "Come on. The sooner we get there, the sooner you can take it all off."
The ponies all just stared at the sergeant, before he looked at the corporal ahead of the group. 
"Whatcha waiting for? Form them up!"
The corporal quickly acknowledged and signalled for the group to line back up into their original formations as the pony picked up all his gear onto his legs and trudged forwards with the group.
"NOW GET A MOVE ON!!! YOU GUYS ARE QUITE FAR BEHIND!!!!!" The sergeant boomed as the ponies shuffled forwards, groaning as much as they had started the march with, continuing the sound of metal clanging and hooves stomping.

Eventually, the platoon arrived at the point together. The ponies were tired, exhausted and were extremely hot and sweaty under the Equestrian and their heavy kits and armour. Flash Sentry then ordered a construction of a camp in full armour and equipment, pushing many ponies to their breaking points. Those who weren't involved in building were on sentry duty, scouting out the surrounding lands while being taught field movements and practice under the weight of their kit. By mid afternoon, the camp was 50% constructed.
Rainbow Dash was leading her section through the edges of the Everfree on the south of the camp. She creped silently into the woods and then signalled her section to form an arrow-head formation, but only a few ponies immediately complied. The rest were delayed by slow reaction time.
"Not good enough!" she cried out to her squad. "By now, we should've been through that clearing! If this is the best you guys can do, then we are as useless as a shell-less turtle acting as live bait!"
The ponies groaned as they pushed onwards under the effect of exhaustion and the heat of the sun shining through the sparse leaves above.
"Crystal Frost! Get lower! Your white mane is like a beacon of light for the enemy!" Rainbow commanded, as a mare complied and ducked her head lower into the surrounding vegetation.
"Shadow Blade! Get up here! You're dragging us behind!" 
A black and grey stallion's head shot up from his cover he heard the command and ushered forwards into formation.
The ponies trudged through the forest as Rainbow kept giving orders around to exercise her section's mobility and stealth.
"Blue Lightning! You're too far away! Do you want to get shot first or what?!"
A blue stallion ducked down at his position and waited for his section to catch up.
Suddenly a crossbow bolt came flying through the trees and narrowly missed his head, impaling itself into the tree next to him.
"Get down!" Rainbow shouted as her whole section hit the dirt.
Some laughing was heard in front of the section, before some ponies, especially Rainbow Dash, slowly lifted their heads to look at the source of the sound, while others were still deep in the vegetation, attempting to look through the tall grass.
Then, a pony pulled back on his crossbow, loaded and aimed it before quickly shooting it at the source of the laughter, which was followed by a collection of screams.
"Snap Back! Get down! I did not tell you to fire!" Rainbow ordered strictly as the pony who shot reluctantly lowered him self down into the bushes.
The section stayed low in the bushes before a shout was heard. 
"CASAVACT! CASAVACT! CASAVACT! NO DUFF! NO DUFF! NO DUFF!"
"Stay down!" Rainbow Dash ordered as some ponies were about to raise their heads.
Rainbow sighed and said, "Silver Wing, stay here and make sure none of them does anything stupid." as she glared at Snap Back, who looked away with no emotion on his face.
"Corporal," Silver acknowledged before Rainbow crawled forwards to Blue lightning's position.
"What's going on?" Rainbow asked the blue stallion who was trying to peek through the tall grass without exposing himself.
"I'm not sure," Blue Lightning replied.
"Load your weapon," Rainbow ordered. "If anypony sees me and tries to shoot me, knock them dead."
"Corporal," the stallion acknowledged as he placed a bolt on the weapon and laid it in the tall grass.
Rainbow Dash crawled quickly behind the tree which the bolt impaled and stretched her metal wing out before pouncing, then swooping into the cover of the tree's leaves.
Peeking out, she could see a squad of ponies surrounding a stallion who had a crossbow bolt in his shoulder.
She sighed and said to her squadron, "Fall back, get to base." She turned her head towards Snap Back, who was emotionlessly looking at the vegetation, and sternly said, "Snap Back, you're coming with me."