"Alright, you misguided coat hanger ninjas! Today, you will be facing the hardest training session you've ever faced! I don't wanna hear no whining, whimpering, sobbing, or bickering! Tell me, do ANY of you cadidiots know what I DO like to hear?"
"NO SIR!"
"Hah, just as I expected. I want to hear you scream..." Sparkplug slowly walked down the line of stallions. "I want to hear you groan in pain." He then stopped in front of an orange earth pony and eyed him down. "I want to hear your grunts when I whip all your sorry flanks from the wimps that you are, to real stallions. YOU HEAR ME?"
"YES SIR!"
Spark walked to the end of the line, then glared at the stallions. "What the hell are you still doing here? GO!" He stomped a hoof, and the entire line of recruits took off down the dirt path, galloping as fast as their hooves could take them. The start was a little shaky, but Thunderblast managed to pick up the pace and stay ahead of the others, but not any more than a few feet. He was used to the training he had back in Canterlot with the Royal Guard, which easy to say was an equal challenge to military basic training when it came to running. Though, he had to admit he was slightly out of shape and hadn't actually run on a path in a little while, that being at least a year, and was used to flying more than running. Which for him, meant he needed to start working out more often, and this was the perfect opportunity. As he galloped down the wooded path, he was suddenly tripped by a light grey blur. He tried to open his wings to catch himself, but was shocked to find he couldn't, and he tumbled face first into a tree. He slowly peeled his muzzle off of the hard bark, then quickly stood and began galloping on the path, now behind the rest of the stallions. He heard loud chuckling from up ahead, and found it to be none other than Flashpoint's laugh. Thunder growled, and galloped faster, weaving around the others, eventually getting neck and neck with Flash.
"I see you didn't have anything better than to trip me!" Thunder grit his teeth in anger, wanting to trip him in revenge.
"Of course not! Why would I let you have the lead?"
"This isn't a race you racist donkey!"
Flashpoint's blood boiled, and he then moved over, bumping Thunder again but not enough to knock him down again. Thunder growled and bumped the earth pony back, almost shoving him into a tree from having a slightly harder body than his rival's.
"Ow, jerk!" Flash glared at Thunderblast, now slightly behind.
"The lieutenant says no crying!" Thunder chuckled and kept his pace.
"Oh you little...COME HERE!" Flash put all of his energy into his hooves, then attempted to tackle Thunder. He noticed Flash lunging at him, and quickly shifted to his right, allowing the earth pony to literally fly over his back and slam face first into a tree.
"Ha, payback!"
Flash slowly pulled back from the tree, dazed and confused. He shook his head and shouted. "NO FAIR!"
With Flashpoint now far behind, Thunder slowed his pace a bit, staying just ahead of the other ponies as they rounded a few long corners, eventually coming back around to where they started.
"HAAAAALT!" The drill sergeant shouted, followed by the group sliding to a stop at the finish line. Three or four of the ponies either collapsed or passed out, while Thunderblast remained standing, as well as Skillshot and two others, all slowly catching their breath. Moments later, Flashpoint galloped in, almost bumping into Thunder again. He slid past Thunder and Skill, rolling onto his back and coming to a stop at Spark's hooves.
"On your damn hooves, Private!"
"Y-yes sir!" Flashpoint scrambled to his hooves, standing at attention when he finished. Spark kept a straight face as he walked past the grey stallion, and slowly approached Thunderblast.
"I see you managed to finish first. I guess that is expected from somepony who's done track before, am I right?"
"Yes sir." Thunder panted slightly, standing on all four hooves.
"Sir, Thunder was bumping me and shoved me into a tree!" Flash spoke up, then grinning at Thunder, who glared back.
Spark turned to Thunderblast and glared deeply. "Is that true?"
"No sir. He was-"
"Why the hell were you bumping the private, recruit!?"
"I-I wasn't! He-"
"DO YOU NOT HAVE ANY RESPECT FOR YOUR FELLOW SOLDIERS, FEATHERBRAIN?"
Thunderblast stayed silent for a moment. "Permission to speak sir."
"Granted!"
"He tripped me moments after we began running, sir. Then he tried bumping me off the track numerous times."
Sparkplug continued to glare at Thunderblast. "I refuse to believe a story coming from a lightheaded pegasus."
"Wh...is everypony racist here? What the hell did I ever do to you?" Thunder huffed and stuck a hoof out, glaring back.
"Restrain yourself recruit! Keep this up, and I'll see to it that your wings are ripped out of their sockets!" The drill sergeant stepped between Thunder and Sparkplug, glaring deeply into his eyes.
Thunder recoiled back, dropping his glare for the most part. "Yes sir."
"And for that...ten laps around the track. GO!"
Thunderblast turned to Flash and glared, showing his teeth in anger. Flash chuckled. "Have fun!"
"Screw you." Thunder then began galloping down the path once more. Sparkplug then shook his head as he watched the grey pegasus gallop away, down the long dirt path.
"I can't tell you how much I have a grudge on pegasuses."
"Pegasi, sir." The drill sergeant said.
"Yes, whatever."
Some time later, Thunderblast completed the last lap he was forced to do. His muscles ached, and his hooves felt like jelly about to collapse out from under him. When he was sure nobody was looking, he slowly laid down in the dirt to catch his breath, which took longer than he had hoped, and soon the drill sergeant was standing above him.
"Stupid pegasus. On your hooves!"
Thunder mentally whimpered as he stood weakly, snapping his hooves together as he did. He tried his best not to tremble from being weak, and the drill sergeant pretended he didn't notice.
"You're lucky it is chow time. Now get your flank over to the mess hall!"
"Yes sir." Thunder hesitantly said. He was weak, and for some reason, eating was the last thing he wanted to do. When he reached the mess hall, the sun was at it's peak in the sky, meaning he had spent at least five hours on the track. He walked inside and grabbed a tray, being one of the last ones to get food. The base chef then piled his tray with roasted carrots, broccoli, a side of corn and mashed potatoes, and a bit of diced manticore meat. It was more than what he expected, and he hoped Flashpoint wouldn't try and ruin his lunch as well. Lucky for him, he found an empty spot almost in the middle of the mess hall, with Flash nowhere in sight. He sat at the table, and began eating. To his surprise, the food actually wasn't raw, like he also expected. As he ate, he soon found himself to be hungry, and ended up eating faster than the others, and finishing quickly, while drinking a small carton of milk he received as well. Afterwards, he found his energy slowly returning to him, and he was no longer shaking. He never thought he'd say it, but he could actually go for more running. Thunder picked up his tray, and returned it to the kitchen to be cleaned, and he walked out of the mess hall, feeling better than earlier. He looked around, eventually spotting Sparkplug lecturing one stallion over something he didn't care to know about, and wanted to ask what he was to do next. Instead, he decided to head over to the shooting range. When he arrived, he found recruits start out with bow and arrows, then eventually work up to pistols, and then rifles and shotguns. Thunderblast collected a training bow, as well as a few arrows which were sitting in a simple brown leather bag. He set it down next to the small wall, which he could lean on to aim better. He wasn't used to using a bow, having not touched one for a long time, but he still knew the basics. He pulled out an arrow, stuck it into the bow, and pulled the string back, about to fire.
"Hey Thunder!"
Thunder jumped a little and released the string. The arrow darted past the target entirely, and Thunder turned around, on the verge of exploding with anger. "What's the deal! Can't you see I'm..." Skillshot recoiled back. "Oh, sorry. I thought you were someone else. What's up?"
"Just going to test my practice." Skillshot said, a jet black rifle slung over his shoulder with a hoof on it. "Starting out with the ol' bow and arrow, eh Thunder?"
"Oh, yup. I haven't touched one in years. I think I've got the hang of it though." Thunderblast turned back around, pulling out another arrow and sticking it against the string and pulling back. This time, Skill stayed quiet and watched. Thunder then released the string, and the arrow flew forward at high speeds, striking one of the outer rings of the target. "Hmm, improvement."
"Ah, don't worry. You'll get closer to the middle before you know it."
"I dunno about that, but thanks." Thunder turned to Skill and smiled, then returned his attention to the target. He pulled out his third arrow and prepared the bow.
"So, I heard you got in trouble with Flash earlier."
"Mmhmm." Thunder pulled the string back, reaching it's maximum length and preparing to release.
"May I ask what happened?"
Thunder didn't immediately reply, but instead released the string. The arrow flew forward, striking the outside of the middle circle on the target, almost in dead center. Skill's jaw dropped slightly, and Thunder turned around. "Damn Flash framed me. I'm really sick of him. Why does he hate me so much?"
"Well...he doesn't like pegasi in general. He's rude when it comes to them. But then again, he's rude when it comes to unicorns as well. He thinks earth ponies are the superior race."
"Pfft, everybody knows pegasus ponies are." "Huh, I wonder why."
Skillshot shrugged. "He never talks about it, he just does it."