The thing is E=mc^2 is the energy at rest, there is a more general equation for objects in motion

Not really, c^2 has the unit of velocity squared, not acceleration:

[c^2] = [(v^2/t^2)] != [(v/t^2)] = [a]

We can also choose natural units where c==1, which leads directly to e==m

I took "accelerated" to mean at a certain speed, like in the sentence "we accelerated to 1 meter per second," not acceleration itself.

Still wrong. It’s a constant here that plays a role in the relation between mass and energy. That’s all. the speed of light is always the same. The mass was not accelerated to it.

No, e=mc^2 is the equation for something at rest. The full equation involves the momentum as well, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy%E2%80%93momentum_relati...

It's why I said "broadly what the equation shows." It's hard to tell at rest, but it is still technically including the momentum.

Ok I understand now what you mean and agree with your point. I guess I over simplified my take.