0800 Hrs. Hornet.
Against what would have been their better judgement the three original Sand Island ponies decided to give Thunderhead another chance. They found him in Hornet sleeping underneath a tree.
"Thunderhead get up."
"What are you four doing here?"
"You wanted a second chance? We're here to give it to you."
"Really?"
"Yes, and just remember who we work for."
"Yea, someone who values our lives as if we are worth our weight in gold." Thunderhead said as he was standing up.
"Yea, so don't mess up. Come with us. We're going to the beaches."
"Alright, but why track me down first?" Thunderhead asked.
"Like you said, we need an AWACS." Blaze said as he lead the formation off to the crowded beach.
 
0927 Hrs. Beaches of Hornet, Day of Recruitment
Hornet's beaches were truly lined with ponies both waiting to join and catch a glimpse of the both elusive and elite Sand Island squadron. The Normandie squadron of Rafales were definitely trying to push the others out of the area, didn't help that a lone F-22 and seven Su-37s were keeping them at bay.
"You get out of here Ribbon, and take Yellow with ya!"
"You're not going to get rid of us that easily Squall, your squadron wants a slot, and so do we."
"Aquila, how nice of you to step away from Yellow, if even for a moment."
"Squall, you know I prefer 13."
"And I'm going to guess Ribbon prefers Mobius?"
"I can care less what you call him. I'd just watch your back, he's another one of those strong silent types. Ya know, who won't tell you when you've pissed them off?" 13 said half hiding his mouth from Mobius' sight.
"Hey Squall, they've been sighted! There's a fifth with them."
"So they do have an AWACS."
"Huh?"
"Almost every effective squadron has an AWACS to monitor the radar for the fighters you dolt."
"Then why don't we?"
"Because we can't afford to have one." Squall said as he turned to address a subordinate.
While Squall was yelling at his own squadron, the others swarmed back to the beaches
"Well would you look at that, there they are. Maybe you can buddy up with Blaze, that is if ya can get him to talk to you."
"Not very funny 13."
"Just thinking those who say few words stick together. Ya know, out of the common factor that ya don't need to talk to get your point across. Right Mobius?" 13 said only to get frowned at.
"My point exactly"
"Thirteen we should probably take our spot on the beach so they notice us."
"Four, we don't need to worry about that. They'll notice us for just being here. Ain't that right Mobius? Hey where'd he go?"
"Probably to the gap he's just created on the beach between Normandie and the Wolves" Four said as she went back to the rest of Yellow who was taking places on the beach.
 
"Whoa, there's a huge turn out."
"Heh, weren't expecting this were you Archer?"
"No, I mean I thought we'd pull maybe three or four squadrons at best, but this..... this is insane!" Archer said while Thunderhead chuckled a little, obviously having seen the turnout before they got here.
"Well, lets go and make our picks shall we?"
"Right."
"Just follow our lead." Edge said as Blaze began their walk down the line of ponies standing at attention waiting for an invitation.
As they walked the line, there were old fighters, and when Blaze questioned why they were there, the very slow spread news of Patches being your mother finally reached them.
"I guess we do need you. You seem to be a composite squadron."
"Ve come from Avalon's Shadow, Patches' friends, ve vish to be official guards."
"Very well then, you'll come with us for a day, then you're going right back to Avalon's Shadow, you're needed more there than you are with us."
"Ja." the Fw 190 said as the squadron of AM6s, P 40s, P 38s, P 51s, Bf 109s and Fw 190s smiled at the fact that they got to keep their unofficial job.
A little while later, after accepting the composite prop squadron, F-4s, the three MiG-31s that helped before, they got up to another F-14 squadron.
"Wolves." Blaze said as they walked up to the next squadron.
"Well, if it isn't the Sand Island squadron. Heard you could use a little help."
"We'll send a messenger Bishop."
"Not going to work like that Blaze, we didn't come all this way to be told to wait for a messenger."
"I'll give it some though Bishop. I'll let you know before we leave."
"Right, just remember to come back and tell us this time. Not too happy about the last time you said you'd stop by." Bishop said as Blaze only shook his head and walked off.
Next group, Normandie squadron. A squadron just as if not more abrasive than the Wolves.
"Well hello there Edge, seems the rumors are true, you're looking for some more ponies to join that elite little club of yours."
"You're more off putting than Snow when he's hitting on me."
"Hey, it's not me, I'm just here to see if the rumors are true, and it looks like they are. You've got some old ponies in tow. Why don't ya freshen things up a little?" Squall said as Blaze looked over at Mobius and nodded.
"What! You're picking up the Ribbon?"
"You said they needed a younger crowd Squall, you afraid Yellow is going to get picked over Normandie?"
"Fuck off 13!"
"Well? What's the pick Sand Island?" 13 asked with a smile and his squadron standing behind him.
"Blaze?"
"Both."
"What?" three ponies asked in unison.
"Could be entertaining watching Normandie and Yellow butt heads." Blaze said with a smile.
"These are all the ponies we require, considering we have to train them in etiquette and proper procedure around Rex. Thank you, but we've made our choices. Hope you all enjoy your day. Follow us." Blaze said as everyone either dispersed or followed the squadron to the runway as they took off for home, Sand Island, their namesake.
1426 Hrs. Sand Island.
"Alright listen up. This is OUR home, right now, you're just guests in our home. Until you earn a spot here, you do what we say when we say it. It won't be often when Blaze says something so if he does, you better do it."
"Thank you Snow for that lovely introduction. Like he said, try and keep the Island clean, we aren't your maids, and the pony we work for will be expecting you to follow our orders. You'll be receiving them through Archer, Snow or myself. We'll be working on your teamwork abilities, which means those of you who are already arguing with each other better learn to stop. We aren't going to tolerate behavior that's going to get any of us hurt. As you all know Rex doesn't like the idea of us going down, so we won't." Edge said as the crowd of ponies sat silently waiting for more instructions on what to do
"You recruits are on your own for dinner tonight, there are supplies in H-57, disperse and find your hangars. H-1 through H-3 are already taken, now go do what you want. Lights out at 2100 hrs." Edge said as she walked away, there was a call they needed to make.
"Thunderhead, make a call to Echo, tell her that we need Rex out here sometime this week so he can see who's part of the guard now."
"I'll get on it. Might take him some time to find the time to get away from diplomatic duties or his original maintenance job, which I hear is actually rebounding quite well after his accident."
"Just tell him sometime this week." Edge said as she walked off to find Blaze and Mobius standing in near silence before one of them breaks out laughing.
"What'd I miss?"
"Nothin"
"Then why are you laughing?"
"Mobius was telling me a joke"
"Really? I didn't hear anything" Edge said as both Blaze and Mobius shrugged
"Oh, he's joining us for dinner."
"Of course he is."
"What?"
"When did you ask him?"
"Twenty minutes ago" Blaze said as Edge looked on in frustration, apparently there's some sort of secret nonspoken language that these silent ponies have
"Fine but you two are cooking."
"Fine."
"I'll be on the beach." Edge said as she went off to the beaches, both Blaze and Mobius look to her then to each other and shrug, couldn't figure out what was up with her.
 
1500 Hrs. Archer's hangar.
Poor guy was surrounded by what mares were recruited, almost all of them asking what Morgan is like and if the rumors surrounding here were true or not.
So there was many a rumor broken and the rest were unconfirmed due to Archer not knowing if Morgan could do those things or not.
"Well, she's actually really nice, I mean she's not aggressive in any way." Archer said as his eyes were darting over the crowd of mares outside of his hangar. It didn't help that he knew Morgan the best, and was probably the more likable bachelor of the Sand Island ponies. The fact that he was single definitely didn't help. Though when Snow walked up, that broke the crowd.
"Well hello ladies, how are you all doing tonight?" Snow said approaching them while they were dispersing.
"Thanks Snow, I owe you one."
"For what? They're runnin away!"
"I know, maybe you should be so abrasive to them."
"Eh, I'll get to it when I get there."
"Sooner would be better for them and us."
"Whatever. I heard Edge called for Rex earlier." Snow said as they watched the mares run off to their squadron hangars.
Archer looked at Snow with a bit of confusion.
"Why would she call him out here?"
"Beats me, maybe she just wants to put the fear of disappointing him into them. Hell I don't know."
"You don't think that we'll have to keep up with him. Do you?"
"Archer, we can keep up with him as long as he's going in a straight line, not turning very much, anything else, and he's got us."
"Yea, that's what I meant. And what I'm worried about."
"If it comes down to it, I think Yellow and Mobius are gonna give the guy a run for his bits. That is if it ever happens." Snow said as they looked out over the water.
"I just hope that whatever happens, it doesn't end badly."
"Agreed. Last thing we want is blood on our island."
"Yea. Hey isn't that Edge?" Archer asked as he pointed off into the distance, only to get a shrug from Snow
 
1600 Hrs. Edge's walk down the beaches.
She was alone until she passed Archer's hangar when another two sets of hooves approached her from behind.
"So, what are you doing out here all by yourself?"
"Oh, hello Yellow. I'm just out trying to clear my head."
"Of what might I ask?"
"Having so many recruits around. The fact that you're not young and impressionable, we're hard pressed as it is to get all of you into somewhat of a functional guard unit. Who's your friend?" Edge asked as she looked to Four.
"Oh her? It's just Yellow Four. You know I'm 13 right?"
"Yea, she always follow you around?"
"More than you'd ever believe." Thirteen said as he was interrupted by Four.
"Hey! I don't always follow you around."
"But you've always got your eye on me in one way or another Four."
"Whatever Thirteen at least you made friends with your greatest challenger."
"Yea, turns out Mobius was just looking for the same thing. Both of us couldn't do the other in. Kinda ironic if ya ask me." Thirteen said with a smile of accomplishment, remembering the feat of being singled out by Mobius and forced to the ground, all the while Mobius was being chased by Four and the rest of Yellow
"Crazy times we used to live in. Right Edge?"
"Yea, they were something."
"I didn't stir up anything upsetting did I?"
"No, just brought back some of the happier memories I have." Edge said as Thirteen smiled.
"I'll let you be, it looks like you need to be somewhere." Thirteen said as Edge went back to her hangar.
"Well, that was interesting 13."
"Yea, it was. She's up to something 4, I don't know what yet, but there's something brewing."
"Good or bad?"
"I don't know yet. I thought Mobius was hard to read, these ponies are making it decidedly more difficult." 13 said as he looked out over the ocean.
 
1800 Hrs. Blaze and Edge's hangar
"Wow, you two did cook."
"Mobius did."
"So one of you can cook. Do you mind sharing that trait with him?"
"It doesn't work that way." Blaze said as they were waiting her presence to begin eating.
"You know, for once I'd like a dinner where it's more than just me talking."
"Then invite Yellow 4."
"You mean 13?"
"No just 4."
"Yea, I'd have to pry her away from 13. He can't go anywhere without her following him." Edge said as Blaze shrugged and Mobius was chuckling silence.
'Mobius?"
"13 and 4 unspoken couple. 13 cannot go anywhere without 4 following. Believe best way to describe is 13 does not want relationship, where as 4 does." Mobius said as he sat to think. Well it was something Edge could do, somehow talk 4 into coming over to have lunch or something, but then again, that may be showing favoritism amongst the nuggets.
0800 Hrs. Sand Island Runway.
"Alright recruits, this is your first day as our trainees. So listen up!" Snow said as he stood before the others.
"We'll be breaking you into three groups, one group with me, the others with Archer and Edge. Blaze will be grading. This is not a mock fight, but formation work. You're all here because you already know how to fight. If we have to teach you we're wasting our time." Snow said as some of the recruits laughed.
"Here's your assignments. Normandie, and Yellow, you're with me. You Phantoms and Wolves, you're with Archer, try and play nice Wolves. MiGs and Mobius you're with Edge. Any questions?"
"Yes, vhere vere ve supposed to go?"
"You old guys are supposed to be heading out to Avalon's Shadow. You know to watch Patches?"
"Yes, but ve have not passed ze recruitment phase."
"Stay if you want, you are on your own." Snow said with a shrug as he went off to Yellow and Normandie to find the two squadrons bickering relentlessly.
"Oh great we're paired up with Yellow."
"Damn, you idiots complain as much as Wolves do."
"Who are you calling idiots?"
"The other six in front of me you idiot. I certainly wasn't calling Snow an idiot." Thirteen said as Snow silently stood there waiting for them to stop or find the opportunity to interrupt.
"Well, you are actually supposed to be working with eachother, not trying to kill one another, and I think Yellow would win that one."
"What? Snow! This isn't fair!"
"The point of this exercise is to get you to work together, if you can't then feel free to take your leave now." Snow said as Squall fidgeted about thinking of what to do.
"That's what I thought Squall, Thirteen, I'm leading. Shouldn't be too difficult for you all to keep up with me. Yellow can out maneuver me, and I think you might be able to if you put your minds to it Normandie, but we're not doing evasive practice, we're here to do formation work." Snow said as Thirteen just smiled where as Squall had a frown on his face the entire time.
 
0812 Hrs. Archer's bundle of hell.
The Phantoms and Wolves got along just fine, but the Wolves had a few issues with taking orders from Archer.
"And why do we have to listen to you?"
"Because that's just how things are going to work here ok?"
"I don't believe this. Taking orders from a timid fighter."
"Hey! At least I can fight!" Archer said doing his best to hold his ground
"Leave the guy alone Bishop. Nothing good's going to come of it"
"Fuck off Brick"
"Bishop, if you want to be a lead so badly, go and take this up with the entirety of Sand Island, don't just pick on one of them." Brick said trying to ease the tensions.
"He's right you know. I got your back Archer, Snow sent me to keep an eye on Bishop."
"You two timing fuck!"
"Hey, I owe them more than I owe you, besides, I've got much more to fear from them than you Bishop. You're lucky I managed to convince Blaze into letting you even try. I suggest you do as Archer says, or Blaze will kick you out the first chance he gets. I do mean the entirety of Wolves." Thunderhead said with a smile Bishop went dead silent, and Archer was a little upset in what he just heard.
"Oh, and Edge told me to tell ya Archer, Rex is coming out sometime this week. Ain't that something?"
"Yea, it is." Archer said with a slight smile
"He's coming here?"
"Well, Edge wouldn't tell me why she wanted him out here."
"Shit."
"Well, looks like he's still capable of putting the fear of Celestia into you all." Thunderhead said with a slight laugh.
 
0815 Hrs. Edge's little bundle
"Well, this shouldn't be too difficult."
"Da, is just flying formation?"
"Yes Korolev, we're just doing formation work."
"Feel bad for others. They got bad teams."
"No, it was so they could learn team work. That and so I wouldn't be hit on by the Wolves or Normandie squadrons." Edge said revealing that much to her group
The group Edge had just stared at her for a few seconds before she spoke up.
"Look, you four already know how to work together, you three MiGs worked with us, and Mobius well, he and Blaze get along rather well so there's a plus. The sooner everyone else learns to get along, the better, we all can't have our own agendas for being here. Rex won't allow us to slip up. I mean when we destroyed that satellite Korolev, we couldn't fail him could we?"
"Da, but he fly backup in case we not destroy it."
"Still, we destroyed it before he did. Which proved to him that we were willing to step up and take the responsibility for our home's defenses. I just don't want us to fail him."
"We won't. As long as do our best." Korolev said getting a slight smile from Edge.
"Great, so let's get started shall we?"
"Da."
"Oh, look, Snow's group is up. Looks like Yellow isn't having any issues flying with him. Though Normandie doesn't seem to like that mixed formation. I just hope that Wolves aren't giving Archer too much of a problem." Edge said as she was thinking aloud and staring up at the sky.
"Thinking aloud?"
"Huh?"
"Wondering about Archer."
"Oh, I guess I was. Sorry, alright let's go and try and stay in formation." Edge said as Mobius broke her concentration and got her moving towards the runway.
 
0826 Hrs. Archer's group.
"Come on just cooperate with me. Let the Phantoms mix in with your regular formation Bishop, it shouldn't be this difficult to make a single formation. We haven't even gotten off the ground yet."
"Not my fault Archer, us Wolves, we fly as a pack, and there's nothing that's going to break it up."
"Bishop it's going to have to be broken up, because we can't fly like that and you know it. Stop demanding things like a foal." Archer said upsetting Bishop.
"I am not acting like a foal!"
"Well, it seems like it, want to make it different? Shut up and let me make the mixed formation that we need to." Archer said getting irked
Bishop stood there thinking trying to figure out what he could do where as his squadron was starting to question why he was arguing like a child with Archer.
"Permission to speak sir?"
"Granted."
"We're going to listen to Archer, if you're still going to be a pain in the ass, you can leave."
"I fucking hate you." Bishop said as he was fuming.
"Hey, if they're going to ditch you Bishop, you can go home. This is where you'll get cut."
"Fuck."
"Your choice Bishop. It's mixed formation, so either join in or go home."
"Fine." Bishop said as he begrudgingly took trail position.
0836 Hrs. Runway.
Archer's group met up with Edge's group as they were looking up at Snow's group flying above.
"Hey, how'd you get the Wolves to behave?"
"Oh, they're pulling a little mutiny towards Bishop. Check the pouting idiot in the back."
"Wow, they did threaten to leave him behind."
"Yea, helps some of the headache he's caused." Archer said as there was another pony flying over. Orion, a P-3, was flying over. Due to his sub hunting job, he knows where Sand Island is, and well it looks like he dropped a canister.
"I hope he didn't drop a sonobuoy."
"Why?"
"He missed, it's on the other side of the runway."
"Maybe it's a message for somepony." Edge said causing Mobius to streak over to it and retrieve the buoy.
"What is it?" Archer asked as Mobius was staring at a piece of paper.
"Raptor." Mobius said as he just stared at it.
"Who?"
"Younger sister."
"That's not helping here Mobius, ya need to say more than just two words."
"Younger sister that alienated our brother because she's hopeless."
"Oh, the F-22 in Avalon's Shadow that's hooked up with a YF-23." Edge said getting Mobius' full attention and a look and vibe of what the hell.
"So what is that thing anyways?"
"Invitation to reunion. Two weeks from now."
"Oh, well, that should be enough time, I'm sure you can take the time off to go to it."
"Right."
"Oh go and talk to your family, even if you're just there for an hour." Archer said as he was met with a blank stare from Mobius
"Or not. Your choice." Archer said as he backed up a little bit.
"What about the training?"
"It's all teamwork training, we picked you for your abilities already. If you didn't already know how to fight, we would not have asked you to come here."
"That it?"
"Yea, so it shouldn't take too long, then we all get to take turns guarding the royal family as boring as that is, hardly anypony comes out here trying to compete against him." Edge said getting a little carried away.
"Then why get all of us?"
"Because it's easy, but with just four on rotation all the time, it's exhausting, we hardly get any rest, and being here is the most rest we've had in a long time Bishop. Unless your squadron is volunteering to take over while we rest, we need to get as many ponies in the guard as we can that are competent so we can take an adequate amount of rest, and patrol our borders when we need to."
"Oh, so there is more to why we're here other than you four are getting lazy."
"Don't push your luck Bishop, if your squadron is already threatening to leave you... I'd think twice about back talking to us." Edge said getting Bishop to shut his mouth yet again.
 
On a completely unrelated note, over in Avalon's Shadow, a completely unrelated pony to both Lightning and Raptor delivered their invitations, as Orion would have delivered Lightning's but since the Lockheed Martin family is still very upset at the fact that Raptor kicked him out of her home, well, he didn't want to even be in the same airspace as Raptor unless it was the family meet up.
 
0930 VTOL hangar.
"Hey there's an invitation to a family reunion."
"Who's?"
"Mine Sasha, looks like the entire Lockheed family is coming out to Avalon's Shadow."
"Is good no?"
"Yea, I can talk to mom, provided she's not too busy giving Raptor an earful of yelling."
"Thinkings it will be fine."
"I hope so, I want you to come too."
"Why?"
"What I can't introduce my wife to my parents?"
"Fine, but what of child?" Sasha asked as she looked at her belly.
Lightning just smiled and pulled Sasha close.
"Well, they'd find out sooner or later wouldn't they?"
"Da."
"So why worry about it?"
"Because of what they thinks, I a little older than you."
"So? You really think that matters?" Lightning asked getting a smile out of Sasha.
"That's what I thought." Lightning said as he kissed her.
 
0933 Hrs. Raptor's hangar
"Hey Raptor, there's an invitation for you."
"An invitation to what?"
"Just says Lockheed family reunion, Avalon's Shadow, dated two weeks from today."
"Fuck me!"
"Ok."
"Nora, I'm being serious here, they've practically disowned me for kicking Lightning from my hangar." Raptor said as she turned to look at her friend who was joking a little.
"Oh come on it can't be that bad Raptor."
"My older brother's Mobius."
"You're potentially screwed."
"Oh, now you notice."
"Well you didn't say he was your brother."
"Well we don't talk much." Raptor said.
"That's kind of given. He doesn't talk much."
"Yea, so can you see the problem? He's probably thinking of what to say right now."
"Well, I don't know, but this may take your mind off of things, they have recruited some ponies into the Sand Island squadron. Turns out Rex is heading out there sometime this week too."
"Why?"
"The four that were here got really wore out so they need more bodies to add to the equation." Nora said effectively distracting Raptor from the recently brought up farce of family coming to town.
"Why would they need to have more ponies?"
"Because they've ran themselves to the edge. Every day they push their weary selves back into their job, they don't get enough rest and if it keeps up it's going to come out of their health, which we both know is not going to be good with Rex around."
"Yea, I know, kinda weird isn't it?"
"Yea, so this work?"
"Work for what?"
"To distract you?" Nora said as Raptor looked at her with a little bit of a quizzical look before remembering what she was talking about earlier.
 
Back at Sand Island, the split up groups are doing their best to fly in formations designated by their leads, which in each group but Edge's there's a few hiccups, even with Mobius distracted with the though of having to deal with his younger sister on his mind he's not falling out of formation or anything like that.
Back on the ground Blaze inquired what was wrong with his silent buddy.
"Mobius?"
"Raptor."
"Really? Sorry bro."
"She has it coming."
"Lockheed family pretty strict?"
"Very ridged." Mobius said as the two of them walked away from the rest of the ponies.
"So what's the plan?"
"Go to the family event. They'll be mad if I don't show, though there's the invitation to Raptor, she doesn't need to show up."
"A little harsh there Mobius."
"Is what she deserves for what she did to my little brother." Mobius said as the two of them stopped at the beach. Where they continued their conversation in semi silence.