A.N- Hello there! I just thought, before we begin, that I'd explain what the absolute hell is going on. So, basically, this is the Links all watching each others' adventures and commenting on them. There will be angst, there will be fluff, and I have found Wild a suitable therapist (with a lot of patience and a box of matches) so he should be fine. I will cover about 1 Dungeon per chapter (2 if you're lucky!) and some main story. The past versions of each Link will either be called 'Link' or 'Young-____'. For example, in this chapter the past version of Sky is called Young-Sky. This fic will follow the timeline and will start with Skyward Sword and end with Breath of the Wild. Might do Tears of the Kingdome, who knows. In terms of timeline split, I'm going Child first, then Adult, then Downfall. Hope that clears some things up for you!

Sky took a deep breath and remembered Hylia's telepathic instructions to him. 'When you are ready to start, snap your fingers'. Sky closed his eyes tight, and with a heart full of dread, he snapped his fingers. All the lights in the room went out at once. "Aarrgh!" Hyrule screamed, remembering a particularly tough fight against Shadow Link. That hadn't been pleasant for Hyrule, he'd come out of the fight with a lot of scars. "I thought you had the Triforce of Courage, 'Rule!" Wars said in a level voice, trying not to laugh. "Don't mess with me, I possess the full Triforce." Sky had never seen anyone's expression change from teasing to looking surprised. Or scared. Or both. Words flashed up on the screen, and an eerie metallic voice rang through every heroes' ears.

"This is a tale you humans have passed down through uncounted generations..."

A tapestry flashed up, yellowed and old. Wild flinched, and Sky got the feeling that the Champion had his fair share of tapestry related trauma to deal with. Undeterred by the heroes' discomfort, the voice spoke again.

"It tells of a war of unmatched scale and ferocity, the likes of which would never be seen again."

Purple began to soak through the tapestry, staining the fabric purple, forming the shape of a demon. Wild's eyes widened, and he buried his head in Twi's arm. Sky patted the young hero's back, unsure of what to do. He was supposed to be the one who was good at comforting but even he was just so painfully awkward sometimes.

"One dark, fateful day, the earth cracked wide and malevolent forces rushed forth from the fissure."

More purple, creating an army around the central one. Wars raised his perfect eyebrows and whispered something to Time, making the older man snort. Still buried in Twilight's arms, Wild whimpered out one horrifyingly familiar word. "Malice..."

"They mounted a brutal assault upon the surface people, driving the land into deep despair..."

Images showing demons and fire. Sky tried to smile at the other Links, but it came out as more of a twisted grimace. Hyrule made a sort of scared whimpering noise as the story continued, blowing in front of their eyes.

"They burned forests to ash, choked the land's sweet springs, and murdered without hesitation."

Purple spreading across the yellowed background, forming the shapes of dying Hylians. Time slowly lowered his hands over Wind's eyes before the Sailor smacked them away. "I'm not a kid! I'm no stranger to beheadings!" Time quickly agreed, rubbing his throbbing hand. The Sailor was strong, for a little kid.

"They did all this in their lust to take the Ultimate Power guarded by Her Grace, the goddess."

A golden figure, sword in one hand, harp in the other appeared, surrounded by people of the surface. The Goddess Hylia. Legend's face twisted into a smirk filled with contempt for the Goddess. "Some protector she was! Look where her mistakes landed us, huh!" On the screen, she raised her harp above her head, a sign of war.

"The power she guarded was without equal."

Divine light spilled from the Goddess's head like a halo. Sky and Hyrule bowed their heads in reverence as Wars stuck his pretty nose in the air, huffing at the beautiful sight. This supposedly kind being was the reason they were all stuck with a deep pit full of trauma to boot.

"Handed down by Gods of old, this power gave its holder the means to make any desire a reality"

Legend smiled softly as he remembered using the Triforce to save his Bunny and Princess Hilda. He was so lonely until his perfect, albeit annoying, Bunny came back to him. And Hilda... She may have been traumatised, but at least she was recovering her kingdom now.

"Such was the might of the Ultimate Power that the old ones placed it in the care of the goddess"

Time smirked and muttered "How'd that plan work out for ya, goddesses?" Four shot him a look of exasperation. Time didn't think much of the Goddess Hylia, and he made no secrets of it, especially not to the other heroes.

"To prevent this power falling into the hands of the evil swarming the lands..."

Sky sat up straight, he knew what was coming. The others looked at him curiously, Sky was never this alert even when he was moving. He had an impressive ability to do practically anything in his sleep.

"The Goddess gathered the surviving humans on an outcropping of earth."

Sky's smile reached his warm eyes as he watched the rock that would one day be Skyloft rise into the air on a burst of golden light. The younger heroes looked in awe at the rocks as they drifted upwards. Skyloft was an awesome place.

"She sent it skyward, beyond the reach of the demonic hordes. Beyond even the clouds."

"I'm sorry, I think I might be going deaf... She did something to actually HELP SOMEONE?" Time said, disbelief clouding his pointy features. Legend laughed softly, barriers still down. "Old man, I detest her too, but just cause she hates us heroes doesn't mean she could care less about her chosen people."

"With the humans safe, the goddess joined forces with the land dwellers and fought the evil forces, sealing them away."

A large shout of "Go get 'em, ya darned Goddess" erupted from Wind and Wars after watching the purple demons fade into nothingness, only to be replaced by a blue sky, a sign of peace. Legend pulled 'Roolie closer to him until they were sharing a chair. Sky's smile grew warmer at the adorable sight of their prickly veteran letting himself be comforted.

"This is a tale that you humans have told for many ages, generation to generation..."

A collective sign of relief filled the room, and Wild finally brought his dishevelled head out of Twi's pelt. Time reached over to place a worn hand on the Cub's back.

"But there are other legends, long hidden away from memory, that are intertwined with this tale."

Sky sighed. "I grew up hearing stories of a great hero clothed in green who fought alongside Hylia to save the Ultimate Power, but I never really truly believed in them. Not until the nightmares."

"Now, a new legend bound to this great story stands ready to be revealed."

"Sky's journey!" Wind shouted happily, ignoring Four's hiss to be quiet. Wind was looking forward to learning about the other heroes, especially Time and Twilight. Those men kept their friends close, but their secrets closer. Wind himself was pretty open about most of his trauma but the others were a lot more guarded. They knew nothing about Wild except that he was the unluckily young replacement for a hero who failed and died.

"A legend that will be forged by your own hand."

All eyes turned to Sky, who flushed a light pink and tried to hide behind Time, who was sat next to him. He pulled Fi from her sheath, drawing comfort from her cool blade.

Then the screen faded to black, and Sky snapped his fingers again. "Anyone want food?" Wild asked from the safety of Twi's lap. "Uh, yes. I think we'll need something to busy us during this, since that tale was quite disturbing and also very long." Sky nodded in agreement, gesturing to Wild to shoo. The young Champion crawled reluctantly off his mentor's lap and shakily walked towards the kitchen at the back, which he'd caught sight of earlier. He came back a few minutes later with a platter full of mushroom kebabs and simmered fruit, laying them on a conveniently located small table in the middle of the semicircle of chairs, before climbing back onto Twilight. Sky snapped his fingers again, and the Chain settled down to watch Sky's nightmare.

Trees came into view, stained a vicious purple by an unseen light, ground shaking and bursting around them. Dust span around the forest, and Sky tensed, knowing what was coming and dreading it as a large crack sped through the ground, making the earth around it quake and crumble. The view rushed upwards to reveal a massive black creature with more teeth than a Like-Like. It roared, more like a tortured scream than anything else, the sharp sound making the world curl into a small ball and whimper like a scared child, black mist winding around the beast like a shroud. The inside of its mouth was red like fresh blood and Four's only thought was how much trouble they'd be in if they got eaten by this thing. Sure, Four could handle themselves but against a monster this large, he wouldn't have a chance. A full visual of the thing came into view, an enormous black, scaled being with a mouth Wild reckoned was the same size as a Divine Beast, pulsing red. It shook itself, breathing heavily through three sets of knife teeth, before all the Links either covered their eyes or, in the case of Legend, fell out their chair as they got a haunting scream from the beast, opening wide its jaws and screeching for blood again. The screen again faded to black. "So..." Wind laughed, trying not to sound on the brink of hysteria, "What was that?" Sky's eyes, usually light and free, were cold and closed, uninviting. He remained silent. Time moved his hand from Wild's back to Sky's shoulder, providing comfort for the haunted boy.

A blue sky once again filled the room, a red bird gliding effortlessly through it. It was Crim, Sky's ever suffering Loftwing. The heroes were treated to several different shots of him flying, all of them recognising the familiar bird. Even Wind, who had a fear of big birds, loved Crim. Crim was joined by a different bird, a blue one with a chain of gold around its neck. Sun's Loftwing, Blu. Together, they flew past, gliding apart to reveal Skyloft. Three boys ran and jumped from a platform, calling their birds. The camera followed Blu as she flew towards the biggest statue of Hylia any of them had ever seen. The sounds of somebody playing a harp whispered through the air, gracing the heroes' ears with their sweet melody. The person was revealed to be a much younger, less queenly looking version of Sun, clothed in a reddish-pink dress and plucking carefully at the strings of a familiar gold harp. "Sheik's harp!" Time gasped, causing Sky to look at him with a thin smile on his leaden face. She began to sing in Ancient Hylian, the sacred Ballad of the Goddess.

"En, dajei vu, no bei jundu. Tye jutu"

The bird landed in front of Zelda, and she carefully placed a letter in her beak, and stood back, watching her take off towards the Knight Academy, a soft smile of knowing on the girl's face. She turned around quickly, appearing to hear something. But there was nobody there. "Is Sun okay?" Twi asked, wrapping his arms around Wild. "Uh, yes. She's just..." Noticing where the video was at, Sky inwardly groaned, he knew what was coming. He was fairly sure none of them expected the Chosen Hero's journey to start with him falling out of bed like a doofus. The screen turned a dark shade of grey, and green light spilled from the middle, forming a much younger, more innocent looking Sky, dressed in the simple garb of a trainee knight. He blinked sleepily, then opened his perfectly eyelinered eyes. Wars let out a gasp of disbelief. "I didn't know Sky could do eyeliner?!" Sky smirked. "No, no eyeliner. This is all natural." Wars looked offended that Sky's breath-taking eyes could outmatch his, beloved by so many pretty ladies.

The younger Sky looked around him, mouth frowning, like he was confused. That expression soon changed to horror as the beast from earlier reared its ugly head. It thrashed and roared, shaking the room to its foundations as the nine Links tried their hardest not to scream. Above the abomination's crown, a blue light appeared as the metallic voice from earlier rang true around them. "Rise, Link... The time has come for you to awaken... You are fated to have a hand in a great destiny, and it will soon find you... The time has come for you to awaken... Link..." The light vanished, leaving the young boy in complete darkness, alone with the hideous creature. Sky flinched, curling in on himself. He had never been particularly brave or strong as a child. Young-Sky covered his face, bracing himself for an impact which never came. The beast's writhing could no longer be seen, but it's horrifying screams could. A shriek cut through the black, not from a beast but a bird. Link looked around in confusion, pretty eyes wide with apprehension. Wars facepalmed, this couldn't be how Sky's adventure started. His had started with him training and then making a brash decision to go and fight alongside the army. A sensible beginning, unlike this one. He glanced over at Sky contemptuously, only to see the Chosen Hero trying really hard not to laugh. A blue head poked into Young-Sky's face, Blu had arrived to say hi. And with a screech that shook not only the room but also Skyloft, Blu woke Young-Sky up. The screen again faded to black and Sky snapped his fingers. One second of tense silence before everyone burst out laughing. "Oh.. Hahaha! Ahh, help! Oh dear Nayru, my sides hurt! Hahahaha!!" Wind was banging his head against the wall, struggling to keep himself together as Wars chuckled softly like the dignified prince he was. Legend and 'Rule were guffawing shamelessly, as were Wild, Time and Twilight. And in the middle of it all, Four was patting Sky's forearm reassuringly, a smirk lacing his small face. "Welcome to Sky's Nightmare World, everyone! Just, birds!" Wild joked to an answering scream of mirth from Hyrule and Wind.

Sky snapped his fingers again, laughter resurging as a small crash was heard, followed by the camera flipping to see Young-Sky on the floor, blinking sleepily. He gulped, and looked around his room before noticing Blu's feathery head poking through his window. There was a moment of awkward silence between the two. Blu tilted her head mischievously, and spat Zelda's letter at Young-Sky's face, crooned softly before ejecting herself out by the window. Twi was running his fingers through Wild's tangled hair, dislodging various bits of plant life. "Why does every hero's first journey begin with them waking up?" Sky shrugged. "Every day was a struggle for me. As a baby my mother died and my father was lost in the Thunderhead. I was taken in by Zelda's family until her mother passed away too and left Headmaster Gaepora to raise both of us. We were assigned to the Knight Academy as children, although I often got sick and was stubborn as Scrapper when it came to anything remotely based around my recovery. Zelda used to get very mad at me..." Time smiled and put a hand on Sky's shoulder. "You and me both, Chosen Hero. My friend Saria was just as stubborn as me when it came to helping me recover." On the screen, Young-Sky stood up, scratching the back of his head like the rest of the Links did when they were embarrassed. He opened the letter, signed lovingly with the Sky Hylian character for 'Z' and began to read it.

'Hey, sleepyhead. I know how much you like to sleep in, so I'm guessing this letter will be your alarm clock this morning. Did I guess right? Rise and shine, Link! Today's the Wing Ceremony! You promised to meet me before it starts, remember? You'd better not keep me waiting. -Zelda'

Young-Sky smiled lovingly, blinking slowly as he took in the fact that he was likely to get shouted at for being late. Kind as she was, Sun could be really scary when she wanted to be. He ran over to his cupboard, pulling out five rupees before opening his bedroom door and stepping out into the colourful halls of the Knight Academy. He jogged over to a boy in yellow garb, talking to him like he was a brother. "Morning, Link! So... Today's the Wing Ceremony. Are you ready? All I'm saying is everyone else is out practicing at the plaza, but you seem pretty... relaxed about the whole thing. Of course, that Crimson Loftwing of yours is something special. I'd feel pretty confident riding him too! My bird won the last Ceremony, but even I don't think he could beat that red terror of yours... Of course a bird's true speed comes down to the skill of the rider. I'm something of a bird researcher around here. So, you know, if you ever find yourself in need of some bird expertise, come see ol'Pipit!" Young-Sky backed out of the rather one-sided conversation and ran down the hall to another boy who was struggling to lift some barrels. "Thank Hylia he stopped! I don't mean to be rude or anything but that boy just wouldn't stop talking!" Four exclaimed, watching as Link interacted with the kid on screen, starting a conversation with him as well. "Good morning, Link! Today's the big Wing Ceremony, right? I wanted to fly too, but I... I didn't make the cut, so I'm stuck back here at the academy. Plus, I've got to move these barrels over to the kitchen. I was hoping to at least be able to cheer you on, Link, but... I guess that's the way it goes. Go out there and wow them, buddy!" Sky's eyes gleamed as he watched Fledge's sad face waver for a second, bordering on tears as he turned back to the massive barrels, trying to lift them. Young-Sky strode over to the barrels, pushing pots out of his way. "Whaaat?! You didn't smash the pots?!" Wind cried, shaking Sky's arm in horror. "Well, I would but last time I did, Henya threatened to have me expelled. She's a scary woman." Their eyes turned back to the screen as Young-Sky picked up a barrel with ease and began to track slowly into the kitchen, handsome face screwed up in concentration. Warriors didn't think it was fair that even while exerting himself, Young-Sky looked fabulous.

Young-Sky shuffled into a dining area, past a few massive pots, up two small steps and put the barrel down carefully, somehow engaging conversation with a very old woman, presumably Henya. "What's all this? I thought I told Fledge to carry that! Bah, it's probably for the best... That skinny boy would probably have gotten flattened. Say... Don't you have some important ceremony or some such today? Hmph! Well, thanks for the help." With a brief nod to Henya, Young-Sky ran to the large, ornate double doors, opening them onto a pretty courtyard with two passages off to the left and a gate opening up onto the rest of Skyloft.

Young-Sky went to run through the left passage, but was halted by a shout. "Hey, Link! Up here!" Link glanced up, spotting a tall man with strange eyes that never looked like they were open. "Good morning to you, Link! Today's finally the day of the long-awaited Wing Ceremony!" Wind stuck his tongue out with a frustrated huff, curling into Wars' side. "If one more person mentions the Goddess damned Wing Ceremony, I'm going to join Wild on the arson side and set fire to the bedrooms we found along the back wall." At that, Time fervently hoped that nobody else on Skyloft mentioned the Ceremony or they weren't sleeping tonight. "Are you feeling ready? Oh, I just remembered. There's something I'd like to ask you about. Target me and we can have a quick chat." Young-Sky locked his gaze onto the man, eyeing him with an intense gaze. "Excellent! Always remember you can target someone to talk to them easily. And even if there isn't anything to target, it's a convenient way to quickly face your view forward." Link gave a quick nod, along with Four and Legend, who had extreme social issues. The man continued, his deep voice putting even Time's to shame. "Oh, but it's a little silly to carry on a conversation from this distance. Why don't you come join me up here?" Wind snorted. "Doesn't he know that he's basically stuck up there? Nobody's ever gonna be able to climb up there, except Wild." Sky shot him a glance filled with mischief, side-eyeing Wind with a challenge lying unspoken in the air. He gestured to the screen as Horwell relayed his instructions. "You should be able to climb up if you dash up to the top of that wooden box, don't you think? Then you can make that jump fairly easily! Try climbing up here!" Young-Sky's eyes lit up with boyish excitement as he nodded at Horwell's words, a smile jumping to his lips. Wars quirked a brow; Sky had always been a sunny personality, even when it got tough. Young-Sky jogged until he was in line with the crates by the arch, before sprinting at them with Wild worthy speed, kicking off the sides of them as he scrambled up to the top, before pulling himself up the remaining way. He turned towards the centre of the arch, which was just a gap, for some reason, before jumping it like it was nothing. He ran up to Horwell, who smiled at him fatherly as he approached. "So what are you up to? Rushing to get in some last-minute bird-riding practice in this morning, Link?" Wild snickered as Sky hid his face, cheeks burning with shame. "Oh? You have someone to meet? Ah, Zelda's waiting for you, is she?" Link nodded happily, carefree as a bird. "Perfect timing, then! You see, Zelda's father - Headmaster Gaepora - has a pet named Mia, and, well... She's scampered off again." The camera panned towards the roof, where a tiny fluffy body slept in the warm mid-morning sun. "Look! Over there! Do you see her?" Camera snapping back to their conversation, Horwell looked embarrassed. "The headmaster is so busy working with Zelda preparing for the ceremony... I thought that maybe I should feed her, but the ceremony is about to start and I just put on a fresh set of clothes and, well... you see..." Legend barked out a laugh, squeezing 'Roolie's waist as he did. "Somebody needs some help!" Sky shushed him with a gentle smack, and they fell into a disorganised silence. "Will you help me out and go retrieve Mia for me?" And the entire group was surprised when Sky answered with a hearty "I'm on it!" His voice sounded pretty much the same as it did now, albeit a little higher pitched. "Fantastic! So you'll do it?! I know you're in a hurry, so I really appreciate your taking the time to help." Young-Sky gave him a beaming smile so bright that for a second it actually looked like he was glowing. "You should be able to climb up somewhere over there. If you hang off that ledge there, you can climb onto the roof from the other side. I'm terribly sorry, but I know you're quite the climber! I really do appreciate it."

With another grin, Link shot over to the wall, scaling it as he had done the boxes earlier and grabbing hold of the ledge. With a few grunts and an 'oof', Young-Sky shimmied across the wall like it was nothing, pausing for a second to suck one of his fingers. Blood stained his tongue when he continued. "What happened?" Time asked, concern lacing his voice. "Broken fingernail. Hurt as much as being bitten by Blu. Not fatal, but really painful." On the screen, Young-Sky landed softly on his feet and rushed over to the gaps in the décor, jumping them like a horse. He reached up, hands grabbing the thick, leafy plant that had taken up root on the wall. Using it to pull himself upwards, he reached the roof in a matter of seconds. He sprinted over to a box, checking it out and making a plan of action in his head. He braced himself against the box, pushing it until it was level with the wall, before getting onto it and leaping at the smooth surface. He rushed over to the little animal, picking it up in his arms. "Hello Mia!" He said to it, laughing when it mewled at him. He jumped off the roof, keeping a secure hold of Mia the entire time, careful not to drop her. Marching over to Horwell with a smirk gracing his lips, Link placed Mia at the professor's feet. "Nice work! You've brought her back safe and sound!" He held out his hands to Young-Sky, congratulating the boy. "Sorry for troubling you with this. I know you're busy, Link! I suppose I should feed Mia now... Please tell the headmaster that we found his pet. He should be up by the Statue of the Goddess. I believe Zelda is there with him, so you should hurry along." At Young-Sky's curious glance, the teacher crumbled. "Oh yes, I should give you a reward... It's not much, but please take this. Er, don't tell the others. He leant forwards and pressed a Red Rupee into Link's hands, smiling at the teen's exclamation of joy.

Link shot him a smile brighter than the sun, before pocketing his reward and sprinting over the top of an archway, towards a huge set of gates being fixed by a short man with swoopy black hair. He turned around, holding a hammer in his hands. "Mornin' Link. How's life? Did you manage to get even a wink of sleep last night? Figured you might've been tossin' and turnin' all night thinkin' about the big ceremony today." Sky snapped his fingers and the video paused, just as Wind wrenched himself off Wars' chair, huffing like a sulking child. "That's it. Gimme your matches, Wild." Wild tossed him the matches, and with the others' worried glances following him, Wind marched purposefully towards the back rooms. The smell of smoke began to drift out of the hallway, actual clouds of the stuff following suit. He returned a few minutes later, covered from head to toe in ashes and smelling like burnt fabric. "There. It's done." Sky winced, feeling sympathy for the poor beds who gave their lives so that Wind had a slightly healthier way to vent his anger. Time looked down at the fuming Sailor. "Uhm... Let's continue. Wind, please don't destroy any more of Hylia's furniture. And Sky, if you would please." Sky snapped his fingers and the video resumed. "What am I doin'? Oh, just fixin' this gate here... It's been squeaky lately, and we can't have that on the day of the ceremony! Hey, you haven't already forgotten to send your prayers to the goddess this morning, have you? Just face the bird statue over there, and say a short prayer to save your progress. As you know, those bird statues are all over Skyloft. It's about time you get in the habit of stoppin' at a statue every time you run by one. A prayer in time saves nine, if you know what I'm sayin'!" Sky nodded like the carefree child he was, before jogging over to a set of wooden stairs and sprinting up them. He entered a stone arch, slowing down so he could walk into the courtyard calmly. The camera cut to a breathtaking shot of the Statue of the Goddess Hylia, standing sentinel, guarding her people from harm. Blu flew a half-circle around her, wings flapping at the air, gliding smoothly downwards in a graceful spiral. The camera panned, following the indigo loftwing's lazy descent until it focused on the slight figure of Young-Sun, garbed in pink with her blonde hair bound by ribbons and a harp in her hands. The view switched to see Young-Sky walking in, blue eyes wide and shining with admiration and love for his mostly-just-a-friend. He smiled, making an odd panting noise as he stepped closer to her. And, with a voice of gold, Zelda began to sing to the melody she was playing on her harp. "Oh youth, guided by the servant of the goddess... Unite earth and sky... Bring light to the land..." Link approached her, trying to be as silent as possible to avoid tainting her lovely singing. She heard him anyway, and she twirled around, laughing softly as she did, her pretty hair swinging in the cool breeze. "Hey! Good morning, Link. I'm glad to see my Loftwing got you out of bed. I was pretty sure you'd sleep in and forget to meet me this morning." Young-Sky's sheepish look was all she needed as confirmation, along with Time's amiable laugh. With Sky clicking to stop the screen, conversation erupted between all the Links. "It seems all of us have a little issue with sleeping in!" Wild's face paled slightly at that, but he managed to force out a "Yeah, weird isn't it..." before falling silent again. Twi wrapped his arms around Wild's chest and the young Champion leaned into his touch. "I think there's some rock cakes if any of you want some." Four piped up, eyes sparking with a mischievous green light. "Uh, yeah, sure. Go get 'em, little guy." Wars replied, easily swinging on his chair. Four came trotting back a few minutes later with a plate of what looked like brown stones. Looked bad, tasted amazing. With chocolate coating his fingertips, the snap was hard to achieve, but eventually he managed to click his fingers and continue on. "But look at this instrument! And look at this outfit! They're mine to use today in the ceremony, since I'll be playing the role of the goddess. Aren't they beautiful? Especially this instrument! They tell me it's just like the one the goddess was said to have in the legends. It sounds gorgeous too. I asked Father about it and he says it's called a harp." Young Sky nodded, clearly a bit confused and half-asleep, but trying his best to understand. "And look at these clothes! I made this wrap myself, and we get to use it in today's ceremony! Between the harp and this outfit, I'm going to make a great goddess today! I got you up early this morning because I wanted you to be the first to see me like this, Link!" Wars began making little kissing noises from behind Sky, singing a little chant the younger ones had made up about Time and Malon. But Sky was in no mood for it, and for once, the Hero of Birds chose violence and punched Wars in the jaw. Attention was quickly turned back to Young-Sun as she twirled , making her dress flutter around her ankles and her hair swirl like water about her back. "So... How do I look?" Young-Sky's cheeks held a little pink tint as he answered her with an enthusiastic reply. "Great!" Zelda laughed happily, crouching a little lower to the ground. "Hah, I think so too! But it's nice to know you agree. Thanks, Link!" Approaching footsteps made the two look towards the sound as a hearty, deep voice spoke to them from off-camera. "Ah, there you are, Zelda. Are you all prepared for today's ceremony?" Zelda smiled at the owner of the voice. "Oh, hello, Father." An old, bald man with owlish eyebrows that reminded Time of the most irritating bird he ever met and dressed in orange robes stepped forward to address Zelda and Link. "Ah, Link, you're here too. Outstanding. It's encouraging to see you up so early, given your capacity for sleep. No doubt today's ceremony had you too excited to close your eyes for once!" Laughter absorbed the room as everyone around Sky knew that it had been Blu who woke Young-Sky from his weird fever dream. "If you win today's ceremonial race, you'll get to participate in the postrace ritual with Zelda, so give it your best out there." Zelda hung her head sadly, looking at the mossy stone under her feet. "Yes. About that..." Link's face shifted from a contented smile into more of a pained grimace, which was a funny look to see on the face of one of Hylia's chosen. "Father, I don't know if he can do it! Recently Link hasn't been practicing much at all for the ceremony!" Young-Sky's haunted gaze was now directed at the stones of the floor as Young-Sun continued to rat him out. "And even when he's out riding his Loftwing, he's just lazily gliding around. Probably daydreaming! I don't know what he's thinking. He's going to have to be in perfect control of his bird to win today." Gaepora walked towards her, making a placating gesture with his hands whilst poor Young-Sky tried to get a grip on himself. "No need to worry yourself, Zelda. Though, you may have a point. Today's Wing Ceremony tests the skill of the rider as well as his bond to his bird. Victory will not come easily. And, as you pointed out, I haven't seen him practicing as hard as some of the other students." Sky buried his face in his hands, ears heating up with shame at how lazy he'd been before everything. Young-Sky was scratching at the back of his neck like all Links have a habit of doing when they're embarrassed. Gaepora's next words filled Sky with relief. "But you've known him since you were both very little. You should know better than to fret about him! You see, Link and his Loftwing share a special connection. I've never seen anything quite like it." The camera turned with the trio to look up into the endless sky, through which Loftwings and riders were soaring. Gaepora began to speak again, owlish eyes gazing at the swooping birds. "As you know, each of us in Skyloft is one half of a pair. We are only made whole by our Loftwings, the guardian birds that the goddess bestows upon each of us as a symbol of her divine protection. When we are young, every one of us meets our Loftwing under the great Statue of the Goddess. It's quite a big moment, as I'm sure you recall. Ahh, but that first meeting between Link and his Loftwing was extraordinary." Everyone looked at Sky, whose ears had gone bright pink. "I-It's nothing special guys, c'mon... Gaepora was trying to make me embarrassed..." On screen, Young-Sun and her father turned their gazes towards Link, and just like Sky, Young-Sky's ears had turned a shade of red similar to his Loftwing. "The bird that come to him was a Crimson Loftwing. It is a breed so rare we were sure for some time that it had vanished from the line. Yes, and the boy and his bird seemed to share a profound connection from the moment they met." Young-Sky began fiddling with the hair at the back of his neck, just like Wild and Wind did when they didn't know how to react to something. "Do you recall when Link and that Loftwing of his first met? What a sight! The little boy just hopped up on that bird and gracefully flew away, without even a moment of instruction! They were meant for each other. And judging by how jealous you were that day, I'd say the friendship he shared with his bird didn't go unnoticed by you, my dear." Young-Sky closed his eyes, calling his Loftwing mentally. The sky was empty. Link's face fell, smile dropping from his face. He blinked in confusion, wondering why Crim wasn't flying to him. "Ah, but who can blame you? I'm sure you weren't the only one envious of the powerful bond shared by Link and his bird. Anyone who is part of something special is bound to catch some nasty looks sooner or later, hoo hoo." Zelda wilted, sighing softly, before turning abruptly to face her father. "This contest is nothing to laugh at, Father! This ceremony is part of the final test for those training to become knights of Skyloft! If Link doesn't fly fast enough during the race... What if Link messes up his big chance... What if he's not allowed to become a knight?" Zelda's face was distraught with worry for her friend. Gaepora raised his hands placatingly. "Calm down, my dear. It will be fine. Honestly, it's almost as though you become a completely different person when you worry about Link." Young-Sun cast her eyes down to the floor, before looking up with determination in her eyes. "Listen, Link, you'd better fly your heart out today. At the very least, you need to squeeze in a little practice time before the race!" Zelda grabbed Young-Sky's hand and, much to the amusement of the other heroes, began dragging him towards the platform. "Come on! You'll thank me later!" She pushed him out in front of her, watching as he flailed around, trying to keep his balance. She darted either side of him, as he looked around at her with troubled blue eyes. "Here we are. Go on now. Jump off the edge and call your Loftwing. It's almost time for the ceremony, so try to practice seriously for once! Hmm? Oh yeah? You can't 'sense' your bird out there? Oh I get it. You're trying to weasel out of having to practice! Nice try, but you're not fooling me. Off you go!" And with those optimistic words, she gave Young-Sky a shove and he fell forwards, off balance. Sky paused the video, looking tiredly at the other heroes. "She didn't believe me." Time growled lightly, clearly annoyed by Zelda's lack of trust in her hero. "She almost killed you!" Sky shrugged. "Eh, we sorted it out. I saved her, we got engaged, we founded a kingdom, and now she only occasionally doubts me." Time facepalmed. The video resumed at Sky's snap and Young-Sky fell off Skyloft. "OK, Link, go ahead! Just call your Loftwing!" Whilst falling, like he'd been doing it all his life, Link raised both fingers to his mouth and whistled for Crim, before looking around, fear in his face. Gaepora wandered up and peered over the edge concernedly. "Hmm... His bird sure is taking a long time to get here..." Zelda gasped. "Something's wrong!" And she too jumped off the edge, calling her bird. Blu came flying in behind her, as Young-Sun caught on to her bird's shoulders. and dived after a panicking Link. Blue reached out his talons, grabbing Link by his side. "Hang in there, Link! I've got you!" Blu was beating his wings frantically, struggling with the added weight of Young-Sun's best friend.

When the camera snapped back, Young-Sun was sitting next to her panting bird and Link was lying on his back, seemingly going into a state of shock. 

Sky abruptly snapped his fingers, and the screen shut down. "I think that's enough for today. Try and get some rest before we start again tomorrow." Wild dashed off to the kitchen to make everyone a snack, while Time and Wars decided to do some sparring. Sky fell asleep to the sound of clashing blades, with a deep feeling of dread embedded in his soul. He would give anything for his brothers to not realise it was his fault they were handed a sword and told to save the world from immanent destruction. He wanted to put off that moment as long as possible.

Hello again! This is the longest thing I think I've ever written, Din's KFC I wrote a lot! Final word count? 6811. Damn. Welp, hope your enjoying this, I sure am enjoying writing it. This is gonna update hella slowly though, since a chapter takes three days to write and I just don't often have time to do so. Sorry and all that, but it's just life. Come back in a month and this might be finished but you'll never know, eh... See ya next time!

~G0ddessSw0rdF1