Trick or treat, everybody! Yeah, I guess I got a shot of inspiration to write the next chapter.

Also, did you notice the names of the last two chapters? "Shadows of Hyrule" and "Blazing Anger." For those of you not familiar with the original game, Shadow, Blaze, and Knuckles appeared as knights of the Round Table. This reference was 100% unintentional. It was only because a reviewer pointed it out to me that I realized my unintentional reference. I cracked up when I realized this.

This time around, however, the reference is completely intentional. I even went so far as to look up the source word in my Mac's dictionary to see if I could find a way to use it in the title of the chapter.

Okay, enough from me. Read away!

Chapter 7: Knuckling Down

Sonic sat in his chains, eyes closed and head hung. He didn't bother trying to escape the chains that held him down. He had neither the willpower nor the strength.

There's a small family in trouble out here. I can't abandon them. I won't.

He shook his head sadly as he recalled this promise he made to himself, only to fall short.

"Sonic."

His eyes slowly opened, and he looked up. The princess stood over him, an unreadable expression on her face. Looking around, he noticed that his chains were gone. He'd been set free. He slowly stood up, but his posture remained slouched.

"Please, stand up straight," Zelda said.

Sonic took a deep breath and complied, standing upright and looking at her.

"Come," she said, turning out of the dungeon. Sonic followed slowly. After a brief walk, they stood back in the training zone.

"Back to work?" he asked, his voice lacking its charisma.

Zelda didn't respond. Instead, she beckoned for him to follow her up a staircase. He did so. After a brief climb, they came onto a balcony overlooking the fields outside of Hyrule Castle Town.

"Do you see this?" she asked.

Sonic nodded. "Yes."

"This is the fair land of Hyrule: my kingdom. It has seen ruin in the past, but it is fair now. We must defend it from the evil forces that would seek to conquer and destroy it."

Sonic looked up at her. "I'm ready to help any way I can."

"I know," she smiled slightly, returning his gaze for a moment. It faded as she looked back over the land. "Sonic...when you stand still in the training court, what do you feel?"

Sonic blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, does being in the training court make you feel...trapped? Alone? Are you claustrophobic?"

"Claustro–what?" Sonic started. "What's that, some hatred of Christmas? Save it for the holidays, will ya?"

"No, it's not that!" Zelda shook her head. "It's a fear of being in very closed spaces."

"Oh," the blue hedgehog said. "Well, I'm not necessarily afraid of that, but it doesn't make me comfortable, either. I prefer wide open spaces that let me run wild and free."

"I see," the princess looked over the vast expanse. "Did you get a thrill from exploring the kingdom last night?"

"Yeahhhh," Sonic answered, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Hey, listen...I'm sorry for running off like that. I just –"

"There is no need to apologize."

Sonic started. "Wait, huh?"

Zelda looked at him once again. "It is I who must apologize to you. I have been unduly harsh with you without realizing it."

"Oh," Sonic muttered, still not smiling. "I thought I was rebellious and insolent."

"You are," the princess agreed, surprising him once again. "But perhaps that is my fault. I cannot train you as a knight, as many other heroes of legend were." She gestured broadly across the expanse laid out before them. "This, I see now, is how you will be trained."

Sonic put his chin in his hand, tapping his foot as though in thought. "I fail to see how this is gonna work."

"As do I," Zelda nodded. "But we will find a way to make it work. This, I promise you."

He looked over the vast expanse and nodded, clenching his fists as a fire burned in his eyes. "Yes. We will find a way. I owe it to you."

The princess raised an eyebrow on hearing this. "You owe it to who?"

"The little girl whose family I promised to save. I failed her, but I won't fail again."

"You didn't fail me!"

They jumped and turned around on hearing the sudden voice. The little girl was back!

"What the –?!" Sonic exclaimed. "How did you find me here?"

"It wasn't that hard!" she smiled brightly. "Oh, and I heard everything."

"Yeah, I bet," Sonic muttered. "Listen, I'm sorry about –"

"There is no need for that," the girl said, her voice suddenly changing from bright innocence to something ethereal. Her body was swiftly consumed in light, as she spun around and changed form. Sonic and Zelda's jaws dropped in awe. When the light faded, the little girl was gone. In her place stood a beautiful young woman with a turquoise tunic and dark blue pants whose color matched her long hair and deep eyes. A faint glow embraced her.

"Who are you?" Sonic asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I am Nayru," she replied, "the goddess of wisdom. I, along with Farore and Din, have watched you as you embark on your quest to defeat the evil forces of Ghirahim. We have also set three tests before you to see if you are worthy to be the Hero of Time. You have now passed two of these."

"What tests?" Zelda inquired.

"For the first test, we allowed Ghirahim and his forces to invade the castle town secretly, so that no Hylian could detect their presence. Sonic succeeded in repelling them, thereby proving his courage. For the second test, Din disguised herself as a dragon who kidnapped a family. I disguised myself as the little girl whose family was lost. Sonic was torn between returning to the castle and alerting the others while possibly endangering the family further, or going in and fighting himself. He chose the latter and proved his wisdom."

"Wait," Sonic said, holding a hand up to stop her. "That dragon was a goddess? I didn't hurt her too bad, did I?"

"There is no need to be afraid, Sonic," Nayru chuckled. "We are supernatural beings. We can handle supposed physical pain."

"But...what about the family?"

"They are safe," she smiled reassuringly. "The battle was only a test, and the family was never truly in danger."

Sonic blinked, then his smile slowly returned to his face. "Then I guess all is well then, huh?"

"Ghirahim really did invade," Zelda said to herself. "You were telling the truth."

"I'm no liar," Sonic winked.

"No, you are not," Nayru agreed. "But one test remains to see if you are truly worthy to be the Hero of Time. You must confront Ghirahim with your full power in a duel. Only then shall you be worthy to be the Hero of Time."

"A duel, hm?" Sonic mused. "Too bad I left my Yu-Gi-Oh cards back home."

"Idiot!" Zelda swatted him. "Not that kind of duel!"

"Huh?" Sonic asked dumbly. "Oh, a sword duel! Ha! I'm dumb…"

"Perhaps you are," Nayru chuckled, "but you are our last hope of stopping Ghirahim. If you want to have any chance of defeating him, you must become skilled in swordplay." She turned to Zelda. "I entrust him to you. I trust you will be able to train him well."

"It will be done," Zelda nodded.

"Good," Nayru nodded. "With that, I shall take my leave." A light began to grow around her. "But rest assured, my friends: though I am absent physically, I will always be with you in spirit." With that, the light enveloped her. When it faded, she was gone, leaving Zelda and Sonic smiling.

"What are we waiting for?" he grinned. "Let's get down to business!" With that, he ran off.

"What? Sonic, wait!" Zelda exclaimed, running after him.

The candle's light vanished when he swung his sword at it. His teeth ground as he extinguished yet another candle.

"Your patience is fading, Ghirahim," his master said.

"I'm getting tired of waiting to strike again," Ghirahim replied. "We must get the other two pieces of the Triforce, or else all our plans will come to ruin!"

"Calm yourself," his master chuckled. "Our time is coming soon. Why, in fact, I believe our time has come right now."

Ghirahim snapped up at that. "What do you mean?"

"The princess has left her castle and gone out into the open fields far from the castle's place," he explained, showing the Demon Lord his glowing red orb, which portrayed the image he spoke of. "She is their leader. With her out of the way, we can take over the town with no problem at all."

"Should I mount my forces, then?" Ghirahim asked, his blood-red eyes glowing. "I am eager to capture the princess at long last."

"No!" his master held a massive hand out, as though to stop him. "Our focus must shift from the princess for the present moment. Capture the town, and lay siege to the castle."

Ghirahim looked puzzled. "I thought our goal was to obtain the Triforce. The princess holds the Triforce of Wisdom. Why should we waste time on that worthless town?"

"That town has worth as her home," the master chuckled darkly. "She will do anything to protect her people...even if it means losing the Triforce."

The Demon Lord looked confused for a moment, but then his grin returned when he realized what his master's plan was. "Then it's settled...we take the town and hold it hostage. She gives us the Triforce..."

"And we let them go," his master finished. "Then nothing will stand in our way."

"Very well, then," Ghirahim grinned, his wicked laugh slowly growing louder. "I shall amass our forces and finish what we started. Then...Hyrule will be ours!" His high-pitched, frightening laugh continued to grow more violent as he relished in imminent victory. Even after he left, his laugh echoed on the walls.

This was merely music to his master's ears.

"Before we begin, we must find a sword that is just right for you," Zelda said, laying many swords before him. "All of these are of the highest quality Hyrule has to offer. Which do you choose?"

Sonic looked at the blades. "Hm...this looks nice," he said, picking up a standard fencing sword. "Let's see how it handles." He swung it around, only to snap its blade in two on a desk. "Whoops! Sorry."

"This sword was not meant for battle," the princess muttered. "We will mend it later. Choose another sword."

Sonic scanned the swords, then picked up a broadsword. "Power and speed! That sounds nice." He lifted it up, but its weight overcame him, and he stumbled around until he fell onto his rear. "Ouch! Nice, but improbable."

"Try again," Zelda encouraged him. He picked up a long sword.

"How about this?" he grinned. He spun around, sword drawn, only to lose control and spin around the room before smacking into a pillar and falling onto his rear again. Stars ran around his head, much to his chagrin.

This went on for five more minutes before Sonic exhausted the whole supply of swords Zelda had. "Are these all the swords you have?" he asked.

"Not quite," Zelda shook her head in response. "There is still the Wind Blade, but that is useless. No one could wield it. It is too pathetic."

"Pathetic, hm?" Sonic put his hand on his chin. "Let me see it. I'd like to see all my possible options." Zelda went out for a moment, then returned, bearing what appeared to be a dagger, though it was slightly bigger. The blade was rusty, as was the hilt. The hilt, however, had a deep, indigo hue to it.

"The Wind Blade, hm?" Sonic mused, taking it in his hand. He swiped with it, slashed, spun, and did many more things with it before stopping in front of Zelda. "This is it!" he grinned. "This is the perfect sword for me!"

Zelda put her hand on her chin. "Are you sure? It is too light for any other knight to wield, yet too heavy to be hidden as a dagger."

"Well, I'm no knight," the blue hedgehog wagged his finger, "and I don't need a dagger. This is just right. Let's start with this...Wind Blade, was it? Yeah, let's go with that!"

Zelda nodded. "Very well. You shall wield the Wind Blade. Now come. A new training ground awaits."

That's my longest chapter to date, and not just because of the A/Ns I put in. But then again, I guess I owe it to you guys for being so infrequent in updating this story.

Sadly, that will probably continue. Over the course of the next few weeks, I'll be focusing mainly on other stuff. I may be able to update this in that time, but that's a small chance. What I CAN guarantee, however, is that this story will be done by the end of the year.

Now while I go wait on the next Nintendo Direct, feel free to rate and review, but no flames, please.