Despite having only been a commander of the Hylian army for a very short time, Link was already showing a great deal of promise. His extraordinary fighting abilities had been a frequent source of gossip even back when he was still only a trainee. However, his real strength was in his ability to lead, especially when working together with Proxi. His men trusted him with their lives, knowing that he valued each and every one of them and would never have them take any unnecessary risks.

However, despite the fact that his army obeyed him without question, he just couldn't seem to get these damned boarding school students to listen to him.

"We have the situation under control." He glared. "I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you will only be in the way. I can't risk-"

"In the way?!" The young man who had identified himself as Pipit protested. "We're seniors in the knight academy! We've been training for years to protect Skyloft!"

"Why should we listen to you anyways?" A short, pudgy student harrumphed. "You're just pulling a prank on us, aren't you, Link?"

"Oh, yes, this is my idea of a hilariously funny joke." Link gestured at the destruction around them. "See, aren't I just the best trickster you know? Except I don't know you. I can't even remember your name from when you introduced yourself less than a minute ago. Now will you all please-?"

"His name is Cawlin!" The tall, horrifyingly thin student interrupted. "And this is Pipit-"

"I remember some of you, you don't have to-"

"-and this is Karane, and that's Fledge, and I'm Stritch. I like bugs."

"…That's nice." Link rubbed his temples. "You guys aren't listening to a word I say, are you?"

"Why should we?!" Cawlin snarled. "You put on a scarf and pretend you don't know us and we're supposed to listen to you? How stupid do you think we are?"

"I really doubt you want me to answer that question truthfully."

"Link, you're being mean to them!" Proxi protested. "Guys, pretty, pretty please just stay here! Someone needs to protect this academy, after all, and we don't have enough soldiers to be everywhere at once! You'd be helping us out a lot if you did!"

"Guys, I think she's right." Karane murmured. "Half of our professors are too old to fight. What happens if these monsters get in and we aren't there to help out because we're running around trying to prove ourselves?"

Fledge nodded and added timidly, "I agree… also, I don't think this is Link. Or the Link we know anyways. Link wouldn't trick us like that. He's our friend."

"Now that you mention it…" Pipit edged closer, hand on his chin. "Your hair is a lot lighter than his… and you're shorter."

Link's eyebrow twitched.

Cawlin groaned. "Seriously?! You're all unbelievable…"

Stritch shrugged at him and they all headed into the building. Once they were out of earshot, Link turned to Proxi.

"Sometimes I have no idea how I would function without you." He sighed.

"You just need to try to be nicer to people!" Proxi nestled into his scarf. "Verbally, I mean. You're actually super nice, you just struggle with expressing it, that's all!"

"Am I nice? Funny, I had no idea."

Proxi giggled. "Come on, let's see how the soldiers are doing."

The men appeared tired, but fortunately there was a lull in the fighting at present. They were hurriedly bandaging their wounds, bracing themselves for the next wave of enemy soldiers. As Link approached their faces lit up. Link glanced at Proxi, who darted forward. "You guys holding up okay?"

The captain nodded. "We are for now. There are a lot of enemies, though…"

"Don't lose your confidence, you're all doing great!" Proxi encouraged. "Link and I have faith in you!" The captain beamed at that.

"Focus on taking one enemy stronghold down at a time." Link added. "Don't let the big picture overwhelm you. If you can manage that, then it doesn't matter if there's more of them than us, we'll win."

"Yes, sir!" The men saluted, then returned to their preparations with increased vigor.

Proxi fluttered back to Link. "See, you're getting better at it!" She sang. He made a face and turned away.

"C-Commander!" The captain cried suddenly. "Behind you! A monster!"

Link whirled, ready to draw his sword.

A wolf had somehow managed to sneak up on him. It was massive, almost the size of a pony, with dark fur and a thick, broken chain around its paw. It was clearly a monster, but…

"Proxi… do you see its eyes?" Link asked quietly, still clutching his sword hilt, ready to draw if it were to spring at him.

Proxi cautiously peeped out from behind him. "What the… that's bizarre. They look... almost human."

"Commander?" The captain whispered. "What should we do?"

Link was thoughtful for a moment. On the one hand, this could very easily be a trap. But the enemy has the advantage in this battle. It wouldn't make much sense for them to waste energy on a ploy like this… Only one way to find out. "Stand down." He slowly let go of his sword, dropping his hand by his side.

The wolf watched him carefully with its icy blue eyes. Then, to the shock of everyone, it sat on its hindquarters like a domesticated dog and yawned.

"It's friendly?" Proxi flew near it hesitantly. The wolf sniffed her, and she landed on its muzzle. "Aw! Link, he's adorable! Can we keep him?! He can be our army mascot! It'll improve morale so much! He'll strike fear into the hearts of our foes!"

"What you're saying is, you just want a pet." Link said irritably. Nobody was paying attention, however. The soldiers had crowded around the remarkably tame wolf, stroking its fur and cooing to it. "Hey." The soldiers snapped to attention, looking somewhat abashed. Link sighed. "…We can keep the wolf. But you all absolutely cannot afford to get distracted at a time like this. He comes with me, understand?"

The men agreed enthusiastically. Link battled against the urge to roll his eyes at how excited they were. It's not their fault. He reminded himself. They've gone through hell. Let them be happy for once, you insensitive prick.

"Okay, follow me." He commanded the wolf.

"Link, that's not how you talk to doggies!" Proxi sniffed. "You do it like this. Come here, buddy! Come on!"

"Why are you saying it in that goofy voice? How does that make him understand you?"

"It's so he can hear the love in my voice! He'll trust me more that way!"

The wolf eyed both of them flatly before standing, as if to say I'm following because I want to, not because you asked.

"Alright men, the wolf and I will be trying to root out the enemy commander. I'm counting on you to get rid of their strongholds in the meantime." He strode away briskly, the wolf padding along behind him. Proxi snuggled in its fur happily.

"Want to name him?" She asked. "I think we should. It'll make him feel more like part of the team."

"Sure. Fido it is."

"Link! That's lame! I meant a real name!"

"Blackie."

"Boring!"

"Spot."

"He doesn't even have a spot! You aren't actually trying, are you?"

Link sighed. "Sorry, Proxi. I'm more focused on the whole war thing. If you want to name him, go for it. I'm no good at that kind of thing."

The wolf barked, and they glanced over at him before doing a double take in surprise. The wolf, while they had been distracted, had quietly scratched three letters into the dirt.

"Twi…?" Link read.

"You can write your own name?!" Proxi squealed. "Good boy! Smart boy!"

"How is that even…? Never mind. I've seen weirder things than that today. Like this city floating in the damn sky."

"Right?!" Proxi agreed readily. "How does that even work? Why hasn't it fallen? And thank goodness Lana had a spell to send us all… up here… Um, Link?"

"Yeah?"

"How're we going to get down?"

"If only we could summon an army of cuccos to carry us." Link mused. "They'd probably be better in combat than humans anyways."

"This is serious! We're stuck here! Stop being smarmy and just answer me!"

Twi made an odd noise, staring at a figure standing on the roof of the academy in the distance. Link and Proxi followed his gaze and gaped.

"T-the princess! It's the princess!" Proxi screeched.

"I don't think it is." Link muttered, still staring.

"What?! But it looks just like her!"

"Not really. Her face is entirely different."

"Wha…" Proxi's protest faded. "Huh. You're right. Also, what is she doing?"

The girl was, of all things, playing a harp. She had a determined, unafraid expression, despite clearly being able to see the hordes of enemies in the distance.

"Oh, good." Link plastered a fake smile on his face. "Soothing tunes to accompany the sounds of A WAR! YOU IDIOT, GO INSIDE!"

She glanced up, appearing to hear his voice, and looked thoroughly shocked, but she continued to play.

Link smacked himself on the forehead. "Proxi, go use your mind control on her, she won't listen to me!"

"I don't have mind control!" Proxi protested. "I'm just considerate to others' thoughts and feelings! Also, she's really far and I'm not comfortable flying away from you in a battle like this! I could get trampled!"

"How could you get trampled in the sky?!"

Twi growled at them, seemingly annoyed.

A flash of light brought their attention back to the girl on the roof, who was now holding her harp aloft. Colored lights radiated out of her, flashing so brightly they illuminated the whole battlefield and temporarily blinded the three onlookers. When their vision returned, a blue, floating girl hovered before the one who summoned her, who appeared to be speaking emphatically before pointing to Link.

"Uh oh." He muttered.

The floating girl nodded and flew towards him at an unprecedented speed, not even giving him time to draw his sword. She stopped inches in front of his face.

"Master." She greeted.

"…Is it my turn to say something out of the blue now?" He growled while backpedaling, trying to regain his personal space. Proxi swatted him.

"You are not my master, but you are a master nevertheless." The girl continued in a melodic but somehow robotic voice. "I am Fi, and I will assist you. My aid will greatly increase your chances of both survival and victory."

"Oh boy. What a lucky day."

"He means to say thank you!" Proxi sighed. "We need all the help we can get! It's why we brought Twi along, and we only just found him too!"

Fi turned her blank eyes to Twi, who edged nervously away from her, nose twitching.

"Master." She nodded. Twi froze. "You are in a strange form, but I recognize you regardless. I will assist you as well."

Twi looked like he wanted to bolt away, but Proxi darted in front of him. "Wait! Do you mean this isn't his real form?!"

Twi barked at Fi loudly. She made a contemplative humming sound. "I see. Very well then."

Link rose an eyebrow. "You speak wolf-ese?"

"Negative. I made telepathic contact with the one you call Twi."

When it became clear that Fi had no intention of further clarifying what she meant, Link shrugged. "You know what? It doesn't matter. If you're here to help, then help. We're trying to find the enemy commander. We're out numbed, and the only way we're going to stand a chance is by taking out Volga so that his army panics or retreats… or both if we're lucky. Any idea where he might be?"

"I calculate that the commander of the enemy forces is 85% likely to be hiding in the northern region of Skyloft. The area to the north is uphill and highly defendable, making it the most strategic position to place himself. This is only viable, however, under the assumption that this Volga is unconcerned about the welfare of his soldiers and is not making routes to check on them. Would you like me to factor this in to my calculations?"

"No need." Link frowned. "Volga is a believer in survival of the fittest. If his men die, it's their own fault in his mind. …I wonder if it'll burn me if I punch him in the face."

"What is he comprised of?"

"Uh, he's a dragon-man."

"There is a 97% chance that punching a dragon-human hybrid will give you first-degree burns, master."

"Damn." Link glanced back towards the academy. The mysterious girl had finally gone back inside. "Looks like we'll just have to try to plow through his army until we reach him."

"I would advise, master, that you and I take alternate routes. This will divide the enemy's attention and allow us to reach the commander more easily, assuming one of is not felled."

"I know that, but I wasn't going to suggest it because it seemed too risky. You sure you can handle being on your own? Do you want to take Twi with you?" Link crossed his arms, brow creased with worry.

"Your heart is filled with kindness, Master, just as my former master's was. I will not require assistance, it is best that Master Twi accompanies you." A ghost of a smile appeared on Fi's face.

Link grimaced. "If you say so. Retreat if you have to."

"Understood, Master. We will regroup at the enemy commander's base if all goes according to plan." With that, Fi, gracefully zipped off towards the right, while Link, Proxi, and Twi headed left.

Not wasting time making an entrance, Link smashed through the first enemy base he found. The Lizalfos were caught off guard and were easily knocked aside by his blade. He was more than a little shocked when he turned, recalling that there had been hordes of enemies at his back, to see that Twi was tearing through them with unusually calculated precision.

"I'm starting to wonder if this is that knight academy's personal war dog." He called to Proxi.

"I'm not so sure. You'd think those students would have mentioned it!"

"Yeah, well, you'd also think that they'd have mentioned that one of their peers has a magical, Fi summoning harp that shoots out rainbow colored lights!"

Once the enemy encampment was thoroughly demolished, Link continued northward. He didn't have to run far. Volga stood in a highly visible location, apparently unconcerned about the threat of ranged attacks.

"Returned for another beating, boy?" He called down. "Why don't you send a real warrior to fight me so that I might actually enjoy myself?"

"Considering that the last time we fought you ran away, I'd say I'm as good as you deserve!" Link's face was twisted in annoyance. "Now get down here! Standing out of my reach is cheating!"

"Ran?! Your ally was practically dead, and in the end you lost! I WON that battle, you foolish boy!"

Twi made a grumbling sound and slumped his shoulders.

"Master, my mission was a success." Fi danced over to them. "Ah, I apologize, Master, for interrupting. I did not realize that you were engaged in verbal combat. Please resume if you think that it will be beneficial to your mental well-being and restore your bruised ego."

Link snapped his head to face Fi. "My ego is not bruised! I had only just become a commander, and I think I did very well all things considered-"

Link's breath was knocked out of him as Twi smashed into his side, knocking him away from Volga's spear. Whirling, Twi snapped his jaws around the weapon, trying to wrench it out of his hands, but Volga had an iron grip.

"What's this?" He sneered. "It seems your new pet is more competent a foe than you are, boy!" He swung his leg, forcing Twi to let go to avoid being kicked in the stomach. Twi darted away, and Volga started to pursue him. Link lunged forward while Volga was distracted, cutting through the armor on his shoulder and making him bleed. Volga seemed to not notice the pain, however.

"Weak!" He snarled, knocking Link off of his feet. He swung his spear down, but the blow was deflected by Fi.

"Incorrect. Master is far from weak. You are simply abnormally strong." Fi declared. "Measuring others with such a skewed perspective is a flawed methodology."

"Silence! All that matters is that I can't even get heated up for a battle like this!" Volga roared.

A long, sing-song howl cut through the sounds of chaos. Twi had taken Volga's original vantage point and was now howling at the heavens. Link watched in awe as the Skyloft residents' loftwings, which had been hiding since his arrival, now flocked together so thickly they darkened the sky.

"What is this?!" Volga shielded himself as the enormous birds swooped down at him in a frenzy. "Your animal can summon these fiends?!"

"Why didn't you do that sooner?!" Link demanded. Twi hopped down and rolled onto his back like he had an itch. "I'm serious! Don't ignore me!"

"RAAAGH!" Volga bellowed. "I may retreat for now, but such petty trickery will not save you next time we meet, you coward!" With that, he changed into his dragon form and flew away as the hostile loftwings screeched at him.

There was a long, deafening silence before Proxi squealed, "Good boooy! Who's the best doggie ever?!"

"Don't reward him!" Link protested. "He could have done that from the start and saved us from having to wipe out those keeps to get here!"

"Unlikely, master." Fi lifted her arms in what looked like an awkward shrug. "Loftwings are not evolutionarily developed for combat. While their numbers made them useful against a single foe, they would have been a liability when dispersed over a large range of enemies."

"Seriously?" Link crouched down next to Twi. "How on earth could you have planned that far ahead?" Twi merely stretched indolently. "I don't suppose you know, Fi?"

Fi was quiet for a moment before replying, "I do not."

"But you kept calling him "Master"!" Proxi said, hovering anxiously by Twi's ear.

"Because he is a Master." Fi replied ambiguously.

Link undid his scarf, letting it hang loosely around his shoulders. He was developing a throbbing headache. "Okay, change of subject. The main reason we came here was to close something called a Gate of Souls. I've been running all over this place though, and I haven't seen anything like that here. Do you know where I can find it?"

"Dowsing…" Fi transformed into a blade and began mechanically pointing in all directions. Finally, the blade pointed straight down, and there was a loud pinging noise. Fi resumed her humanoid form. "I have located a large source of energy in the Sealed Grounds below. This Gate of Souls that you seek is most likely there."

"Oh good." Proxi huffed. "Now we're back to what we were talking about earlier. Link, how are we getting down from here?! And don't you dare say-"

"Cuccos." Link replied with a wide grin, eyeing Twi. "Giant cuccos."