"I've been meaning to ask you," Silver spoke up during the pause. "Just when does Knuckles' story happen in relation to our own timelines? It's a little hard to tell."

"You mean how I ordered them for your terms, rather than Hyrule's?" Link asked. "They're actually exactly the same order as they are here. So Knuckles first, then Manic, you and most recently Tails. Sonic's took place after all of yours, largely due to you and Manic."

"Wait, that doesn't explain the chest," Tails said. "Up in the city in the sky, Knuckles didn't seem to know-"

"Yeah, I know," Knuckles said. "Link had words with me. I wasn't to admit any knowledge of ever being a Hero unless you found out. It was one of the reasons I never bothered to pick up a sword in front of you – you'd have wondered where I'd become so proficient with it."

"Were you also responsible for that red chest I found?" Silver asked. "The one with the spiked knuckles in I found over in the Spirit Temple."

"Yeah, that was also me. I kinda had to persuade Link to cooperate for that one."

"There wasn't really any point to it," Link explained. "Granted you found some uses to it, but it was hardly as essential as certain other items – the Hover Boots, for example."

"I hate those things," Silver shuddered. "If it hadn't been for the Shadow Temple I'd never have touched them. Was that..."

"No, that wasn't my idea, and neither was the repeat you caused over in Ikana. I don't normally have any reach into Termina, but I owed one of the locals a favour." Link paused then sighed, "I end up doing that a lot. Owing favours I mean. Even now I can't manage completely on my own, so I inevitably have to ask someone for help. One day I'll pay them all off and then maybe people will owe me one. Anyway, we really need to stop interrupting. We've still only barely started. If we keep this up, we'll be here for months."

"At least it'll keep Manic outta trouble," Scourge muttered to Sonic.

The cave behind the waterfall was damp, wet and none too bright. It was also infested with Keese and ChuChus, though naturally at the time I didn't know what they were. They attacked, and I struck out – with one fist mostly, since the sword was in the other hand and I still tended to favour a solid blow before a strike with the sword.

ChuChus demanded the sword though, their gelatinous surface taking even the most powerful punches I landed and just wobbling back. It disoriented them a bit, but they completely ignored it otherwise. A neat strike through them separated each one into two smaller ones that apparently couldn't sustain themselves, and gave me the first introductions into the strange way everything dies in Hyrule, vanishing in a puff of smoke. If nothing else, it's neater than standing in a pile of robot parts.

I did wonder idly just how Groose and his company had managed here, since none of them had a sword outside of the sparring halls – there'd been a few looks about my exception to that, but since I was protecting something, no one actually tried to take it off me.

Since the cave was hardly large, I won't bother to give you an idea of the short journey through it. It's not a dungeon, after all. Only one route that leads to a cliff edge underneath the main island of Skyloft, where I found my Loftwing – stuck behind long beams of wood that had been tied together, locking it in a crevice in the rocks. Rather than smash through and potentially injure my friend, I sliced through the ropes and flung the beams off the edge. Someone down below was about to get a shower of timber.

Naturally, he was happy to see me, nuzzling at me for a moment before stretching his wings and taking to the skies, closely followed by me. I didn't need to whistle to get his attention, not with him right up close, and once again together we soared back up over Skyloft.

I spotted Groose looking rather chagrined along the way, and though Instructor Horwell was present I leapt off to join them, my sword somehow conveniently coming loose from its sheath and finding its way into my hand by the time I landed. Cawlin and Stritch quickly backed away, and even Groose looked apprehensive.

"Now Knuckles, lets not do anything hasty," he tried to reason with me. "It was just a bit of sport, you know? No harm done, and you're here in time!"

"A bit of sport? Is that way you call it?" I asked, somehow keeping a level tone.

"Ah, Knuckles?" Horwell said tentatively. "Perhaps you'd like to put your sword away?"

I gave him a blank look, then looked with mock surprise to my sword. "Was I holding this the whole time? I never even realized. Amazing the things that slip out when you're falling, eh? Must have thought I was going to threaten you with it."

Groose gave a nervous laugh, looking slightly sick, but was quickly in hushed discussion with Cawlin and Stritch. What about, I didn't hear – though I have my suspicions now.

While they talked, Horwell took me to one side and neatly confiscated my sword.

"For fair play," he told me. "It'll be kept safe for you. You know what's involved in the Wing Ceremony?"

"Zelda explained it to me," I replied. "The Yellow Loftwing just behind you has a statuette, I take it off it, keep it and bring it back here. Or one of them do, but somehow I can't see that happening."

"Don't get overconfident, Knuckles. There'll be a bit of ceremony beforehand of course, and I'm expected to say a fair bit. There'll be others watching naturally, so I'd appreciate it if you'd keep yourself from yawning too much. It happens sometimes."

"And afterwards as well? She told me about that too."

"Don't worry yourself about that. You'll have no need to be concerned. Now then..." Louder, to all of us, he announced, "Places gentlemen! We are about to begin!"

Aside from a recap of the rules and the plaintive warning to keep it fair (which I expected the other three to ignore), I let most of what passed next wash over me. I couldn't tell you what was said because aside from looking as if I was listening, all I was really waiting for was the sign to start.

I started paying attention where at a light slap on the side the Yellow Loftwing was sent soaring into the air, given a good few minutes head-start before a firework going off marked our turn, running for the edge to leap off. Stritch and Cawlin both beat me to the edge, but I was't concerned with that – I know I'm not the fastest on my feet. Even Groose was just slightly ahead of me, calling his Loftwing before mine arrived, but once I was on the back of the great Crimson Loftwing I knew I had this in the bag. I made use of a steep dive to pick up speed and to get a good idea of where the Yellow Loftwing had gone.

I'd been watching it after it had taken off, of course, but it too had dived down low and out of sight. It could have gone anywhere from there, making the first task finding it. While Groose and his company naturally stuck together to help each other, I had no such aid myself, only what I could see, and I saw them spread out somewhat, casting about for the Yellow Loftwing.

Once I'd assured myself it was not still underneath Skyloft and hadn't landed on any of the lower, hidden cliff areas, we soared up high instead. From a higher vantage we'd be able to dive and pick up speed rapidly if we spotted it. The disadvantage was of course that if Groose and company spotted it, they were much closer – but had less height to gain from.

My Loftwing gave a cry and banked to the right without prompting, catching my attention – he'd spotted it before I had! Just beyond the island with the giant pumpkin house, but veering away, heading toward the part of the sky where the others were.

"See if we can catch up with it before they even realize," I said to my Loftwing, who simply gave another cry, gaining yet more height for a steeper dive. Almost all sound was lost to the rush of the air we practically sliced through, even the islands around us shot past. We tracked the Yellow Loftwing, always aiming just ahead of it, always ready to turn again to stay ahead.

I kept a close eye on the others too. Though I'd have hoped otherwise, at least one of them had been returning the favour and once they'd spotted us diving, the three of them had been quick to predict where we were aiming and spot the bird themselves. They were closer, but we still had the speed of the dive on our side.

The Yellow Loftwing spooked – understandably – turning sharply in the air to fly away from us. The extra distance gave us more space in which to dive, but also less height, and though my Loftwing was still the faster, Groose was nevertheless gaining on us, having soared up and taken smaller dives to catch up.

"Oi!" Groose yelled to me. "Don't you know this is my day to get all the glory!"

I didn't bother to respond aloud, but we did have to veer off quickly as he tried to slam his Loftwing into mine. He yelled something up to Cawlin and Stritch, who were higher up and already diving for us, but whatever it was I lost to the winds as I guided my Loftwing into gaining height again. I wasn't going to let that happen again if I could help it.

I found out what he'd told them to do shortly afterwards as their Loftwings finally caught up to us, though still lagging behind. They started lobbing eggs at us, with a terrible aim, but having to constantly avoid them and concentrate on the Yellow Loftwing too was a distraction. One of them caught me in the back, breaking and leaving runny remains over me, but otherwise they were too poor a shot to hit me, and in any case they had to frequently rise and dive just to keep up. I still had the advantage.

Groose nearly caught the Yellow Loftwing once, about to reach for it when it turned sharply to avoid the bottom of a floating island, and Groose just barely managed to avoid it himself, losing the Yellow Loftwing in the process until the others pointed him in the right direction. It had cost him though, and I took full advantage of that, nudging my own into a dive, again keeping just ahead of the yellow one. This time Groose didn't manage to keep up and the Yellow Loftwing, while still flying ahead of us, did not have any obstacles in its path. We were just swift enough with the last of the speed we gained from the dive to catch up, leaving me only to reach ahead, holding on one-handed, catch the statuette and tug once to snap the string that had been holding it.

My Loftwing saw it all and gave a loud victory cry, waiting until I had the statuette safely secured and a good hold again before he turned and headed back to Skyloft. Eggs still came from Cawlin and Stritch, and more than once Groose tried to collide again, but now I could devote my full attention to them I gave them more than just a run for their money.

We landed exactly where we'd taken off, where I showed the statuette to prove myself. Zelda, who'd seen what happened, was already waiting with a towel to wipe the egg off my back. The others landed just in time to hear Horwell proclaim my victory – followed by Gaepora rounding on them for their actions.

"Come on," Zelda said to me, tugging my arm. "We've got the rest of the ceremony to see to. Race you to the Goddess statue!"