The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword/The Wing Ceremony

The game begins with the vision of a nightmarish beast that has recently been plaguing the dreams of Link, the game's protagonist. Link is eventually woken from his slumber by the arrival of a large purple bird known as a Loftwing; specifically, that of his best friend, Zelda, who has been sent to deliver a letter to Link. The bird unceremoniously deposits Zelda's letter on the floor upon which Link now lies, and promptly flies off again. In her letter, Zelda has correctly predicted that her "sleepyhead" friend would oversleep, and forget to meet her before the Wing Ceremony begins. Time to get going!

Leave the bedroom, and head down the corridor to the left. In the corner, you'll notice an orange-clad boy named Fledge, who is struggling to lift and carry a barrel into the kitchen nearby. If you help him with this, he'll give you 20 Rupees. Most other rooms in the Knight Academy are locked, so leave via the large double doors on this floor.

The Headmaster's missing pet
Welcome to Skyloft, the village above the clouds! Walk towards the path to Link's right, and the man on the level above you, Instructor Horwell, will call you, and ask you to target him with, and talk to him. He'll ask you to join him up there. To reach him, press and hold while moving to Dash towards the wooden box nearby, allowing you to climb it. When you reach the top of the pillar, Horwell will teach you about the stamina gauge and auto jump. To jump the gap between you and Horwell, just walk towards it, and Link will automatically jump over. Walk over to Horwell and speak to him. He will tell you that Zelda's father, Headmaster Gaepora, has a pet Remlit (a cat-like creature) named Mia, who has escaped. She's lying on the roof of the Knight Academy, and you've got to get her back.

To reach her, Dash towards the wall behind Horwell with the ledge to grab it, and climb over to the left. Drop down onto the grey path at the other end of the ledge, run over to the vines Horwell pointed out, and climb up. At the top, you'll see a wooden box. When you approach it, Horwell will call you, and tell you how to move the box so that you can use it to help you reach the rooftop where Mia is. Move the box towards the wall, and Dash to climb onto it. Keep going to climb onto the roof. Walk over to Mia, and pick her up with. To bring her back to Horwell, jump down, head under the bell in front of you, and drop down from here. Carry Mia over to Horwell, and he'll direct you to the Statue of the Goddess, where Zelda should be waiting with her father. Make your way over there. Along the way, if you speak to Jakamar, the man fixing the gate, he'll give you a quick lesson on using Bird Statues to save your game. With this done, hurry on to the Statue of the Goddess.

Link's missing Loftwing
As expected, Zelda is here, waiting for you. She's been waiting all morning to show you her outfit and harp, which she'll be using in the Wing Ceremony for her role as the Goddess, and asks you your opinion on them. After, Gaepora will arrive, and inform you that, should you win the Wing Ceremony's Loftwing race, you'll get to perform the post-race ritual with Zelda... who is concerned that you haven't had enough practice with your bird to be able to win, and so drags you off for some last-minute training. She pushes you off the ledge, and tells you to press to call your Loftwing... but nothing happens. After frantically rushing to catch you, Zelda will apologise for not believing you, and Gaepora will tell you to find Instructor Horwell and speak to him. Return to the Knight Academy.

Horwell is still in the same location as before. Speak to him, and he'll tell you not to worry about being late for the Wing Ceremony, and concentrate on finding your Loftwing first. The front gate of the Knight Academy is now open, so jump down, and leave through the gate to reach the main residential area of Skyloft. Follow the path. Along the way, you'll be stopped by Gully, who is trying to knock some bugs out of a tree. Roll into it, by dashing towards it and shaking the. A Sky Stag Beetle will fall out, and Gully will chase after it excitedly. Continue following the path towards the Skyloft Plaza, where you'll notice three figures in front of the large structure known as the Light Tower. Walk over to them. These figures are three of Link's fellow students, Groose, and his underlings Cawlin and Strich. They let slip more than enough to incriminate themselves before noticing your presence. Groose begins insulting your friendship with Zelda, and is only stopped by the arrival of the girl herself, who, after dismissing Groose, will leave to fly around Skyloft in search of your Loftwing. Again, head back to the Knight Academy.

Here, follow the path right around to the back of the Knight Academy, where you'll find the Sparring Hall. Outside stands Fledge with Pipit, a senior student of the Academy. Speak to Pipit, who will inform you that Fledge overheard Groose and his gang planning to kidnap your Loftwing, and hide him near a waterfall, which Pipit will mark on your map with an X. Before going there, though, enter the Sparring Hall. Inside, speak to Eagus, who is standing at the back of the hall. He'll let you use the sword from the back room of the hall. Enter the room to his right, and open the chest for the Practice Sword. Make sure to get in plenty of practice on the practice logs here before heading for the waterfall. If you cut down all the practice logs, Eagus will offer to teach you the Spin Attack (shake and  horizontally at the same time) and the Fatal Blow (-Target a downed enemy and shake  and  downward at the same time). These two skills will prove very important throughout the entire game, so make sure you're fully confident with them before leaving.

It's time to find your Loftwing. Head for the exit of the Knight Academy. As you go, a Sheikah Stone will appear and teach you about its function: it can show you Hint Movies that will give you a clearer idea of where to go next if you find you have no ideas whatsoever on how to progress. Leave the Knight Academy, and turn left at the foot of the stairs. Follow the bridges along here, and you'll emerge near the waterfall. Go forward, cross the stepping stones in the lake (being careful not to fall in on the left, or you'll probably be swept off Skyloft completely, causing a knight to rescue and reprimand you), and head up to the right towards the Waterfall Cave. Cut down the wooden posts in your way, and enter.

Waterfall Cave
The Waterfall Cave is a relatively simple mini-dungeon-like area, filled with Keese and ChuChu. Follow the cave around to the right. The wooden fence to the right breaks off near the end; drop down, and jump across to the ledge below for a small chest containing 20 Rupees. Drop down, and continue to the left. Dash up the slippery slope here. Keep going around to the right, through the wider stalagmite-filled area. Dash to climb up the ledge, and continue straight ahead to the exit.

You'll emerge at a small ledge underneath the waterfall. Head right. Along the way, Zelda will find you. She'll tell you that the area ahead is frequented by Groose, so you should investigate there. Run down, and you'll find your Loftwing imprisoned in a small alcove. Cut down all the ropes holding up the barriers to free him.

Now that you have your Loftwing back, it's time for that training Zelda promised you earlier. Press to call your Loftwing. Now Zelda will show you the basics of controlling him. Tilt left and right to fly in that direction; shake  upwards to fly up and gain altitude; tilt  down to fly downwards and gain speed; press  to perform a charge attack; press  to slow down. After some quick practice, you'll fly back to Skyloft.

The Wing Ceremony
Soon after you land at Skyloft Plaza, the Wing Ceremony will begin. Instructor Owlan will explain how the race will work: a Bird Statuette is attached to a gold-coloured Loftwing, who will then be released into the skies. When Owlan gives the signal, Dash off the ledge and call your Loftwing. The winner will be the one who catches the gold Loftwing first.

Quickly dive off the platform and call your Loftwing. The location of the gold Loftwing will be highlighted on-screen; you just need to fly towards it and catch it. When you are close enough, press to reach out for the bird. However, the first time you do this, Groose will charge at you, knocking you away from the prize Loftwing, and scaring it away from you. Also, Cawlin and Strich will begin throwing eggs at you. Their eggs won't harm you, but they will knock your Loftwing slightly off-kilter, slowing you down a little. You need to catch the gold Loftwing again, but now while flying over and around the eggs being thrown at you. The eggs aren't too hard to avoid; just fly up, left, or right out of their flightpath. When you catch up to the gold Loftwing, press to catch the Bird Statuette, confirming you as champion of the Wing Ceremony.

With Zelda, you'll be flown over to the Statue of the Goddess to perform the post-race ritual. As part of this, you'll receive Zelda's Sailcloth, an item that allows you to safely fall from any height. Now, to complete the ritual, Zelda will walk up closer to you... and push you off the Statue. To complete the ritual, you need to land in the centre of the circle pattern on the ground. To control the falling Link, tilt in the direction you want to fly, and press and hold  near the bottom to use the Sailcloth and land safely. To increase your chances of finding the centre, wait until you can see Link's shadow on the ground, and use it to guide you (but don't wait too long to use the Sailcloth, or you'll fall flat on your face and get hurt). If you fail, you'll need to do it again, but Zelda won't push you off next time. With the ceremony complete, Zelda will invite you to fly around the clouds with her. However, while out in the sky, a dark storm rises, dragging Zelda down below the clouds, and knocking you away, unconscious.

The time to awaken
After the cutscene, you awaken in your bedroom in the Knight Academy, with Gaepora worrying for both your and Zelda's safety. When he leaves, you'll hear the sound of the voice of the mysterious spirit from Link's dreams outside. Leave your room to find that same being outside, waiting by the staircase. Approach her, and she'll fly away from you. Follow her outside. She will lead you to the Statue of the Goddess, albeit via a less direct route, because the path leading to the Statue is closed. Follow her down to the right. Along the way, you will come across a stray Remlit. But, because it is night-time, it will attack you. Attack it two or three times, and it will avoid you for a while. Continue to follow the spirit. Shortly after the Remlit, you will reach a ledge. Climb onto it, and go around to the right. From here, you'll be attacked by several Keese and ChuChu, which only appear in Skyloft at night. Dash up the slope, and jump over to the floating island you are lead to. Climb to the top, and jump for the vines growing on the cliff ahead of you. Climb up. At the top, the spirit will lead you to the front of the Statue of the Goddess, and enter it, revealing a secret entrance. Step inside.

Inside the Statue, you'll find a sword standing in a pedestal, from which the spirit will emerge, introducing herself as Fi, created to aid you in your quest. Fi will inform you that Zelda is still alive, and instruct you to take up the sword. Approach the sword, and press. Point down, hold, and pull  upwards. Hold up above you, and the sword will fill with energy, confirming the Goddess Sword as yours. During the following cutscene, Fi will give you the Emerald Tablet, and tell you to place it in the altar behind her. However, you must first hit the crest floating at the back of the chamber with a Skyward Strike. Approach the crest and face towards it. To charge a Skyward Strike, raise above you as you did before. When it is fully charged, swing to unleash the Skyward Strike. When it strikes the crest, a slot for the Emerald Tablet will appear. Place the tablet in it, and a beam of light from the Statue of the Goddess will open a hole in the clouds, allowing you to access the Surface. Fi will inform you that you can summon her for assistance by pressing, and return to the Goddess Sword.

The next morning, Gaepora will present you with the green knights' uniform, and advise you to visit the Bazaar to stock up on supplies before you leave. Outside your room, Fledge will give you his Adventure Pouch, which can store four items, such as shields, potions, etc. Leave the Knight Academy. Outside, speak to Instructor Owlan, who will give you a Wooden Shield. To equip it, hold to open the Adventure Pouch, point at the Shield, and release. If you visit the Sparring Hall, Eagus will teach you how to use it in battle. The shield is controlled by the. Shake to take out the shield, or if it's already out, to perform a shield bash, which will knock your enemy back if timed properly, giving you an opening to attack. In the Bazaar, speaking to Luv, the Potion Shop owner, will earn you your first Empty Bottle, which can be used to store potions, among other things.

When you feel like you're ready to go, approach one of the ledges along the south of Skyloft. Fi will show you the location of the column of light leading to the surface. Dive into the sky and call your Loftwing. Fly out to the column of light. As you fly over it, press to look down, and press  at the right time to dive off your Loftwing, and down to the surface.