Hey hey everyone, MHTT here. I'm breaking off with another Megaman fanfic at the moment, but instead of going with my favorite series, I'm going to try something between Zero and the ZX series. I'll explain more as I go on, but until then, here's the prologue.

IMPORTANT: This fic DOES NOT follow the Megaman Zero cannon, and it makes some assumptions (ie, veers away from the cannon, including)

-Harpuia is alive after MMZ3

-Prairie is indeed Alouette (though it has never been confirmed in the cannon, it is highly implied in the game.)

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN Harpuia or Prairie or Alouette or Rouge or Omega! They are copyright of Capcom!

Prologue: The Wind Dies Down…

Harpuia's eyes widened, inhaling harshly. He stood stiff, his mind trying to processing what had just happened. It was too fast, too fast for him to see. The pain was beginning to seep through his body, originating from his chest but quickly spreading throughout. He could feel the energy ripping through his internal system, rupturing it, corrupting it, utterly destroying it. The guardian grit his teeth and looked down, seeing the menacing green blade impaled through his chest, his fluids beginning to coat the emerald energy with his own red fluid.

"Do you understand now…Master Harpuia?" Harpuia let out a groan and felt his knees buckle. His legs shook uncontrollably, threatening to fall to the ground, but the guardian refused to kneel. He forcefully steadied himself, his feet planting firmly in the ground while his knees and upper legs continued to shake. The pink blades started to feel very heavy in his hands, the versatile weaponry suddenly very unwieldy. His blood stained hands trembled but he kept a firm grip, unwilling to release his blades. He closed his eyes and tried to avert the pain, but a gasp escaped his lips as the green sword slid deeper. "Understand the power I gained? The power I desired?"

His closed eyes opened slowly, catching a glimpse of the cracks in his armor. The duel had been fierce. Both fighters sustained injuries and damage that was almost beyond repair. Harpuia's armor was covered in cracks, scratches, and cuts, his helmet now sporting a broken left wing. His opponent was no different, with the addition of several soaked red spots and a helmet that was busted on the right side. However, what was surprising was the liquid that soaked the red armor, the armor that once belonged to the legendary reploid…Zero, or to be more accurate…Omega. It was blood.

But, the blood was real…Not artificial like a reploid's. Harpuia's opponent, the one who donned Omega's armor, the one whose blade is now impaled through his chest, was a human. The human laughed and stopped, the blonde, blood-stained ponytail remaining still. "What's the matter Master?" He asked with a smile. "Have you fallen so far from your glory?"

The green guardian remained silent, responding with a cold, menacing glare.

(Some time later)

"Harpuia…" Prairie sat on the edge of her seat and gripped her doll tightly. She stared at the large green monitor propped against the wall, the small screen on the left corner nothing but grey static. Only minutes had passed since Harpuia last communicated with Prairie, but to the young commander, it felt like hours. An expression of sadness and concern was etched on her face, all after hearing the sounds of battle that had knocked out his communication line. The commander lowered her head, hiding a tear. "Please…come back to us…"

"Commander," Rouge the operator looked up, noticing a blinking light on her screen. "Communications with Master Sage Harpuia…has been reestablished."

Prairie's head perked up, watching the large monitor with hope. The green line that was absent reappeared at the top of the screen, indicating that the communication line had indeed been reestablished. "Sage! Sage come in!" She shouted.

(Static)

"Sage, can you hear me?!"

(Static)

"…S…Sage…" Prairie stared with horror at the same screen, the static still prevalent. She was receiving no response, nothing from the guardian. Could…Could he have…

"P…Prair…"

The Commander's eyes widened. He's still alive! "Sage! Sage are you okay?!"

"Damage is…(static)…autosys(static)…Cannot repai(static)…"

A glimmer of hope returned to her eyes. He was still alive, she could save him. She WILL save him! "Don't worry! Everything will be fine! We're going to repair you Sage, don't worry!"

(Static)

Prairie's eyes widened. "Operator! Dispatch a medical team to Harpuia's location!"

"But commander,"

"NOW!"

The operator winced and turned back to the panel. "Medical team, prep for transport."

Meanwhile, Prairie returned to the communication line, desperate to keep Harpuia with her. "Sage, please stay with me. Talk to me, say something."

(Static)

"Sage, please talk to me!"

"Med. Team has been dispatched to the location. ETA is twenty seconds." Rouge stated, noticing their location.

"Prairie…It's (static)…la (static)…"

"No! It's not too late! Sage just hold on! The med. team's already been dispatched! They'll reach you soon! Just hold on!" She bit her lip, fighting the harsh, pessimistic reality that Sage Harpuia was dying. "Y…You're going to be okay Sage…Just, just hold on for a few seconds…"

(Static)

"Y…You made a promise to me remember? You won't be like Mr. Zero…You promised…" She took in a gasp, struggling to maintain her composure.

The static broke through once more, the line eerily silent save for the white noise.

Prairie waited, waited for what felt like hours before finally responding. No…Please…Her eyes began to well up and her body began to tremble. "Sage? Sage…please…say something…anything…"

"…"

"I'm…"

Prairie's eyes opened and stared at the screen, watching the static.

"sorry…"

"No…"

"Al(static)…ette…"

"No…Sage…Sage! Are you still there?! Sage!" As she screamed his name, the static screen suddenly turned black, void of all signs of noise and life. "No…O-Operator," She started, her voice trembling. "What happened?"

Rouge remained silent, lowering her head. "…I've lost connection with Master Harpuia commander…The line's…dead."

Prairie was silent. The young commander seemed to have gone into shock, for she neither responded nor moved upon hearing the statement. Sensing the tension, Rouge turned around, preparing to comfort her.

But before she could, Prairie turned her chair around and ran for the door.

"Commander!" The door opened and the young reploid ran out into the hall, her stuffed toy still gripped tightly in her hands. She ran to her private room and quickly locked the door. Then, as she struggled to catch her breath…

She sank onto her knees…and cried.

Well, that's the prologue for you. Hope you guys enjoyed the reedited version. Since I didn't feel rushed and I took my time with this one, I can definitely say I like THIS version better than my previous prologue. I hope you guys do too, and hope it gives a better hook into the story.

From here, it will all be backtracking to show what had led up to this event. Until then, please leave a review!

Thank you for reading!