Disclaimer: All characters, if you can figure out who is who, are copyright of CAPCOM.

Chimera's notes: well, what do you know? I finally finished this %$#ing thing! Wow... just, wow.

Anyways, this (severely extended) poem is a reference for my main story, Happy Anniversary (which may or may not have its name changed at some point). It is a poeticized (is that a word?) version of the Megaman Zero series, plus a bit. I know it doesn't make much sense, but that's how its supposed to be. Why? Well, you be the judge. Also, it's written so it can fit logically into the HA plot, AKA it's as if you were reading it if it were an actual historical document or book, not just a fan-poem. Anyways, here you go, Tales of the Sky! It's not the best, but there it is!

I'm gonna go flop somewhere now... *whump*

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Foreward:

The Tales of the Sky is an epic that has been passed down for many generations among human and reploids alike. Perhaps because of the fact that the true author is unknown, perhaps because it is simply a good story. Many different versions of this tale have been told, this one being, indisputably, the most pure. Some say that these tales were meant merely to teach children moral values, others believe that they may contain a secret meaning, and still others say that the original form of the story is nothing less than an original, historical document created for the purpose of preserving a truly incredible yet tragic account from 200 years ago. No proof of any of these suspicions has been uncovered. It has been noted, however, that there are other tales said to be connected to the below story, especially those concerning the "red demon" or "God of Destruction" (The critic's edition of this story contains many of these stories). However, no evidence has ever been found to prove these rumors, and so, they remain mere speculation. Make of these texts what you will. For your reading enjoyment, may I present to you the original Tales of the Sky.

~Master Mikhail.

Tales of the Sky

Prologue

Long ago, in ancient times,
when heroes were born or heroes died,
when the only stories passed were rhymes,
one lone soul stood out and sighed.

The land had suffered many wars,
all places death had come and dined,
forever marred by telltale scars
both in body and in mind.

The Hero's past was kept unknown,
his fate was still uncertain.
Mind made up, he strayed from home,
left to the darkness like a curtain.

The war raged on despite his caution,
it stayed despite his trials,
as if by the devil's own promotion,
it stayed for years, for miles.

Then an enemy unlike any other
to the forsaken land came,
born solely to love slaughter,
many victims he did claim.

The Hero came back to his role,
and along with his Friend,
banished the Red Demon's black soul
to the place of no beginning, no end.

The one who had created
such a destructive creature,
was punished, and with justice sated,
the Hero left his Friend and Teacher.

So slept the great Hero for a century, his legend spoken for many years,
but how could he have known, despite his deeds, the land was still full of tears?

Chapter One

Dreams left the Hero suddenly,
his memories went right with them,
sleep baned, he wakened fully,
but who was this before him?

A young woman, hunted,
Sky to the Birds that she led.
He got up, then grunted,
the other option was to be dead!

So the Hero saved the Sky,
and brought her to her home,
the leader of those who wanted to try
to get the right to freely roam.

He fought for her,
to free the oppressed
from their unrighteous torture,
he always did his best!

Four more heroes soon did show,
their loyalties mislaid,
Fire, Water, Wind and Shadow,
the Birds became afraid.

But not the hero, his sword in hand,
he went to fight them for his friends,
defeated them in their own land,
they left, lest they meet their ends.

The true Oppressor came to view,
the Hero left to stop him,
from nowhere, the Teacher sent him to
the proper place, on a whim.

It turned out they wanted him trapped,
all the heroes had to duel,
Shadow chose to die as his energy sapped,
a noble death, yet cruel.

So the Hero went on to meet the one,
the Oppressor that ruled paradise,
and with the three false heroes told to begone,
the fight started in a trice.

The Oppressor and the Hero battled,
The Hero won the first round,
but even the great Hero was rattled,
when a tainted Angel rose from the ground!

The false Angel struck,
the Hero dodged and run,
until, finally, some luck;
the Hero won!

With the Oppressor destroyed, the Birds sang for their Hero, one and all,
but their Hero, wanted for his crime, could not hear their call.

Chapter Two

One year spent in agony,
in deserts harsh and wide,
the end of the Oppressor's tyranny
not the end, no matter how hard he tried.

His hopes to live were very slim
the sands eroded his mind,
yet some memories did come to him,
none of which were very kind.

Soon appeared an enemy,
so he fought on in the unending sun,
but after a long battle, he
found that he could not go on.

'Twas on Green Wind they say,
that the Hero came back home,
the Birds did shout, hurray!
He no longer had to roam.

So on he fought for his allies,
to help out at their new nest,
still loyal as if he was Sky's,
once again, he proved the best.

A Jealous leader,
old friend of the Bird's,
for ideas of revolt he was seeder,
they made to leave in herds.

The Hero went to stop him,
But his efforts were in vain,
for when he had got to them,
all the herd was slain.

Angered at the bloody mess,
possessed to gain revenge,
the Jealous One hunted down the Darkness,
like a vulture to the scavenge.

The Hero went to follow,
trying to avert the fate,
trying to avoid the sorrow
but alas, he was too late.

The Teacher sat calm,
unknowing this was his last day,
the Jealous One's great wrong,
when the Teacher he did slay.

Darkness crept from the Teacher,
a curse he'd died to seal away,
it engulfed the Jealous creature,
in his heart it held all sway.

A battle of will and sword,
the Hero fought the Jealous One,
who, without a will of his own accord
could never truly have won.

The curse left momentarily
Jealous died on the cold ground,
his spirit left, before she
was cursed again, left without a sound.

The Darkness was gone, but he hadn't saved the world,
not yet, for evil had only just stirred...

Chapter Three

Strange energy came from a frozen land,
the Birds set out to find it,
the Hero met the other heroes and
the path to his foe was lit.

The Evil Lord from long ago,
the Destructive One at his side,
and a false Oppressor, laid low,
reborn to serve the one that lied.

So the Hero fought again,
against those he'd already felled,
but despite his work and pain,
evil intentions welled.

The Cursed Darkness returned,
brought with it its two young,
Evil Lord wanted them, yearned,
the Hero's trials had just begun!

Many died for the Evil Lord,
when he took the Darkness for himself,
then he sent the Oppressor with his horde
to attack the Birds without stealth!

The Hero fought the enemy,
he won upon that day, the same!
But then the Hero was forced to see
that it was all a part of the Lord's game.

Now in control, the Evil Lord
filled the hearts of all with despair,
it could only be countered with the Hero's sword,
when he found the Evil Lord's lair.

He fought through the guards, faced his foes,
and the monster the Lord sent at him,
he won, but the monster's throes,
were not for death, things were grim.

The monster, Red Demon,
gained power from the Darkness,
wanted the Hero to fight him,
and the Hero gave him a definite yes.

But Darkness's wings spread before him,
there appeared both tusks and horns,
a mane like golden-silver sin,
the God of Destruction, his final form!

So similar to the Hero,
yet different in every detail,
a ghost of the past, a violent foe,
a force that only the Lord dared to hail.

They fought an epic battle, no longer a game,
were evenly matched to the end,
until Wind, Water and Fire came
and helped the Hero, their war-bred friend.

Wind, Water and Fire were sacrificed, the God of Destruction was dead and gone,
But the Hero wasn't done yet, the Evil Lord had lived on.

Chapter Four

In the wasteland hot and wide,
some Birds did leave their wood
led by their leader Sky,
to help out where they could.

They travelled far from where they'd hid,
to help with word or sword,
and help they really did,
those fleeing from the Lord.

Upon being saved,
the freed ones said in disgust,
"it's all your fault we were hurt and slaved,"
and they left without trust.

The Birds did leave but deemed,
to try and save them still,
from enemies that schemed
like wolves up on a hill.

An attack came suddenly,
took one of them, the Leader, away,
left them wondering,
why that Leader should even stay.

Heedless of their doubt,
the Hero took on the Soldier alone,
with his sword and honour stout,
and took the Leader home.

Trust they were given,
and hope they regained,
but more evil had risen,
and more work to be pained.

When all the enemies were dead,
and they thought they'd won,
The Evil Lord's plan came, the Dread,
stunning everyone.

But the Soldier would rebel,
destroyed the Lord in a blur,
so the Hero went to quell
and kill, the misguided Soldier.

But even when the deed was done,
Dread returned again,
the war was strange, had to be won,
Before Dread brought unending pain.

And so the Hero fought
boarding upon the Dread
then the world was distraught,
When the Lord again bared his head!

Again the two did duel,
But even the Hero could not stop,
a fate most cruel,
All would become aught.

But the Hero rose still,
even as nearer his end roared,
and he our hopes did fill,
by slaying that Dread Lord!

But no one knows what happened during, after, that minute and hour,
only that the Hero's life was lost, and the Sky wept like a flower.

Epilogue

Without the heroes of old,
the Sky did weep and mourn.
But she was never told
that she should stop, move on.

The world moved on,
and so did she,
Sky remained strong
there was such peace.

But if ever a time would come,
there were no heroes there,
should ever the Lord or another one
return and bring despair.

So Sky prepared for such a day
by creating a defence,
and sealing it away,
but would they know to use with sense?

And so she did decide, in her aged, tear-filled eyes,
to tell her tale to the future and the skies.

So future, please, remember Sky's Tale, and never forget,
the ones we lost that you knew, and the ones we lost that you never met.

You're free to love, you're free to weep,
the future is yours, to have, and to keep,

And as my name is Sky, you may take it from me,
The most beautiful word in the world is, "free".