//------------------------------// // The Beginning // Story: Tails of Fate // by CroisSunnyPlay //------------------------------// PROLOGUE - THE CONVENTION ((??? POV)) "C'mon daddy, let's see something more!" I smiled as Melissa said that. She was a ten year old girl, and my daughter. She liked the night more than the day, so I named her Melissa Moon. Today, we had come to a convention, as I had enough money to take us both this year. I have always wanted to take us to a convention, but I hadn't had enough money. Things were difficult for us ever since my wife passed away. The thought brought a sigh out of me as I remembered that day. But I quickly shook my head to clear my mind and focus on the important things of today, as I didn't want to ruin Melissa's day with my bad mood. "Sure thing sweetie." It was a little hard to do something close to a costume for us. I was wearing a yellow jacket with a white shirt underneath, yellow trousers, and red shoes with white details. In my head, I was wearing a yellow cap with a pair of fox ears at the top that I had bought for this occasion. I was cosplaying, or at least was trying to cosplay, as Tails from Sonic The Hedgehog. Out of all the game and TV characters, he was my favorite. I like the way that he help to defend his friends, even if sometimes he can't do anything. Melissa was wearing a dark blue dress that I bought to do her costume, and silver slippers. But the rest of the costume I had to do myself, as I dyed some parts of her hair of a blue color, almost the same as the dress, and made some cardboard cutouts of a pair of wings the same color of the dress to put on her back, and a cardboard cutout of a horn to put on her head. When I asked who she was cosplaying as, she said "We are Princess Luna of Equestria! Thou shall bow to us!" She finished with a giggle, I think she was trying to talk like the character. Luna... I have heard that name somewhere... Oh yeah, some guys in work where talking about her, saying that she was from a show that they watched. I believe the name of the show was... My Little Pony? Something like that. We go around the place, looking at all of the things going on and mostly having a good time. While passing for one of the stalls, something caught my eye. Exact replicas of the Chaos Emeralds and Master Emerald. I've never seen a replica as perfect as those. Being the Sonic fan I was, I had to buy them. "C'mon Melissa, let's take a look at that stall. Maybe we can find something you like too." "Okay daddy!" We approached the stall and saw a weird man that I think was cosplaying as some merchant from a game. For some reason, a shiver ran down my spine just at the sight of that man. "Hello mister. How much for the replicas of the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald?" I asked him. "For you, Lone Fox, 80 dollars." 'So I can buy them all and I'll still have enough money for whatever Melissa wants. Today seems to be going great for us. But why did he called me Lone Fox?' I thought to myself. "Daddy, look! I want this!" Melissa said, pointing at a collar and what I thought was a tiara, both the same silver color as her slippers, with a white crescent moon in the front. I turned back to the merchant guy and asked "How many for these?" "Ah, yes. For the little Night Princess, I'll make it 20 dollars." He said, smiling at Melissa. After paying and taking our things, Melissa and I went to take one more look around, we still had enough time to have fun. But while walking through the place, I started to feel strange, as if something bad was about to happen. It was then that I saw him. In the corner of my eye, I saw a guy that was cosplaying as Nazo from that fan-made movie of Sonic the Hedgehog, Nazo Unleashed. I didn't show it, but that guy was starting to make me feel nervous. I just kept walking with Melissa, pretending to not be paying attention to him. And then it happened. He looked in our direction and pulled a gun, saying "I want everything you have, now!" At first I was surprised, but after recovering from the shock, I tried to reason with him. "L-look, you don't need to do this. I'll give you my money, j-just stay calm and-" "Don't tell me what to do! The money! Now!" I hesitated for a moment. In that time of hesitation, the guy lost control. "If you don't want to give me the money, I'll take it from you dead body!" He yelled, pointing the gun at me. Seeing what was about to happen, Melissa ran out from behind me in the direction of the guy. "Please don't hurt my daddy!" BANG!!! Time seemed to slow down around me. I watched in shock as Melissa stopped running and stood there unmoving. "M-Melissa?" I asked, approaching her. Something red started to drip from the front of her dress as she fell to the floor. I quickly moved to her side and turned her around to face me. My eyes widened when I saw that the bullet had hit her in the heart. Tears started to form in my eyes, but my sadness was replaced by anger when I heard the guy speak again. "This is only your fault. If you had given me the money when I told you to do it, I would have gone away and she would still be ali-" A punch to the face silenced him. He dropped his gun in surprise and feel to the floor. I picked up the gun and pointed it at him. Hands shaking, teeth gritted and tears in my eyes, I spoke to him, revenge echoing in each syllable of my sentence. "You piece of shit! Give me a good reason why I shouldn't just end your fucking life right now!" The guy seemed terrified. In his place I would be too, after all, he was looking at one of the most dangerous things of the world: An enraged father. "D-daddy?" This was spoken so low that I almost didn't hear it. But when I heard, I turned back to the body of my daughter with hope that she was still alive. "Melissa?" In that moment of distraction, the guy got up and ran away from us. I looked in his direction and for a moment considered just shooting him on the back, but discarded that idea. Hopefully, the police will take care of him. Right now, my daughter needs me. I threw the gun away and approached Melissa, sitting at her side and holding her hand. "I'm here sweetie. Don't worry." "Daddy, i-it hurts..." "I know dear. Try to not move too much." "D-daddy, am I going to w-where mom has gone?" After she asked that, I couldn't contain my tears anymore. They flowed down my face like a river. A river of pain and sorrow. "Yes sweetie. You're going to be with her." "A-and you daddy? Am I g-going to see you again?" "One day, Melissa. One day." I hugged her, not caring for the stains of blood in my costume. "Good b-bye daddy. I l-love you..." I heard her say softly before her breathing stopped completely and she went limp on my arms. The realization hit me like a truck. Melissa was dead. My only daughter was dead and it was my fault. I briefly saw the emeralds that I bought start to glow. As everything stated to go white, I managed to whisper one last thing. "I love you too, my little Princess of the Night..." I woke up on the ground. I noticed the Chaos Emeralds an the Master Emerald laying around me. I also noticed that my body felt wrong, different. I took a look around and saw that I was in some kind of forest. But none of that mattered right now. Everything that happened came back to me. The convention. The merchant. The thief. The shot. The blood. Melissa dying in my arms. My hands balled into fists and new tears started flowing down my face. A strange, dark aura formed around my body as I yelled to the sky as loud as I could. "MELISSA!!!"