Hey everyone!

So, I wasn't really happy with how the last chapter ended, so I decided to rewrite the ending to make it better! That's what I'm starting off with, before I transition to chapter 4. This is starting when Tails noticed the scene in the alley. Hope you all enjoy this modified ending- and chapter 4!

Chapter 3

Tails

As I headed toward the line of fans waiting to meet their biggest hero, a movement in the darkness of the alley behind the stage caught my eye. As I neared the alley, I could hear a voice- and it sounded.. threatened.

I decided to hang back, hiding in the shadows as to not be seen but close enough to monitor the scene playing out before my eyes.

It was hard to make out the form in front of me, but by the voice that suddenly rang out, I assumed it was a female.

"Leave me alone!" She cried, trying to sound determined rather than afraid. "I don't know what you want from me, but you need to leave!"

A second figure now came into my view, one that was darker and taller than the first. This figure was silent, not speaking at all or responding to any words that the girl threw at it. Instead, it slowly advanced on her, seemingly backing her into a corner. I was now on edge, careful not to catch the attention of the figures but also ready to strike.

It wasn't until the darker figure suddenly caused the girl to fall to the ground, crying out in pain as she hit the concrete. The dark form now towered over her, staring down at her helpless form.

This was the final straw, and I couldn't stand back any longer. I quickly moved out of the shadows and toward the figure.

"Hey, you!" I called out into the night, alerting both figures. The dark form turned toward me, and I stopped only inches away from it.

The moonlight now illuminated the figures, and I could see that the one in front of me was a tall form, dressed in a black cloak and overcoat, black boots, and a black, ripped cape. Its face was hidden behind a red and black kitsune mask. The feature that threw me off guard, however, was the fact that the eyes behind the mask were glowing white. I couldn't seem to look away from the glow, and was hypnotized for a full minute. I could feel my thoughts and self control begin to slip away, desperately holding on to my sanity as the glow of the white eyes pulled it out of my grasp.

The girls voice suddenly exclaimed "Don't look into the light!" This pulled me out of my trance, and I snapped back to reality. As the masked figure noticed this, it threw its fist toward me, but I quickly reacted and grabbed it. Dodging its other hand, I sent a jab at its masked face. As my fist came into contact with its face, it fell back in surprise, and I took my chance to rush toward the girl. When my back was turned, I heard movement behind me. The girl tried to warm me, but I was already near the ground, taking its legs out with a kick. The form fell to the ground, and I heard the sound of clanging as the mysterious mask came into contact with the ground. I looked back quickly to try and see its face, but it had turned around and was now grabbing the mask. It covered its face once again and stood, slowly turning to face me. It was now in rage as it slowly walked toward the girl, fists clasped.

I moved in front of the girl, putting an arm out to stop the figure. "Leave her alone," I stated, determined to drive the evil form away. "I don't want this to get ugly, but I will fight with fire if I have to." Just to assure the form that I meant business, I summoned the chaos emeralds, their light engulfing me. The form slowly backed away, before turning and heading back into the shadows once again. Before it dissapeared, I saw it look back one final time, its eyes flashing a bright white. I allowed the chaos emeralds to return to their respective keeper, and now turned to the girl.

She was a smoky gray young wolf, about my age or Mina's. Her eyes were a dark blue, and she wore a black army jacket on top of a black scarf, black battle boots and Grey gloves. She looked up at me in awe, her mouth agape. I smiled down at her, offering a hand to help her up from the ground. "Are you okay?" I asked, as she took my offer and I pulled her up. She held on to my hand tightly, staring into to my eyes for a few seconds before answering "Yes, I am now." She pulled away, and shook her head. "Uh, my name is.. Luna. Thank you, for saving me.." She sounded unsure, even a bit nervous. I held my hand out again to greet her, and she took it.

"My name is Miles," I said, shaking her hand. "And you don't have to thank me- I couldn't just let that guy push you around like that. I didn't want to wait around to see what was gonna happen next." Letting go of her hand, I continued. "What did that form want from you, anyway?"

She shook her head again, this time quickly. "I.. I have no idea," she said, her voice hiding the fear that was present in her eyes. "The Mysterious Masked Marauder- as we refer to him in my village- has been terrorizing my family for a short time now. I had come here to escape from him, but he seemed to follow me here, and had me cornered in that alley." Her words were followed by a cold wind, and she started to shiver. I decided that it would be better to take her somewhere warmer.. and safer.

"Come on, let's get you out of this cold.. we can talk somewhere warmer." I waited until she reluctantly nodded, and led her out of the darkness, out of the shadows, and into the moonlight that shone in the night.

Chapter 4- Masked Secrets

Tails

I led Luna to Mina's dressing room, figuring Mina wouldn't mind if we talked in there. She looked up at me, confused. "Are we even aloud in here?" she asked, and I nodded. "Yeah, she won't mind. Promise." I pushed the door open, glancing around. Mina wasn't back yet, so I switched on the light and gestured for Luna to come in. She reluctantly followed and I shut the door behind her.

"Alright, you'll be warm and safe in here," I told the wolf, and she answered with a quick nod of her head. "Thanks," she said. "I really appreciate it."

I motioned for her to take a seat on the sofa, and I sat across from her on a chair. "No problem at all, Luna. Now, if you could continue on the subject of that guy who attacked you?"

She took a deep breath. "Ah, yes, the Masked Marauder.. well, legend has it that he is after a secret of my family's, a critical substance that could mean life or death, depending on who obtains it.."

She trailed off, stopping suddenly. The look in her eyes told me that she felt she was going too far. "I.. well.. um-"

I cut her off, smiling. "Hey, it's okay. We just met, you don't have to tell me anything you don't feel comfortable saying. I'm just trying to understand what's goin' on here."

Her expression was now surprised as she looked over me more thoroughly. I felt a little uneasy when her eyes stayed on me for a few moments longer than I expected. She finally spoke.

"How about you tell me a little bit about you, Miles?" Her voice was curious but soft. I scratched the back of my head, letting out a nervous laugh.

"Me?" I asked, changing my position in the chair to a more comfortable one. "Well, let me see.. I am 18, a Freedom Fighter, and a Pilot.. I also build planes."

Her eyes widened. "Oh wow.. never expected you to be so.. interesting. I guess I should've seen it coming, judging by your.. aviator attire." Her eyes went to the goggles sitting on the top of my head. I chuckled, waving her comment off. "Nah, its all good. Now you know."

She shook her head, signaling her agreement. "So, um.. who's room is this anyway?" She looked around at the sight of the dressing room, taking in the many lights. "It's very.. bright."

I opened my mouth to answer. "Well, it's actually.." but then the sound of the door opening interrupted me. I quickly glanced to the side to see Mina, who's face lit up when she saw me.

"Miles!" She exclaimed, running toward me. I met her in the middle, scooping her up into a hug. We then kissed for a few seconds before I put her down.

"You were amazing out there, Songgoose," I said, smiling down at her. She grinned up at me, her eyes bright. "Thank you, Miles," she said, quickly kissing me again. While she did, she suddenly caught sight of Luna, and jumped back in surprise. "Oh, uhm, hello there!" she exclaimed. "Wh-who is this?"

I laughed a bit at her reaction. "This is Luna," I said, gesturing toward the wolf. "She was in some trouble, so I brought her here to talk."

Mina looked her over for a few seconds before smiling at her. "Hello, there, Luna," she said sweetly. "My name is Mina Mongoose. It is nice to meet you." She held out her hand, which Luna slowly took.

Luna looked up at her, answering "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mina," before looking back to me. "So this is your.. girlfriend." Her voice was a bit dissapointed, which confused me.

"Yep, in the flesh." Mina squeezed her hand, before turning in a circle to show off. Luna smiled a bit, before giggling quietly. "Yeah, I can see it," she said.

Mina grinned at her comment. "Oh, she can see it," she laughed, looking to me.

"Well," Luna quickly continued, "I just mean.. well, nevermind. You two just seem like you are a good match, that's all." She now looked a bit uncomfortable, looking at the floor.

"Why thank you," Mina said, her hand moving to my arm. "Enough about me, though. May I ask what kind of trouble you are in?"

Luna now looked back up, seeming a bit on edge. After a few moments, she sighed before answering
"There is.. a thief after my family. We have a technology that he wants.. one that would cause danger to more than just my village if he got his hands on it."

Mina let go of my arm and walked over to the sofa, sitting beside Luna. She put a hand on Luna's arm, visibly startling Luna. "This dangerous technology.. could you please explain what you mean?"

Luna shook her head, slowly pulling out of Mina's grasp. "I.. I can't. It's a secret heirloom of my village, and must not be specified to any outsiders. All I may tell you is that the masked thief is after this technology, and no one knows the true reason behind it. His face is hidden behind a mask and hasn't been seen, so we do not know who or what is after my family. All we do know is that his intentions are not kind."

Mina not glanced up at me, waiting for me to speak. I cleared my throat and stepped toward Luna. "It sounds like this evil being fears being caught. If this technology is a secret of your family, then.. how did the masked marauder find out about it?"

The young wolf now shook her head once again. "We are not sure. The secret has not been spread outside of my family- the Masked Marauder really had no way of knowing.."

Mina suddenly chipped in. "Unless this creepy guy was spying on your family."

Both Luna and I looked at Mina, waiting for an explanation. She looked a bit defensive, but continued. "Well, think about it for a minute. You said this was a secret that hasn't been told to anyone outside of your family, right? He also wears.. a mask? Obviously there is a reason for him wanting to hide his identity. He must have had an interest in your family and decided to listen in on your private conversations, hiding in the shadows. When he caught wind of this tech, it must have piqued his interest enough for him to follow you and try and get ahold of this dangerous technology for his own evil intentions."

I noticed where she was going with this explanation, and I had to agree. It all made sense- but there was something still bothering me.

"Luna, do you have an idea as to why he chose to corner you in that alley? Why would he go for you in a public area, when he should have know that you weren't carrying it with you?"

Luna's expression changed to one of worry as she responded. "He always goes for me. That is just the thing- he has proved that he is after the technology, but.. he always follows me. I am the only one that he has actually confronted."

I looked at Mina, who seemed to be contemplating something. "Wait," she said suddenly, on the edge of her seat. "This guy cornered you in an alley? Did he hurt you?!"

I stepped in as Luna was about to answer. "I saw that he just backed her up into the corner, before pushing her to the ground. When I intervened, he seemed submissive, running away without much of a fight. That mask had fallen to the ground when I attacked him, though I didn't get a look at his face before he covered it again.."

Now, as I looked back on the situation earlier that night, I suddenly remembered something that I had shortly forgotten. As I opened my mouth to speak, however, I was suddenly interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Mina! Tails! You in there? We've been waitin' out her for an hour, dudes, open up!"

Crap, I thought. I had forgotten all about Sonic and the others.

Mina and Luna had both jumped up in surprise, and Mina now let out a sigh of relief as she walked to the door and opened it. "Sorry, you guys!" she exclaimed, motioning for everyone to come in. "We got to talking with our new friend here, and thought you had headed on home!"

Sonic was followed by Knuckles and Amy. "Ah, its all good," he said, giving her a hug before being bumped out of the way by Amy. "Everyone else had to head home, they said that they'd stop by tomorrow. We all thought you were as incredible as always, Meens!"

Amy looked to him as Knuckles gave Mina a hug. "Incredible as always, she was even BETTER! She only gets better everytime. Seriously, though, Mina.. you were beautiful. You sounded beautiful."

Mina blushed as she took her praise, squeezing all of them in a loving group hug. "Aw, thank you all," she said, stepping back. "But if you don't mind, could we talk about the concert later? We have a friend here who.. needs some help and a place to stay."

Luna started to shake her head at this, but Mina interrupted. "Ah ah, you are gonna need somewhere safer to sleep tonight. You are coming home with us. As long as you feel comfortable doing so, of course."

Sonic, Amy and Knuckles were now looking at Luna In wonder. "Well, who's this?" Sonic asked, holding out a hand for Luna to take.

"I'm Luna," she answered, shaking his hand. "It is nice to meet you all."

Amy walked a circle around Luna, looking at her from all sides. "Wow, you are beautiful!" She exclaimed before taking Luna's hand. "I'm Amy, by the way. Pleasure meeting you!"

Luna chuckled under her breath. "Why, thank you Amy. I think you are pretty as well."

Knuckles grinned at Luna, following Amy and Sonic in shaking her hand. "I'm Knuckles. Nice to meet ya'." Luna responded with a friendly "Same to you" before turning back to me. "You're friends are all very kind, but I must get back to my village.

The image of the dark masked form before he had run was still engraved in my mind. What if he had gone back to the village to wait on her to return? I could not let Luna go with the possibility of an ambush.

"Mina is right, Luna," I said, putting a hand on her arm. "It wouldn't be the greatest idea to go home tonight, he could be waiting for you there. You need somewhere safer to stay for awhile. We have extra room back at our HQ- you'll be safe, and hopefully comfortable, there. Would that be okay with you?"

Luna seemed disagreeable as she looked to the ground. After a moment, she looked around at everyone around me before setting her eyes back on me. "Okay," she reluctantly agreed. "You are right. If I am not intruding.. I suppose I will stay with you all."

I felt better after this, knowing that we would be able to keep an eye on Luna. I stood by as she retold her story to Sonic, Amy and Knuckles, who all felt just as Mina and I had about the masked villain. We decided it was a good time to head back to HQ when the clock hit 11:00 p.m. While we walked home in the dark, I made sure to stay close to Luna. I walked behind her, Mina by my side. After awhile of walking in silence, she spoke. "Is something bothering you, Miles?"

I looked over to see her looking up to me. I wanted to tell her what I had seen in the eyes of the masked marauder. I wanted to explain that I was thrown into a hypnosis when I looked into the white light, and how I lost all control of my body as well as losing the ability to recognize my own thoughts. I wanted to tell her who was in the eyes, staring back at me, screaming my name while struggling to reach me.

I couldn't speak. I had no idea how to tell her this.

I could see the worry building in her expression, so I took a deep breath. "I'm just a little.. tired, that's all."

She didn't seem to believe this, but we were now nearing HQ, so she dropped it.

Once we were inside, Amy led Luna to the guest room. Sonic and Knuckles had both bid us goodnight as they went to bed, and now Mina and I were alone in the kitchen. I was lost in thought and memory of the eyes behind the mask, when I felt her take my hand. She was gazing into my eyes, and I couldn't help but to feel.. calm. "Hey, you," I spoke softly, placing my hand on her cheek. "You were wonderful tonight. I'm really proud of you, Songoose."

She smiled before resting her head on my shoulder. "Thank you.. it sure was tiring. I think.." she let out a yawn, and I could feel her drifting off. "I think w-we should.. callita.."

Her soft snoring told me that she had finally given in to exhaustion. I slowly and carefully picked her up and carried her to her bedroom. As I placed her in her bed and covered her with a blanket, she grabbed my hand. "Stay," she mumbled, and I smiled. I carefully climbed over her sleeping form and to the other side of the bed, softly kissing her on the cheek as I did so. She smiled in her sleep and turned to face me, cuddling into my chest.

I lied there for hours, staring at the ceiling as the memory of the light from the eyes behind the mask ate away at me.