Chapter 4: The Unexpected Surprise (Part 1)

A knock came from her door, and almost instantly, Amy opened it. Rouge entered her apartment with a yawn, "So, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Amy closed her door, locked it, then took Rouge's hand, leading her to the couch. She pulled out the invitation and placed it upon her lap, "This." Rouge grabbed the letter and slowly held it up to her vision, reading its contents. After she finished, she looked back at Amy in shock, "La LUNA? You got invited to La LUNA? Who the hell do YOU know that has connections to this place...?" Amy shrugged in confusion, "I-I don't know! It came as soon as I came home from taking your advice! See, I knew I shouldn't have left..."

"And you don't know who it could be from?"
"Not the slightest idea... well, actually..."

Amy held her fingertip below her lip and thought for a moment, "... The name on the invitation did ring a bell."

"Who? Suzu the Hedgehog?"
"Yeah. I think she's known for playing the piano or the violin. I saw her on a magazine."

"What, is she some sort of musician or something?"
"I think so... but I have no idea why I received an invitation. I want to believe it was a mistake, but my name is literally embroidered in the invite..."

Rouge leaned her head back and thought along with Amy, "And that's all? You don't know if there's some sort of other connection as to how you managed to be invited to her party?" Amy shook her head, "Not as far as I know. I just remember her from magazines that are always on the waiting tables at work." Who could this girl be? And who would invite me to this thing? Like, I'm seriously at a loss here... "The only way I could know what this is all about is if I actually go to this thing." said Amy, holding the letter up on her lap again. Rouge's eyes widened, "Wait, what? Are you kidding me? You can't be serious!"

"I have to... There's not way of knowing if I don't go. Besides, there's not point in sitting around, thinking for a conclusion we don't have enough information about! I have to go."
"But, Amy! What if it's a trick?! Who gets invited to some fancy dinner party and NOT know the sender? It's dangerous!"

"What could be so dangerous about a damn party? And if this was some sort of trick, why would someone take the time to actually send me a really well-addressed invitation with my NAME embroidered in the letter?"

"Anyone can embroider thread to a paper, Amy! You can't seriously be considering this..."

"I would ask you to come with me, but this invite only admits one person."

Rouge grabbed at Amy's shoulders, "Amy, don't be stupid! Are you really going to go there late at night just because of some stupid invitation? Just don't go!" Amy pulled her hands away, "Rouge, don't worry about me! I honestly feel like I heard of this Suzu girl from more than just the magazines... She really does seem familiar to me, so I highly doubt this was anything random."

"Listen, Amy…" started Rouge, trying to maintain her composure. "Please, as your friend, reconsider going! What if something bad happens to you? I'll never forgive myself if I allowed this to happen only for something worse to take its place—"

Amy shook her head once more, "I have to go. Maybe I'll remember who she is once I make it inside and see her." Rouge frowned, but sighed. She readjusted herself to her seat and stared blankly at the TV that was blaring in the background. "... Then, do whatever you want, then. You already know how I feel about it, but you refuse to leave this alone. Fine." She stood up from her seat and opened the door, "Just be sure to text me when you head out and text me again when you get home. Please?"

Amy nodded, smiling gently at her, "Thanks, Rouge!"

The invitation stated that guests must be present at 10 PM the following Friday. Amy couldn't help but be excited for this event. For the past week, she's been wallowing in a puddle of her own self-pity, and now she finally has a chance to go out and dress for a lovely occasion. She actually started to feel a bit more confident in proceeding through the week with no depressing thoughts about Shadow, or in this case, He-Who-Shall-Remain-Nameless. She wanted nothing to do with her sad thoughts of her now-over relationship, and wanted to be independent for herself from now on. So, for that following week, Amy did just that; she worked well about the week and handled paperwork she never knew she could handle with ease, she presented well in front of her representatives about the new building that Miles wanted built in celebration for his tenth year in the company, and she was even able to help Cream with her prom make-up that Friday afternoon.

After she drove home from Cream's house, which was well into the evening, she went back up to her apartment to prepare herself for the party that night. She had a warm shower, and after she had finished, she started dressing for the evening. She walked towards the dress that hung carefully over her bathroom door, a long red dress with a strapless sweetheart neckline; the bottom of the dress draped across the floor as Amy took it down to put against her bed. She began her makeup, and then her hair; before she knew it, she was done. After putting the sleek number on, she stared at herself in the mirror.

Her long curled quills draped over her shoulders loosely, her cheeks radiant with pink blush, her eyes brushed with a neutral brown shadow to bring out her emerald hues, and her long elegant red dress dragged across the floor as she turned around. She looked absolutely stunning, and it was definitely an improvement to her previous look the week before. She smiled, grabbing her dress from the side as she walked out the door, keys in hand, for the drive ahead of her.

Her hands on the wheel, she breathed in, then breathed out. She couldn't believe what she was doing. She looked at her front mirror: a beautiful young woman looked back at her, and in her eyes, she saw a woman who's been drenched in self-pity for the past week, but has made it back with a new mindset. Before parking, she saw the pack of cars that drove up in front of her. Damn... They all look like celebrities... Hey! That guy has a Lamborghini! Holy shit, I do NOT belong here at ALL. Unexpectedly, a knock came on her window, and with a slight jump, turned and saw it was valet. She rolled down her window to see a smiling face, "Good evening, miss! Would you like me to take her off your hands?" Amy gawked hesitantly, You can never trust these valet guys... Who knows what they can do inside your car... "Er, miss?" She laughed awkwardly, "Uh... sure! Thanks a lot!" She got out of her car and handed him her keys. As she approached the sidewalk, she gazed up at the Gothic building once more; even if it's been a week, it was still jaw-droppingly beautiful, and she just couldn't get over the idea that she was actually invited to something like this.

Upon entering, the first thing Amy noticed was the beautiful atmosphere that was before her. Colors that ranged from beige, white, and gray lingered the walls of the establishment, as well as large amounts of food being placed around the other side of the room. She heard live music being played by the orchestra on one corner, only to be accompanied with the chatter of the crowd of people that were invited as well, and it was then that Amy realized that she really was out of place in this world. She made her way to the bar, and after receiving a glass of champagne, she walked through the crowd of people. This is just ridiculous... Rouge was right: who exactly DO I know in this kind of world? This is insane...

After a few minutes of wandering around the area, she finally caught sight of the girl of the hour; there in front of her, was Suzu the Hedgehog. The young girl smiled and charmed the rest of her guests around her. Wait a minute... She looks really familiar now... Amy walked towards the young girl slowly, until she came to an erupt halt. Alongside the slim-figured young lady was a tall brazen-blue hedgehog, his figure sporting an expensive-looking suit. He flashed a smile towards the guests around him, the group exploding in laughter at what Amy believed was based on his conversation, but her enthusiasm was far from the guests'. His grassy hues made their way towards Amy, and with a pause, he smiled before excusing himself from the gathering. He made his way towards her, extended his hand, and took a slight bow, "Well, well, well. I'm glad you have finally made it."

"... What are you doing here?" she asked quietly, but loud enough for him to hear over the music.

He smirked once more, giving away a chuckle, "I'm the one who invited you, silly. Man, where has your sense of humor gone?" He caressed her face gently, holding her shocked gaze upon his palm. "Aren't you happy to see me? After so many years, I'd figure that you would have enjoyed seeing me in person again, Amy."

She pulled away from him, her eyes turned to daggers, "... Why the hell would I be happy to see you... Sonic the Hedgehog!?"

Rouge was right: I really shouldn't have come here.