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, "Nice to see you're alive… Now 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... I have no idea why I received an invitation. I want to believe it was a mistake, but my name is literally embroidered in it..."

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 the party?"

Amy shook her head, "Not as far as I know."

"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 no way of knowing if I don't go. Besides, there's no 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 knows the sender? It's dangerous!"

"What could be so dangerous about a party? And if this was some sort of trick, why would someone take the time to 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 highly doubt this was anything random."

"Listen, Amy…" started Rouge, trying to maintain her composure. "You have to reconsider. 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 meet whoever sent me this thing and get to the bottom of this."

Rouge opened her mouth to say something else, but she stopped, seeing Amy's determined look in her eyes. "Rouge… I just want to forget it all for one night," said Amy quietly. "I just want to be able to just be a princess for a night and not have to worry about a boy… Please?"

Rouge frowned, but sighed. She readjusted herself to her seat and stared blankly at the TV that was blaring in the background. "... Okay. Do whatever you want, then. You already know how I feel about it, but just please be careful. Be sure to text me when you head out and text me again when you get home. Okay?"

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

The invitation stated that guests had to 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 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 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 stunning, and it was definitely an improvement to her previous look the week before.

But what would complete her look were: her shoes.

She turned around with glee, making her way towards her closet. She took out a small wooden box that was beautifully engraved with jewels and iridescent panels, and when she opened it, she could only smile.

Her glass heels.

They were her prized possession.

She worked her ass off for these heels, since they were released in very small quantities and were a special edition heel that would never be released again.

They were a pretty penny too, but she always wondered on what occasion she could wear these.

Until today.

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.

"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 breathtakingly beautiful, and she just couldn't get over the idea that she was 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.

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...

In the middle of the lobby stood 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.

Sonic released a heavy laugh before he took Amy into his arms and sneered, "My, aren't we mean! What happened to the sweet girl I fell in love with so long ago?"

Amy struggled within his arms in protest, pushing him away, "What do you even mean by that!? The last person I wanted to see was you!"

"But I was the one who invited you here! You can at least be a little grateful."

"There's no way I can ever be grateful with the likes of you!"

I can't believe I fell for this crap. This is crazy!

Amy began to turn around to leave until Sonic reached towards her wrist with a firm grip, "Where are you going? The party's just beginning!"

"I'm leaving!" she retorted aggressively, "There's no way I'm going to stay here and let you make an ass out of me!"

"Come on, don't be like that," he cooed, taking her into his arms once more and leading her into a small waltz. "I missed you terribly. And that dress… you look good enough to eat."

Amy blushed, This cannot be happening!

"Can you please let me go?! I can't believe you tricked me into coming here!"

"But if I invited you upfront, you wouldn't have showed up, so I had to tempt you somehow."

"Ugh! I should've just stayed home. Rouge was right, I shouldn't have come here!"

"Just stay a while! My family has been sponsoring this restaurant all these years. We love this joint, so why don't you just relax and eat some food?"

"Listen, Sonic…" interrupted Amy, "If you really meant to invite me, what is it that you want to see me about?"

Sonic closed in on her once more, caressing her cheek with his free hand, "I just missed seeing my girl."

Why… Why is my heart beating like this!? Amy thought in panic; his hand was so warm…

"I just thought that maybe you and I can make an arrangement," he uttered, winking at her.

"An arrangement?" repeated Amy with curiosity.

"I was wondering if you can be my servant for a little while. How does five months sound to you?"

Amy's eyes widened in shock.

A… A servant?

"I… I have to go now! Excuse me!" she yelled, pushing him off her once more. This time, she rushed past the crowd of people that drowned the restaurant with urgency.

"HEY! Where are you going!? Amy!" shouted Sonic from behind her.

She was over it.

She thought that by chance, a little bit of magic could come her way, but who would've thought that it would be her worst nightmare coming back to haunt her again?

Amy made it through the entrance, and even upon a stumble, she continued to run.

She couldn't feel her face, her mouth, or the rest of her body; everything felt completely numb.

I need to get out of here. He's crazy!

But little did she know that upon her escape, something would go missing.

And upon its discovery, it would land in the hands of her worst nightmare.

- End of Chapter 4 -