"Rouge, are you sure about this?" Amy's head poked out of the dresser, uncertainly seeking approval from her companion.

The bat left the bathroom with curling iron in hand, addressing the hedgehog. "What are you doing? Come on, show me!"

Amy stepped out of the dresser, timidly and cautiously aware at the amount of skin and fur exposed by this dress. "I-I can't wear something like this!"

Rouge clapped her hands, clicking her tongue in disappointment, "Why not?! Look at you, doll! That red dress really never did you any justice."

Rouge urged the hedgehog towards the mirror and Amy blushed, her eyes immediately finding the bareness of her thighs and her collar bone. "Bu-but Rouge! I'm an inch away from a panty show!"

Amy tugged the end of the skirt down, but it valiantly refused, and Rouge pestered her to stop. "That's the beauty of it, doll. Just look at ya, none of the boys will be able to hold onto their shoes—and I bet Sonic'll nosebleed from this."

Amy frowned, blatantly finding the zipper of the dress and stripping down. "That won't do anyone any good. Besides, it's not like this is for Sonic in the first place. Shadow would have such a hissy fit if anything like that happened."

Rouge blinked, watching as Amy disappeared back into the wardrobe. "That's right… so you and Shadow really are a thing, huh? And after all that running after Sonic…"

"I don't think there's anything else to it." A clang resounded as a hanger fell out, and the pink hedgehog reached towards it.

Rouge sat down on one of the cushioned chairs, observing the young hedgehog. "It's just, well, who would've thought? You and Shadow—and the surprising thing is that you two go really great together. I'm kind of irritated."

Amy looked up, meeting the bat's stare, but at the annoyed expression she received Amy found herself able to smile warmly. "Thank you, Rouge."

The bat scoffed, leaning her head back and studied the posters of celebrities she had stuck on the ceiling. "I think I have a really nice orange summer dress in there."

Amy blinked, turning back to the wardrobe. "Orange. Got it."

She disappeared into it and Rouge heard the familiar shuffle of clothing. "Amy?"

"Mm-yeah?" She hollered back.

"Does Sonic know?" The shuffling stopped. Rouge watched the closet, sucking in a quick intake of breathe when the pink hedgehog stepped out. The auburn dress consisted of several overlapping loose cloths, falling gently down onto the knees. It was such a modest, billowy dress, so unlike Rouge's style that the bat herself questioned why she had bought it in the first place, but on Amy, she had captured such a gentle, virtuous look.

"That is… a real killer." Rouge eyed the hedgehog in pride and envy. "Just keep the dress, I don't think I could stand looking at it again, knowing someone else already looks better in it than I do."

Amy's cheeks flushed and her eyes shined radiantly, "Really?"

Rouge smiled warmly. "Yeah, go ahead and keep it, kiddo."

The bat blinked in surprise when the hedgehog leaped on her with a squeal and a hug, but she took it in happily and patted the younger girl on the head.

To be honest, Amy and Rouge were never really ever close. At least, not too much on friendship terms, but after finding out about Amy, Rouge had found a groundwork, not out of pity, but rather in sympathy. Rouge knew what it had been like to be in Amy's state. At around the same age she was also in the exact same position—with no money and terrible jobs. She had nights on the street and nights without food. In the end, though, Rouge had given up pride and taken up larceny to get herself by, whereas Amy refused to do so.

Still, Rouge saw herself in Amy and somehow it was blossoming into a terrible fondness for the little hedgehog.

"I think he knows." Rouge blinked, peering at Amy, curious as to the guilty look that had consumed the girl's smile. "He's probably suspicious. I've never said anything directly to him, but…"

"What's with that look?" Rouge poked the girl in the cheek. Amy blinked, her eyebrows drawing closer.

"What look?"

"That. You have shame on that. Why is it there?" Rouge cocked a brow and Amy sighed.

"It's… I guess it's kind of stupid but… I am happy with Shadow, happier than I've ever been, and I don't think I've done anything wrong… it's not like Sonic and I were ever really together… but it's just that I kind of feel like I betrayed Sonic."

Rouge scoffed, "Why on earth would you think that?"

Amy's lip quivered. "When I finally went to talk to him after he'd been avoiding me for so long, he—he looked so hurt. He a-asked me who knew first, and-and—and when I to-told him it was S-Shadow-"

"No-no, don't-don't cry!" Rouge rushed forth with a tissue, cleaning up the fallen traces of mascara, but Amy couldn't stop.

"R-Rouge! He was so angry at the end of all of it! I tr-tried to t-talk but he w-wouldn't let me and he just s-stormed off. I've never s-s-seen him like this! I didn't think-I didn't-" Amy hiccupped, choking on her own words. Her arms hung limply, her hands trembling. "He h-hates me!"

Rouge gave up and trying to save any make-up and instead picked up a washcloth, settling for redoing the whole thing. "He doesn't hate you, Amy. He's just jealous."

"Jea-… Jealous?" Her green eyes were big and watery with tears and she looked so sad and pathetic it irked Rouge. She couldn't stand depressed people, and she didn't like crybabies. Still, she swallowed down her habitual annoyances and wiped away the streaming tears.

"Of course. He's a guy, and more than that, he's the egoistical Sonic the hero. A hero, Amy. He's used to it, and a little more than that, he's used to being your hero." Rouge sighed and nudged the trash bin closer with her leg, throwing away the ruined cloth. Taking her gaze back to Amy, she couldn't help wincing at the dark bags carried under the young hedgehog's eyes, revealed under the absence of the shielding make-up. "It's hard for him, in a sense. He's always thought that he'd been rescuing you, when in truth he'd been blind to what was really happening."

"But—"

"More than not him knowing, Amy, is that Shadow had been there for you instead of him—had done what he didn't, and more than all of this… he must be the feeling that he failed you."

Amy sniffled. "Shadow said something similar to that."

Rouge blinked but let it rest. She couldn't say she knew Shadow anyway, not anymore at least. "Give Sonic his time, Amy. He'll come around eventually. Let's just focus on stopping these tears and fixing your makeup all over again. How on earth did you cover these, though…"

Amy swallowed, "Oh, I-I have my own makeup."

She got up, stepping towards her bag, her sniffles echoing pitifully. Rouge followed, curious as to what the hedgehog was going on about. "You have makeup?"

Amy pulled out a tissue, blowing into it. "Of course. How else could I look presentable without any of you noticing?"

Rouge blinked. "Well, yeah, I was wondering about that…"

One by one, Amy pulled out jarred contents, and Rouge stepped forward, picking a strange purple looking one and curiously observing it.

"What brand is this? It doesn't have a label."

Amy looked up, her eyes tinged red. "Oh, um, it's not any… I-I make it myself."

Rouge's eyes widened. "You make it?"

Amy shifted uncomfortably under Rouge's scrutinizing stare. "Well, umm, y-yeah, since I can't really afford make-up all the time but I… I didn't want any of you to see me like that so… there's this old spot in a bit ways from the Dry Lagoon that has lots of those weird smelling flowers and plants. I got curious and tried some… well, actually I accidentally rubbed on this powder stuff and it gave me a burning rash and I ended up tripping on this mushroom and it spewed white mush which sorta formed this second skin. I scratched it off and the skin under was really soft and clear. I got interested and studied stuff in the public libraries about shrubbery and… yeah. Afterwards I started mixing stuff up with some cheap makeup and I kept trying them and… it's r-really useful and umm…"

She wasn't sure how to go on and her cheeks burned in embarrassment.

Rouge just kept on staring, a strange look sparking in her features. Amy fidgeted, unsure of what to expect.

"Show me." Rouge whispered.

Amy blinked, "Huh?"

"Put it on." Rouge's voice was louder now. "It works, doesn't it?"

Amy peered at her pile of assortments, looking back to Rouge and having her heart trip at the grave look the bat was giving her. Slowly, she reached for the first jar and began the routine of hiding away the aftermath of fatigue. Rouge stepped beside her, watching in sheer astonishment as the hedgehog worked in the mirror and erased all traces of work as if magic.

Once Amy's face was clear, and to its recognizable self, Rouge finally broke out. "Amy… Amy… that's… that's amazing!"

Amy blushed, "It's jus-"

Rouge cut her in, her voice catching a fervent pitch. "No! No it's not 'just'! Amy! This is incredible! You researched plants out of books and then somehow used that to make a formula of concealers and foundations!"

The rose hedgehog smiled bashfully. "Thank you, Ro-"

Amy abruptly stopped when Rouge suddenly threw her hands onto the younger hedgehog's small shoulders. "No, Amy! Don't you understand?!"

Blink. Twice. "Understand what?"

"You could do something with this! You could sell them!"

Amy frowned. "I can't. No one would buy brand-less make-up from some poor girl off the street."

Rouge did not falter; a budding excitement burgeoning within her. "At G.U.N, Susan the Lieutenant! Her niece is the co-founder of Beauty and Couture! If I could get you a meeting and she sees this, Amy, it'll be the end to all your troubles!"

The bat saw uncertainty and pride collide within the pink hedgehog, but there was no way she'd let Amy pass this up. Not when she could have the chance.

She forced the hedgehog to look into her eyes. "I know what you're thinking, but you can't let this go by, Amy. You don't get a thousand opportunities a lifetime!" Rouge waved towards the assortment of make-up. "Look at this, Amy! You can't let it go to waste! And it's not like I'll go through that much trouble to set it up. In the end, it's all you. It's like… depending on me, but not… if that makes sense."

Amy's eyes began to shine. "So… it's like I'm making an establishment."

Rouge grinned. "Exactly."

Amy didn't whether to choke or laugh or scream or cry. All she could do was stumble out of the building, her sight disoriented at the real world.

But this was the real world. It wasn't a dream.

And there he was, waiting outside for her. With a shrill scream accompanied by some tears, she jumped into his arms and chocked on laughter, so happy that she sandwiched his cheeks between her hands and smashed her lips onto his face.

He pulled back, blinking numbly. "I assume things went well."

She grinned and kissed him again because she could not contain herself. "They loved it. The whole board loved it. By next month a Rose Complexion franchise will start, and with their help it's going to be a hit!"

She bounced a little.

"And that's not all!" He caressed her cheek, a small smile breaking through at her bursting excitement. "They want me in the Research Department, and the co-founder offered me tuition at one of their branches in a degree towards botany!"

She squealed again, hugging him tightly, so filled with ecstasy she began crying.

Things will be different...