Chapter III: An Orphan Princess

"Your King died seven years ago in a temporary prison camp outside the city. He is buried at memorial park," the doctor began, "a ten minute ride from the Academy. He was a brilliant man, but he was not my equal, and so you know his demise. The world must begin anew now that the winds have changed and I am your leader, he would have told you that." Eggman spoke confidently, making sure that each word had a hammer's impact. "What he would not have possibly understood is that a new horizon of possibility is not the result of the new world order, it is the new world order. This," he said, motioning toward the scenes of destruction behind him, the crowd transfixed, "is the world I was born into. It was a world where the rulers were chosen by blood, and their authority was protected by the blood of others.

"It was a world where the poor and hungry were rarely acknowledged, while an aristocratic society lived in opulence above them. There was rampant sickness about, and few efforts were made to end the suffering unless it was for some two-bit celebrity. This is my world now. I'm sorry that it did not have room for figures like your king, who would not have flinched to send a thousand of you to die in his place, but there is plenty room for all of you who have never had a true home before. Some of you in the audience may have been forgotten by that society yourselves. Beggars, cripples, orphans, and the persecuted- I know some are here today. You live in a new world that accepts you for who you are. Don't waste this opportunity! Now is the time to move forward and make something of yourself."

The whole crowd was spellbound, momentarily forgetting that they had been imprisoned for nearly a decade, as they were assailed by this grand idea of a new society. While most simply brushed off the doctor's attempt to persuade them, a few in the crowd were listening intently. Tails felt something deeply personal about the way the doctor spoke. Unlike the drab uniforms and unsmiling officers of his government, the man himself was energetic, zealous even. He gesticulated with each point he made and walked tall, triumphant in his security. The silent and motionless King Alexander was no longer the crowd's leader; he was simply a ghost, and each point Eggman threw into the faces of his audience made the king more distant from them. Every feeling was amplified: hatred, disgust, sorrow, admiration, and even love were felt across the room. The revolution had started a decade after the war.

"...and I know what you all must be thinking. Why is Eggman here? Does he give this speech to everyone? Of course I don't, I'm here because a member of this audience is someone very important, not just to me, but to all of you." Tails searched the room and found her immediately. He knew that she had not been with the group until now, and that this meeting was arranged beforehand. Yet, he was shocked just as everyone else was, and couldn't help but feel the pain in his heart as the spotlight focused on Sally Acorn, princess and heir to the throne. She walked down the stairs as Eggman introduced her, the applause slowly growing for her. Tears were cried, but she appeared calm and ready for anything. The thought that dawned on them all: she was roboticized. She was roboticized like us! It was the moment that Eggman had prescribed for them all- a crescendo of empathy throughout the room.

They stood on the stage together, with Sally between her father and her ruler. A sickness crept over the scene as some began to picture Eggman's next dirty trick. They began to assume that he would make her choose between her father and him. "Now dear," he said with a false sincerity, "your father recorded a message before he passed away that he wanted everyone to hear, and I want everyone to know what you think." Silence retook the crowd, and they watched as Sally lost her impossibly resolute demeanor. She shook her head, and took a step back, but the doctor held out his hand and stopped her from retreating. The message began to play.

"It's a dark day for us all," the ghostly voice began. The hologram kept time, its face matching the exact expression of the king at the time of recording. "I have been given the choice between roboticization or death, and I have chosen the latter. So long as I live, I refuse to surrender the crown. My children shall not be burdened with it, as I am dissolving this monarchy by decree upon my death. Although I could not stop my son Elias from taking his own life out of pride, I must implore my daughter to be brave. While she is no longer a princess in truth, she is a princess in our hearts and our memories, which are all that's left of this Kingdom. Please, Sally, be brave for them, and help them rediscover freedom in whatever far-off time they may awaken and see this recording."

As the hologram disappeared, Sally walked to where it had been, tears streaming down her cheeks, and faced the crowd. Everyone knew she had nothing to say, but they began applauding nonetheless. She smiled brightly, and found what she needed to say. "He was a good man. I loved him so much... My father he," she paused, wiping the tears away but still smiling as the applause resumed, "he always wanted the best for you, no matter what Eggman says. But I know that he never had the power to make things right for a lot of you and I'm sorry for that. Eggman has used the roboticizer to change everything about our world and he's telling us to start over. Like it or not, he's right that this is a new opportunity," she looked to the doctor uncertainly, but was encouraged by his approving smirk.

"I want you all to follow through with my father's wishes, and use this chance to bring heart and soul back into this world." The crowd's applause was sustained, and Tails could feel the significance of Sally's approval of the world they had been tasked to repopulate. The look on Eggman's face was triumphant, and sickeningly fake. No matter the genius of the world he created, the doctor was still, as far as Tails was concerned, a monster. The situation was still uncertain, but they were at least in control of themselves, and that made them feel much better. It didn't matter if that was how Eggman wanted them to feel, pride felt good and a good feeling was something everyone needed badly.

"So," the doctor said as soon as he could speak over the noise of the crowd, "you are a citizen of the empire now, Miss Acorn. But you can rest assured that you will not fade away. You are granted all the same opportunities as your fellow Mobians, but you have that advantage your father spoke of. In their hearts and memories, and all that." As the crowd continued their cheering, an officer appeared from the window behind the stage who lead the orphaned princess out of the auditorium. Even as a civilian, she was still a VIP, and had to be protected. "All of you, please exit this room through the doors on your left, the officers will show you your new clothing, as well as everything you need to get started in the new world." The applause was less jubilant, but it was there. They clapped and cheered for Eggman himself, and even Tails couldn't help but feel thankful that he witnessed that moment of relief. There was a bit of security, now. There wouldn't be any more crying.

In the next room, the crowd was instructed on the new rules of modesty. It was obvious to all that clothing was a requirement in this new world. It was explained to them that different colors meant different roles, with green being the color of Academy students, red reserved for service and government jobs, blue for manufacturing and scientific jobs, silver for retirees, and black for the officers. It occurred to Tails that there was no color for civilians without jobs, and then it hit him- everyone who lacks a job becomes a student at the university. It was such a simple solution to improve society. No one would be left behind, they would only become smarter and more skillful. There would never again be illiteracy or common misconceptions. It would be an intellectual society.

When he learned these basic facts, the requirement for clothing didn't have to make sense. According to the officers, clothing was supposed to be worn as an immediate form of identification, a safeguard against the elements, and most importantly, a way of uniting all people visually. It is harder to dislike a person for their appearance if they dress the same as you. Tails had his own theory, but was in too good a mood to dwell on it- he thought that the anonymity of the clothing was meant to stifle individualism, and prevent people from attracting attention to themselves when they resist Eggman's policies.

The legal codes were simple, and all major crimes shared the same punishment: roboticization. The time spent in robotic form would be adjusted depending on the severity of the crime, and all memory of the sentence would be wiped when the imprisoned is deroboticized. "So," explained the wolf, "the real punishment is youth. If you really screw up out there, you're going in the machine, and yeah, it's painful, but you're going to wake up five seconds later to find out that all your friends are twice your age." Tails really resented the wolf's attitude. Everything he said seemed to put people on edge. "There's very little that can put you away like that. We would only send you in for murder, terrorist activities, kidnapping, et cetera."

It wasn't long before Tails had the deep green uniform of an Academy student on. It was drab and unassuming, but that was in part a blessing. Now Tails didn't have to worry too much about sticking out. With keys to a dorm room in hand and a booklet with everything he needed to pick out his first job, he was set to begin his new life. He had always assumed that everything should have a purpose, but when he saw himself in the mirror in his new clothes, he saw purpose in himself. Everyone needs a purpose just the same.