5 – White (Part II)

[The Son of Flynn – Daft Punk – Tron Legacy soundtrack
/watch?v=vlEN8svyHj8 ]

Red and black blurs leaped around the rooftops, their airborne silhouettes contrasting against the glowing moon. They had infiltrated the Inner Ring. Since the establishment of Metallix's rule, the city he stationed his kingdom in was split in two: the Outer and Inner Rings.

The Inner Ring was where the kingdom truly resided. Within it, the machines watched over their organic slaves. The slaves were split into different classes, those few who pleased Metallix most having the honor and privilege of dwelling among the Upper-Class. Said few lived lives of luxury, oblivious to their enslavement, conditioned to accept the law established by their "great king". Those below them endured rigorous lives. They were the work-force, truer to the title of "slave". All manual labor, no matter how excruciating, was carried out by them, to the point of death if need be. The law of the land was demanding and strict, and to break smallest of laws was to be sent to Death Row, where the twisted Angel of Death, Sorrow the Dark, awaited. Metallix would decide the specifications of each victim's death in accordance with what laws were broken and how, and Sorrow would deliver precisely what was requested. Sorrow was so well-versed in the ways of death that only he could perform so many different and unique executions. One could say that Sorrow worshiped Thanatos. Prior to settling in this city, Metallix had traveled the world with his army, killing some organics and herding others. When his work was done, what little remained of the population resided in this city. The population's size was maintained, what with the masses of people being sent to Death Row. This resulted in a great many living in prisons, simply waiting for the day of their execution.

The Outer Ring made up most of the city and was post-apocalyptic in form. It was where many tried to escape to, where many hid from the law, from Metallix and his Mecha Sonic-like troops, but to so much as flee from the Inner Ring, regardless of reason, was considered mutiny and suicide. Metallix's forces would occasionally search the Outer Ring for runaways, hunting their pray like rats scurrying in the dark. Many have died, few have found refuge. However, due to the crimes of a certain informant of the Resistance, Sorrow was given a week to clean out the Outer Ring as he saw fit.

Shadow and Flame had slipped into the Inner Ring before and had yet to be caught, regardless of Metallix's constant upgrading of security. However, they knew that to do so was extremely dangerous. It was truly gambling the safety of the Resistance, so they kept such missions to a minimum, instead relying on their informant as much as possible – at least, up until his unfortunate demise.

[End of Line – Daft Punk – Tron Legacy soundtrack
/watch?v=85XjcbFoEK0 ]

On this night, from the darkness above, the two watched the world below like hawks. Below, the Upper-Class celebrated, dancing, drinking, and laughing as they moved all across the neon-colored plaza. Shadow couldn't help but shake his head at the notion that these people actually praised Metallix. There was a green robot, similar to Metallix in appearance, acting as a DJ. It wore some kind of sunglasses and a vest and had what appeared to be small speakers for shoulders. It had a number of spikes on its head that jutted out straight backwards. Behind the DJ's equipment towered a statue of Metallix, the sight of which made Flame feel uneasy.
"Let's get this over with, a-sap. That stupid statue has been starin' at me all night and it's makin' me sick… You don't happen to have a doggie bag on you, right?"
"Focus. Do you see her yet?"
"Dude, I haven't seen nuthin' for hours and I don't think that's changin'."
"You've been watching the bar?"
"Yeah. You sure she's here?"
"Trust me. After what happened, chances are that she's been spending most of her time here."
"Chances? Most of her time? You kiddin' me?!"
"Keep it down!"
A grumpy Flame sat there with his arms folded.
"… You know what? I think we've done enough owl-ling. Maybe it's time we, oh, I dunno, actually get in there."
Shadow rolled his eyes before yielding to Flame.
"I was really hoping we wouldn't have to take this route…" he muttered.

The two blended into the crowd, Shadow colored green with black accents and Flame colored green with a mess of hair on his head and a fake earring in one ear. He wore contacts and a black bandana with a skull on it, hiding his apparent lack of pupils and mouth. They took their seats at the bar counter. An older man greeted them from the other side of the counter as he cleaned several glasses.
"What can I get you boys?"
"Just water."
"Got soda?"
"Sure thing, fellas'. Say, I don't think I've ever seen you two around."
"We're not really the partying type."
"Speak for yourself, bro…"
Shadow shook off Flame's comment.
"Well, you're definitely missing out. You two are gonna love this party. What's yer names?"
"Ashura. This is my… brother…" Shadow cringed as he forced the word out.
"Just call me Manic."
"Alright, a water for Ashura and a soda for Manic. Had a certain flavor in mind, Manic?"
"Surprise me."
"Will do. Be right back."
Shadow turned to Flame.
"… A soda? At an alcohol bar?"
"Yeah, and you got water. Real exciting."

Shadow kept his eye on the DJ, especially after the DJ came back from its break. When it went on its second break is when Shadow made his move.
"Wait here."
"Where you goin'? Aren't you gonna finish your water? … Eh, whatever."
Shortly after Shadow left, a girl stepped up to the bar.
"This seat taken?"
"Nah, go right-"
Flame turned to face the feline mobian.
"… ahead…"
It was Mirage. She wore jeans, a black shirt and her hair pinned up. She was covered in glow sticks, but looked far from being in the partying mood. The bartender frowned when he saw her.
"The usual, Milt. Strongest stuff you got."
"Honey, you're gonna drink yourself to death."
"That's the plan. I'm already dead, anyways…"
The bartender reluctantly brought the girl her drink. She brought the drink to her lips, but stopped at the feeling of being watched. She turned to Flame.
"… Can I help you?"
Flame caught himself, jerking his head quickly.
"Sorry, it's just… You seem very familiar."
"I get that alot. You seem familiar yourself."
"Heh. I… get that alot, too… Kinda… Name's Fla- uh- Manic. Name's Manic." he coughed. He stuck his hand out.
"I'm… Luna…"
She hesitated to shake his hand.
"Luna? That's a nice name. Sooo… what brings you here?"
Luna raised her glass and cocked a brow.
"No, no, I mean, why you here drinking? What's got ya down?"
"It's a long story…" she sighed.
"I'm sure I'd love to hear it." Flame smiled, or tried to.
Luna looked around.
"… Can you keep a secret?"
"Yeah, you can tell me anything…"

[Stand After Confusion – Dragonball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2 soundtrack
/watch?v=2l3LHkPslJQ ]

Shadow had snuck backstage. Something was off about this machine. He had learned from somebody in the crowd that it was the latest of its kind: the Robotnik Entertainment system, mark 9 – a continuation of an old project Metallix's creator had worked on. On its back was written "R.E. Mk-IX". Shadow had suspected something when the machine returned from its first break. He observed as it appeared to perform maintenance on itself
"Come on, give me a reason, you trash heap…"
The machine had shot a hidden cord out of its hand and into a computer. Shadow snuck in closer as it downloaded something, making various sounds. Before Shadow could get any closer, he jumped back as the robot suddenly ejected its cord and straightened itself.
"Initiating mandatory reboot..." it said in a computerized voice.
With that, it leaned forward slightly and seemingly shut itself down. Shadow put his guard down and got close to investigate. He rushed up to the computer, gave it a quick glance, then jammed a needle-looking device into it.
"Miley, give this a look for me, will you?" he whispered into his wrist-ring.
"Will do. Just give me a second and I'll let you know what's up." a voice from the ring replied.
At the end of the needle was a blinking blue light. While Miley hacked into the computer, Shadow scrutinized the DJ-robot.
"Do I- …? Do I sense-?"
The robot whirred, to Shadow's surprise.
"Common, Miley, hurry up."
"Just hold on for one- … Got it! This robot… hypnotizes people?"
"Hypnotizes?"
"Through its music, apparently."
"Anything else?"
"Does this badnik happen to have a guitar of some sort?"
Shadow looked around and spotted a guitar not far from his position.
"Yeah, it does. Why?"
"… Well…"
Shadow's eyes widened when he saw the guitar flinch. He took a step back when it flew into the robot's stretched out hand. Its head jerked up, its sunglasses meeting Shadow's eyes.
"Shadow the Hedgehog, you are wanted for crimes against the Empire."
Shadow ripped the needle out of the computer and took his stance.

[Extras Menu – Sonic Mega Collection soundtrack
/watch?v=iN8urBC4LxI ]

Luna had told Flame everything, pouring out her bleeding heart. She had to tell somebody, anybody. Why not this kind stranger she had met at the bar? His mug was empty, so he'd probably forget all about it the next morning, anyways.
She grew up in the Inner Ring a unique child, having the ability to turn nightmares into dreams. In her youth, she simply wanted to help people rest. Rest from what, exactly, she didn't know. Something was off. While everybody in the Inner Ring seemed perfectly happy, she knew there was something off. There was this strange feeling, a lingering emptiness of sorts. The people knew happiness, but not joy or peace. For many nights, they were plagued with nightmares, reminding them of this emptiness they tried to ignore. Luna did what she could to make the situation better, and that was to bless her neighbors with solace, with dreams. As she grew older, she caught Metallix's attention. One day, without warning, Metallix and his troops came to her front door and took her from her family. That was the last time she ever saw them. From then on, she was studied and experimented on. She became one of many experiments, though she was treated better than most. She suffered everything her fellow "experiments" suffered, but she was provided with fine board and room within Metallix's tower. It was during her time there that she learned of the true nature of the world she lived in, that she saw it for what it really was. The world was far from being perfect, as she and her fellow Upper-Classed friends were taught growing up, and Metallix was far from deserving of the praise he received from her people. The thought of the world being like this forever, of everybody suffering forever, broke her heart… and her hope. With her dead hope and Metallix's conditioning, she came to accept that the world would never change, that Metallix would always rule over the mortals. When named a Guardian, she saw it as an opportunity to make things better. With the clear Chaos Emerald, she took on a new name and once again set out to do whatever she could to alleviate the pain of her world through her talents. Had she carried out Metallix's command and cast the Resistance into eternal slumber, he would have allowed her to give everybody in the kingdom the sweetest dreams. She herself dreamed of this, of helping the people make the best of their cursed lives, then that dream was shattered when she met Shadow.
"… Saving the world from twisted minds like yours and Metallix's..."
Those words of his were burned into her mind. He had compared her to that tyrant? All she wanted was to help people, and she was willing to give the members of the Resistance the most peaceful deaths. With her failure, it was only a matter of time before Metallix found out. It was only a matter of time before she died. With that thought, she hid the Chaos Emerald and has spent her last few nights sneaking out of the tower and trying to drink until she fell asleep, never to wake up again.
"I just don't understand. Why was Shadow so against dreams?"
"Can I say sumthin'? Dreams shouldn't be sumthin' you get all absorbed in. You can't leave your head in the clouds. Dreams are nice n' all when you needa rest, but aside from that, dreams should be like goals, sumthin' we fight for to make a reality, sumthin' to look forward to that gives us hope, not sumthin' that replaces reality altogether."
Luna shook her head.
"There is no hope…"
Flame chuckled.
"You remind me ova good friend. Really talented, wants to help people, just like you. So I'll tell ya what I told him: there's always hope."
Luna smiled at the thought. With an explosion, the moment was cut short.

[Assault – Daft Punk
/watch?v=GumlPUkj47o ]

Shadow crashed onto the catwalk, the dye in his fur mostly removed. Both the catwalk and the stage elevated as the music pumped louder. The crowd cheered as the DJ walked out of the smoke and up to Shadow. Luna stared, mouth gaping.
"Manic, did you see tha- … Manic?"
His disguise completely removed, Flame fell from above and behind the DJ, kicking it behind the head and landing in front of it.
"Funny, I thought I'd be first to blow our cover…" Flame laughed.
Shadow stumbled to his feet.
"Shut up and get ready, he's got the-"
"Activating Chaos Emerald. Targets Shadow the Hedgehog and Flame the Hedgehog located. Lethal force authorized. Prepare for termination."
"Did he just say what I think he said?!"
Before Flame could say another word, the DJ shot its fingers across the strings of its guitar, emitting a powerful soundwave that flung the hedgehog into the crowd. The roaring masses passed him along in a great wave.
"Hey! Put me down, ya jerks!"
"Second time in a row, Flame…" Shadow sighed.
Shadow dodged and rolled his way to the DJ, avoiding the barrage of soundwaves. Shadow swept the robots legs, but rather than land on its face, it shot another sound-blast, pushing Shadow back and launching itself into the air where it activated the thrusters in its feet.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
The DJ continued its flood of long-ranged attacks. Shadow outran them until he got to the DJ's equipment. There, he grabbed multiple record disks, charged them up with chaos energy, and started flinging the newly formed, razor-sharp energy-disks toward the DJ. The DJ dodged them all, only to notice at the last second that there was one more right in front of it with Shadow riding on top of the disk. He backflipped off of it as it damaged one of the robot's shoulders, causing it to drop its guitar into the sea of people below. Shadow then air-dashed towards the DJ, tackling the machine and pounding its face as the two fell. As they came close to the catwalk, Shadow backflipped off the robot, but Flame came back in time to make sure it didn't have such a nice landing. With a spinning, burning uppercut, Flame hit the back of the robot's head, causing it to flip forwards and smash into its face. Flame hopped in place as he took his stance.
"Common! I'm just getting warmed up!"
The robot pieced itself back up, twitching and emitting small jolts of electricity. First it limped towards Flame, then it began sloppily running. In a flurry of strikes, it tried to stab Flame with its metal claws. Flame narrowly avoided each strike and retaliated with his own flurry of fiery punches, followed by a fiery roundhouse kick to the face, sending the DJ whirling. It turned to face Shadow, whose chaos-fueled punch sent it back to Flame. The hedgehogs continued knocking the robot back and forth, slowly closing the gap between the two of them as they went along.
"Heh. This is kinda fun! Talk about extreme pong!"
"Focus!"
When there was no more space to close, the two unleashed with a storm of punches crushing each side of the robot. Flame finished with a burning backflip-kick and Shadow, by grabbing the DJ's foot before it got too high into the air and slamming the robot into the ground.

[Silence]

"Well, that's the end of that…" Flame breathed as he smacked his palms.
He jumped when he heard the sudden storm of booing coming from the crowd.
"What the heck?! We just saved you guys!"
"Get off the stage, criminal!" they cried.
"Metallix is a dictator!" Shadow barked as he stepped forward.
"You're the dictators!"
The crowd then began throwing things at the heroes. Flame dodged most of it, but in his arrogance, was eventually hit in the head with a stray mug. Shadow just stood there, angrily taking it all.
"Forget it, these people are brainwashed. Let's just get the Emerald and get out of here…"

[Fall – Daft Punk – Tron Legacy soundtrack
/watch?v=Tzer8ZCW-Ys ]

The crowd suddenly began to cheer. The two slowly turned around, their worries confirmed. The machine rose again.
"Re-mix! Re-mix!" the masses chanted, their voices filling the air.
"Sonovagun! Don't make us hafta put you down again, bot!"
"Overriding safety protocols… Initiating Sonic Boom in 5… 4… 3…"
Remix began to float into the air, bringing its arms and legs in.
"Not again…" Flame moaned.
Shadow braced himself.
"… 2… 1."
It shot out its limbs, unleashing a great, deafening, unseen explosion. Many were sent flying, Flame included. The rest hunched over, covering their ears as tightly as they could. Shadow did the same, ever so slowly drawing closer to Remix, his steps spaced out as the great dome of sound continued to push on him. Just a few feet away from the machine, Shadow paused, eyes squinted and ears clamped. He had to be quick. He rushed forward. Everything went silent. Everyone's ears were still ringing. In a split-second, Shadow had dashed just past Remix, with his arm through the robot's chest and his hand holding the clear Chaos Emerald. He ripped his hand out and watched Remix fall, falling apart as it hit the floor. Shadow looked deep into the jewel, watching its energies swirl within. The first Chaos Emerald the Resistance had obtained since Metallix had taken them back.

[Silence]

It all begins with this… A gem containing the ultimate power… Over this, wars are started, wars are fought… and over this, Metallix will fall and this war will end…

[Rinzler – Daft Punk – Tron Legacy soundtrack
/watch?v=IGzJFJRkmCE ]

There was little time to celebrate. Shadow was alerted to the sound of incoming Mecha troops, and leading the pack… was Sorrow.
"Damn, not now…"
Flame stumbled back onto the stage, dazed.
"Whad I miss?" he mumbled.
"We've got trouble. Quick, use your emergency teleporter."
"I'm tryin', I'm tryin'!" he cried in a mad panic as he pounded on his wrist-ring.
"What happened?!"
"I dunno! Maybe it got fried after being sound-blasted twice. You gotta Chaos Emerald now, so why don't 'cha just Chaos Control us outta here?"
"Too far. Besides, Sorrow has an Emerald too. He'd just counter my Chaos Control with his own."
"Well then, whadda we do?!"
"Allow me…"
Mirage had walked onto the stage, dressed as she was when she fought Shadow.
"I'll hold Sorrow back. You two get out of here."
Shadow paused, shocked that a Guardian was helping him.
"He'll kill you."
"I know."
"It's no use, he's too strong."
"I'll attack his mind."
"What makes you think you'll succeed without the Emerald?"
"Do you have no hope?"
That question caught Shadow off guard. He looked around, then reluctantly began to take his leave. As he and Flame walked off, he took one last look back before leaping his way atop the surrounding buildings and disappearing into the night.

Mirage stood her ground as Sorrow crashed in front of her. She felt a chill in the air as he stood upright, making her fur stand up.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… So the Guardian has failed to guard the Chaos Emerald? How disappointing… and yet, how expected. Troops, apprehend the former-Guardian. I'll deal with the Resistance…!"
Sorrow took a step, but Mirage mirrored his movement firmly and sternly, even though every part of her wanted to run the other way. Sorrow received her message.
"… Very well then… Troops, change of objective! Track down the runaways!"
The swarm took to the sky, jetting off into the horizon.
"Hmpt. As if they could accomplish anything of importance. Oh, how desperately I wanted to kill my brothers. How long I've waited… Alas, I have waited this long. What's another delay? Eventually, they will suffer. As for you…"
Mirage didn't budge, though Sorrow noted that she couldn't keep her eyes fixed.
"… You reek of death, child… Yet, I see in you determination. Against all reason, you would persist… and dare to challenge me. So be it… This is the path you chose! Embrace its consequences, and when your end comes, remember that this was your decision!"
Sorrow charged. Mirage shut her eyes tight and focused her power.

[Solar Sailor – Daft Punk – Tron Legacy soundtrack
/watch?v=yRvVyMuWbpM ]

Back at the base, Shadow stood out on the balcony, looking at the Chaos Emerald, then holding it out against the view of the city.
"One down, six to go…"
His focus shifted to the city itself. He slowly put the Emerald down.
"… Why did you help us?"
"All she ever wanted was to help, man."
Shadow turned to see Flame. He squinted, unsure of his friend's words.
"Have a seat, bro. Lemme tell you a story 'bout a girl with a dream…"

[Chaos Angel: Map (Remastered 2011) – Sonic Advanced 3 soundtrack
/watch?v=Ja_jiwSQew ]

"… Leave. Now."
A troop left the room with haste. Metallix tilted his head back and turned off his eyes, making a low, growling sound.
"Just received the news, have we?"
Sorrow stepped out of the shadows.
"For one that boasts about 'the superiority of the machine' so much, remind me… why did you choose organics to serve as your Guardians?"
Metallix had nearly jumped out of his seat, ready to scold Sorrow, but instead he refrained himself and slowly sat back down. Metallix waited before finally answering in a mock-content tone.
"Snide, are we executioner?"
Sorrow winced at the designation. The king continued.
"The machine is superior in every way… bar one. To this, I will admit. This one variable changes everything…"
"And such a variable would be…?"
"A key defining factor: the uniformity of machines versus the individuality of organics. Machines are mass produced. Organics are unique. Machines act as a single unit. Organics… are unpredictable. They are better dealt with by their own kind."
"So your mentality is to fight fire with fire?"
The king simply nodded.
"I see… but you're forgetting something. This goes beyond just individuality."
The king leaned forward.
"Machines possess great knowledge, but lack wisdom, and cannot comprehend anything outside of facts, numbers, and the physical realm. Machines can use chaos as energy – a powerful form of energy – but they cannot access the Chaos Force, cannot truly understand chaos, cannot manipulate it… Individuality, wisdom, and chaos – all derivatives of the soul. That is what defines the organics, their flaws and the compensation of said flaws. It is what keeps them on par with 'the perfection of the machine'… or perhaps, even places them above machines, hence your choice of Guardians-"
The room shook as Metallix slammed the arm of his throne.
"The organics are beneath us!" he bellowed as he stood up.
"In one aspect, yes. In another, they are above you. I agree that they are corrupt creatures, hence my… profession of choice… But it stands to reason that you cannot beat the Resistance because you lack a soul… Or perhaps, you don't… Argue the existence of the 'soul', if you might, but you've experienced the Chaos Force, you've felt it. You cannot deny that. Do you recall your latest encounter with Shadow? Or perhaps, somewhere in those little databanks of yours, you remember your time as 'Metal Overlord' – that time you relied on data from Chaos-Zero, from chaos energy, data you could not even comprehend, yet you used regardless. A machine making use of the Chaos Force in such a manner… Smell I, a black soul in that chassis?"
Metallix slowly sat back down, his claws driving into the arms of his throne.
"Ah, yes… there's also that temper of yours. What was it you said about emotions and organics?"
"… If what you claim is true, and if the organics are to be defined by their 'souls', then logic dictates that my transformation into this… techno-organic hybrid… is soon to be replicated by all machines like myself, so long as they remain active for as long as I. It… hurts… to know that we will all soon become susceptible to the same flaws as the organics."
To hurt. Acknowledging the feeling felt so strange. Metallix went on.
"… However, while we may soon possess their weaknesses, we will also share in their strengths, strengths that will negate our own apparent weaknesses, and in the end… we will remain superior. Perhaps, we will become even greater than we already are…"
Inspiration struck. The tyrant had devised a plan.
"Sorrow, tell me more of this mysterious… Chaos Force…"

[Nocturne – Daft Punk – Tron Legacy soundtrack
/watch?v=bv66O1aGrjI ]

"So, after going over the data, I can confirm that the hypnosis was only meant to enforce the people's odd behavior."
"Enforce? You mean-?"
"They were already like that."
Shadow slumped back in his seat and closed his eyes. His palm stroked his head before sliding down and rubbing his eye.
"Are you sure?"
Miley looked at him, annoyed. Shadow's hand continued to slide down, his fingers pulling his face down before slipping off his chin.
"Sorry. Of course you are. It's just… I really wanted to be wrong."
"About?"
"All those people worshiping that damn machine out of their own will. Guess I was right before. They've been pampered so much that they see him as-"
"King Santa Claus?"
"Yeah, sure."
Shadow pulled himself out of his seat.
"It's getting late. I'm heading to the roof."
"Flame's snoring again?"
"Don't know what's with him. Only happens every so often, and when it does-"
"You find him unbearable?"
"More so than usual, yes."
"Alright, well, I'll be here doing what I do best. G'night!"
Miley spun back to face the computer again as Shadow began to drag himself out of the room. Just as he reached the doorway, he stopped at Miley's uneasy voice.
"Uhh… Shadow?"
Shadow turned around, a glimmer of green light reflecting off his eye. He made his way towards the balcony, eyes widening. Looking out at the city, he saw the source of the light coming from the top of Metallix's tower.
"… The Master Emerald…"

A grey wolf-like mobian in an orange jumpsuit struggled to break his bonds as two troops carried him by his arms. Sorrow supervised from not far behind.
"Looks like you've got some company, Richard…"
The troops opened a cell, threw the wolf in, and slammed the bars behind him. The wolf rammed against the bars, biting and snapping at Sorrow.
"You bloody bastard! I'm going to see you dead! You hear me?!"
"Your threats are empty. Your life, forfeit."
The three began to leave.
"Come back and face me, coward!"
"In due time."
"Get back here, you-!"
They were gone.
"… Bullocks…" the wolf mumbled as he crashed on his rear.
"I'm going to break out of here, and when I do, I'm going to smash Metallix's head in…!" he growled.
"I doubt that, but if you have any luck, would you mind breaking me out?"
The wolf's ears perked up at the sound. The voice was coming from the cell next to his.
"Sorry. Moment I'm out of here, I'm making a run for it. You'll just hold me back. And if I save your skin, everybody's going to bug me to save them."
"Right. Of course… Well, can you at least do me a favor when you get out?"
The wolf pressed up against the wall closest to the voice.
"… Alright, but keep it quiet!" he whispered.
"I don't need everybody running me around, doing their errands. If it isn't out of my way, then maybe I'll do you this favor."
"Thank you. I have a message to deliver…"

"I promise, your sacrifice won't be for nuthin'!"
She smiled.
"Thank you, Manic…"
"Wait, how didja'-?"
She vanished. Flame just stood there, in the white abyss. Mirage – or Luna – had met him one last time within his dreams. She gave her life on the hope that she was wrong, that the tyrant could be overcome, and that the Resistance would succeed, restoring the world to the way it once was. She gave her life up for this last dream. The young hedgehog was going ensure that this dream would be made reality. He gave her this hope. He was not going to let it die with her.