Ancient Trees

The Ancient Trees are a group of sapient, talking trees that live in the Metropolis City park. Although they are rooted to the ground, they possess great power, such as the ability to make vast forests grow in mere minutes.

History
When Doctor Robotnik sought to clear the Metropolis City park in order to build a new tower block, various animal protestors attempted to save the Ancient Trees. [[Troopers from the Special Badnik Service attempted to get rid of them, but were destroyed by Knuckles and Ebony. The Elder Tree tried to convince the protestors to leave, as he did not want them to be hurt when Robotnik sent reinforcements.

When Omen arrived with two cyborg gorillas as henchmen, Knuckles and Ebony once again tried to fight them off. However, one of the gorillas fired a missile at Knuckles. Although Knuckles was able to dodge, the missile then hit the Elder Tree, who was completely destroyed in the resulting explosion, leaving only a stump behind. The remaining Ancient Trees were horrified at the loss of the Elder, and swore they would take revenge on the whole of planet Mobius. They used their powers to create a forest across the Metropolis Zone in mere minutes.

As Omen and his henchmen continued to fight against Knuckles and Ebony, the Ancient Trees saw the conflict as proof that "the flesh creatures think of nothing but destruction". The Ancient Trees then planned to "erase them" from Mobius. Knuckles believed the threat was genuine, and spoke to the Trees. He expressed regret that his kind had caused such destruction, and pointed out that some had even tried to protect the Trees. The Ancient Trees eventually came to realise that violence was not the answer when Knuckles asked them what the Elder Tree would have done, and instead they merely used their powers to hurl Omen and his associates out of their park with a warning not to return.

Following this, Robotnik had the forest fenced off, allowing the Ancient Trees to grow undisturbed. One spot in the forest became more sacred than any other: the stump where the Elder Tree once stood began to thrive with new shoots, indicating that the Elder Tree would grow there once again.