The Mountain and The River

There was once a mountain,

Who was high and strong,

But he was a lonely mountain,

And he longed for freedom.

His duty was to stay put,

But day after day he dreamed,

That someday he would not be alone.

The wind would come along,

Taunting him,

For the wind was a free creature,

Able to go where he pleased.

One day Wind's sister came.

She was a flowing creature,

Calm but fierce.

She ran through the mountain,

Soothing and bringing peace to his heart.

And when winter's harsh storm bit,

The river would stay by his side.

The mountain gazed upon the river,

And saw her beautiful face,

And when he did he realized that finally,

He was no longer alone.

With that one gaze,

His entire life changed.

For the mountain had fallen in love,

With the river.

*Flashback 1*

I was sitting back on Angel Island. The breeze weaved around me and I sighed peacefully. The waterfall tumbled close by and the sweet scent of flowers from the meadow filled my nose. I closed my eyes. I had always loved it here.

And yet…I was alone.

I frowned and pushed that thought away. I was used to being alone. I had always been alone. It was my duty to stay here and guard the Master Emerald.

And yet…I longed to be free.

I opened my eyes and frowned deeper when I saw that little blue streak coming over the horizon. I knew that it was Sonic. I growled. He had no worries, no cares. He was free to go wherever he pleased, whenever he pleased.

I lay back and stared up at the big, blue sky. Was I going to spend the rest of my life like this?

I groaned when Sonic's big green eyes suddenly blocked my view. "Knuckles!" she shouted in my face.

"…What?" I asked through clenched teeth. It was then that I saw that his eyes were red and puffy, like he'd been crying! "What in the name of-?" I began.

"Knuckles, get up! You'll never believe it!" Sonic interrupted, grabbing my hand and already beginning to run, dragging me behind.

"Sonic…" He ignored me.

"Sonic!" Still, he held on tight and I was practically flying behind him by now, holding on for dear life.

"Sonic, for God's sake, what is going on?!" I shouted.

"If you'll just hold on, I'll show you!" he said, that grin I knew only too well popping up on his face.

O God…

Suddenly we were breaking the sound barrier, flying past the world around us. I closed my eyes as I felt my head spinning, the world twirling…

And suddenly it stopped.

It took me a few seconds to gather my bearings. I realized I had fallen to my knees and was staring down at a pair of dark purple running shoes with a white stripe through them.

I gazed slowly upward. A pair of yellow legs, a yellow torso with tan center, and finally…a face. A face that looked exactly like Sonic's. Except that it was yellow. And it belonged to that of a girl. But not just any girl.

The most beautiful girl I had seen in my life.

"Knuckles…" Sonic walked up to stand beside her, a huge grin on his face. "Knuckles, this is… well, this is my sister. Ever since I met you, I thought she was dead. This is Starlight."