A/N: This chapter is in third person. Just thought I'd let you guys know so there wasn't any confusion. I'll probably be switching in between first and third every few chapters, so...yeah.

The day after Silver and Sonic had fought, the hyperactive hero needed something to vent off the anger. He hadn't meant to snap at the younger hedgehog, but between Silver's insufferably nostalgic attitude and inability to take joke and the recent stress placed upon Sonic by the mystery of the hedgehog's arrival, the blue hero was having a hard time keeping his head. He was out on a large field with Tails, fighting with Tails' robot training robots. He jumped into the air and homing-attacked one. The robot bust apart with a small explosion, but instead of feeling victorious or evens slightly smug, Sonic hissed in pain, his hand on his back. Tails turned the robots off and walked forward.

"Sonic, are you alright?" He asked. Sonic shrugged and rolled his shoulders.

"Yeah, just... Silver threw me into a rock pretty hard, and I think it bruised my quills." The hedgehog admitted. Tails pursed his lips and lead Sonic into his workshop. He instructed his older brother to sit down on the worktable while Tails got his medical tools. When he examined Sonic's back quills, he couldn't see anything wrong, so he figured the damage was internal.

"I think you're right about bruising your quills, Sonic." Tails agreed. "It'll be a while before you can homing attack something without any issues." Sonic sighed and put his chin in his hand. Tails leaned against the table next to him.

"Do you mind if I ask why, exactly, you two were fighting?" Tails prompted. Sonic shrugged.

"I stole his little book of memories, or whatever. I wasn't going to do anything with it, I was just bored! Everyone else was busy, so I went to mess around with Silver. He took it way to seriously." Sonic explained with a hint of disdain. Tails pursed his lips.

"Sonic, Silver's going through a lot right now..." Tails began to attempt to reason with Sonic, but the blue hero shook his head.

"Tails, he threatened to kill me. To kill me! Over a stupid joke! He has the mental capacity of a peanut, and has as bad of an attitude as Shadow! We have no idea who he is, yet we let him stay here! What the hell gives him the right to fly off the handle like that?!" Sonic snapped. Tails flinched slightly, and Sonic looked at his feet, mumbling an apology he wasn't sure that he meant.

"Sonic, I understand, but Silver's amnesia is destroying him from the inside out. He can't turn off his emotions like Shadow can! He feels insecure when alone, and doesn't always think before acting or speaking. He's younger than you, Sonic. You have to take the responsibility to be the better person. Well, hedgehog." Tails hoped that he was getting through to Sonic. The young fox could tell that something was off about him...he only ever really played pranks and jokes on Knuckles and Tails, and maybe Shadow, if he was feeling gutsy enough. He usually knew where to draw the line.

"You're telling me to be responsible?" Sonic smirked, trying for a joke to ease the suspicious tension. Tails allowed a slight smile, but didn't take his scrutinizing eyes off of him.

"Sonic," Tails began after a minute or two of awkward silence, "have you been around the Chaos Emeralds lately?" Sonic seemed caught off guard by the question.

"Well...yeah. I keep them on me at all times. You see, I figured out this cool way to like, absorb their energy so that I don't have to carry them, but I can access them at any time! It's like..." Tails cut him off.

"May I see them?" Sonic frowned at being interrupted, but nodded and summoned the Emeralds. Tails examined each one, then let out a sigh.

"What? What is it?" Sonic wondered, slightly worried. Tails looked at Sonic, concern in his eyes.

"Are you feeling alright?" He inquired, not answering the hedgehog's question. Sonic clenched his jaw.

"Yes, I'm fine! Will you just tell me what's going on already?!" He snarled. Tails raised an eyebrow and Sonic blinked a few times, realizing what was going on.

"Oh..." Sonic picked up the green Chaos Emerald, and it immediately when from emerald green to a dark, evil, poisonous looking green. Sonic didn't feel so well anymore. He looked at Tails, suddenly desperate. "But how can this be? Nothing has happened to initiate Negative Energy! Is...is someone messing with the Chaos Emeralds so that they emit negativity?" Sonic wondered. Tails shook his head slightly.

"I don't know, but...Chaos Emeralds react to the wielder's emotions, so..." Tails trailed off, shaking his head again. "I'll look in to it, but meanwhile...maybe you should go apologize to Silver?" The young fox suggested. Sonic made a face.

"Why? It's not my fault! He should be apologizing to me! I mean, he did bruise my quills!" Sonic snapped. Tails gave him a pointed look.

"Because of what you did. Sonic, I understand how hard this is, but...with the negative energy from the Chaos Emeralds and all...maybe it's best you just...admit defeat?" Maybe that had been the wrong word. As Tails said it, he immediately regretted it, and desperately searched for a word to correct himself. It was too late, though. Sonic was on his feet, his eyes blazing, the Chaos Emeralds glowing darkly, casting their eerie on the darkening room.

"Admit defeat? I haven't been defeated yet, Tails, and I don't plan on starting any time soon." The angered hero snarled. Tails tried to hide the slight fear stirring within him, and put a hand on Sonic's arm.

"Sonic...please...don't let the negative energy get to you." The hedgehog's eyes softened and he relaxed, the Chaos Emeralds falling to the ground. He leaned against the table and put a hand to his head.

"I...I'm sorry..." He apologized. Tails smiled sadly at him.

"Don't apologize to me. Go apologize to Silver while I figure out what's up with this Chaos Energy. And...try not to loose control, okay? If Silver's being affected by the Emeralds as well, who knows what he'll do?" Sonic nodded, finally, in agreement, then walked out of the house. He usually ran, but the hyperactive hero was in no rush to see Silver the Hedgehog again.