Shadow said nothing at first. All he could do was listen to his own, pounding heartbeat. Was Mephiles tricking him? How could he know it was actually Sonic? Shadow watched the blue hedgehog look around the dark room innocently.

"Are we inside your mind? It's so cozy and cool,"

It was Sonic alright. That kind of casual dorkiness wasn't something Shadow could dream up.

"What are you doing here, Sonic? How is this even possible?"

"I dunno. I think the reason is that our minds are connected through soul resonance. Mephiles spoke to me so I came here,"

"Okay, but why?"

"I said I'd get you to dance by the end of the night, didn't I?"

Shadow blinked twice. "Dance?"

Shadow noticed Mephiles sit in the black leather chair near the center of the room and cross his legs. "Get to it boys. We don't have all night," He snapped his fingers thrice to start a beat. The nearby record player came alive.

Plucky piano music that Shadow recognized entered the room. It was the song that played at the start of his nightmares. This record didn't skip at all though; the music was clear and soothing. Sonic grabbed Shadow's hand so he could pull him into the area in front of Mephiles. He then stood up straight with both hands on his hips and sized his partner up. Unlike Shadow, he was ready.

"Sonic…"

"Don't pout. You made me dance with Amy,"

Sonic grabbed Shadow's hip with his right hand, then swiftly reeled him in. He used his left hand to grab Shadow's right, then noticed a look of hopeless embarrassment on his weapon's face.

"You're supposed to put your left hand on my shoulder," Sonic didn't even try stifling his smirk.

Shadow gave his meister a resentful look, but did as he was told.

The two swayed to the pace of the music. They stepped awkwardly at first, but their movements didn't take long to synchronize. Mephiles silently observed the duo's movements with interest. Shadow spoke once he had the courage to make eye contact with his meister again.

"Why are you here, really?"

"Well, as much as I hate to admit it, the fight isn't going so great,"

That's right. They were fighting Eclipse somewhere outside this place. Shadow had completely forgotten.

"And you came here with a plan?"

Sonic nodded. "I'm starting to figure Eclipse out. I don't think we can beat him with raw power. I want to try resonating with him,"

"Then let's try that. We don't need to be here,"

"I can't fully understand his wavelength. Something about Eclipse is beyond me. Mephiles said the power of chaos would help,"

Shadow glared at the demon sitting in the chair watching them. Mephiles winked back at him.

"Don't listen to him, Sonic,"

"No, I think he's right. There's a power in Eclipse's mind and soul that I can feel in his wavelength. It reminds me of what we all felt entering this crypt. I think it's a chaos wavelength. If I use the chaos myself, I can resonate with Eclipse. I'm the only one we know that's resonated with a black arm weapon before, so I'm the only one who can pull this off,"

"That's too dangerous. And insane,"

"We're on the right track then," Sonic laughed dryly.

"I don't want to lose control. I don't want to lose..." Shadow looked away. "You,"

Sonic flinched ever so slightly at that statement. His weapon always had a way of being sentimental in rare, spontaneous bursts. It felt so daunting to Sonic when it happened, but it also made him glad.

"I don't want to lose you either. This room, this power. It's part of you. I want to understand all of this. I won't run away from it,"

Shadow looked around the strange room they were in. He was feeling better now; hopeful. Part of him still wished he could have hid all this from Sonic, but that part was so small now.

"I wish you would have told me everything sooner. About the nightmares,"

Shadow felt guilty after seeing Sonic's sad, concerned look.

"I didn't tell you because at the end of every nightmare, right before I wake up, you die. Because I kill you. I won't let that nightmare come true. No matter what,"

Sonic felt Shadow's grip on his left hand tighten. His weapon's expression was steadfast. Sonic thought about what he'd just heard while the two continued dancing. It made sense to him that Shadow would hide a nightmare like that. Part of him still wished he'd been the kind of person Shadow would have told without hesitation. In the end, he smiled.

"I really do have the coolest weapon, don't I?" Sonic stopped dancing to pull Shadow into a hug. He felt his weapon tense up, as expected. The new Shadow, the one that didn't lose control, was nowhere to be found. The record continued spinning, but the music seemed to be slowing and drifting further away. Shadow hugged Sonic back, feeling the dark power of madness and chaos flow into them.

Eclipse finally managed to knock his opponent over with a violent sword stroke. He stared at the defenseless blue hedgehog slumped on the ground before him. His arms hung limply at his sides. His head sunk towards the floor. He was just like the little one. They all were. The darkling lifted his broadsword. He tried to smile, but his expression was distorted by terror.

"It's okay. It hurts me too,"

The blade came down on the little one's shoulder. A metal creak came, when the black blade stopped before it could cut through. Eclipse pushed on the handle with both hands, but he could not get his weapon to move. The hedgehog's head was still slumped forward. He sat in place for just a moment more. Sonic then swatted away the blade with his hand, producing a muffled clank. He stood up straight and wound up his scythe like a golf club.

"Fore!"

The tang of the scythe crashed into Eclipse's mouth. He was sent forth onto the makeshift fairway. The darkling bounced along the stone ground, grunting with each impact until colliding with a pillar.

Sonic's quills darkened until his fur had only a slight trace of blue left. Next, his hair raised to point upward instead. An ominous black aura surrounded him now, one that stirred his torn cloak until it was floating in the air behind him. The newer, darker Sonic placed his scythe with the top on the ground and stood with one foot on the blade and the other on the snath. He balanced himself gingerly without using his arms. One hand moved near his brow as he looked out into the darkness he had sent Eclipse into.

"Man, I really shanked that one!"

Chittering giggles came. Dark Sonic held up a hand to his mouth to stifle them. The desire to laugh grew until he felt like he might explode. He relented, and his snickering shifted to become uproarious cackles. He laughed and laughed out into the darkness.

Eclipse got up off the ground to see a hedgehog dragging a scythe behind him. The darkling clutched his own weapon close to his body, and withdrew away from the strange person. He soon realized it was the hedgehog he'd been fighting, but why did he look different now?

"Nice on!" Dark Sonic followed up his statement with a series of chuckles.

Eclipse was quite unsettled. "Stop laughing,"

"But it's so funny," The hedgehog grinned; his brow furrowed. He brought up his scythe and strummed it as if it were a guitar. He accompanied the motions with sound effects, then laughed further. Eclipse crept backward meekly, after the hedgehog began stepping forward.

"Go away," Eclipse demanded with weakness.

Dark Sonic continued forward. Eclipse responded with a sideways stroke. The sword slammed into the side of the hedgehog's arm then bounced off with little effect. After a moment, a trickle of black blood began to run from the wound. Dark Sonic rubbed his arm and saw the blackness coating his palm.

"Wow!" Dark Sonic admired the black blood staining his glove. He wanted to see more, so he rubbed the wound a second time. "The bleeding stopped already. Hit me again," He tilted his head to the side, using his bloodstained hand to point at his shoulder.

Eclipse looked afraid. "No,"

Dark Sonic frowned. He pouted further by letting out an immature groan. "Fine,"

Dark Sonic brought his scythe forward in an unusually wide swing that caused his whole body to lurch forward. His arms swung limply through the air after the collision knocked Eclipse into a nearby pillar, breaking it. The hedgehog giggled and took one prolonged step that used as much leg span as possible. He quickly straightened up his posture and held his scythe in both hands with the blade at the ready.

"I'll just have to make you bleed then,"

He jabbed the blade into Eclipse's back several times. Clinking came each time the blade collided with the Darkling's hardened veins. The hedgehog growled after producing no results.

"C'mon. Bleed!"

Dark Sonic eventually gave up and lifted his scythe up to his chest again. He stomped on the back of Eclipse's head once. Then twice. Loud, muffled thumping came, and the stone floor began to crack as the stomping continued. The unsettling noise of the impact grew, as Dark Sonic put more fervor into each hit.

"You. Hurt. Shadow!"

Shadow felt his mind drift back into focus after hearing his name. He'd been holding on to stop him and Sonic from slipping through the madness completely, but nearly lost himself. His body felt as if it were paralyzed in its scythe form, while his mind was still trapped in the black room. The curtains and other scenery were gone now. All that surrounded Shadow now was a sea of black sludge. It lined the walls and filled the room. His head was the only thing that wasn't completely consumed. He reached his mind back to his body, and saw Sonic had changed.

Eclipse knocked Dark Sonic off and crawled away. Shadow could still feel his connection to Sonic, so he did his best to reach his meister's mind.

"Sonic! Can you hear me?" Silence hung in the air. Shadow's eyes widened. "Sonic, please!"

"Shadow?"

Sonic opened his eyes, but couldn't see much. It was dark all around and he seemed to be floating underwater. Focus returned when he realized his mind was still drifting after being pulled into the chaos. Drawing strength from his soul and his link to Shadow allowed him to move. He could make out his surroundings better now, but it just looked like he was in murky water. His cloak, gloves, and shoes were gone, so he felt just a bit exposed. Now that his mind was mostly separate from his body, he looked back at the ongoing battle to see how the rest of him was doing.

Dark Sonic moved his hand in front of Eclipse's face, then held up his thumb after looping it between his other fingers.

"Got your nose!"

Eclipse's eyes widened with horror. "Give it back!"

The darkling chased the hedgehog around frantically, but couldn't catch up.

"Okay then..." Sonic sighed.

He floated through the warm, black fluid that filled this strange realm. He needed to find Eclipse's soul, but was that possible in this place? He wasn't even sure where he was now. A light nearby caught his attention and he recognized it.

"My soul?"

A bright, pale orb with a blue tint glowed mildly in the darkness.

"Then that means…"

Sonic followed the familiar energy that was still faintly connected to his soul. He soon found a soul similar to his but with red streaks running through its form. The aura around it was cold and harsh, but now that Sonic was close, he could feel it responding to his presence with warmth of its own.

"Shadow…"

He hugged Shadow's soul tightly before drifting out into the darkness. There was only one other energy left in this place. Now he knew where to find Eclipse.