Penny had just heard about Sonic being accused of stealing Eggman's particle Accelerator, and she frowned. Sonic would never steal...this was almost like the time Eggman accused Sonic of hurting his neck, which had turned out to be a fraud.

She sighed as she walked up to the place where Sonic worked, and she saw him zipping in and out, carrying boxes and wearing a disguise. She walked into the shed to hear Sonic talking to his work partner, Earl.

"Slow down, pal! You're making the rest of us look bad!" Earl said. The bell rang, and Sonic and Earl walked out together.

"Sorry, Earl, just trying to finish so I could knock off early," the blue hedgehog said, sitting down next to his partner.

"Big plans tonight?" Earl asked. "Not like there's much to do around here except playing horseshoes." He yelped as a horseshoe smacked him on the head.

"Whoops! Sorry, Earl!"

Earl nodded.

"I'm on a trail of a man who did me wrong," Sonic sighed.

"That so?" Earl asked. "You know, a fellow just came through town! And in a real hurry, too! Headed into the east forest, yonder!"

"Sonic?" Penny asked, walking up.

Sonic glanced in surprise. "Hey, Pen. Didn't expect you to visit today."

"I just wanted to see if you're okay," Penny said. She noticed Earl and smiled, waving slightly. "Hey, Earl."

"Hey," Earl said.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sonic said. "Trying to get work done fast so I could hide out at home with you for a while while keeping a low profile at the same time."

"That explains the disguise," Penny said, sitting down next to them.

Earl smiled, rolling up his lunch bag. "Well, them crates ain't gonna stack themselves. Unless they're self-stacking crates. Heh. That'd be sweet."

He yelped as a horseshoe smacked him on the head, and Earl toppled to the ground.

"Earl!" Penny gasped, putting her hands to her mouth in horror. Sonic quickly looked at Earl in the eyes. "Earl?! Earl?!"

...

"What is it, doc?" Sonic asked the doctor. He glanced at Sonic and Penny. "Well, the scientific term is he got hit in the head with too many horseshoes."

"You've got to help him!" Sonic and Penny said in sync.

"Oh, sure. Let me just… whip up some Anti-Horseshoe Elixir." Doc said sarcastically.

"Hey, if you can't help him, just say so!" Penny growled at the doctor.

"No, seriously." The doctor said. "I've got a recipe for Anti-Horseshoe Elixir. I just need some pink orchid root. It only grows in the West Forest."

"Oh," Sonic said. "I don't suppose it's anywhere near the East Forest."

The doctor walked off.

"So, what do we do?" Penny asked. Sonic turned to her. "If we're gonna catch the guy who framed me, I gotta go East." Sonic turned to Earl. "But if we're gonna help you, I gotta go West."

Suddenly, the two heard Knuckles speaking outside. "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm looking for this guy. Goes by the name Sonic. And he's very fast."

Sonic scooped Penny in his arms and zoomed off. "Kind of like that guy!"

Knuckles gasped. "I bet those two know Sonic!"

...

"Sonic, I think I found the Pink Orchid!" Penny grinned, picking up the flower and handing it to Sonic. Sonic grinned. "Great work, Pen." He told her, taking the flower and holding it in his hand. "That was easy! I was expecting some kind of complication!"

As soon as he said that, Knuckles walked up and placed a basket over Sonic's head, and Penny let out a giggle. Sonic sighed in annoyance. "Kinda like that. Knuckles, is that you?"

"Maybe it is, maybe it ISN'T. But it is. Who's this?" Knuckles asked, glancing at Penny and the basket.

"It's Sonic," Penny said, still giggling.

"Oh, sorry." Knuckles said, taking the basket off. "I didn't recognize you with a basket on your head."

"Dude, I didn't steal anything!" Sonic said.

"I know, but there's a whole posse on your tail!" Knuckles said. "I don't want to lose you. You're a valuable member of Team Knuckles!"

"Team Kn..." Sonic stuttered but raised his hand. "I'm not even gonna argue. Let's get this orchid to Earl."

"Let's," Penny nodded.

"Right!" Knuckles grinned. "Just one question. Who's Earl? What's an orchid? And… and where are we?"

...

Sonic, Penny, and Knuckles hurried the Orchid back to the doctor, who took it to them. Sonic glanced nervously. "Here ya go, Doc. Am I too late?"

"Don't worry, Bob." The doctor smiled, taking the orchid. "I'll fix up Earl newer than a summer cricket whistling on a fallen dewdrop. Know what I mean?"

"Not at all," Sonic said. but we got no time to waste. Come on, Penny and Knuckles." He scooped Penny in his arms and was about to run, but was instantly stopped by the group searching for Sonic. Knuckles grinned. "Hey, I know those guys from somewhere!"

Penny yelped as Sonic zoomed off, towing Penny and Knuckles with him. The mayor yelped. "There goes Sonic! And he's taking Penny and Knuckles hostage!" He let out a yelp as a horseshoe smacked him on the head, and he fell down.

"SORRY!"

...

After running for some time, something in a shack window caught Penny's eye. "Guys, look!" She gasped, pointing to the window.

The shadowy figure resembled a hedgehog.

"Look, Sonic!" Knuckles grinned. "It's you!"

Sonic frowned. There was something off about this. He cautiously pulled Penny behind him.

The figure in the window disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" Sonic frowned.

Metal Sonic stood in front of them.

"Metal Sonic!" Sonic growled, getting into a fighting stance.

"This doesn't look good..." Penny gulped from behind Sonic.

"Allow me!" Knuckles smirked. He dashed towards Metal Sonic and started throwing punches at Sonic's robot duplicate, but to no avail. Metal Sonic held his ground with each punch.

Something whirred in Metal Sonic's laser, and he fired. Sonic winced. "That can't be good."

"Knucks, look out!" Sonic yelped. Penny watched with fright as Metal Sonic punched Knuckles with his laser, sending Knuckles flying into a tree. Penny winced as Knuckles slammed against the tree trunk and fell to the ground.

"My cupcakes are missing, Grandma." Knuckles said with a weak chuckle before passing out.

"Knuckles!" Penny yelped, running over to him.

"You're going to regret that!" Sonic snarled at Metal Sonic.

Metal Sonic readied his lasers, and Sonic quickly zoomed up to the shack, the laser a few inches away from his feet. Sonic grunted as he hopped from the house and landed on the ground.

Penny sighed with relief.

However, creaking sounds were heard, and Penny's eyes widened as she watched the shack fall on Sonic.

"SONIC!" Penny yelled.

Metal Sonic turned to her, and she whimpered, backing up a bit.

Sonic zoomed out of the shack rubble and instantly zoomed in front of Penny, growling at Metal Sonic. However, Metal Sonic's laser dimmed right then and there.

Sonic smirked at him. "Don't you just hate it when that happens?"

Penny giggled.

Sonic attacked Metal Sonic, throwing punch after punch. "I could do this all day!" Sonic smirked, knocking Metal Sonic into the shack.

Metal Sonic stood up and held Eggman's Particle Accelerator.

"Eggman's Particle Accelerator?" Sonic asked. "Well, that's just cheating. How do you live with yourself?"

Penny let out a gulp as Metal Sonic used the Particle Accelerator to help him levitate, a purple hue around him. Sonic growled, standing in front of Penny protectively.

"Uh oh again." Sonic gulped. He scooped Penny in his arms and zoomed around the forest, dodging Metal Sonic's blasts.. She clung to him as he zoomed all the way to his shack near the beach. Sonic panted, placing Penny down.

"Sonic?" Penny asked worriedly. Sonic winked at her, turning to Metal Sonic. "I guess when you retire, you can just recharge."

Metal Sonic responded by raising the Particle Accelerator.

"That's the difference between you and me, Metal. I don't get tired!" Sonic smirked. Penny handed Sonic a horseshoe and Sonic tossed it at Metal Sonic, and the metal reaction caused Metal Sonic to blast away.

"Sorry!" Sonic and Penny called with a smirk.

Metal Sonic dropped the Particle Accelerator and fell behind some rocks.

"You did it, Sonic!" Penny grinned. Sonic nodded at her. "Now, let's get the stolen stuff and give Eggman his precious Particle Accelerator back," Sonic smirked, and the two walked off.

...

"Penny and I've got a little something for you, Eggie," Sonic smirked as he and Penny walked up to Eggman and the police officer. "I found your Particle Accelerator. And all the stuff that was stolen from the village and brought it back, which proves I didn't steal anything. Case closed."

"He's got you there, Egghead!" Knuckles snickered.

"Yeah!" Penny said.

"Case NOT closed!" Eggman snapped. "You got it. Therefore, you must've stolen it! Now case closed!"

"He's got you there, Sonic." Knuckles snickered again.

"What now?" Penny gulped, looking nervously at Sonic.

"Officer, arrest this man!" Eggman said, pointing at Sonic.

Sonic backed away for a moment and yelped when he knocked into Metal. However, to Penny's relief, Earl popped out from behind the robot version of Sonic he was holding.

"Bob!" Earl grinned at Sonic.

"EARL?!" Sonic and Penny asked in sync.

"These parts landed by the warehouse, and I thought you might need 'em," Earl said, motioning his hand to Metal Sonic.

"That's the REAL thief," Sonic said.

The police officer ran towards Earl.

"Not him!" Sonic snapped. "My robot duplicate that Eggman used to frame me!"

"All lies! Now if you'll excuse me, I'll take my metal duplicate of you, suitable for framing, and my particle accelerator. And go." Eggman said, picking Metal Sonic in his arms and walking off.

"Earl, you're a lifesaver!" Penny grinned at Sonic's partner. Earl shrugged with a smile. "It's the least I can do after you saved my life! I was deader than a peapod in a mud-bucket tea kettle after flippity-hoodledoop flazzerbattle."

Penny's eyes widened again as a horseshoe knocked Earl to the ground again. Sonic picked up the horseshoe and he and Knuckles shared a laugh.

Penny smiled, rolling her eyes.

Next Chapter: Chilli Dog Day Afternoon