Penny, Sonic, Amy, Sticks, and Tails loomed over a sleeping Knuckles, snickering. Sonic held a can of whipped cream in his hand.

"This is gonna be sweet!" Sonic chuckled.

"Literally." Penny laughed quietly.

Sonic sprayed whipped cream on Knuckle's hand. Amy sighed, shaking her head. "You guys are so immature..."

Tails grinned. " I love practical jokes. But wouldn't tricking him into cleaning the bathroom be more practical?"

Penny took the liberty of tickling Knuckles with a feather, and the echidna groaned, rubbing his hand on his face. In the end, his head was full of whipped cream. The rest of the gang laughed.

Little did they know was the spy bot watching the whole thing.

Cubot grinned as he watched the current events with Sonic and Friends on the screen. "Oh, I love this show. Hey, who's that blue guy? He looks just like Sonic. And that human beside him looks like someone we know!"

"You mean Penny?" Orbot asked flatly.

"Yes!" Cubot grinned, and frowned. "Who?"

Eggman glared at his bots. "I'm spying on Sonic with my Fly Bot, bolthead."

Orbot glanced at him in confusion. " But he's not doing anything."

" Eventually he will and then I'll learn something I can use. I just have to keep watching. And watching. And watching!"

Cubot sprayed whipped cream in Orbot's hand, and Orbot glanced at Cubot. "I believe the subject needs to be asleep for this particular prank to work."

Eggman turned to his bots. "See? You've learned something from watching."

Cubot grabbed Orbot's whipped cream hand and creamed Orbot's head.

Back on the beach, Knuckles groaned, stretched and yawned. He grinned. "I taste great!"

Sonic grinned at Penny. "OK, he's up. Who are we gonna prank next?"

"Definitely NOT me." Penny said, glaring at Sonic. "That's one of the downsides of living with you. It's bad enough that even Sonic pranks me sometimes when I'm not expecting it."

It was true...when Sonic was in a playful mood, he likes to pull practical jokes on Penny. He even got her yesterday...by sneaking up behind her and scaring her, causing the girl to scream. Penny shuddered at the memory.

"No promises." Sonic smirked back at her. Amy tapped Sonic's arm and looked with her eyes to a spy bot. The spy bot twitched and quickly moved behind a tree.

Sonic nodded slowly and spoke. "Know what, let's head to the canyon and hang out under that giant boulder on the cliff." He said with a smirk.

Amy frowned, though she couldn't help but let a smirk slip in. "I don't know. That boulder's ready to fall."

" If we're under it we'll be crushed!" Tails added.

"It would be pretty ugly!" Penny added as well.

"Then my delicious whipped cream filling will shoot out like toothpaste." Knuckles grinned, pumping his fists. "I'm in!"

Eggman paused the video and smirked. " I knew if I was patient this would pay off. I love technology. Let's go push a boulder onto that loathsome blue rat."

He turned to Orbot and Cubot, who were both covered in small pyramids of whipped cream. Orbot glanced at Eggman sheepishly. "We'll need a second."

Once the robots were free, they made it to the boulder where Sonic and the gang said they'd be. There they were...standing right under the dangerous boulder like idiots. Eggman snickered. "That's right, stand there like fools. Because that's what fools do. They stand."

Cubot glanced at Eggman. "You're standing!"

Eggman glared at him. "Quiet fool!"

Eggman and his robots flew up to the boulder, and Eggman hopped off his mobile and walked over to it with a smirk. " Once I push this boulder over the cliff, I'll be rid of Sonic once and for all."

He started pushing it, but no luck. "Oh, for crying out loud...!" He turned to Cubot and Orbot and glared at them. "Don't just float there, help me!"

A grunt, shuffle, and a laser later, the boulder finally was pushed loose, and it fell to the ground. Eggman snickered at his success...

...or what he thought was a success. The boulder fell on a seesaw and propelled a half-barrel of whipped cream up in the air. It landed upside-down on Eggman, covering him with whipper cream.

Laughter was suddenly heard, and he turned to see the gang who was standing there, laughing hysterically.

"Oh, you look so dumb!" Knuckles wheezed, leaning over Penny for support.

"Your face! You should see it!" Penny laughed.

Eggman stared at them, completely flabbergasted. " But... You're down there."

Sonic smirked. "We saw your Fly Bot watching us, so we fed it a little... Misinformation."

Eggman growled.

Tails added his own remark. "Then I jammed its signal with a video loop of us at the bottom of the canyon."

"I told you technology couldn't be trusted." Sticks said. She frowned. "No, wait, I told them. But if you were spying on us you probably heard me. Of course, if you heard me by using technology, you couldn't trust the information that technology can't be trusted. So there!"

"Team Sonic: One. Eggman: Zero." Penny added with a smirk, crossing her arms. "If you're going to get rid of us one day, you'd better do it right."

At that, Sonic quickly clamped a hand over her mouth and hissed. "Don't give him any ideas."

Penny quickly flung his hand off her face and glared at him. "I wasn't."

Eggman growled in annoyance and kicked his mobile away. That backfired and the mobile rolled back, knocking the doctor down with a grunt.

Later...

" The crazy one's right. Machines can't be trusted. That's it, I'm unplugging everything." Eggman announced.

Orbot shuddered. "Including us?"

Eggman shook his head at them. " You don't count. You're like... One step above a paperweight."

After that prank on Eggman, the gang had a celebratory meal at Meh Burger. Amy frowned worriedly. " I'm worried about Eggman. He didn't take that very well."

Sonic grinned. " I'm sure he's fine. He just..."

"HYAH!"

"What was that?!" Penny asked in surprise, and the gang turned around to see Orbot and Cubot hauling Eggman's mobile like huskies and a sleigh master. With a whoa, Eggman stopped his robots and walked up to the shop, picking up a bowl. "Fascinating! And what might this thing be?"

" That's a bowl." The shopkeeper said unamused.

" Ah, yes, a bowl. How does it work?"

"You put things in it and stir them with a spoon."

"A spoon! Marvelous! Is that controlled by a laser-guided spoonalyser, or perhaps a hydraulic stirillator?"

"You hold it in your hand." The shopkeeper said, handing Eggman a spoon. The doctor took it with a grin. "Wonderful! I'll take it. You see, I've sworn off technology. Now, what do you have in the way of a manual weapon for destroying blue hedgehogs?"

"We don't get much call for that, what with Sonic being beloved and all. But you can't go wrong with a rolling pin or a frying pan. They're classics."

"I'll take 50 of each."

"Shall I have them delivered to your lair?"

"No, no, no, no, no. I've abandoned my lair. Technology!"

Little did he know, while he was speaking, Chameleon was listening to the whole thing. He smirked and pulled a meeting with the rest of the Lightning Bolt Society.

"I called this emergency meeting of the Lightning Bolt Society to report that Dr. Eggman has deserted his lair."

" Shall we take it over?" Weasel Bandit asked.

"Better than having meetings here." Dave pointed out. The gang poked their heads outside the garbage bin they were meeting in. They climbed out and headed to Eggman's lair. When they walked in, their eyes widened.

"Look at this place! The answer to all our problems. An evil lair full of, uh... doodads. And whatnots. Dibs on the gewgaw."

Willy started touching the control panel on the desk. Dave picked up a remote and started pressing its buttons, turning on some disco lightning. Dave and the Weasel Bandit then started a fight over the remote, causing some of Eggman's robots to go haywire. The robot shot a laser at the gang, causing them to stop fighting so they could dodge. However they continued fighting over the remote, pressing more buttons. This time they accidentally made the missile silo lid open and close several times.

"Oh, yeah. I could totally wreak havoc like this." Willy said with a relaxed smile, and he fell asleep in Eggman's chair.

Penny sighed as she snuggled in the sand next to the hedgehog, who was sleeping in a beach chair. The two were having a relaxing time together when...

" Sonic the Hedgehog!"

Sonic woke up to see Eggman standing there, and pulled Penny at his side with a frown. Eggman smirked at them. "Prepare for a technology-free battle for the ages."

"Serious?" Sonic asked, eyes raised.

"Does this look serious to you?" Eggman asked, pulling out a handmade catapult.

"No." Sonic and Penny said flatly.

"Perhaps a hand-knit mohair net will change your mind." Eggman said. The doctor grabbed a net and flung it at Sonic, who dodged it easily, pulling Penny with him. Sonic yawned, bored. "Yeah, no."

"Sorry, not buying any of it." Penny said.

"Hmm. Perchance these exquisitely crafted beeswax candle bombs..."

" Is this a battle or a craft fair?" Sonic pointed out with a frown.

"The two aren't mutually exclusive." Eggman said, dropping the candle bombs. "I'll get the hang of this. And when I do, you're not gonna know what hit you. Hyah!"

He hopped into his cart and mushed his robots off.

Penny and Sonic glanced at each other and shrugged.

While that was happening, the Lightning Bolt members were still fighting over the remote, causing Eggman's robots to go haywire, rampaging the village. Penny and the gang quickly arrived on time.

Sonic raised his eyes at the action in front of them. " Woah. What in the world is going on with that thing?" He asked, glancing at Octopus Bot who was struggling to free himself. When he got his tentacles freed, the bot turned to the team.

"I got this!" Knuckles said. He lunged at Octopus Bot but got knocked back.

Amy raised her eyes. " Has Eggman gone back to his old tricks?"

Surprisingly, no. While that was happening, Eggman was just minding his own business-washing his clothes in a nearby lake. He grunted in annoyance. "You'd think someone would have invented an easier way to do this by now."

The fight still continued, but the sound of a missile stopped them. The gang looked up to watch the missile fly over their heads.

"Now that was random..." Penny sighed, shaking her head.

Sonic glanced at the gang. "You stay here and deal with Octopus Bot. Penny and I'll find out what's going on."

He scooped the human girl in his arms and darted off.

Eggman frowned as he churned butter. " I need more light to churn this butter."

Orbot turned his lights on, and Eggman glared at them. " I told you no technology."

Orbot sheepishly turned off his lights.

Sonic, with Penny in his arms, ran towards the scene where the missile hit. They made it to the canyon, where they spotted the Gogoba chief there, his leg caught under a rock.

"Are you OK?" Sonic asked, running over.

" Never better. I can't imagine anywhere I'd rather spend my vacation than crushed underneath a giant boulder." The chief responded.

"That's the last thing I would expect on a vacation." Penny hummed in agreement.

Hearing bees, Penny's eyes widened at the sight in front of her. She scanned the bee bots frantically, but sighed in relief when Bea didn't pop up in the group.

" Bee Bots? Oh, come on!" Sonic complained. He scooped Penny in his arms and they dodged the swarm of bots, accidentally landing on the boulder, crushing the Gogoba leader's leg.

"Sorry!" Sonic and Penny gasped. Sonic gripped Penny in his arms and zoomed off again.

The Gogoba Chief sighed. "Don't worry about me. I'll just chew off my leg. Which works out well because I haven't had anything to eat in a while."

Sonic and Penny arrived back at the scene where even more bots were attacking. Sonic sighed. "Oh, that's it. Let's go, Pen."

Penny nodded, clutching to the blue hedgehog as he sped off. They kept running until they found Eggman plowing a field.

"EGGMAN!" Penny yelled over the noise. Eggman stopped and turned to them. Sonic cleared his throat. "Eggman! You've got to stop this crazy plan of yours right now."

" Sorry English, but if I don't plan this sorghum now, there'll be no sorghum cakes come winter." Eggman retorted.

Sonic frowned. "Are you telling us you're not behind these attacks?"

"That's new." Penny said.

"I know not of what you speak."

"Allow me to access Dr. Eggman's computer." Orbot said. He turned on his wireless computer and gasped. "It appears that someone has taken over the lair. Accessing." Another pause. "It's the Lightning Bolt Society!"

"Ugh, not those Lightning Dolts." Penny groaned.

Sonic nodded. " Those losers? No wonder the attacks have been so random. Look! They let Cowbot out."

They watched as Cowbot mooed, and then got destroyed by a missile. Sonic turned to Eggman. " Egghead, you've got to help me fight them."

Eggman shook his head. ": Here, take my frying pan catapult." He tossed Eggman a frying pan. " We're burning daylight! Hyah!"

Eggman mushed his bots again, and Penny and Sonic both heaved a heavy sigh, tossing away the frying pan, and ran off.

Dave glanced curiously at a button. "I wonder what these do?"

He pressed it, and Orbot and Cubot powered down. Eggman raised his eyes at them. "Hyah! Uh, hello? I said, "Hyah!" Orbot? Cubot? Wake up! You've got to wake up. I-I'm all alone. You Lightning Dolts have left me no choice. Time to get my tech on."

He turned on his mobile, but nothing. "Seriously?!"

He tried a second time. It started, and Eggman hauled Orbot and Cubot into the mobile and flew off, dragging the plow with him.

Penny grunted as Sonic pulled her back from a laser. The gang was trying to go into the lair, but the robots were getting in the way.

Sonic frowned. "There is no way to tell what they're shooting at. This is ridiculous." Seeing Eggman, the team ran over to him.

"Eggman, how do we get into the lair?"

" Under this rock is a tunnel that leads to the back door." Eggman said. "We'll sneak in and take them by surprise."

Little did they know, a spy bot was watching them. Dave chuckled as he watched the recordings. "He doesn't know we're watching. Looks like someone's not as smart as we are."

"Who's that?" Weasel Bandit asked in confusion.

"Tell us later. To the back door!" Willy cheered. The Lightning Bolts grabbed their Disintegrator Rays and ran to the back door.

Chameleon smirked as they positioned near the back door. "When they come in, someone's gonna be very surprised."

"Yeah, you!"

The trio jumped and slowly turned to see Penny smirking, holding her bo staff. Bea was at her side, buzzing dangerously. What terrified them the most was Eggman standing right beside them.

Eggman grinned. "We knew you were watching so we gave you false information. It's a strategy I came up with myself. Without help."

Sonic groaned a little.

"Not so fast! We've got the weapons." Dave hissed, holding his weapon. Bea hissed dangerously, and she quickly shot lasers at them, destroying the rays with one blast. Penny smiled and happily fed Bea a bolt.

"Well, it was fun taking over your lair, but we've got to run." Willy said nervously. He and the gang took off.

"Its going to take weeks to get all my defense systems reprogrammed. No attacking 'till then, got it?" Eggman told Sonic as he, Penny, and Eggman stood in the lair's laboratory.

"Aye aye!" Penny said, saluting. "You have our word!"

Bea buzzed in agreement.

Sonic groaned.

Eggman chuckled and turned back to his computer and typed something. A second later, Orbot and Cubot both powered up. Eggman grinned at them. "Welcome back. I'm glad you're OK."

"You are?" Orbot asked.

"Yes. This place isn't going to clean itself. Get to work!" Eggman roared, pointing to the mess. Orbot and Cubot quickly moved forward and picked the mess up. Eggman turned to Sonic and the gang.

"Before you go, can I interest you in some butter?"

"Sure!" Penny grinned, grabbing a jar of it. She turned to Sonic. "How about you?"

Sonic grinned nervously, grabbing Penny's shoulders and backing off. " Yeah... Sorry, Egghead."

The door closed on the gang, and Eggman sighed. "I'm gonna need a lot of toast."

NEXT CHAPTER: THE HAUNTED LAIR