Penny grinned as she stood next to Sonic and Knuckles, who were having a milkshake challenge. She and Sonic both cheered Knuckles on, chanting, "Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!"

Knuckles finished it all in one gulp, and groaned suddenly, clutching his head. "Brain freeze! Ow ow ow ow! Oh, what did I do to deserve this?"

"It's normal, Knux." Penny said reassuringly, patting his shoulder comfortingly.

"You guys! I got big news!" Tails cried, running up.

"What's up, Tails?" Penny asked.

"You getting married?" Knuckles asked curiously, causing Penny to snort.

Tails shook his head. " What? No! Our band has been asked to play a concert on the other side of the island!"

"That's great!" Penny grinned. "Congratulations!"

Sonic raised his eyes in confusion. "Just one question. We're in a band?"

Penny and Tails raised their eyes at Sonic. " Dude-itude, remember?" Tails said. "We saved the women of the village from becoming mind-controlled zombies?"

Sonic and Knuckles stared at the two flatly.

Tails tried again. "We ended Justin Beaver's musical career?"

Nothing.

Tails sighed. "There were crackers in the green room?"

"Oh, yeah!" Sonic said.

"Seriously?" Penny mumbled.

"But how are we gonna get our gear to the concert?" Sonic asked.

Tails took the gang outside, showing the truck. "the Dude Mobile!"

"ROAD TRIP!" Knuckles cheered.

Penny glanced at Sonic. "Hey, Sonic, mind if I come along?"

Sonic smirked. "Of course you can come! What could possibly go wrong?"

After getting their stuff packed, Penny hopped into the backseat next to Knuckles. Sonic and Tails sat in the front. Amy and Sticks stood outside, giving the guys their last minute instructions. Amy crossed her arms and stared at the boys. "Have fun on your trip, guys! Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Sonic frowned at her. "I thought you said to "have fun.""

Amy scowled.

Tails drove off.

After a few hours of driving, Penny muttered. "Dudes, I'm BORED."

Sonic grinned. "I know what'll cheer us up. Since we'll be in this car for the next fifteen hours, let's make some productive use of our time!"

He put a tape in the tape player, and music filled the truck. Penny's bored look lifted off her face, and she grinned and started singing along with the boys.

"Dude-itude is back, y'all! We ain't wack, y'all!

We want you to hear us way up at the back wall

So drop your hands and raise your feet, cause Dude-itude's droppin' this phat beat!

We bring the rhythm, the funk,

Got a drum set in the trunk!

Our guts are full of chili dogs

The van's in overdrive!

You haven't seen a real band until you've seen us live!"

Penny let out bursts of giggles as the singing stopped. Sonic smirked back at her. " We are gonna own this concert! Nothing can stop us now!"

Knuckles whimpered suddenly. "I need to stop now."

"Me too!" Penny winced, squirming around uncomfortably. "That was too much soda..."

Tails quickly stopped the truck near a bathroom stop, and Knuckles and Penny hopped out to the nearest rest room, and came back. Tails stood on the platform, reading a pamphlet while Sonic frowned impatiently, tapping his foot.

" According to this pamphlet, our route takes us right past the famous water tower shaped like a ketchup bottle!" Tails grinned, looking up from the paper.

"Water tower shaped like a ketchup bottle?" Penny grinned. "Let's go see it!"

Sonic frowned at Tails. " "Famous"? I've never heard of it."

Tails read aloud. "It was prominently featured in a deleted scene from Mutant Commando 3."

Penny glanced at Sonic pleadingly. Knowing he couldn't resist her, he sighed. "fine. We can make one stop."

They drove off towards the scene. Penny and Knuckles did some poses beside it while Tails snapped pictures.

They drove off again, and Knuckles had to use the rest room again. They also made some extra stops, which Sonic thought was a big waste of time. They drove off after knocking down some cars, and Knuckles again had to use the bathroom.

Their next stop was the world's biggest rocking chair. Old Timer smiled at them. " Welcome, folks, to the home of the World's Largest Non-Rocking Chair!"

Knuckles grinned. "Ooh! Can I sit in it?"

Old Timer shook his head. "Oh, heavens no! This chair's for eye-sitting only."

"Awwww..." Penny groaned. "Makes sense, though, if it's on display...but still..."

Sonic groaned, turning on his communicator. "Amy, please tell me you're having as miserable a time as I am."

"Actually, Sticks and I are having a relaxing spa weekend. But come on. I'm sure your trip isn't that bad."

"Now over here is the official letter from the Book of Records, asking me to stop contacting them."

Amy sighed over the com. " I stand corrected. Well, have fun on your vacation. Take lots of pictures."

"NO PICTURES!"

Sonic groaned.

"Sonic! Sonic! Look what Knuckles and I bought from the gift shop!" Penny gasped, running over with Knuckles. She stopped in front of him, panting and leaning over due to exhaustion. "It took both of our allowance to get it, but it was worth it!"

Sonic raised his eyes at her, actually curious when Knuckles popped up holding their purchase. " A scaled-down replica of the World's Largest Non-Rocking Chair!"

He put the chair down and Penny sat in it. The human girl let out an startled squeal of delight as Knuckles lifted her (still seated on the non rocking chair) and placed her over his shoulders. The two giggled and took poses as Tails snapped more pictures.

Sonic, feeling a bit jealous and completely annoyed, scoffed while facepalming himself.

After that excitement, Penny and Knuckles were both snoozing on each other in the backseat, while Tails was driving slower than the speed limit. Sonic groaned and quickly grabbed the wheel. "I can't take it anymore! Tails, give me the wheel!"

Penny was immediately jolted from her sleep as the Dude Mobile started jerking left and right, but thankfully Knuckles held onto her shoulders so she wouldn't collide with the windows or tumble to the ground. She glanced over at the drivers seat and saw Sonic sitting there. From the mirror she saw his annoyed expression as he gripped the steering wheel. "We are going straight through to that concert! No more breaks. No more tourist traps. No more stops!"

He sped off, but they were quickly stopped by a police officer. Sonic stopped the mobile and rolled the window down, staring at the annoyed cop. "Hey, uh, what's the haps, officer?"

The cop stared at them flatly and answered, "You kids look to be a long ways from home."

Tails nodded with a grin. " We are! Our band's got a gig on the other side of the island!"

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, we're Dude-itude. Maybe you've heard of us?"

The cop shook his head. " I don't listen to the rock and roll. We don't take kindly to troublemakers 'round these parts. Especially not some blue-headed delinquent."

"You tell him, officer!" Knuckles called, and Penny quickly hushed him up.

Sonic raised his eyes. " "Troublemaker"? "Delinquent"? But I'm Sonic the Hedgehog! I'm the quintessential hero type!"

He handed Sonic a ticket. "I'll be keeping my eye on you four."

"Why me?!" Penny asked. "I didn't do anything!"

The cop shrugged and walked off.

Sonic groaned. "Ugh, not another speeding ticket. I'll fight it in court, but I don't think they're gonna accept "gotta go fast" as a medical condition. Knuckles, you take the wheel for a bit."

The two switched seats, and Penny, completely tired of all the excitement, fell asleep on Sonic's shoulder.

While the rest of the four were sleeping, Knuckles stayed awake and glanced at the dark road ahead of him. " Which way do I go? Come on, universe, give me a sign."

A lightning struck the ground trail to the left, and Knuckles grinned. " Message received!"

He drove to that direction.

Penny moaned as she woke up. The first thing she noticed that she was curled up on Sonic's lap, with him holding her securely. She glanced up at him, and then to her right and wished she didn't.

A hideous opossum right at her side. She let out a shriek as it glanced eerily at her, and that startled Sonic awake. "Whoa, Pen, wha-" He glanced outside and his eyes widened. "Whoa. Where are we?"

He glanced at Penny's shuddering form and turned to the spot where she was sitting earlier and saw what was troubling her. The gang screamed, and Knuckles screamed. This went on until they calmed down.

Sonic cringed at the sight of the opossum, and slowly got into a position where he held Penny protectively. Sonic frowned at the opossum. " Knuckles? What is this, uh... fine gentleman doing in our van?"

"You guys were asleep and I needed company. Thankfully, this drifter looked like he needed company too." Knuckles responded.

Tails frowned. "So, uh, guy... what are you doing out in these parts?"

Bike Chain Bandit smirked at him. "Biting some time."

Penny whimpered nervously, and Sonic growled silently, gripping her protectively.

That was when the radio announced it. Penny shuddered as the announcer spoke. "We interrupt our regularly scheduled broadcast of silence for this important announcement. A maniac, the notorious Bike Chain Bandit, is on the loose. Motorists should be on the lookout for a large, snaggle toothed opossum wearing a trench coat and carrying a duffel full of bicycle chains."

Sonic gulped. Yup. The opossum looked just like the announcer's description. Sonic held Penny in his arms. "Uh, guys? Can we have a team meeting?" He glanced at the bandit nervously. "It's not about you. It's about a totally different sociopath in the back seat of a completely different van."

Knuckles chuckled nervously, eyes never leaving the road. " That's a relief. I thought for sure this guy was the maniac."

The maniac pulled out a chain and quickly wrapped it around Knuckles. Penny screamed as Knuckles lost control of the mobile, causing it to jerk around.

"Sonic! You were wrong! He is the maniac! Get him off me!" Knuckles screamed.

Penny whimpered as the bandit turned to her with another set of chains, and Sonic quickly kicked the bandit outside.

"Knuckles, move over! I'm driving!" Sonic yelled fearfully.

The echidna quickly stopped the car.

" What?! Are you pulling over?!" Sonic yelped.

"Safety first, Sonic!" Knuckles responded.

The bandit slammed against the window, causing the four to scream. Sonic and Knuckles traded spots and quickly drove off, leaving the bandit hissing.

"What a nightmare..." Penny moaned, clutching her stomach.

"Are you okay, Penny?" Tails asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Penny said. "Just shaken up."

"Just hang in there." Sonic told her. He quickly put the speed up, and a second later, the same officer from before stopped them.

Sonic sighed in relief, his heart pounding. " Oh, thank goodness. Officer, back there! The Bike Chain Bandit!"

The officer glanced at the backseat to see the bag of chains on Penny's lap. He frowned at Sonic. "I knew you punks were up to no good."

Sonic stuttered. "No no no! You don't understand! I'm Sonic the Hedgehog!"

The officer frowned at him. " Sonic the Hedgehog!" He cuffed the hedgehog's hands. "You're under arrest!"

Penny stayed close to Sonic as possible as the cop pushed them in their cell. The cop locked the door and handed the phone to Sonic. "You get one phone call. Make it a good one"

Sonic picked the phone and dialed it. "Amy, no time to explain. Tails, Penny, Knuckles, and I are in jail. We need you to bail us out!

Grunts were heard from the other side, and Amy answered in annoyance. "Sonic, I am really not in the mood for your practical jokes right now! Sticks and I have got our hands full! We'll talk later."

she hung up, and the trooper took the phone away. "Looks like you boys just won an overnight stay at the Gray Bar Hotel."

He walked off, laughing.

Tails sighed in relief. "Oh, good. I thought we were gonna spend the night in jail."

The officer hung the keys on a hook and left.

"Uh, guys..." Penny gulped, pointing ahead. Sonic quickly turned towards the shadow and stood in front of Penny protectively. The person stood up and walked towards them, a grin on his face. "Well, lookie what we got here. If it isn't Dreamboat Express! Big fan!"

"Salty!" Penny chuckled nervously. "Long time no see!"

Tails nodded. "Nowadays, we go by-"

Sonic and Penny both quickly covered Tails' mouth. Sonic nodded. "Yep, that's us! Dreamboat Express!"

Salty grinned. " Can't believe they locked you guys up, too. The Five-O's been pointing fingers at everybody, thanks to the Bike Chain Bandit. Soon as they heard about my fledgling chain wallet business, forget about it."

"Wow..." Penny mumbled.

Knuckles glanced at him with wide eyes. "That's horrible! Chain wallets haven't been cool for fifteen years."

"We know what the bandit looks like." Sonic said. "We could catch him and clear our names... if we could get outta here."

Salty grinned at them. "If you're half as good at stopping bad guys as you are at singing innocuous, non-threatening music, then I'll help you bust out.

Sonic nodded. "Great! You create a distraction. Now all we need is some kind of inconspicuous, yet surprisingly powerful magnet."

Tails picked up a magnet and smirked. "I have this industrial micro-magnet that I keep hidden on my person at all times."

"That'll have to do..." Sonic smirked.

"Pretty clever, Tails!" Penny grinned.

The door opened and the trooper walked in with food. "Soup's on, inmates."

Salty took the tray and frowned. "I can't eat that! I demand a vegetarian meal, with the, uh... what do you call those things? Vegetables!"

"Go for it, Tails!" Penny whispered as Salty slammed the tray on the cop, causing him to loose balance and fall to the ground. Tails quickly grabbed his magnet and grabbed the keys, and the gang broke loose.

"Now to find ourselves a bandit!" Penny muttered.

The bandit was on the move. Sonic and the gang, followed closely by the police officer, quickly followed the bandit.

The bandit, hearing the sirens, quickly pushed Mrs. Vandersnout off her bike and peddled off. Seeing a lava river, the bandit used this as his advantage and quickly moved on.

"He's getting away!" Tails and Penny yelled.

"I got this!" Sonic smirked. He climbed to the back and got onto his Blue Force One and started flying after the villain. Tails pressed a button on the Dude Mobile, and it quickly hopped over the lava and landed safely on the ground. Penny stuck her head out the window and her eyes widened at the sight of the cop about to fall into the lava. Tails thought quick and unbuckled himself, quickly flying over to the cop and saving him before he hit the lava.

Sonic drove his blue force one up to the bandit and quickly grabbed a chain, wrapping it around the bike, causing the bandit to topple to the ground, skidding to a halt in front of the trooper, who arrested him. " Glad you like chains, cause you'll be wearing them for the next fifteen to twenty." Trooper hissed, cuffing the bandit.

He turned to Sonic and the gang. " I was wrong about you three. You're not just some lowlife hooligans. You're law-abiding hooligans! And you're free to go."

"Finally..." Penny groaned, settling back into her seat and passing out.

When she awoke, they were finally there. Sonic and the gang were staring at the empty stage where a manager was sweeping it.

Knuckles frowned. " Uh... did we miss the concert?"

The fennec shook his head. "Nah, you're an entire month early."

Knuckles, Penny, and Sonic glared at Tails, who chuckled nervously. "Ah heh... I guess I was so excited about the concert, I didn't pay attention to the date." He held up the pamphlet nervously. "On the plus side, the site of the World's Oldest Rock is only two hours from here!"

Completely irritated, Sonic lunged for Tails. Knuckles and Penny quickly restrained him as the fox ran for his life.

Man, what a crazy adventure that was.

NEXT BONUS CHAPTER (AND OFFICIALLY LAST) STICKS, PENNY, AND AMY'S EXCELLENT STAYCATION

Sounds confusing, huh? Well, I trigged both episodes so Penny could be in both sides!