Sonic Boom!

The Haunted Lair

Penny stood in a line next to Sonic, Knuckles, Sticks, Amy, and Tails as they waited for Barker to open his haunted house theme park. Barker finally popped out, smirking at the crowd. "Patience folks. I assure you, everyone will get the opportunity to see the amazing haunted forest, and pay me 27.50."

Penny moaned. This was totally a waste of her allowance. She was lucky that Sonic was the one who was treating them to a haunted house adventure.

Grunts were heard from the back, and she turned around to see Eggman pushing his way through the crowd. " Out of my way, bozzo. Move it or lose it, tuts. Big egg on campus coming through." He pushed his way through the front and knocked Penny aside, but luckily Sonic caught her before she fell.

Barker took the bar off the hook and allowed Eggman and Team Sonic to walk in. Even though Penny knew everything was fake, she still couldn't help but feel uneasy as she walked through the eerie place, clinging to Sonic's arm. He smiled at her. " Calm down, Penny. This place isn't so scary."

"That's what you think..." Penny whimpered. "Maybe I should've stayed home today..."

A slip of paper landed at her feet, and she picked it up, her eyes widening. Knuckles glanced at her in fear. "Wh-what is it?"

"I-I-I-can't!" Penny shuddered, shakily handing it to Tails. "Tails, you read it!"

Tails, who was braver than her, nodded and took the slip, reading aloud. " A proposal for government-mandated healthcare."

That triggered Sticks, and the female badger gasped in fear. "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" She screamed as she ran off.

Eggman shook his head. " What a fraidy cat, whatever it is she's suppose to be. Who'd be scared of this junk? Rubber bats. Glowing eyes. Cardboard moon."

On cue, sheets hung by ropes acting as ghosts popped around him, and the doctor shrieked, cowering in terror and clinging his head. "And a real ghost!" He screamed. He screamed even more as ghostly moans echoed, and he ran out.

Penny forgot her fright that moment, and she and the gang shared bursts of laughter.

The next day, Penny saw Eggman reading books in the public library. The poor guy was so frightened by last night's "ghost encounter" that he was doing researching about getting rid of ghosts.

She felt someone grab her shoulder and pull her behind a bench, and she turned to see Sonic and Tails. "Wh-"

Sonic quickly grabbed her mouth and shushed her. Curious, Penny glanced at Sonic with a questioning look.

"Check it out Eggman is still freaked out from last night. What do you say we mess with him?"

"Mess with him?" She asked, turning to Tails. "What do you think?"

Tails frowned. "It seems wrong to play on Eggman's emotions when he's in such a fragile state. Did I say wrong I meant hilarious." He smirked and began making ghostly noises, and Eggman jumped. "Ah. Wh-what's that."

Sonic, Tails, and Penny chuckled, and Sonic zoomed over to the book shelf and began knocking books off, scaring poor Eggman even more. The doctor screamed and hid underneath the table, jumping as more books fell around him. He cringed when Fastidious shushed him.

Tails sighed. "This is just sad..."

"I agree." Penny muttered. "I can't stand seeing Eggman in a fragil state like that."

Sonic glared at the two with a sigh. "Great now you've gone and made me feel guilty." He left the two and walked up to Eggman. " Stop your blubbering Eggman. It was just me. Ghosts aren't real."