The next morning, the huge tour bus set off again. The entire group sang "Movin' Right Along" once more. It was Lucy, Jeanette, Kylie, Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Camilla, Miss Piggy, Rowlf, and the entire Electric Mayhem having a good time. They would all get to Hollywood and it felt just great.
All the while, Miss Piggy was still trying to make the moves on Kermit. "Kermit, whisper sweet nothings into my ear."
Kermit was at a loss for words. "Uh...Motorcycle Cop!"
"'Motorcycle Cop' is a sweet nothing?"
"No," Lucy pointed out the back window. "Kermit's right. A motorcycle cop is tailing us."
The motorcycle cop put on his siren. It seemed urgent. "Doctor Teeth, pull over," Jeanette warned the bandleader.
"Easier done than said," Doctor Teeth pulled over right then.
The cop unseated and approached the bus. People started to get uneasy and fidget in the car. Lucy herself gulped. "We're toast."
But Doctor Teeth still kept making jokes. "Hey look. It's the man with the badge. The police. The fuzz. The P-I…"
"DON'T! YOU! DARE!" Miss Piggy cut him off before he could say the most insulting term.
The cop boarded the bus. Kermit stammered, "Did we do something wrong, officer?"
The cop turned up his visor to reveal...Max. Doc Hopper's timid assistant had come to meet with them. Everyone panicked thinking something was wrong, but Max did not seem to pose any threat. "Calm down everyone," Lucy tried to sway the party. "Let him explain. There is something going on."
"I put on this disguise so I could warn you," Max informed.
"Oh, yeah, sure." Nobody bought it. Except maybe for Lucy, who still kept listening in.
"I didn't think the Doctor wanted to hurt Kermit," Max gasped. "I just thought he was going to lean on him a little. But now he's got this frog killer from the coast. And the man is deadly!"
"Oh, no. What are we going to do." The gang became even more uneasy.
"Excuse me," Lucy stood up to Max. "I am his agent. This is business malpractice. I declined the contract on Kermit's request, so he should respect that."
"Doesn't matter," Max warned. "He'll probably catch you too if you resist."
"Oh, dear," the Muppets continued to stress. But not Doctor Teeth.
"Chase music is one of my jams," he smiled. "I can work it."
"Well then," Lucy pointed to the window. "What's that up ahead?"
Doctor Teeth saw some old buildings up in the distance. "It just looks like an old ghost town."
"Fine," Lucy gave Max ultimatum. "You go tell Doc Hopper Kermit and I will be waiting for him there."
"What?"
"Kermit, you'll get killed!" Fozzie fretted. Miss Piggy went into shock alongside him.
"Don't do it Lucy," Jeanette panicked. "You still have to complete the mission. I can't even imagine what Doc Hopper might do to you if he's going to harm Kermit."
"Listen, guys," Kermit justified. "I can't spend my whole life running away from a bully."
"And I have to help those who are in need," Lucy added. "That's why I am here. To try and help. Plus, I can make some negotiations with Doc Hopper as Kermit's agent."
"But you're not really-" Kylie started before Lucy cut her off.
"He doesn't know that," Lucy insisted. "As long as I can represent the frog, I am as good an agent as any. So let it be me who stands with him."
"It's time for a showdown," Kermit finished.
The whole bus was dead quiet, contemplating the thought and fearing for Kermit and Lucy's lives.
A few moments later, the gang pulled into the ghost town. They looked at the rustic, beaten down buildings and pulled in at the abandoned saloon.
Kermit and Lucy disembarked. "We're just going to check things out," Kermit told everyone. "Stay on the bus for now." Everyone else agreed.
"But Kermit," Floyd complained. "I need to take Animal for a walk. He needs his exercise." Animal barked in return.
"Uh, sure," Kermit told him. Jeanette also left the bus with Floyd to give him a second guide. In the end, it was five members of the journey who left the bus.
As Kermit walked by the saloon, one of the barrels erupted in a party display. There were pinwheels, sprinklers, and loud brass music. The group gasped and stepped back.
Just then, an eccentric bald scientist and his tall assistant with frizzy red hair emerged from the saloon doors. "That is my latest invention: A Musical Rotating Rain Barrel!"
Jeanette laughed. "Oh, that's funny." She smiled at the scientist. "I like you guys. You think of the funniest things."
"Thank you," the small scientist bowed his head.
"Well," Lucy looked over the barrel. "I think that's quite charming."
The scientist introduced himself. "I am Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. And this is my assistant Beaker." The tall Muppet spoke back only in beeps and whistles. "We live here perfecting useful inventions."
"Hi," Jeanette waved back. "I'm Jeanette."
"I'm Lucy, and this is my client Kermit." They waved back. "And that's Floyd and Animal," Lucy pointed at the other two.
"Well come on in," Dr. Honeydew welcomed.
Inside the saloon, several bubbling flasks and containers lined the walls. Dr. Honeydew really made the most of his surroundings, as everything was working full steam.
"Welcome to our laboratory," Dr. Honeydew introduced. "Please don't touch anything."
As Jeanette marveled at the technologies and knicknacks on display, Kermit looked outside. The clock on Dr. Honeydew's wall read ten minutes to noon. He had to be ready. "Is this the only street in town?"
"Uh...yes. I believe so," Dr. Honeydew confirmed.
"So what you dudes doing here?" Floyd was still curious.
"I'm glad you asked," Dr. Honeydew piped up. "Beaker and I are working on our latest invention: Insta-grow Pills." Dr. Honeydew pulled out a pill the size of Lucy's head. It was quite impressive.
Floyd pointed to a giant object on the desk next to Dr. Honeydew. "And what is that?"
"A four-foot prune," Dr. Honeydew boasted.
"Seems like a waste," Jeanette complained. "What else do these pills make big?"
"Oh they work on almost everything," Dr. Honeydew promised. "But the effect is sadly temporary." Beaker seemed to echo this sentiment with his beeping speech.
Right then, Doc Hopper and his posse rolled in. The Frog Killer stood with them, holding his gun. "Hey Kermit," Scooter warned. "Doc Hopper is here."
"We know," Lucy and Kermit had been at the window the whole time.
"I'm ready for him," Kermit strode out of the store.
"Wait, Kermit," Lucy called back. "We need more time to…" But then, she shrugged and decided to go along. "Alright. I'll help write your contract."
As they walked outside, Kylie hid her eyes on the bus. "This cannot end well."
"Alright, Frog," Doc Hopper threatened. "Where are ya?"
"I'll meet you in the middle of the street," Kermit called from inside the saloon.
"Oh, yeah."
"Yeah. It's a showdown. I'll even bring my agent to talk with you."
"So you'll finally relent?" Doc Hopper asked.
"Yeah," Lucy added, trying to sound more confident than she was. "We can talk about contract deals. I have one for YOU even."
The clock struck. It was high noon! Kermit came out wearing a Stetson hat and cowboy boots, spurs jingling and hands ready. Lucy came out beside him, holding a clipboard and a pen, trying to stay away from view. Together, they stood in front of Doc Hopper.
"Alright, Doc."
"Alright, Frog. One last chance," Doc Hopper leered. "You gonna do my commercials live or stuffed?" The Frog Killer cocked his gun.
"I cannot allow my client to enter harm," Lucy protested. "If you hurt him, I will press charges."
"Quiet your mouth, Agent," Doc Hopper directed the gun at her. "You don't think my legal team can get around you? Well we got plans. So be quiet, or you'll end up like the frog." Soon, everyone pointed their guns at Kermit and Lucy.
"Hopper, what's the matter with you?" Kermit finally snapped. He was now standing up to Doc Hopper. "You have to be crazy chasing me halfway across the country. Especially after my agent said no. Why are you doing this to me?"
Doc Hopper removed his sunglasses. "Because all my life, I wanted to own a thousand frog leg restaurants. And you're the key, Greenie."
"Yeah, well we have dreams, too," Lucy stood up. "And my job is to help people with theirs. So I'll let Kermit explain the dream I have worked with him for the past few weeks. Take it away!"
Kermit stood in front of Lucy. "My dream is about singing and dancing and making people happy. That's the kind of dream that gets better the more people you share it with." Floyd and Jeanette took Kermit's side. Then Kylie. Then Fozzie. Then everyone else on the bus. "And I found a whole bunch of friends who share that dream."
"Yeah," Lucy pumped her fist in celebration. "And I found my dream too. Of being a guide and friend. And I made some of my own friends on this journey. If my client wants to dance for something, he should be free to follow that dream on his own...away from you!"
Kermit looked around at his allies. "That kind of makes us like a family." Everyone nodded in approval. "Do you have anyone like that, Hopper? I mean, once you get all those restaurants, who are you going to share it with? Who are your friends, Doc? Those guys?"
Doc Hopper signaled for Max. "I got lots of friends," Doc Hopper sneered. "Max for instance." But as Doc turned his head, Max shook his own head "No". Max had abandoned Doc Hopper to his face.
"I don't think you're a bad man, Doc," Kermit insisted.
"I do," Kylie shouted. "You tried to kill Kermit…" But she was cut off by the other Muppets. This was not the right time.
Kermit continued. "But I think if you try to look in your heart, you'll find you really want to let my friends and I go, and follow our dreams. But if that's not the kind of man you are, and what I'm saying makes no sense to you...then go ahead and kill me."
"Kermit, no!" Lucy tried to hold him back.
"It's okay, Lucy," Kermit told her. "I came this far. We'll let Doc decide the fate of the journey. I'm sure your Fairy Godmother will forgive me."
Doc Hopper looked them over. He leered a bit, threw off his hat, but put it back on. "Alright boys, kill him! And make his agent sign a waiver saying she never saw us."
His henchmen marched forward, except Max who stood in protest. But right before they could shoot, an earthquake shook the ghost town. Everyone looked around, unsure of where the rumbling came from. Then, looking up, they saw Animal's head poking through the saloon roof. He had eaten some of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew's Insta-grow Pills and became two stories tall. He looked down upon everyone and smiled a warm smile.
Animal roared, causing Doc Hopper and his gang to run away in fright. As they ran, Max gave one last look back, took off his hat, and shouted in celebration. He would let Kermit follow his dreams. Kermit had won the showdown.
The Muppets and their friends celebrated. "We did it!" Lucy cheered. Nothing could stop them now. "Let's all go to Hollywood." And they waited until Animal shrunk back down to get the bus back on the road.