A/N: So I saw a word and I came up with this. Yes. A word. The word is the title. Enjoy my crazy Oneshot based off a word!

Warning: This is angsty...

Lightning, weary and old but happy, stood proudly on the stage wearing the red roses, the blue ribbons, the classy halter... and next to him, Talia, the girl that saved his life in her wheelchair, grown old like him but still living, and living her life in comfort. Just like him. With him.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters. They belong to Disney/Pixar.

When he and Talia had been invited to the awards ceremony, he hadn't actually expected to be awarded himself. He had expected a short, very short speech in honor of his - still standing - records only multiple races and maybe meeting a few of his foals but what he got was ten times more than he'd anticipated.

As soon as he had walked off the trailer, cameras flashed, yelling started, and everyone rushed up to greet him. His ears and eyes weren't as sensitive as they used to be, so nothing bothered him. He didn't raise his head like he did when he was young, didn't flare his nostrils, didnt startle and swivel and rear. He calmly stood, his head low as Talia's granddaughter, Cloey, lead him away from the trailer and towards the stage.

He was almost seventy five now, Talia at eighty seven and in her wheelchair rolling next to him. He smiled a little, remembering her first and last time she'd ever ridden him (and therefore, the last time he had ever had a rider). Those two days were magnificent - The first time when he was young and wild and reckless, fearful but also fearless. The last, when he was old and smart, mature and bombproof. Their first ride had been full of speed, energy, while their last was peaceful and slow.

And then her back gave out the following month, and she'd have no choice but to use the wheelchair.

His back was slightly swayed, he'd gained weight and lost muscle from not being as active (generally the only thing he did during the day at this point was sleep and graze, with Sally next to him, while keeping an eye on everyone else). He still had his protective streak, but his youngest foal - Cosmic, a gorgeous bay roan - held the title for protector now. He was young, agile, and fast with a ton of stamina to burn. Just like his sire, but had his mothers eyes and dished face, with his grandsire's body shape and size.

Doc... Doc had passed away years ago, along with Sheriff, Flo, Ramone, Sarge, Fillmore, Luigi, Guido and Lizzie long before them. The only two remaining alive from the original Radiator Springs group as Mater and Red. Those two were old now, just like him. With greying muzzles and a greying body (Red was almost completely grey at this point). Finn and Holley were still alive, Samantha having passed away on a mission many years ago and Ethan still alive today, healthy and walking, sometimes riding though it was very rare. Finn was grey, skinny and looked old while Holley was still gleaming, but had grey around the normal points - eyes, shoulders, hindquarters and a lot of grey around her muzzle. Their foals mostly took up spying, with a few still going into jumping or cross country, one of them - the eldest, who would've just turned thirty six and named Ace - had gone into Dressage and won two world championship titles, and this year he looked well on his way to his third.

Jackson and Cruz had retired ten years ago, and now had three foals on the ground. The oldest, a beautiful filly named Ammara was racing, had won many races and fell in love with another racer, King. Their second, Jason, was into cross country and thriving on it with his rider, Payton. Their third one, a filly - Claire - had just turned three and was working her way to becoming a Triple Crown winner.

Lightning snapped out of his haze when Cloey clucked to him, leading him up the stage. He hadn't even seen the ramp while he was daydreaming, just followed Cloey. He stepped up, walking slowly until he was on the stage.

When he got up and looked out at the crowd, he was surprised to see how many people and horses had showed up. Hundreds of cameras flashing, yelling and calling his name, dozens upon dozens of people yelling 'I love you!' and 'You're the best!' And suddenly he found himself in another quick flashback - of him and Talia flying past the finish line on that first race day, or the first time he won the Triple Crown, every time he arrived for a race and people just swarmed him, excited to get a look at the stallion.

He never thought he would get another taste of that before he passed, at least not after his last race back when he was just turning fifty, when his body could no longer handle the strain. Even though he'd been slowing down and not entering races every which way, he knew his body would give eventually and he was smart now. So he stopped. He retired and settled with Sally, out of the public's eye. He'd even stopped studding publicly after that. He had started studding when he was forty, when he first began slowing down with his racing. But when he retired for sure, he'd stopped. He had aired some champion foals, most of which had gone into racing and were winning quite a bit, some went into jumping. But they all were active.

Sighing, he looked to Talia who had just rolled up next to him and placed a shaky hand on his foreleg. Smiling and waving a bit at the audience, who waved back at her. Lightning dropped his head a bit more, before a grey horse came into the stage and everyone queited for a moment.

With a grin and a microphone he started talking. "And here he is folks, the champion of the century that we all know and love. Who's won all of his races, won the Triple Crown a record smashing thirty times and blew us all away with his new speed and track records! The legend, Lightning McQueen." He looked over to Lightning and Talia, who looked back at him, "We welcome you here today to receive a very special gift for your accomplishments. We all love you, Lightning, and want to thank you for everything you have done for all of us. You've made a difference in the racing world, and we want to thank you."

The crowd erupted back into cheer, cameras flashing once again as eight people carrying flowers blanket with flashing red roses - had he been younger, they would've matched his coat perfectly - and draped that over his shoulders as they clipped five or so blue ribbons to his shiny new halter.

There was clapping, and yelling, and screaming, but Lightning only stood and watched, calmly and peacefully as everyone erupted into cheers once more as the blanket of roses settled on his back. As the ribbons were clipped to his bridle, and when the biggest blue ribbon braided into his mane. The announcer continued speaking, "Today we thank you, Lightning, for setting a new standard and making the racing world a better, crazier place. Even when you retired, we all knew you were the greatest racehorse that ever has lived. I think it's safe to say there will never be another as great as you, and your legacy will be around forever. We want you to know you are loved and will forever be remembered as the greatest racehorse of all time. Thank you, Lightning. Thank you."

For a final time, the crowd exploded into cheers and screams. He actually did pick his head up that time, listening to the screaming and yelling of fans and probably some of his foals.

He stood still for what felt like hours. Looking over at everyone. Lightning, weary and old, but happy, stood proudly on the stage with his blanket of red roses, his new blue ribbons and his flashy halter. And next to him, Talia, the girl who'd saved his life in more than one way, in her wheelchair. Both old, tired but happy and still living. They grew old together. And she would be there with him till the end, and he would be there for her.

His joints and bones would be killing him for this later. But he wanted to do it. He needed to do it, one last hurra. One last thing for his fans. One last thing for Talia. One last gift to Doc.

With a slight groan, he shifted his weight onto his hindquarters and bent a foreleg, lowering himself slowly downwards and tucking his head between his forelegs. His long mane touched the ground, and he held the bow for a moment as the screaming increased tenfold and the rose blanekt slid down his neck a tiny bit.

And with that, he made his final bow to the world. A gift, to all who supported and loved him throughout his life.

... A few years later, Talia and Lighting passed away in their sleep on the same day. They went peacefully, with each other, and everyone knew that somewhere, somewhere in heaven, they were racing the stars.

A/N: The Triple Crown can NOT be won more than once by a single horse, and that's because only three year old horses can compete in the series of races (Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes) so most of that is made up. Also, horses barely go past the age of thirty, maybe thirty five, so Light and everyone bein like seventy or something is unbelievable in the real world.

But this is fanfiction. I can do whatever with this world :P