The next morning, there was a United States flag moving up to the top of a pole as a reveille plays. Then Sarge, raised the flag up.
Sarge saluted with his antenna. Then his bugle reveille gets interrupted by Jimi Hendrix's rendition of 'The Star-Strangled Banner' being put on by Fillmore. "Will you turn that disrespectful junk off?!" he yelled.
"Respect the classics, man. It's Hendrix." Filmore said.
Inside Lightning's cone, where he was still sleeping. He groaned, then breathes rapidly and mutters. Fast-paced electronic music plays as he mutters, which it's shown that he was dreaming of competing in the final race with The King and Chick, only that it was actually the Motor Speedway of the South circuit, not the Los Angeles International Speedway. Suddenly, Frank appeared on the track, driving behind the three racers. Frank growling and Chick screaming. All three racers get shocked at seeing Frank. The King drove off the track, got shredded by Frank's shredders. Then Lightning slid off the track. Frank crosses the finish line as the camera zooms in on Dexter Hoover's checkered flag and shows Frank on stage with his Piston Cup trophy, Tex and the Dinoco Girls. Two of the Dinoco Girls, who are on trophy models with discs on top, kiss Frank on his cheeks. Frank screaming loudly. Then the screen shows Lightning being surrounded by tractors, which one of them licks him. Cow mooing. Then the screen shows back in the present, where Lightning wakes up from his dream.
"No!" he said gasping. Then an alarm went off as a model bird popped in and out of a miniature cone alarm clock. "I gotta get outta here!" He left the room and looked for Sheriff. "Hey, have you seen the Sheriff?" Then he went inside Doc Hudson's building and came in then noticed Sheriff on a bed. "Oh! Oh, my gosh. Oh!"
Doc was sorting something on Sheriff's arm then turned around. "Hey, what are you doing?!" he said.
"Get a good peak, City Boy?" Sheriff asked.
"I, a.. a.. I just need my daily car gas ration from the Sheriff." Lightning said while he stuttered.
"Wait for him at Flo's! Now get outta here!" Doc said angrily.
"I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET OUTTA HERE FOR 3 DAYS!" Lightning said and left the building.
"Hope you enjoyed the show!" Sheriff said. Lightning grunted in anger as he kicked a can, which went into a garage in the side of Doc Hudson's building, and heard the sounds of objects falling down. He stopped moving as he heard this. Then he groaned. He headed inside the garage as he opened the doors, and he and the whole of enter. He noticed all of the boxes on the floor beside him.
He chuckled. "Whoa ho, Doc. Time to clean out the garage, buddy, come on." he said then noticed something near the window. He turned towards it, and it turned out to be a Piston Cup trophy. He looked up to see that the text on the bottom said 'Hudson Hornet, Champion, 1951'. "What? He has a Piston Cup?" Then he looked to see another Piston Cup trophy behind a few boxes. Then pushed the boxes aside, and saw a third trophy as well along with four old racing tires with red hubcaps. "Oh, my gosh. Three Piston Cup?"He looked at the text on the two trophies, which say that Doc was the champion of 1952 and 1953. Then looked to see a newspaper beside saying 'Third Piston Cup Win! Hudson Hornet champion for all time' and saw a picture of Doc with the racing number 51 and the text 'Fabulous Hudson Hornet' and a few other decals.
"Sign says stay out!" Doc snapped causing Lightning to gasp upon hearing Doc's voice.
He turned around and saw Doc standing grumpily outside the door. "You You've three Piston Cups. How could you have-?" he started while Doc walked in.
"I knew you couldn't drive. I didn't know you couldn't read." Doc said as he pushed Lightning outside.
"You're the Hudson Hornet!"
"Wait over at Flo's, like I told you!"
"Of course. I can't believe I didn't see it before! You're The Fabulous Hudson Hornet! You still to hold the record for most wins in single season! Oh, we gotta talk. You gotta show me your tricks. Please."
"I already tried that."
"And you won the championship three times! Look at those trophies!"
"You look. All I see is a bunch of empty cups." he said and closed the doors. Lightning frowned.
'Behind the Clouds' plays while Ramone and Sally were at Flo's V8 Cafe.
"You know, some yoga could really lower your stress, man." Filmore said.
"Oh, take a shower, hippie." Sarge said.
"Yeah, look at my husband, y'all. WHOO! That's your color!"
Ramone drive up while Flo was talking, having yellow paint and a bit of purple and orange and yellow flame on the sides.
"Yellow, baby." he said chuckling.
"Mm! You smoking hot!" she said.
Sheriff noticed Lightning and come towards him. "There he is!"
"Oh My Gosh! Did you know Doc is a famous racer?!" he asked.
Everyone stayed silent for a few seconds, then all of them except Sheriff laughed.
"Doc? Our Doc?" he said surprised but confused.
"Not Doc Hudson." Sarge said.
Inside Doc's garage he grumpily watched the conversation outside.
"No no no no no, it's true! He's a real racing legend. He's The Fabulous Hudson Hornet!" Lightning said.
"Fabulous? I never seen Doc drive his car more than 20 miles an hour. I mean, have you ever seen him race?" Flo said.
"No, but I wish I could have of... They say he was amazing, he wins three Piston Cups!"
Mater spit out on his coffee. "He did what in his cup?"
"I think the heat's starting to get to the boy!" Sheriff said.
"Well, I'll say! Look how red he is!" Lizzie said while Lightning frowned.
"Yeah, I think he needs a new coat of poly, man." Ramone said.
"Are you sick, buddy?" Mater asked.
"You are looking a little peaked." Sheriff said shaking his head.
"Yeah, his car needs a new coat of poly to for sure!" Ramone said.
Sally pressed a foot pedal attached to one of the fuel dispensers, causing the pump to go into Lightning's car's fuel door and pumped fuel into it. The gas bell rang as the fuel dispenser with the gallons of fuel and total sale.
"Hey-Hey! What are you doing?!" Sheriff asked.
"It's okay, Sheriff. You can trust me, right?" she asked.
"I trust you, all right. It's him I'm worried about." he said pointing at Lightning.
"Mm... I trust him. she said to Lightning. "Come on, let's take a drive."
"A drive?"
"Yeah, a drive. Don't you big city racers ever just take a drive?"
"Uh, No. No, we don't."
The gas pump then stopped and vibrated once. Sally then got into her car then drove onto the road towards the courthouse, and Lightning hopped onto his own car and moved himself to make the gas pump move back into its place. As he drove onto the road, he turned towards the other side of the road and smiled as he saw the distance. Then Sheriff, thinking that Lightning was planning to escape, hopped into his car and turned on the emergency lighting.
"Hey, Stickers! Do you comin' or what?"
Sally then flew and chuff the other way out of town toward the courthouse. Lightning then turned around and followed her. "Mm-hm!" Flo said to Sheriff. "And you thought he was gonna run." Sheriff turned off his emergency lighting as she said that.
"Hey, can you believe it, man? He actually thought Doc was a famous racer!" Ramone said laughing. "That's so too much!" Doc was still inside his garage looking outside the window, now feeling sad.
Chapter 5
Lightning was catching up with Sally after they got past Radiator Cap Mountain, to Sally. "Okay, you got me out here. Where are we going?" he asked.
"I don't know." she said shrugging. Then Lightning revs his engine and moves a bit ahead of Sally, then she revs hers and moves a bit ahead. Lightning does the same thing, then Sally races off.
"Whoa! Yes!" he said smirking.
Then he went faster as he raced Sally through a forest. He eventually caught her up as they came towards a puddle across the road. The water splashed by Sally got onto him. He sputtered and shook the water off with hand. Sally giggled then came across another puddle. He and dodged the water splashed by her. Then he laughed. Suddenly, some mud hits his window. He groaned and she giggled. Then he came towards a pile of leaves on one side of the road. He hits it, and gets leaves covered over his screen. He groaned and she giggled, much to his anger. He sputtered and shook most of the leaves off with his hand. Then they drive, chuff and fly faster as the rest of the leaves come off Lightning. As they go past a lake, he overtook Sally. Later, they went around a hairpin that went uphill, and continued driving around the bends. They smiled as Sally drove past him. Then they got t surprised as they saw a hill shaped like a car's front with the small road tunnel beneath it in place of a tire. Then they go through a longer tunnel in a bigger hill. As they come out, they see a waterfall behind a road bridge. Lightning then looks towards Sally, who was driving along the bridge. She then looks towards him, to which him smile, and we see a few bugs on the front of his teeth. Sally giggled. Lightning laughed, then notices the bugs on his teeth. Gasps and spit them off. Our heroes then cross the bridge and follow Sally along a zigzag of curves. Then they went around a regular left curve, and stopped at an old motel.
"Wow! What is this place?" he asked.
"Wheel Well. Used to be the most popular stop on the mother road."
Then he saw a few gas pumps, and then looked at some old cans and parts with flies flying and crawling. "This place?"
Sally sighed. "Yeah, imagine... Oh, imagine what it must have been like to stay here."
"You know, I don't get you. How does a Porsche wind up in a place like this?" he said looking at her.
"Well, it's really pretty simple. I was..." she said while she got out of her car and walked into the motel, he did the same thing and followed her in. "...an attorney in LA living life in the fast lane, and."
"Ah, you were, were you? Were you rich?"
"What?"
"Just... clues to the puzzle."
"Yeah, okay. Well, that was my life. And you know what? It never felt...happy."
"Yeah. I mean...really?"
Then she started singing and to him and explained her contemplating her place at LA, living life in the fast lane and also lamenting that she feels trapped at California with all the other rich cars and can't find somewhere she truly belongs. While he listened to Sally, he sang to himself in his mind about his racing life in the past and now in the present but now realized somehow he's lacking and missing something very important in his life, but he couldn't figure out what it was. "Yeah. So I left California. Just drove and drove and finally broke down right here. Doc fixed me up, Flo took me in. Well, they all did. And I never left." Then she walked out of the motel and from behind one of the windows with a few flies crawling on it, along with a dead one being upside down. Lightning followed her outside.
"Yeah. You know, I understand. You need a little R & R. Recharge and old batteries. But you know, after a while, why didn't you go back?"
Sally Inhaled deeply. "I fell in love."
"Oh."
"Yep."
"Corvette?"
"No." she said and walked to the cliff with small logs as barriers, as he follow her. "I fell in love with this." He saw the wonderful view of Ornament Valley and Radiator Springs.
"Whoa." he said seeing the mountain where the road led up to. "Look at that." He sees some traffic driving on the Interstate 40 in the distance. "Look, they're driving right by. They don't even know what they're missing!"
"Well, it didn't used to be that way."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah. 40 years ago, that Interstate down there didn't exist."
"Really?" He stood there and saw the Interstate again as it went an illusion of the Interstate fading and the hills joined up.
"Yeah. Back then, cars came across the country a whole different way."
"How do you mean?"
"Well, the road didn't cut through land like that Interstate. It moved with the land, you know? It rose, it fell, it curved."
Then she started to see the past.
"Mornin'! Nice day, huh?"
Cars didn't drive on it to make a great time. They drove on it to have a great time." she said narrating.
She started to see Flo serving a few drinks to her customers, as Mater, his truck covered completely with blue paint, tows a red car named Percy Handbrakes to Flo's V8 Cafe. The screen then shows Sarge and Fillmore talking to each other as people entered into Ramone's House of Body Art, and Ramone, in a dark red paint job with white at the bottom of his sides, comes out with Greta, who then goes to Luigi's Casa Della Tires. Mildred Bylane then comes out of the store with new tires, and drives away. Sheriff is seen sleeping beside the store.
"Well, what happened?"
"The town got bypassed just to save ten minutes of driving."
A map, which shows the Interstate 40 being constructed and going past Route 66, including Radiator Springs. The screen then shows Red, Flo, Ramone, Luigi and Guido watch with excitement at the new highway under construction. Then the screen shows Radiator Springs again as Mater and Red the fire truck put a sign above the intersection, saying "Welcome, Interstate travelers". The screen shows on one side of the Interstate after its construction is finished, then some traffic appear driving along the highway, as the screen then changes to show on Radiator Springs' main road, with no traffic driving on it. We then see Mater, Sheriff, Lizzie, Fillmore, Sarge, Luigi, Guido, Flo, Ramone and Red looking sad. The screen then shows the map again as Radiator Springs' mark on it disappears as well as the thick red line and signs of Route 66 changing to a thin blue line. We then see several of the buildings behind Luigi's Casa Della Tires and Ramone's House of Body Art as they change to show that they have been closed down. We again see the same residents with a sad look at those buildings, then we see Ramone and Flo with Luigi and Guido as they head back to their stores. Luigi puts up a "We're still open" sign behind the window of his store. The camera then moves slowly backwards along the main road of Radiator Springs, showing "Open" signs at several of the stores along with the traffic light showing its red and green lights. The screen then changes to show the road at the present time and much further, with the traffic light blinking its amber light, and the partly-finished road.
"How great would it have been to see this place in its heyday!"
"Oh, I can't tell you how many times I've dreamed of that. But one of these days, we'll find a way to get it back on the map."
"Yeah." Then he looked at Sally. "Hey, listen, thanks for the drive. I had a great time. It's kinda nice to slow down every once in a while."
"You're welcome." she said then they got back into their cars and drove back to the Cozy Cone Motel.
'Maybe I can get this back on the map after the race.' he thought while he drove.
When they got back Lightning saw Mater rush towards him, looking worried.
"Hey, listen, listen! If anybody asks you, we was out smashing mailboxes, okay?!" he said and ran away.
He chuckled. "Wha... What?"
Suddenly, he hear a rumble. Then he looked at the other end of the road to see what it is. He saw that at end of the road as a stampede of cows appears driving towards the town. Tractors mooing. He and the others walked and jumped off the road just as the cows came towards them. The cows ran through the town, as Flo, Sarge, Fillmore and Sheriff noticed them from Flo's V8 Cafe. Ramone was using paint to spray the markings on the road. Red was watering his flowers. Ramone noticing the cows.
"Oh, man, the paint's still wet!" he said and ran away.
Red stopped watering as he notices the cows. Cows mooing. Red hopped on his truck and went in front of Stanley's statue and honked loudly at the cows to make most of them tip. Cows tipping mooing. One of the cows who didn't tip walked into Luigi's Casa Della Tires, as Luigi and Guido try to get it out.
"No, no, no, no, get out of the store!" Luigi said as he noticed another cow munching on a radial tire. "Hey?! DON'T EAT THE RADIAL! Here, take-a the snow tires." He nudged a set of snow tires. Lightning and the whole of arriving at the scene as Sheriff, Fillmore, Sarge and Mater ran around the town, with Sheriff chasing one of the cows, another cow between Fillmore and Sarge as they ran around, while Mater wasn't chasing a cow.
"MATER!" Sheriff yelled in anger.
"I wasn't cow-scaring!"
"THEN WHERE DID ALL THESE GOL-DURN COWS COME FROM?!"
"WHOA, BOY! WHOA!" Filmore said while Lightning laughed exclaiming.
Then he noticed a cow running away from the town. "Hey! Hey, guys, There's one going this way!" Then he paused. "I got it! Then he hopped onto his car and followed the cow, who was running towards Willy's Butte. "Come here, little cow, come here." The cow then stopped. "Yeah, that's a good cow." But the cow then moved away. "No, no, no, no, come here." But it just ran away. "What are you doing? You're not supposed to go wandering off all-" he then noticed Doc on the track. "-alone." Then he noticed Doc on the track, as well. Then Lightning got closer to a distance from the track, while the cow ran back towards the town. He noticing that Doc's car had his car's racing tires on. "What are you doing with those old racing tires?" He whispered, "Come on, Doc, drive." He then saw Doc revs his engine. He smile as he watched Doc happily. Doc drove along the hillside beside the first curve. As he drove along the next straight, Lightning got shocked as Doc came towards the final curve where Lightning slid off before. Doc then does an opposite lock, where he turns his car to the left, and turns his wheels right while going around the curve perfectly. Doc then stops as he approaches the finish line, with the dust covering the camera for a few seconds until it shows him looking happy.
"Yeah." Doc said while he sighed heavily.
"You're amazing!" Lightning said. Doc just angrily drove away. Lightning coughed from the dust. "What are you doing? Doc, wait!" he asked and got back in his car and followed Doc as they arrived back in Radiator Springs. Doc went left on the crossroad back to his garage, Lightning stopped as the cows ran along in a lineup with Mater behind. Cows mooing. Mater hitting the back cow with his hand.
"Giddy-up right in there! Come on, Rusty. WHEE-HE!" Mater said.
Lightning caught up with Doc as he walked into his garage. "Doc, hold it! Seriously, your driving's incredible!"
Lightning got out of his car and followed Doc.
"Wonderful. Now, go away."
"Hey, I mean it. You've still got it!" he said as he walked into the garage.
"I'm asking you to leave." Doc snapped.
"Come on. I'm a racer, you're a much older racer, but under the hood you and I are the same."
"We are not the same! Understand? Now, get out." he said and walked out of his garage.
"How could a racer like you quit at the top of your game?"
Doc paused. "You think I quit?" Then he pressed a button on the garage floor to turn on a light beside Lightning, who then looked to see a newspaper's front page on the wall saying 'Crash! Hudson Hornet out for season'
"Right. Your big wreck in 54."
"They quit on me, when I finally got healed up and my car was put together, I went back expecting a big welcome, you know what they said? "You're history", moved right on to the next rookie standing in line, there was a lot left in me, I never got chance to show 'em, I keep that, to remind me never to go back, I just never expected that that world would find me here."
"Hey, look, Doc, I'm not 'em."
"Oh, yeah?" he said raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms.
"No, I'm not."
"When is the last time you cared about something except yourself, hot rod?" Then he put his arms down and walked closer to him pointing his pointer at his face. "You name me one time. And I will take it all back." Lightning then felt ashamed. "Uh-huh? I didn't think so." he said to Lightning, who then felt ashamed again. "These are good folk around here, who care about one another. I don't want 'em depending on someone they can't count on."
"Oh, like you?" Lightning said looking at Doc. "You've been here how long and your friends don't even know who you are?" Doc then looked hurt at Lightning's fact. "Who's caring about only himself?"
"Just finish that road and get outta here!" Doc said and walked away.
While he watched Doc walk away he thought.
'I'll find a way for you to come back. You'll see.'
Chapter 6
The next morning, as the same reveille Sarge uses is heard playing. It's again interrupted by Fillmore playing "The Star-Strangled Banner".
"Will you turn that disrespectful junk off?!"
"Respect the classics, man."
Mater was sleeping and snoring in his house, and drooling. He then snorts and putters as he wakes up, groans as he stretches himself. Mater smacked and sighed. Mater then walked to the main road, where he noticed that its been completed and there's no sign of Lightning and the whole of Mater and Doc are then shown walking to the end of the paving.
"He's done. He must've finished it while we was all sleeping." Mater said.
"Good riddance." Doc said then walked away as the others arrive at the same scene.
Ramone had a red paint job on his car and his hair today.
"He's gone?" Flo said.
"Well, we wouldn't want him to miss that race of his." Sarge said as Sally walked away.
Sheriff sniffled.
"Oh, dude, are you crying?" Ramone asked.
"NO! I'M HAPPY! I DON'T HAVE TO WATCH HIM EVERY SECOND OF THE DAY ANYMORE! I'M GLAD HE'S GONE!"
Red blubbered, then sobbed and ran away, again knocking down that same pile of tires at that corner of the impound. Just then, Lightning came after just coming back through the portal.
"What's wrong with Red?" he asked confused.
"Oh, he's just sad because you left town, and went to your big race to win the Piston Cup that you've always dreamed about your whole life and get that big ol' sponsor and that fancy helicopter you was talking about." Mater said not realizing who he's talking to. As he talked, the others noticed Lightning looking glad. After finishing his quote, Mater stared at him and the others as they were grinning. Then he gasped as he realized who he was talking to. "Wait a minute!" The others laughed, Mater smacked him with his hand. "I knowed you wouldn't leave without saying goodbye."
Lightning chuckled.
"What are you doing here, son? You're gonna miss your race." Sheriff said then hopped into his car and turned on his emergency lighting. "Don't worry. I'll give you a police escort, and we'll make up the time."
"Thank you, Sheriff. But you know I can't go just yet." he said smiling and raising a hand.
"Well, why not?" he asked confused.
"I'm not sure my car's tires..." Luigi gasped excitedly. "...can get me all the way to California."
"Pit stop?!" Guido said excited.
"Yeah, does anybody know what time Luigi's opens?"
Luigi started laughing. "I can't-a believe it!"
Then everyone went outside Luigi's Casa Della Tires, watching Luigi and Guido with Lightning.
"Four new tires! Grazien, Mr. Lightning." Luigi said and gave Lightning a hug. "Grazien!"
Sally came feeling glad as she saw Lightning.
"Would you look at that!" Flo said.
"Our first real customers in years! I am filled with tears of ecstasy," Luigi said. While he is talked, Lightning winked to Sally, who smiled. Doc then appeared, starting to feel angry when he saw Lightning. "for this is the most glorious day of my life!"
"Alright, Luigi, give my car the best set of black walls you've got." he said as Luigi pressed a button to make Lightning's car lift.
Luigi released the button, making the lift stop. "NO, No, No, No! You don't-a know what you want. Luigi know what you want." Then he walked to a couple of shelves, with a tray holding blackwall tires, and another being covered by a curtain. "Black wall tires. They blend into the pavement. But-a this:" Then he pressed a button to pull the curtain, showing whitewall tires. "'White-Wall Tires'! They say, 'Look at me! Here I am! Love me.'"
"Alright, you're the expert."
Luigi chuckle while Doc snarled and walks away.
"Oh, and don't forget the spare."
"Perfetto. Guido!"
"Peet stop!" he said still excited.
Guido held his wheel gun, which was heard whirring as Chuck Berry's version of "Route 66" plays. Luigi was seen holding a flag up. He held it up a bit more, which Guido make the wheel gun whir. Then he moved the flag down, and Guido got to work on unfastening the bolts on As Luigi pressed a button to make Lightning's tires, as Luigi dodged one of the tires going through the air. When Guido was finished putting the new tires, Lightning looked at them.
Luigi chuckled. "What did Luigi tell you, Huh?"
"Wow, you were right! Better than a Ferrari, huh?" he said looking at his car.
Luigi frowned. "Eh, no."
Lightning frowned, and went to Fillmore at the Taste-Inn, drinking some organic juice. "Wow! This organic fuel is great! Why haven't I heard about it before?"
"It's a conspiracy, man! The juice companies got a grip on the government! They're feeding us a bunch of lies, man!" Filmore said.
"Okay, I'll take a case."
After that Lightning looked around with night-vision goggles on, and saw Sarge. Then Lightning had the goggles move up, then Sarge hooked to some surplus with a note saying, 'Guaranteed, no tailgaters.' Then he went to Lizzie and looked at a snow globe with Radiator Springs Curios and Knick in it. He looked at it with Lizzie. Then he looked at some bumper stickers and other souvenirs. Lizzie then put some onto his car. After that he went to Ramone's shop, holding a paint hose. Ramone chuckled. Lightning had Ramon paint his car. Ramone sighed. As Ramone does a shade on a lightning bolt shape. Later the others were outside at sunset. Mater noticed Sally
"Here she comes!" he said.
"Okay, places, everybody. Hurry! Act natural." Lightning said.
"Hi, Sally!" everyone said and Red whistled as she arrived.
"All right, what's going on?" she asked.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the new: Lightning McQueen!" Mater said.
Everyone moved out of the way as Lightning appeared with his car's new paint job, revving it's engine.
"POW! What do you think? Radiator Springs looks pretty good on me." he said posing next to it.
Sally giggled. "I'll say." she said and purred as he continues revved his car. "Ka-chow. You're gonna fit right in in California. Oh, my goodness, it looks like you've helped everybody in town."
"Yeah, everybody except one."
Sally smiled with a happy look.
"Hey, is it getting dark out?" he asked.
"Wh...What!? Wha-What'd he say?" Lizzie asked.
"Let me say that again. Is it getting dark out?!" he said a little louder.
"Now, what was I supposed to do after that?" she said to herself.
Red rolled his eyes then pressed a button on the radio, making Lizzie jump. The Chords' "Sh-Boom" is heard as the buildings' lights turn on. Ramone's House of Body Art is shown with its lights turning on. Luigi, Guido and Flo are shown at their buildings, looking glad as the lights turn on.
Sally gasped. "They fixed their neon."
The lights on Radiator Springs Curios turned on, then the ones at Fillmore's Taste-In, as Fillmore drives out, looking glad. Then the the lights on Sarge's Surplus Hut. It then she saw Ramone and Flo at the crossroad.
"Low and slow?" Flo asked.
"Oh, yeah, baby!" Ramone said chuckling as they hopped on his car and took a cruise along the main road to the Courthouse. Flo laughed and shrieked.
"Just like in its heyday, right?" Lightning asked smiling next to Sally.
She exhaled. "It's even better than I pictured it. Thank you."
At different shots the other townsfolk were cruising and the rest of were dancing on the sidewalks. Ramone chuckled as he lifted his car's bodywork up and pressed his car's rear end on the tarmac, creating sparks. Noticing what Ramone did, Mater then pressed his truck's whole bodywork on the tarmac, creating a lot of sparks.
"Shall we cruise?" Lightning asked.
Lizzie appeared out of nowhere. "Oh, thank you, dear. I'd love to!" she said and pulled Lightning away.
"No no no!" he said.
"Lizzie!" Sally said.
"I remember when Stanley first asked me to take a drive with him." Lizzie said to Lightning as they walked along.
"Hey, "Miss Sally." May I have this cruise?" Mater asked.
"Of course, Mater." she said.
"A-A-Ah!" Sheriff said stopping them.
The traffic lights at the crossroad were now showing all the lights, as they change to red for Sally, Mater and a line of cows then walked across, mooing.
"...and again and I said, "no," and he asked me again, and I said, "no..." Lizzie said. Sally giggled as she noticed Lightning stepping sideways while with Lizzie. "...but, oh, he was a persistent little burger for a two-cylinder..." she continued walking, while Lightning stopped and turned around. "...finally I said, "alright, one little drive..." Lightning looked to see the other townsfolk still cruising. Suddenly, Mater was on his truck and grabbed Lightning with his tow hook.
"OH!" Lightning.
Mater laughed, "Dah ha ha ha ha ha!" Then he towed him to Sally, and let go.
"Hey!" he said smiling.
"Thanks, Mater." Sally said smiling.
"Good evening, you two!" he said and left to go put his truck back. Lightning and Sally then looked at each other. Lizzie was standing next to Stanley's statue.
"Oh, Stanley, I wish you could see this." she said. Lightning and Sally then touch each other's front. Flo noticed something.
"Is that what I think it is?" she said.
"Oh, I don't know, Flo. I haven't had a chance to find out." Sally said while both her and Lightning closed their eyes. "But I am going to find out. Hello."
"Not that! That!"
Everyone then looked into the distance to see lots of headlights approaching. Sally gasping. "Customers?" she said.
"Customers, everybody! And a lot of them! You know what to do, just like we rehearsed!" Flo said smiling.
Suddenly, a blue light shines on Lightning. Everyone gasped. "It's the Ghost-Light!" Mater said backing up.
"We have found McQueen! We have found McQueen!" someone said shining the light.
People who have arrived are actually the press, coming towards Lightning and surrounding him, flashing their cameras.
"McQueen, over here, kid!" a cameraman said.
"Oh, wait...Excuse me." Lightning said.
"Is it true you've been in rehab?! Did you have a nervous breakdown, McQueen?!" a cameraman asked.
"I'm sorry, what?" Lightning asked.
"McQueen's car is wearing whitewalls! Are the tires you wearing are turning balding?!" a cameraman said.
"Stickers, McQueen!" Sally said.
"Was Lightning McQueen your prisoner?!" a cameraman said to Mater.
"Shoot, no, we're best buds! I ain't bragging or nothing, but I was in charge of hunting him down if he tried to escape." he said waving his hand.
"Sally, Sally!" Lightning said.
"McQueen, will you still race for the Piston Cup?!" someone else said.
"Stickers?!" Sally said again.
"Sally!" he said.
"Come on, give us some bolt!" a camerawomen said.
Suddenly, a horn honked, and the press cleared the way for Mack.
"YOU'RE HERE! Thank the manufacturer, you're alive!" he said then stopped his truck and jumped down.
"Mack?!" Lightning said surprised.
Mack walked toward him. "You're here! I can't believe it!" Lightening said smiling. Sally watched as she noticed the picture on the side of Mack's trailer. Mack chuckled to Lightning. "You are a sight for sore headlights! I'm so sorry I lost you, boss. I'll make it up to you..." he said feeling guilty.
"Mack, I can't believe you're here!"
"Is that the world's fastest racing machine?" someone said.
"Is that "Harv"?" Lightning asked.
"Yeah, he's in the back." Mack said pointing to the back and Lightning turns around to the trailer door.
"Show us the bolt, McQueen!" someone said.
"GET BACK, YOU OIL-THIRSTY PARASITES!" Mack said walking towards the press and angrily.
"Hey, where's the old McQueen?!" someone asked.
"Actually, this is my good side here." Mack said and walked to a spot between Lightning and the press.
"Show us the bolt!" a cameraman said.
"Harv! Harv!" Lightning said.
"Give us the bolt!" the cameraman repeated.
"Harv?" Lightning said when the trailer door opened showing nobody there.
"Come on!" the cameraman said again.
"Kid, I'm over here!" Harv said on the phone as it popped out.
"How you doing, buddy?"
"My star client disappears off the face of the earth! How do you think I'm doing?!"
"Harv, I can explain..."
"I'm doing great! You're everywhere, baby, radio, TV, the papers! You can't buy this kind of publicity! What do you need me for?! That's just a figure of speech by the way you signed a contract. Where are you?! I can't even find you on my GPS."
"I'm in this little town called Radiator Springs. You know Route 66? It's still here!"
"Yeah, that's great, kid. Playtime is over, pal. While the world's been trying to find you, Dinoco has had no one to woo. Who are they gonna woo?"
"Chick..." Lightning whispered.
"Bingo, in fact, check out what's on the plasma right now."
The TV in Lightning's trailer showed some photographers with Chick, who now has a thundercloud, lightning bolt and "C" between his tire and front, and is seen with Mia and Tia, who have green paint and "C" merchandise.
"Show us the thunder!" a cameraman on TV said.
"You want thunder? You want thunder?!" Chick said on TV then reflects sunlight on the "C" insignia. "Ka-chicka, ka-chicka! Ka-chicka!" he continued laughing.
"Hey, that's my bit!"
"You've gotta get to Cali, pronto! Just get out of Radiation Stinks now, or Dinoco is history, you hear me?"
Then he noted Sally beside the trailer.
"Just give me a second here, Harv." he said and walked to Sally.
"No, no, wait, where are you going?! Get in the trailer, baby! Kid, you wa... You want a bigger trailer?!"
"Sally, I want you to, look, I wish-" then he sighed.
"Thank you. Thanks for everything."
He sighed then laughed.
"It's just a road."
"No. It was much more than that."
Lightning had tears in his eyes and Mack came to him.
"Hey, kid! We gotta go! Harv's going CRAZY! He's gonna have me fired if I don't get you in the truck right now!" he said.
"Mack, just hold it for..."
"You should go." she said.
"I know, but..."
"Good luck in California. I hope you find what you're looking for." she said and walked away.
"McQueen, come on!" the camersmen said.
"Sally!" he said as he tried to follow Sally but got surrounded by the press.
"Show us the bolt, McQueen! The bolt! Hey, Lightning, show us the bolt! Where's the old McQueen?!" the cameramen said as the press made indistinct talk as he was forced into the trailer, with Mack was getting hooked up.
"Come on, kid, get in the trailer. That's it. That's right, kid, let's go! You're a big shining star. You're a superstar. You don't belong there, anyway." Harv said.
"Whoa Wait Whoa Whoa Wait Wait!" he said as Harv talked.
He took one last look at the town and the whole of before the trailer door started to close and Mack started his engine as he got going as other photographers were with Luigi, Guido and Red.
"Hey, guys! McQueen's leaving in the truck!" the cameramen said.
Then the press left, following Mack and talking indistinctly. The woman then noticed Doc near Ramone's House of Body Art, and came to him.
"Hey, are you Doc Hudson?" she asked.
"Yeah." he said.
"Thanks for the call." she said and walked away.
"You called them?" Sally asked
"It's best for everyone, Sally." he said.
"Best for everyone, or best for you?" she said and walked away.
Doc frowned, and Sally walked onto the main road to watch Mack and the press drive away with Lightning. The other townsfolk and the whole of are seen behind her, watching as well and wanting to cry. Then Doc joined them.
"I didn't get to say goodbye to him." Mater said frowning.
Sally then walked to the Cozy Cone Motel, and turned the light on the sign off. The rest of the townsfolk, except Doc, went back to their buildings and turned off all of the neon lighting to. Then they all drove and walked to the cones at the Cozy Cone, as Doc stood alone at the crossroad, and noticed the traffic light buzzing and blinking its amber light once again.
'What did I just do?' he thought.
