Fabulous Cars Crazy Fudge is back with a brand new story for y'all! This was something I thought about doing while I was reading Struck by Lightning and Storm Chasing ages ago and while I was just rereading Struck by Lightning, I figured, "Why not?" After all, I kind of want Fudge to have some role in the Piston Cup circuit (maybe as a racer, but not necessarily). Even though you know a fair bit about her general backstory, this one specifically relates to racing. So, here it is! Fudge's Cars Origins story! I tried to come up with a clever title like the other Cars Origins stories and this was all I could come up with.

This story is told in the first person from Fudge's POV and spans the events from before the first movie to around the events of the third movie and possibly after. It will have details of Cars, Cars 3, my original story, Ride and possibly Cars 2, but I don't think so (I'm sure you'll all know that I love Cars 2; I'm just not sure it'll be relevant in this story). I'll try not to just retell those stories, though.

In the chapter names, you'll see things like P1, P2. That just means Part 1, Part 2 and so on. Since this is going to be several stories in one big story, I figured that that would be the best way to show which part we're on.

Now, that my explanation is out of the way, enjoy!

Cars Origins: The Sweet Life of Fudge

Chapter 1- In the Beginning

I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who's surprised by where I am. I guess that's because racing has been a part of my life from a very young age and my connection to racing only seemed to grow stronger as time went on. Still, what's happened to me over the past few days is something I thought I could only ever dream about. I never imagined it would become a reality. Yet, it did, thanks to so many people, but one in particular, who changed my life in so many ways, for better and for worse.

My story begins in a small town in Arizona called Radiator Springs. That's right. I'm a small town girl. Cliché, I know, but I can't help where I was born even if I wanted to. All of my life I've believed that good things can grow from bad things. I've had to, having been through what I have. The very first example of this came from the day I was born. Of course, I don't remember that, but when I was very young, I was told that my mom was passing through the small town where she abandoned me just hours after I was born. Nobody knew where she came from. Nobody knew where she went.

It is horrible to live with the knowledge that your own mother doesn't even want you. There are times, even now, where I will think about it and be unable to prevent the pain I feel. It's always going to hurt, but at least the pain is lessened by the loving family I gained in Radiator Springs. I was the only human, but that didn't matter, especially not to my adoptive parents, Luigi Topolino, a yellow 1959 Fiat 500 and Guido Rossi, a blue forklift, who ran the local tyre shop. They were the ones who gave me my last name, Rossi-Topolino, but I have no idea how I got my birth name of Brittney or my nickname of Fudge or who gave them to me (though I always went by the nickname, Fudge; I felt like it suited me because I was sweet and nutty!). Of course, since they were the ones who legally adopted me, I became the closest to them and loved them the most.

However, they weren't the only ones who raised me. I feel like it was the whole town who raised me. There's Doc Hudson, a cobalt blue 1951 Hudson Hornet, who was our town's judge and doctor and kind of like my grandfather. Lizzie, the elderly black Model T, who ran the Radiator Springs Curios, was like a grandmother to me. I saw a goofy, rusty, dented, buck-toothed tow truck by the name of Mater as my brother. Everyone else in town felt like my aunts and uncles. There was Sarge, the army Jeep, who ran a surplus store; his best friend, Fillmore, who sold organic fuel; a mint green ex-show car named Flo, who ran the town's gas station; her husband, Ramone, a Lowrider, who never stayed the same colour for very long as he ran the town's paint shop; Sheriff, the police car, a black and white Mercury Police Cruiser; our town's red fire truck named Red, easily enough and of course, Sally Carrera, the young baby blue Porsche who came into town when I was three. I loved them all equally.

I don't remember specifically when my love for racing first began. I must've been very young. Luigi and Guido were die-hard Ferrari fans and would always tune into the Ferrari races. Ever since I was a baby, they would hold me while they watched the races. They have photos and videos of me laughing as I watched the cars tear it up around the track.

What I do remember, though, was when I knew that I wanted to be a racer, that I was meant to be a racer. One day, when I was four years old, I was sat with my fathers as they watched the race. I remember seeing a human wearing a bright red Ferrari racing suit, clutching a helmet as he made his way towards the track. Immediately, that sparked my interest. Not only had I never seen a human on the TV at these races, but at this point in my life, I'd never seen another human at all.

"Hey! There's a human like me!" I exclaimed, pointing to him.

Luigi smiled. "Yes. That is right."

I had my eyes glued to the screen as the human climbed onto a car's spoiler and attached his harness to a hook on the car.

"What's he doing?" I wanted to know.

"He is helping the crew chief by seeing what the races looks like from the car's point of view", Luigi explained.

I didn't know it at the time, but although it isn't a common thing, it's not unheard of either for some racers, in all forms of racing, to have a human ride with them on the track and assist the crew chief from there, kind of like extra eyes from the racer's point of view for the crew chief. Some considered it an unfair advantage, but they had the disadvantage of carrying extra weight, so most of the time, race officials allowed it.

"What's a crew chief?" I questioned.

"They help the cars, so they know what to do and when it is dangerous."

"Oh. Okay."

The three of us continued to watch in silence for a while before I declared, "That looks like fun!" with my eyes still on the assistant crew chiefs.

Luigi smiled. "Do you think so?"

"Yeah! Maybe one day, I can go that fast!" I wasn't talking about the humans. I wanted to be a racer myself and go that fast. I'd never seen a human go that fast, but that didn't mean I couldn't be the first, right? Well, that's what I thought as a child, anyway. Even if, for some reason, I couldn't be that fast, well, seeing the humans riding around the track had given me a backup plan.

Luigi had given me a weak smile, of which I didn't think much at the time. "I am sure you can, angel, but you don't have to decide right now. You are only four years old."

"Yeah!" I had realised. Although, I often dreamed of what I'd be like once I grew up, I could never fully imagine being that old. "I wanna be an author too! And work in the tyre shop with you guys!" I was learning how to change a tyre, what with living in a tyre shop and all. "Maybe I can do all of it!"

Luigi and Guido laughed. "Maybe!"

Once again, I didn't understand why.

So, that was when I first remember dreaming of being a racer. It was about two weeks later when things got very interesting...

Things were going well for me. Although the town was practically deserted and we didn't have much, I was happy. There was just one thing in my life that I didn't like. Nobody ever told me it was coming because they knew it would freak me out. It was those mornings where Guido and Luigi would lead me out of Luigi's Casa Della Tires and, instead of going over to Flo's V8 Café like we usually did, I'd be taken over to Doc's clinic and that's when I would know. If I was being taken to see Doc and I wasn't sick or injured, then it could only mean one thing. I was getting a shot.

"No!" I wailed, beginning to cry when we went past the gas station. "We go to Flo's!"

"We will go to Flo's later", Luigi promised me soothingly. "We need to see Doc first!"

"No!" I screamed. "NO!"

"Fudgie!" Luigi cried sympathetically. "I know you don't like the shots, but you need them, baby. They stop you from getting sick."

"But they hurt!" I protested.

"I know they do, but Guido and I don't want you getting sick." Luigi gave me a kiss. "We love you and that is why we are doing this."

"Hey, Fudge!" Doc greeted me, attempting to be as non-threatening as possible.

"No, no, no!" was my only response.

"Come on, Fudge. Please don't be like that! It's gonna be all right. I promise you."

"No needles!"

"Sorry, kiddo, but you gotta have the needles."

"Needles?!" Luigi repeated, placing the emphasis on the S.

"Yeah", Doc replied, being as gentle as he could. "She's gettin' two today."

"But I don't want any needles!" I was horrified. I'd never had two needles in one day before, so I know it was going to be worse than usual.

Doc sighed. "Bring 'er in. Let's just get this over with."

Pretty soon, I was settled down on the cot as Doc got his evil instruments of torture ready. My dads began to sing to me until Doc called them over. They both left my side and with nobody paying any attention to me, I only had one thought: Run! So, I did.

On my own, I tried to think of somewhere nobody would think to look for me. Finally, I found the perfect place: Doc's clinic. There were signs warning everyone to STAY OUT, but having just turned four, I couldn't read. So, that was where I hid.

This was the first time I'd ever been in Doc's garage and I couldn't believe how messy it was. As I looked around for something to entertain myself with until I was sure that Doc would decide not to give me a shot, I found something that definitely got my attention. It was a trophy! It was really dusty, but I was fascinated. I'd never won a trophy or any kind of award before, but I really wanted to someday, ever since I'd seen the race cars win them and I'd taken an interest in the medals Sarge had received in the army and he'd told me about them.

"Wow!" I murmured softly.

I had so many questions. Was it Doc's? Probably. What did he win it for? There was writing on the bottom, but I couldn't read it. Why did he hide it in the garage? Why didn't he want anybody to see it? If I had a trophy like that, I'd love to show everyone! What was- I looked behind some boxes curiously, seeing if what I could see was what I thought it was.

And it was! A second and third trophy! They both looked pretty much the same as the first. Beside them, there was a newspaper. On the front was a black and white photo of Doc. He had some decals and racing tyres that he didn't have anymore, but there was no doubt that it was Doc.

"Wow!" I repeated, impressed.

"Ah ha!" The door opened and Doc burst in. "There you are!"

I burst into tears for two reasons. One, Doc had scared me. Two, now that I'd been found, I was gonna have to get my shots.

"Sorry, sorry!" he apologised hastily. "I didn't mean to scare you... What are you doin' in here, Fudge? Sign says stay out." He gestured to it.

"I can't read!" I sobbed.

Doc sighed. "All right... Well, come with me."

"I have a question", I sniffled.

"What, Fudge-O?"

"What are the trophies for?"

Doc paused. "You saw those, huh?"

I nodded. "What are they for?"

"If I tell you, I want you to promise me one, no, two things. You will be a good girl and come with me and you won't tell anyone."

"Okay", I agreed, sitting down on Doc's hood on his invitation. I would've agreed to just about anything to know what those trophies were for.

"I used to be a race car", he informed me.

"Really?!" I couldn't believe it. Doc didn't look like a race car at all. Not to me, anyway.

"That's right. I used to race back in the fifties. Well before you were born."

"And you won those trophies because you were good?"

"I was... all right. They called me the Fabulous Hudson Hornet."

"Did you win lots of races?"

"A few."

"Why don't you do it anymore?"

An awkward silence followed.

"I'll tell you some other time, kiddo. We gotta go."

I had just been drying my tears, but those words made them start up again. "No needle, no needle!"

"I know", Doc began soothingly as he carried me out of the garage. "I know you don't like 'em, but you could get sick if you don't have 'em and no one wants that."

"But I don't want a needle!"

"I know, but you gotta have 'em."

Sheriff was waiting outside the garage. "You got 'er."

Doc nodded. "Yeah."

"I'll go let Guido and Luigi know", Sheriff announced. "They're still lookin' for her." He drove off to inform them that I'd been found.

"It's all right, Fudge-O", Doc assured me. "Guido and Luigi'll be here in a sec. They're gonna look after you and so am I. It's gonna be all right."

"No needle!" I whimpered as I was carried into the clinic.

"Fudge, you promised me you would be good", Doc reminded me. "I've kept my side of the deal and I want you to do the same."

"Okay", I agreed reluctantly.

"Fudge!" Luigi exclaimed as he and Guido entered the clinic. "There you are!"

"No!" I sobbed. "No needle!"

"It is okay!" Luigi assured me. "Luigi and Guido are here!"

Guido put his arms around me and pulled me in close. "(Be a brave girl. Are you going to be brave, baby?)"

"Will it bleed?" I quizzed Doc nervously.

Doc turned around, needles ready to go. "Maybe a little."

"I don't like to bleed."

"It's gonna be all right, kiddo", he repeated, rolling up my sleeve.

I screamed and cried throughout the whole process and was relieved to no end when Doc announced, "That's it! It's over!"

"Oh, good girl!" Luigi exclaimed, kissing me gently.

"She is a good girl", Doc agreed. He looked to me and asked the same question he always did after the shots. "Do you still love me?"

I nodded when normally I would shake my head, surprising my fathers.

After sitting down for fifteen minutes as I always did after a shot and being given a rainbow lollipop, I joined Luigi, Guido and Doc over at Flo's. As I tried to calm myself down, I also tried to remain quiet as I promised Doc.

Still, it was hard for a four-year-old to keep a secret.

"Did you guys know Doc was a race car?!" I blurted out after about three minutes at Flo's, by which point, I'd stopped crying.

The others laughed.

"What?" Luigi asked, picking me up.

"Doc was a race car!" I repeated.

"He was not!" Mater insisted.

"Yes he was!" I shot back.

"No he wasn't!" Mater repeated.

"YES HE WAS!"

Everyone laughed.

"STOP LAUGHING AT ME!" Okay, okay. So, I've always been kind of sensitive.

"We are not laughing at you", Luigi assured me.

"What's goin' on?" Doc piped up, rolling towards Flo's.

"Fudge here says you were a race car", Sheriff responded. "It ain't true, is it?"

Doc smiled knowingly. "Yeah. It's true."

"What?!" everyone exclaimed, not believing what they'd just heard.

"Yeah", Doc replied. "Fudge and I were playin' a game. I pretended I was a race car... right, Fudge?"

Doc was staring at me and, even as an innocent, naïve four-year-old, I knew exactly what he meant.

"Yeah. Right."

Doc smiled at me. Then he scooped me off of Luigi's hood and placed me on his own. "I'll give you a dime later if you can keep it a secret."

I lit up and nodded. "Okay."

The Fabulous Hudson Hornet smiled. His secret was safe.

It was kind of cool, really. I knew a secret that nobody else in town did and I'd started what I saw as my first job, being paid to keep said secret since over the course of time, I earned way more than a dime to keep my mouth shut. Plus, I learned that I had a famous race car in my very own hometown. I was hoping that maybe he could help me become a racer, but every time I asked, it didn't go well.

"I don't wanna talk about when I was a race car, Fudge!" he insisted every time.

"Why not?" I wondered.

"Because I don't!" I was really trying his patience.

I didn't know why Doc didn't want to talk about being a racer. I also didn't know how I was going to become a racer if Doc didn't help me. What I also didn't know was that the answers to both of those things would come to me nearly two years later when another race car showed up and turned my whole life upside-down...

How was that for a first chapter? Please review.

If you read my original version of Tales From Radiator Springs, you may recognise the part from the story, The Fabulous Hudson Hornet. I just changed it to first person and shortened it to get rid of details that seemed irrelevant. So, if it feels rushed and/or doesn't flow properly, that's why.

Disclaimer: I don't own Cars, but I own Fudge. I don't have any other OCs planned, but I'm not gonna rule out the possibility just yet.