Inside Out 2 Oneshots

Nervous sweet dreams

Anxiety and Envy on dream duty!

The control room inside Riley's headquarters buzzed with the usual nighttime activity. Joy, still radiating sunshine even at this late hour, monitored the console, occasionally consulting with Sadness on a delicate memory retrieval. Disgust and Anger were off-duty, recharging their batteries after a particularly messy day at school.

That left Envy and Anxiety on dream duty. Envy, a bright teal emotion resembling a curious child, bounced in her seat, her oversized eyes scanning the dream stream. Unlike the others, Envy wasn't assigned to a specific core memory, but rather acted as a catalyst, nudging the dream along to unearth the memory Riley needed.

Anxiety, a vibrant orange emotion with a perpetually furrowed brow, hovered nervously beside her. "Are we sure we're doing this right, Envy?" she fretted, her voice a high-pitched squeak. "What if we mess up the dream and Riley has nightmares?"

Envy rolled her eyes, a feat that took practice with her round head. "Relax, Anxiety," she chirped. "We just gotta find the shiny thing. See, like that giant spelling bee trophy Meg's holding in that dream?"

She pointed to a dream image flickering on the screen. It depicted a younger Riley standing awkwardly beside a triumphant Meg, who held a massive, golden spelling bee trophy. Envy giggled. "That's it! If we make Riley want that trophy for herself, it'll unlock the whole memory of the bee contest!"

Anxiety nibbled on her fingernail, her signature worry manifesting. "But what if she gets sad she didn't win? Dreams can turn gloomy real fast."

Envy sighed, her usual bubbly demeanor dimming a bit. Envy hated seeing others happy, especially when she wasn't. But she knew Anxiety was right. "Okay, new plan. We find a happy shiny thing, one Riley already has to do with the spelling bee."

As they scanned the dream stream, a memory orb caught Envy's eye. It was a simple picture: Riley, beaming with pride, holding a stack of brightly colored flashcards she'd used to study for the spelling bee.

"Perfect!" Envy exclaimed, grabbing the memory orb. "This'll do the trick!"

Cautiously, with Anxiety by her side, she places the memory orb into the dream stream. The dream flickered, transforming. Now, Riley stood in her room, surrounded by other kids, all excitedly flipping through flashcards and practicing words. Envy worried she'd gone too far, but then she saw it. Riley, holding her flashcards, recited a difficult word with confidence, a determined look on her face.

A memory flickered to life within Riley, a joyful recollection of studying with Meg and the excitement of preparing for the spelling bee. A warm, fuzzy feeling washed over the dream, replacing the competitive air with a sense of fun and learning.

Relief flooded Anxiety. She patted Envy on the head, a new calm settling over her. "See? Not so bad, right?"

Envy beamed, the worry momentarily forgotten. "Maybe teamwork isn't so bad either," she admitted. Maybe, just maybe, helping Riley didn't always have to be about wanting what someone else had. They settled back into their chairs, a newfound respect for each other blooming alongside the soft hum of the dream console. The night was far from over, and there were more dreams to navigate, but together, Envy and Anxiety were ready to face them, one shiny memory at a time.

Cold fluorescent lights cast a sterile glow on the classroom. Riley sat perched at her desk, her knuckles white as ghosts against the worn wood. Around her, whispers and nervous coughs punctuated the heavy silence. The spelling bee was in full swing, and the tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a butter knife. Envy watched from the control room, a knot of worry tightening in her chest.