Just the Beginning

It was over.

Or rather, it was just the beginning.

Joy had managed to bring all of Riley's original emotions home and restore Riley to her true self. What, or rather, who was Riley's true self? That was up to Riley to decide now. At least now, she would be there for her to help her along her journey of self discovery.

Her, and all her fellow emotions. Even the new ones!

After the final hockey scrimmage had ended, all the emotions had committed to cleaning up Headquarters. The place had been left in shambles ever since the demolition crew had arrived earlier that week, and only now were any of them able to begin to fix up the tattered place. Sometime in the middle of clean up, the crew had returned to finish their work. After a feeble attempt to scold them for their carelessness, Joy went ahead and let them resume their unfinished work. They not only completed the remodeling of Headquarters, but cleaned up all the extra messes made from the past three days as well.

So in reality, she could not be too cross with them. Truthfully, Joy was simply grateful to be home safe and sound. She was relieved she had come to accept and understand Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment. She was also relieved they had eventually accepted her and her friends as well. A new era had begun inside Riley's mind, one involving their joined partnerships. They were all an important part of Riley, an understanding that had not come easy.

And now, all she wanted to do was crash into the comfort of her newly installed bed and sleep for as long as Riley could manage. They all had barely gotten any rest, and it wasn't until she was climbing into bed did she realize how exhausted she felt.

As Joy pulled her silky sleeping shirt over her head, her eyes fixated outside the window next to her bunk. She pondered the very recent memories of Anger, Fear, Disgust, Sadness, and her own self roaming the lands of Riley's mind aimlessly. She never would have imagined she would be cast out into the complex mazes of her girl's inner mind once again, especially alongside every other emotion.

Though, she would be lying to herself if she did not admit she had been grateful to have them all by her side through the entire ordeal. They all had grown extremely close over the last year, especially after her journey with Sadness. They all shared memories together mixed with their corresponding emotions, and worked together everyday to take care of Riley. They all had learned so much about one another as well, spending plenty of time together outside of manning the console.

It was their strong bonds that had led them to find their way back to Headquarters. Their strong bond, and Joy's persistent determination keeping them on the right paths. However, even she had come close to being overwhelmed by despair and giving up.

Until Anger had unexpectedly stepped in to encourage her.

His kind words had restored her hope, both metaphorically and literally picking her back up.

"We're right behind you..."

His soft voice echoed in her mind, tender and full of genuine friendliness. Not only the pleasantness of his tone tickled her memories, but the smile on his face too.

It was not often the grumpy emotion expressed such kindness and tenderness, but he had just for her.

She had always had a fondness for the fiery guy, admiring his intense protection and care for Riley. The memories they created together were some of her favorites. They always felt rewarding, bringing them both a sense of justice and celebration. While some would argue the two of them were vastly different, they did have a lot in common. They both loved Riley, were the liveliest of the emotions, and shared a powerful ambition for the success of their girl.