The front door opened and Riley entered the house, wearier than before. As she slumped to the couch, the voices in her head commented:
"Wow, that was a hard test." (Joy)
"I'm worried. Did we pass it?" (Fear)
"You numbskull! We just did it today!" (Anger)
"Yeah, it's not like we can see the scores yet." (Disgust)
"Oh, I hope we did a good job." (Sadness)
Inside Headquarters, the view of the outside world was obscured by Riley's closing eyelids. Joy turned to the gang and said, "Okay, she was up late last night studying, so I think she deserves this nap. So, who wants to hear all about my adventure outside of Headquarters?" Sadness gasped, "Oh, that's right! We were so busy adjusting to our new life that we forgot to tell them about what we did while we were gone." Fear squeaked, "Does it have Jangles in it?" Disgust groaned, "You're forgetting that he's already locked up in the Subconscious again."
Anger said, "Yeah. It's not like he can charge up to Headquarters. We're right on top of the Memory Dump." Joy, Anger, Sadness, and Disgust sat on the couch while Fear leaned over the top of it. The emotions listened intently as Joy and Sadness relayed their tale. It was mostly Joy, though; Sadness explained she wasn't as good a storyteller as Joy was and she only put in a few words here and there.
Fear, Anger, and Disgust were surprised to learn that Bing Bong, Riley's imaginary friend, did exist after all these years. They asked questions during some parts of the story, but they remained silent when Joy talked about her epiphany. "There I was, struggling to get out of the Memory Dump," Joy said. "When I couldn't climb the faded memory orbs to the top, I was ready to give up. But that's when I looked at the memory of the day the Prairie Dogs lost the championship. I remembered what Sadness said and I realized that when Riley was feeling low, her parents and teammates came to cheer her up. I knew then that Sadness could help Riley when she was in trouble."
Sadness asked, "But the memory orb was yellow. It wasn't blue because I didn't even touch it." Joy said, "But that's just it: it turned blue when I rewound it to the moment Riley was sitting on a tree branch." The other emotions were surprised to hear this and Fear said softly, "Wow. I didn't even know memory orbs could change colors at certain moments." Disgust refused to believe this and said, "But you're Joy. How could you turn a memory blue?"
Joy pointed out, "Well, that's just it. I had a little help from a tear." The four other emotions were astonished by what she had just said. Sadness asked in amazement, "But doesn't that mean you…" All four emotions finished, "…cried?" Joy nodded her head and admitted, "Yes. Yes, I did."
The four emotions stared at her with wide eyes and remained silent until Disgust said, "You? The great Joy, crying?" She waved her hands near her head and said, "I don't believe what I'm hearing." Joy shrugged her shoulders and pointed out, "But, hey, at least Sadness is not the only one." Fear said, "But I didn't think that you would, Joy. After all, you're happy all the time."
Joy said, "Guys, without being sad, I never would have figured out how to help Riley. Sometimes, we all need a break to get back on track." Disgust asked, "So, wait. Are you saying that we could all cry at some time?" Joy answered, "It could happen. Look at me. Without Sadness, I would've been as lost as Riley almost was."
Disgust, Anger, and Fear all looked at her in bewilderment until Anger said, "Yeah, not gonna happen. I'm as tough as nails. I can't be broken." Joy asked playfully, "Are you sure?" Anger nodded confidently, "I'm sure. Besides, getting mad is what I do best, not boo-hooing away like Sadness does."
Disgust agreed, "Yeah, like I'm going to cry like she does. I don't do sappy, Joy." Fear said, "Er, count me out. I'm more used to running and screaming than weeping and wailing." Joy shrugged, "Well, we'll see. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday. Who knows?"
Overlooking the three emotions' pride, Joy continued on with the story. When she got to the part where Bing Bong vanished, not a single heart wasn't broken. After Joy finished telling her story, the emotions got ready for when Riley woke up from her nap. While the rest were busy, Sadness came up to Joy and said, "Uh, Joy? It's not that I take their comments personally, but do you think they might cry someday?" Joy answered, "If I did it, then it's bound to happen to them."
Sadness said, "Um…it's not that I would want them to cry. It's just that…" Joy put a hand on her shoulder and said, "...you want them to understand you. It's my fault we pushed you away all these years. Well, I promise you: the moment they shed tears, they'll come to appreciate you more." Sadness beamed, "You really think so?" Joy smiled and nodded, "I know so."