"No wait, don't knock on the door!" Fear said the moment Eddy was going to knock on his brothers door.
"Yes, Fear is right Anger, please think about this..."
Anger ignored Joy's plea and Eddy knocked on the door.
Everyone waited in anticipation until the door creaked open. A dark figure peaked though the crack of the door. "Park don't open 'til noon."
"Is that really him?" Disgust asked.
"You betcha!" Anger chanted along with Eddy.
"Pipsqueak?" Bro asked taking a closer look at the boy in the middle.
"Ugh, there he goes with that belittling name. He still calls Eddy that?" Disgust went on.
"It's just his pet name, remember."
Joy wished Anger would stop this. He was ruining Eddy.
"Do Mom and Dad know you're here?"
"As if!"
"Anyone know you're here?" Bro asked in a suspicious way.
"Who else is he referring to other than Mom and Dad? What crime has he committed since the last incident?" Fear asked twiddling his fingers.
"Nothing', he's just trying to play with our mind."
"Anger..."
"Would you back off?! I know what I'm doing!"
"Only these chumps who chased us here." Eddy said to the figure still hidden behind the door.
"Just a sec." Bro answered closing the door to unchain the lock.
The man emerged from the shadows.
"There he is." Sadness said.
"His sunglasses are on. Is he still trying to look coll? I have a bad feeling about this!" Fear said about to take control, but Anger stopped him.
"Aren't those ankle biters from the cul-de-sac?" Bro asked when he looked at the kids.
"Yeah, and they said they want to beat me up, all for nothin'." Eddy said wrapping around his brother, along with making himself sounds like an angel.
The five emotions watched the kids cower in fear when Eddy's brother did nothing, but stare at them. Joy and Sadness looked at one another. They did little things each day to help Eddy remember the things his brother did were bad, but Anger stopped them. He was making Eddy live in denial.
"All for nothin', huh?" Bro asked removing his sunglasses. He looked down at Eddy and picked the small boy up.
"What is he doing? Is he going to hurt him?"
"Still the trouble making Eddy I see." Bro said happily giving his younger brother a noogie."
"Phew, never mind."
"A noogie, he hasn't done that in such a long time." Anger said.
"Ew, he's messing up his hair." Disgust said pressing buttons.
"Stop it, bro." Eddy said with a laugh moving his hand aside.
"I smell my fingers after I eat cheese." Ed said to bro, happy to see the man once more.
Joy had an idea. She'd been saving the memory and without Angers permission she set it up on the screen.
It was the memory from the day Bro's rock throwing scam.
"Hey, what are you doing? Get rid of that!" Anger yelled getting rid of the memory.
"Remembered why Ed is like this? He had..."
"So what, he was strange even before that. Now can we go on with what we're here for?"
"Um, I told the guys you'd hook us up. Ed and Double D." Eddy went on.
Edd came forward, wanting to shake the man's hand. He was so nervous that he actually fainted.
"Double D fainted! Do you think he got hurt?" Fear said to a concerned Anger.
Bro started laughing. Anger pushed a few buttons to make Eddy laugh.
"Why are you making him laugh? That's his best friend." Joy pointed out.
"Eddy has to look good in front of him. What do you want him to look, soft?"
Headquarters wobbled. They all looked up at the screen to see Eddy bonk off the stairs and land on the ground.
"What just happened? Is Eddy hurt?" Sadness asked.
"Bro just dropped him. Eddy fell down each step." Joy said.
"You don't think it was on purpose do you? I mean, not like that time when..."
"He's just playing. Now get over it!"
Bro bent down to Eddy. "Why is your girlfriend wearing a sock on her head?" he said in a loud whisper.
"Girlfriend?" Eddy repeated.
"He has got to be joking." Disgust pointed out.
"Is he blind? That is clearly a boy he is looking at!" Anger yelled with his arms outstretched.
"Didn't he mean to say..." Sadness stopped Joy from what she was going to say. It was Anger who didn't want to announce Eddy's possible sexuality that has been a question since last year.
Bro scooped Eddy up and balanced him on one leg. "Yeah, sure, I'll help you out."
A deep amount of excitement bounced within Eddy. "Really?!" Eddy threw himself around his brother in a hug. "Aw, bro, what would I do without you? You are so my hero!"
Anger relaxed and turned to Joy. "Want to eat your words now?"
Before Joy could speak, she looked at the screen. She looked at Bro's mischievous smile. She knew what this was. The second he reached his hand towards Eddy, Joy ran to the controls.
"What are you doing?"
"He's not telling the truth, can't you see? We need to get away... drat..."
"Bro, don't!" Eddy yelled when his brother decided to hold him up by his lip.
"Just for old time's sake, let's play 'Uncle'?
"Uncle? He still plays that game?"
Anger hesitated at the controls. Eddy was already on the ground, positioned for the game.
"That's why we came all the way..." That unbearable pain tore through his body as his brother forced his leg around in a way it wasn't supposed to go.
"Make it stop! This is so gross!"
"He's going to break his leg!"
"Anger stop! You're hurting Eddy!" Sadness pleaded.
"Do I look like the one hurting Eddy?" Anger asked Sadness.
"You got Eddy into this. Eddy didn't even want to go to his brothers in the first place, thanks to your great idea!" Joy fought.
"You're the one who insisted he tell the truth!"
"Telling the truth wouldn't have made Eddy become a compulsive liar who nobody likes."
For a moment, it looked as if Joy came through to Anger. He knew he was putting Eddy in danger. He wasn't making Eddy feel good about himself.
"That's ridiculous. I know what's best for Eddy, now get out of the way!" Anger yelled pushing Joy from the controls.
"That was good, pipsqueak." Bro said picked up his brother by his pants. Eddy was placed in his brothers hand. He stared right into his eyes. He still like to hurt him for fun? Everyone was getting suspicious. He needed to change the subject.
"So can we go inside now?" Eddy asked forcing a smile.
"Why not? Don't forget to wipe your feet."
Headquarters was thrown off kilter when Eddy's brother threw the boy against his trailer. It wasn't just once, but twice, three times, even a fourth time!
"Make it stop!"
Anger just stood in place, blankly staring at the screen. He was able to catch glimpses of the other kids. Were they actually scared for Eddy? Even Lee was trying to stop Eddy's brother from hurting her man.
"Get out of the way! Let me take over!" Joy yelled. She took control and made Eddy grab hold of his brother's arm. He embraced it. He had to make him understand that he was his brother and not an object.
"Bro, give it up!" Eddy yelled, bruised all over his body. It was so hard, but he just smiled. He didn't know why, he just did.
"Give it up? I thought you wanted to hang with your hero?"
Bro smacked his face right into Eddy's.
"He staring at us with that maniac smile again!" Fear exclaimed.
"Make it stop!" Sadness said trying to hide her eyes.
"Is it me or does his breath smell like beer?"
Anger's heart was pounding. How could he make Eddy think that his brother was a good person? Anger didn't know what to do, but he tapped the controls.
"I-I do, bro, I do!"
"Mr. Eddy's Brother!" Edd spoke up. "As the older sibling don't you think you should be setting an example for Eddy? And not... um... b-belittle..."
"Get Eddy loose this minute! He's looking at him with that face!" Joy took over without a word from Anger who was at a loss for words.
Bro gripped Eddy's foot. Eddy did everything he could to desperately get away from this monster. He didn't want to hurt his best friend.
"... him in f-front of his... friends..." Edd was able to finish encouraging himself to keep talking.
"Belittle? He's always been little. I like you, girlfriend." Bro said still going on with that insulting joke.
Before anybody could blink Bro slammed Edd with Eddy into the ground.
"Eddy's vision is getting blurry! Joy, quick get him out of there!" Sadness yelled.
"I'm trying!" Joy gasped. "Take cover!"
Eddy was flying towards the door again.
As the emotions prepared themselves, Anger was quick to act.
Eddy grabbed hold of the door, but it wasn't enough. Bro was holding on to his pants trying to pull him back. Now was his time to actually help Eddy. He should have listened to Joy when he did. He messed up his mind and made him a self hating kid who thought his abusive brother was his idle.
He didn't deserve to be an emotion.
"Hey, bro guy! Lay off him man!" That sounded like Kevin. Was he actually trying to defend Eddy?
Anger made Eddy glance to the side so he could see. All the kids of the cul-de-sac were preparing to gang up on Bro. They didn't hate him after all.
An idea popped in Ed's head when he looked at the door hinges. He never saw his best friend look so scared before.
Ed removed the latch.
The door broke off its latch and went shooting through the air, smacking Eddy's brother in the face. Eddy held on to the door as it bounced off the ground. Eddy let go and landed hard on the ground.
Headquarters was dark for a moment.
Anger was thrown to the side, but a light caught his attention.
A memory was playing on the screen.
'"Remember, Eddy, the only was to get it right is to get it wrong.'"
It was the night Eddy's brother left. This was the last part of the memory that Eddy couldn't remember. This was it.
"'Don't get your hopes up pipsqueak. You're never going to be like me. You're a loser and that's what you always will be. Take this jar. If I come back and this jar is filled, maybe I'll change my mind. Later, Eddy."
The memory ended with bro snickering as he left.
Anger stared off into space. A tear slid down his cheek. He made Eddy believe that someone who couldn't love him be his idle.
Joy put her arm around his shoulder. "This is what I wanted Eddy to remember. It's time for me to take over."
"I couldn't agree more."
"His friends are here! What do we do?" Fear said grasping his head when they all looked back at the screen.
"The only thing we an do it tell the truth." Disgust said grasping his arm.
"But, what if we make Eddy lose his friends? Then what would happen?" Sadness asked beginning to cry.
Joy went to the controls.
Eddy moved Edd's hands off him him. "I mid it all up, Double D. Everything about my brother was a lie."
"Look at their faces. Stop it, Joy..."
"No, keep going..." Anger interrupted.
"I just made things up, so people would like me, think I was cool. But, boy was a wrong. The scam, my brother, this. When am I going to learn, Double D?"
Sadness touched the controls. Eddy covered his face, not wanting anyone to see him cry. The emotions were at a loss for words. They were all a part of making Eddy who he was. They didn't know if telling the truth even helped.
Edd gently removed Eddy's hands and held them closely in his own. "I think you just have, Eddy."
"He's not mad?"
"But, how could that be?"
"Eddy told the truth." Anger said gently.
Joy looked at the screen. Edd wore that brotherly smile. It was so cute. She touched the controls and Eddy smiled through his tears.
"Grab him!"
The happy moment didn't last when the kids ran towards them, anger showing in their eyes.
"They're going to kill us!" Fear yelled running around in circles.
Anger took the controls.
"Okay, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you guys, honest!"
They all embraced themselves for what was about to come, but the next thing they knew Eddy was being thrown repeatedly up and down in the air.
"Let Rolf rub the pit of victory, Ed boy!" Rolf proudly said rubbing his arm pit.
"i'm so glad you're okay, dude!" Nazz threw herself into Eddy, hugging him, and surprised him with a kiss. "You're awesome!"
"I am?" Eddy asked.
"I gotta admit pal, that was so choice!" Kevin said giving him a pat on the back.
"It was?!" Eddy exclaimed so happy.
"They forgave us! Did you see that?" Anger said to his friends.
"That's what happens when you tell the truth." Joy said to him.
Suddenly a bus screeched to a halt. The doors flew open an out came Jonny in his melon costume. "It's melon time!" He yelled bulldozing towards the Eds.
Before anyone could react Jonny took the Eds and slammed them into the ground. Jonny perched himself on top of them in victory. "No thank are necessary, citizens."
"Why did he have to come in and ruin everything?" Anger grumbled.
"If he doesn't get off of us in two seconds..."
Before their eyes the cul-de-sac kids beat down Jonny in honor to defend the Eds.
"Sorry about that." Kevin said emerging from the cloud of dust. "Say, lets go to my place. Jawbreakers are on me!"
The emotions celebrated. Anger hugged Joy, so thankful for her help. They looked out the window to see Friendship Island finally working properly. It hadn't lit up like that in years.
Telling the truth really turned Eddy's life around. As they left the amusement park, everyone began singing, The Friendship Song, as Eddy was welcomed into his new life.