Chapter ten: Home Again
Moments later in the Memory Dump, Joy continues to fall while clutching the satchel filled with core memories until he lands on a bunch of faded memories. Joy looks up and sees tons of faded memories and tons of other pieces of junk. The whole place was pitch black, spooky, and quiet. Joy's eyes quickly widen in fear and realization as he looks around at his surroundings. He begins to panic when he looks up and sees the opened top, he quickly remembers the satchel and checks it, the core memories are still safe. Joy closes the satchel and runs to a hill of memories and tries to climb up it.
Beaker wakes up in another part of the dump and groans.
Beaker: (gets up) Joy? (he spots a faded memory glow for a second before fading away like dust. He then looks at his hand and gasps as it begins to disappear) Joy!
Beaker runs around looking for Joy, he spots the emotion trying to climb out of the dump but keep on failing.
Beaker: Joy. Joy, what are you doing? Will you stop it please?
Joy ignores him and continue to try and get out of the dump with little success.
Beaker: (annoyed) Don't you get Joy?! We're stuck down here! We're forgotten.
That causes Joy to freeze. Slowly he turns around and spots Sadness' blue core memory. The same one Joy tried to get rid of.
Mike: (from the memory) We used to play tag and stuff...
Joy approaches the memory and picks it up to see Mike's teary eyed face.
Mike: (from the memory) But everything's different now, since we moved…(sniffles)
Joy stares at the memory, slowly his facial expression turns into despair. He has lost everything. Joy falls to his knees as he drops the memory, he lets out a stuttering gasp. The sound of giggling makes him look down and pick up one of Clever's old memories: Mike was drawing a picture.
Joy: ((sighs and sniffles) to Beaker as his voice cracks) Do you remember...how he used to stick his tongue out when he was coloring? (gasps slightly)
Joy lets out another stuttering gasp as he picks up another memory, that had been made by Smartness: Mike was talking to his parents.
Joy: I could listen to his theories...all day.
Joy picks up another memory, which had been made by Laughter: Mike was playing in the mud.
Joy: (lets out a soft sob) I just wanted Mike to be happy. (picks up the blue core memory) And now…
Like the bursting of a dam, Joy lets out all of the tears that he was holding back as he hugs the memories in his arms before dropping them. He continues to cry while Beaker watches as more memories fade away.
Joy begins to wipe his eyes as one last tear falls onto the soccer field memory, which had fallen out of the satchel. Joy picks it up and wipes away the tear away. In wiping the tear, he slowly rewinds the memory from LIGHT PINK to YELLOW then to BLUE. Joy looks at the now blue memory; the scene was different as well: Mike was sitting on a bench with his parents while he buries his face into his father's side. Joy rewinds the memory even further: Mike was now alone on the bench, crying. He then remembers what Sadness had said about the memory….
Sadness: (voice-over) It was the day when the Thunderbolts lost the big playoff game. Mike missed the winning shot, he felt awful. He wanted to quit.
In the memory, Lucy and Richard come to Mike and sit with him on the bench.
Joy fast forwards the memory and watches as the color returns to yellow and the scene changes to Mike being hoisted in the air by his teammates, Mike slowly begins to smile. As he watches, Joy realizes something.
Joy: (to himself) Sadness. Mom and Dad, the team...they came to help because of Sadness.
Joy sits there for a moment before determination spreads across his face as he stands up. He looks at his friend.
Joy: We have to get back up there.
Beaker: I told you, we're stuck down here. We might as well be on another planet.
Joy: (gets a sudden idea) Another planet? (shoulders the satchel and looks into the darkness and sings) Who's your friend who knows so much?
Beaker's eyes widen when he realizes what Joy is attempting
Joy: (sings loudly) Who's your friend who knows so much?
Beaker: (sings) His rocket makes you yell "Hooray!"
SFX: music notes
The two smile when they hear that noise. They quickly run in the direction where they heard the music while Beaker continues singing. They quickly dig through the memories and find the rocket. The three friends bring the wagon atop a hill and face it towards a makeshift ramp.
Joy: Hop in!
Joy gets in while Beaker pushes off before jumping in. They begin to sing as the rocket speeds down the slope as it activates causing them to go faster and go up the ramp. As they get closer to the top the rocket sputters and falls back to the ground of the memory dump.
Joy: (determined) Come on!
They shoot down a taller hill for another go. They SING faster and louder. Joy reaches for the ledge but they fall with a thud. Beaker stands. There's no way they'll make it. He looks up at the ledge and then to his arm - it's disappearing! He then approaches the despaired.
Beaker: (to Joy) Come on, Joy. One more time. I've got a feeling about this one.
They find the biggest hill yet and continue to sing even louder and faster.
Beaker: Louder! Louder, Joy! Sing louder!
Joy does as he says but he fails to notice Beaker jump out of the wagon, the rocket gains more speed without Beaker's weight. He watches as the emotion goes higher as he continues to sing, still unaware of his absence. Just as he gets closer to the top, the rocket splutters.
Joy: We're gonna make it!
The rocket splutters for a second and he makes it over the ledge. The rocket falls apart as it collides with the ground. Joy smiles in triumph.
Joy: WHOO HOO! Beaker! We did it! We…!
He suddenly realize that Beaker is not with him.
Joy: (confused) Beaker?
Joy hears the sound of cheering as they look over the ledge of the memory dump. Beaker jumps up and down excitedly.
Beaker: (laughs) You made it! (laughs) Go! Go save Mike! (laughs and pauses for a moment) Take him to Mars for me. Okay?
Beaker gives a small wave before vanishing into thin air. Joy looks down at the Memory Dump in awe, Beaker had sacrificed himself so he could escape.
Joy: Oh. (almost bursts into tears) I'll try, Beaker. I promise.
Shy: (off-screen) Joy!
He turns around and sees Shy, Anticipation, Laughter, Goofy, and Interest run towards him.
Interest: They made it!
Joy stands up and look at them sadly, they notice.
Laughter: (concerned) Beaker?
Joy looks down sadly. The others realize what happen and look down, mourning Beaker for his sacrifice. Joy then approaches his sister as he hangs his head in shame.
Joy: (filled with guilt) Shy. Sis. I just to say that…(stops when Shy hugs him tightly)
Shy: We'll get back to Headquarters. (looks at him) But this time, we all go together.
Goofy: But don't leave your friends near a crumbling cliff next time.
Joy: (nods before looking at Interest) Where are the others?
Interest: (points) They ran into Long Term Memory.
Joy: (determined) We've got to find them!
Joy and the other emotions quickly run towards the labyrinth of shelves, going to search for the others. At that moment, Lucy and Richard walk through the front door.
Lucy: We're home! (she gets no response) Mike? (looks up the stairs) Mike!
Richard and Lucy look at each other before heading upstairs. Richard opens the door to Mike's bedroom, it's empty.
Lucy: (pulls out her phone) I'll call his cell.
Mike continues to walk through town, Anger is still in control of his actions.
Fear: (nervous) Oh, this terrible. Is that someone walking towards us? Let's cross the street.
Worry: When Mom and Dad finds us, we are grounded for life!
Mike hears his cell phone ring, it's his mom. He hesitates as he looks at the phone.
Worry: Oh no.
Fear: It's Mom! She's onto us! (panics) Where's my bag?
Clever: (gives him a paper bag) Here bro.
Fear: Thanks! (grabs the bag and breathes into it, trying to calm himself)
Disgust: What do we do?
Contempt: Yeah.
Envy: What can we do sugar?
Anger: Mike needs to get core memories. We keep going.
Frustration: Agreed.
Mike then presses the ignore button on his phone. His actions causes Family Island to crumble more. The emotions keep on searching Long Term Memory.
Joy: Sadness!
Shy: Guys!
SFX: CRASH!
Excitement: (points at Family Island as another chunk falls off) Look!
The others look at the island. Joy then looks at Laughter flying in the sky.
Joy: Do you see anyone Laughter?
Laughter: (moves her head while putting her hand near her forehead, as she's still flying in the sky, and spots someone) There they are! I saw the others on the other side of Long Term!
Joy: (to everyone else) Let's go!
The other emotions follow Joy.
Laughter: I'll take you to the others!
The gang follow Laughter as she flies them to Surprise, Excitement, and Smartness on the other side of Long Term.
Smartness: (groans) Ugh! This is impossible! We'll never get out of here now!
Joy, Shy, Laughter, Interest, Anticipation, and Goofy meet up the three emotions.
Excitement: Guys! There you are!
Smartness: (sees Joy and frowns) Well, look who came back from the dump.
Surprise: (gasps and smiles big) Joy! (runs to him and hugs him tightly) You came back! I am very happy to see-(remembers something and rudely parts from the hug) no I am not! What do you have to say for yourself, Joy?
Joy: Well, I..
Surprise: (interrupts him) Ah, no. I don't want to hear it. I'm not talking to you. (turns away from Joy, crossing his arms)
Smartness: (turns away, while crossing his arms) I'm not talking to you either, Joy.
Joy: (sighs) Alright, don't talk to me then. But you have to come with us pronto.
Surprise: (turns back to him) We don't have to do boo! Forgive my potty mouth. I'm just..so cross with you! Do you even know what we've been through?! When you kick us out of the recall tube, and fell into the Memory Dump, you nearly scared the pants off of me! And Beaker had to try to catch you but then, he fell in there too along with Anticipation! And I nearly fell down into dump as well! (smiles) But, I got lucky when Laughter caught and saved my life. (frowns again) And then.., we got lost in Long Term Memory again!
Joy: Surprise, pull yourself together!
Surprise: (snaps) No! You don't even want to know what it's like to be abandoned or treated like an outcast! (turns away from her while crossing his arms again)
Joy: (sighs) We don't have time for this. (looks at Anticipation) Can you use your rope on Smartness and Surprise please?
Smartness: (confused) What rope?
A minute later, the emotions run through long-term, searching for Shame and Sadness, while Anticipation drags Surprise and Smartness behind them with a rope.
At that moment, Mike arrives at the bus station and walks across the street.
Joy: (runs through the Long Term memory shelves) Sadness! Shame? Come on you two, where are you!? (stops) Okay. If I were Sadness or Shame, where would I be?
Smartness: Well, she..(gets interrupted by Joy again)
Joy: (pretends to be Sadness) Oh, everything's awful and my legs don't work, and you have to drag me around while I touch all the...(sees all the bottom-row memories that are turned blue and smiles)
Smartness: (gasps) All the bottom-row memories are blue!
Shy: Let's follow them!
The emotions follow the trail of the blue memories from the bottom-row shelves of Long Term Memory.
Back with Mike, he walks out of the building after waiting for his bus and gets in line when all of the sudden, his cell phone rings again. It's his Mom.
Inside Headquarters….
Curiosity: Uh-oh.
Worry: It's Mom again!
Fear: (breaths into his bag again, but does it faster)
Disgust: (to Anger) What do we do?
Anger: Uh? (he notices the console has stops glowing red, even though he's still touching it)
Frustration: (sees the console stopped glowing red) Uh, hon?
Mike: (hangs up his phone as he gets to the stairway of the bus)
SFX: CRASH!
The emotions inside HQ see another chunk of Family Island fall.
Anger: (panics) This is madness! (Fear pops his bag) He shouldn't run away!
Worry: I told you not to do it! (shakes Anger real hard) BUT YOU GUYS DIDN'T LISTEN TO ME!
Frustration: (pushes Worry from Anger) Worry, stop it! Leave him alone!
Love: This isn't the time to argue!
Disgust: She's right, let's get this idea out of his head! (tries to remove the light-bulb but to no avail)
In Long Term…
Joy: Sadness?!
Shy: Shame?!
The emotions stop running when they see the two blue emotions running away while Sadness touches the bottom row memories.
Joy: (smiles) Guys!
Sadness and Shame: (stop running and turn around) Joy?
They stare at the others before running off again.
Joy: Wait! Guys! (follows them with the rest of the gang)
Sadness: (running away) Just let us go! Mike's better off without us! (enters Imagination Land with Shame)
Excitement: Sadness! Shame! Come back!
Sadness knocks down the stack of Salmon from the Salmon Forest to block the path, but Joy uses a rod to help him and the others over the stack.
Shame looks back at Joy, all three of his eyes were filled with rage.
Shame: (Furious) You should've stayed in the dump where jerks like you belong!
In Cloud Town, two Mind Cops were talking to a cloud shaped woman.
Mind Cop 1: (to cloud woman) Okay, you're saying your husband was blown away by a test tube. Was he with anyone?
The cops don't see Sadness and Shame run by, but the cloud woman notices them and the other emotions.
Cloud Woman: Yes! (points at the other emotions) And there they are-!
Joy and the others run right through the cloud women. The cops notice this time.
Mind Cop 1: (to the emotions) Hey come back here! (his partner restrains him)
Mind Cop 2: Forget it Jake, (takes off his glasses) it's Cloud Town.
The gang stopped running and look at different way to see which way did Shame and Sadness went to, until they feel some raindrops pouring on them.
Excitement: (sees the rain-cloud with Sadness riding on it) Well, bust my buttons. Look at that!
Joy: Sadness! (looks at the cloud)
Sadness: (riding on the cloud while crying) I only make everything worse!
Joy: Wait! Sadness! we got to get you and Shame back to...
Shame: (tries to catch up to Sadness, but fails. Making him even more angry as he turns to Joy) This is all your fault Joy! I never wanted to apologize, forgive, nor even speak to you again! (runs away)
Goofy: Aw, come on Shame! We got to get you two back to...(they hear Family Island crumbling, and Joy looks at it and then at the Imaginary Girlfriend generator, getting an idea)
Inside Headquarters, the emotions try to remove the lightbulb from the console.
Frustration: Ugh! Let me do it! (pushes Envy out of the way) Step aside! (tries unscrewing the lightbulb,) Grrr! I can't get it out!
Anger: (tries doing it too, but fails and bangs on the console) It's stuck!
Disgust: (sarcastic) Oh, great.
Fear: What!? What do you mean it's stuck!?
Suddenly, a strange blackness spreads from the bulb socket and over the console as it's lights go out.
Disgust: (looks at the blackness) Now what?!
Clever: (notices) Whoa!
Fear: Oh, no, no, no, no! What is this?!
Contempt: The console is turning black!
Worry: (screams very loud) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (puts on her headphones and and grabs her microphone) WARNING! WARNING! THE CONSOLE IS TURNING BLACK! REPEAT! THE CONSOLE IS TURNING BLACK!
Mike gets on the bus, feeling very different.
The emotions quickly grab whatever they can to remove the lightbulb. Anger throws a chair at the console. Curiosity slams one of Goofy's mallets on it, breaking the massive wooden hammer in the process. Fear tries to use a crow-bar, but it hits him in the face. Mike continues to walk down the aisle, feeling different.
Clever: Fear, nothing's working!
Fear: How do we stop it!?
Worry: What do we do?!
Disgust: I got it! Make him feel scared or worried! That'll change his mind!
Fear and Worry: (smile) Brilliant! (run to the console and press buttons)
Contempt: Of course it's brilliant do it!
Fear and Worry keep pressing the buttons, but nothing happens.
Fear: (panics) Ah! Nothing's working (rabidly pressing the buttons) Why isn't it working!?
Worry: (rabidly pressing the buttons) It's breaking down!
Anger: (pushes them out the way) Let me try! (pounds the big button, making the lever pop up, and grabs them)
Disgust: Great! You broke it!
Envy: Y'all making it even worse!
Contempt: You're ruining the console!
Anger: No I didn't! Don't touch that!
Clever: Stop it!
Frustration: Knock it off!
Anger: Let me do it! Get out of here!
Soon all of the emotions, as well as the positive ones, are fighting for control, while Mike takes a seat on the bus and leans against the window. By now, the console is mostly black.
Fear: Guys, (everyone looks at him) we can't make Mike feel anything.
Everyone stares at the screen in dead silence, horror was present on all of their face.
Anger: What have we done?
In Imagination Land, Joy runs up to the Imaginary Girlfriend generator. The other emotions are nowhere to be seen.
Joy: (to Imaginary Girlfriend) Hey! Hey, look at me. Did you mean what you said before?
Imaginary Girlfriend: (gets off the machine) I would die for Mike! I would die for Mike!
Joy: Yeah, okay blondie. Time to prove it! (scoops her up into the satchel)
Joy quickly runs over to the generator controls and inserts a number, tons of the same girlfriend pour out of the machine and into the satchel. Joy quickly runs off and finds Shame still chasing a crying Sadness on a cloud. Joy grabs a tree made from balloons and opens one of the leaves. The air from the balloon blows Sadness away, knocking over the House of Cards in the process.
Shame: (looks at him, upset) Aw, come on!
Joy: No time to complain! Come one! (grabs Shame's hand and runs to Family Island)
House of Cards Worker: (angry) That's it! (leaves) I fold!
Joy quickly grabs the bag, as more Imaginary Girlfriend copies fill it up. Joy and Shame arrive at Family Island. They spot Sadness floating over the Memory Dump as Joy opens the bag.
Joy: (to Shame) Grab onto me.
A reluctant Shame does so and Joy tilts the bag over, dumping out the Imaginary Girlfriends. The momentum rockets both of them up the Tower of Girlfriends.
Joy and Shame: Whoa!
As the near the top, Interest, Surprise, Laughter, Shy, Excitement, Goofy, Anticipation, and Smartness are placed on top of each other while Joy and Shame are placed at the very top.
Shame: (looks down) Some plan!
Joy: (to himself) This is crazy. This is crazy. No, no, no Joy. Be positive.
Smartness: (to Joy) Are you sure that you're really being positive Joy!?
Joy: (looks down at the trampoline from Family Island, and to Sadness flying) I'm positive this is crazy! (watches Sadness near HQ)
Smartness: (smiles at him) I knew you'd say something like that.
Joy says nothing for a second.
Joy: Now!
The whole tower tilts forward.
Girlfriends and Goofy: FOR MIIIIIIIIIKKKKKEE!/TEAM HAPPPPPPPPYYYYYYYY!
They all bounce off the trampoline, rocketing the emotions skyward towards Sadness. Joy then grabs Sadness in his arms.
Sadness: Guys?
Joy: ((smiles) to everyone) Hang on!
All of them fly to Headquarters.
Inside HQ…
Fear: Oh, I wish Joy was here!
Worry: Me to!
Suddenly-
SFX: BONK!
Joy and the others smack against the windows.
Clever: I think you guys got your wish.
Everyone turns around and look at the window to see their friends begin to slide down. They all run to the windows. Joy and the others managed to grab onto a ledge outside the windows.
Disgust: It's Joy!
Envy: And it's the others!
Interest: (frantic) Hurry! Open the window!
Worry: We're trying!
Anger and Frustration return with a chair and a guitar.
Anger and Frustration: Stand back! Arrrrgh!
Anger throws a chair at the window. It bounces off. Frustration slams her guitar against the window, her jaw drops when she winds up breaking her guitar.
Disgust: (sarcastic) That worked.
Contempt: Yeah, nice thinking.
Anger: Well what would you two do if you're so smart?!
Frustration: Yeah!
The two angry emotions heads begin to light up, Disgust and Contempt notice. They look at each other and smirk.
Disgust: We'd tell you, but both of you are too dumb to understand.
Contempt: But, Frustration would be more stupid than Mister Red.
Frustration and Anger: (snap) WHAT?!
Disgust: Of course your tiny brains are confused!
Contempt: I guess we'll have to dumb it down to your levels.
Anger and Frustration begin to get more steamed and begin to growl. The pink light in Frustration's hair slowly starts to turn into little flickers of pink fire.
Disgust: Sorry we don't speak "moron" as well as you guys but we'll try.
Contempt and Disgust: (make a dumb face) Duuuuhhhhh!
Frustration and Anger explode. Frustration's hair stands up like the hair of Marge Simpson as it bursts into fire. Disgust and Contempt put on welding masks and pick up the two angry emotions. Using them like flamethrowers to blow a hole in the glass. The emotions help everyone through the hole.
Fear: Oh, thank goodness you're back!
Disgust: Things are really messed up!
Love, who had gone upstairs, returns with Bravery. Bravery squeals with glee at the sight of the returned emotions.
Shy runs towards her son and hugs him tightly.
Interest and Curiosity hug each other, happy to be reunited.
Peace: (looks at everyone) Hey, where's Shame?
Shame: (off-screen) Ahem.
Everyone turns their heads and gasp when they see Shame's three eyes.
Shame: Don't say a word.
Goofy notices the almost black console.
Goofy: Whoa malley!
Interest: (sees the screen and the console) Geez, I mean, what did you guys do!?
The emotions all begin talking at once about the events as Joy looks at the screen. On the screen, Mike sat in the seat as the bus as the bus began to pull out of the depot and approach the road to the dock.
Disgust: (to Joy) Joy, you have to fix this!
Trust: Yeah amigo! Get up there!
Joy: (looks at Sadness with determination) Sadness, it's up to you.
Shame: (surprised) Huh?
Sadness: (surprised as Joy takes her to the console) Me?
Anger, Boredom, Envy, Love, Fear, Clever, Frustration, Peace, Surprise, Laughter, Pride, Curiosity, Interest, Worry, Goofy, Smartness, Excitement, Anticipation, Contempt, Trust, Disgust, Shy: (minus Shame, stare at Joy in shock and confusion) Sadness?!
Sadness: (protesting) I can't Joy!
Joy: Yes you can. Mike needs you.
Sadness looks at Joy, stunned. Mike needed her? Joy nods.
Shame: (off-screen) Go ahead Sadness.
Sadness looks at Shame, he motions her towards the console with a smile. Sadness approaches the console slowly as the blackness slowly spreads.
Sadness: (breathes deeply) Okay. (places her hands on the lightbulb)
The other emotions watch with worry as the bus is now on the road. Sadness takes a deep breath and closes her eyes and turns the lightbulb. It goes off. The blackness recedes to the socket before Sadness removes the bulb as she gasps softly.
Mike's emotionless face disappears with shock as he looks at his surroundings.
Mike: ((gets up) to the bus driver) Wait! Stop! I wanna get off!
The bus stops and the driver opens the door. Mike quickly gets out and runs back to his house. Inside Headquarters, Sadness turns around and shows the bulb to the others, they smile with relief.
Two chapters left to go!