ELEMENTAL

Original Story by

Peter Sohn
John Hoberg & Kat Likkel
Brenda Hsueh

Screenplay by

John Hoberg & Kat Likkel

Brenda Hsueh

Pixar Animation Studios

1200 Park Avenue
Emeryville, CA 94608
 1.

EXT. OCEAN - DAY

Through the mist we see a glow. A small weathered boat breaks

through, traveling toward camera. At first it appears the
deck is on fire, but as the boat gets closer, we see the
“fire” is actually two FIRE ELEMENTS, BERNIE and a very
pregnant CINDER.

TITLE: DISNEY PRESENTS

They huddle together surrounded by suitcases and a small

lantern that holds a BLUE FLAME.

Bernie opens one of the suitcases, takes out a metallic shawl

and lovingly wraps it around Cinder. It’s been a long, tough
journey.

A shadow passes over them and they look up to see a hot air
balloon soar overhead.

And then, through the mist, Element City comes into view.

At last they have arrived!

It’s awe inspiring -- there are skyscrapers covered with

waterfalls, buildings with trees growing all over them,
windmills, blimps, balloons, partially-submerged water boats
and other vessels all make their way to the shore.

EXT. GRAND GATEWAY DOCKS - DAY

Bernie and Cinder step off the boat onto the dock and walk
toward the main processing center (think of this like an
otherworldly Ellis Island).

They stare amazed as another boat pulls up, its deck covered
in what looks like a forest. The gates open and we reveal the
“forest” was a crowd of Earth Elements with trees growing out
of their heads.

EARTH BOAT ANNOUNCER (O.S.)

Please keep all limbs and branches
inside.

Next, a submarine rises from the water. The front pops open
and water gushes out, into a puddle that is littered with
hats and suitcases. After a beat, Water Elements emerge from
the puddle and gather their stuff. Two WATER PASSENGERS trade
briefcases.

WATER PASSENGER 2
Ohp! I believe this is yours.

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WATER PASSENGER 1
Oh, thanks!

Bernie and Cinder try to take it all in.

They look up to see a blimp land on a tall perch. A hatch

opens and cloud-like Air Elements float out.

As the passengers exit, the blimp deflates and lowers to the

perch below, where more Air passengers float on board,
causing it it puff back up.

Bernie and Cinder join the crowd of Elements that walk into
the immigration hall.

They are the only Fire figures in the entire scene.

INT. IMMIGRATION HALL - DAY - CONTINUOUS

They enter the massive processing hall, slowly moving through

the line. They look up to see an EPIC MURAL depicting the
three waves of Elements that came together to form Element
City so many years ago. Water was the first to arrive,
followed by Earth and then Air.

WOOD IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL (O.S.)

Next!

It’s their turn for processing. They hurry over to a

welcoming WOOD IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL

WOOD IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL

Your names?

BERNIE
Útrí dàr ì Bùrdì

CINDER
Fâsh ì Síddèr

WOOD IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL

Great! And how do we spell that?

Bernie, eager, makes a series of fire sounds. The official’s

smile drops a little, then bright:

WOOD IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL

How ‘bout we just go with Bernie
and Cinder!

The official presses his nose onto an ink pad and then onto a
document on the table, leaving an official stamp.

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WOOD IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL

Welcome to Element City!

BIG DOORS OPEN revealing the bustling, busy city outside.

EXT. ELEMENT CITY - STREET - SHORTLY AFTER

TITLE: A PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS FILM

HOT LOG VENDOR (O.S.)

Hot logs! Hot logs for sale!

It’s like Manhattan at rush hour, crowded with various

Elements -- we see Earth, Water and Air people moving about
the city in slides and on boats. Large canals run between the
city blocks and skyscrapers.

But still Bernie and Cinder are the only Fire.

Distracted, Bernie walks right THROUGH an Air Element.

AIR ELEMENT
Hey! Watch it “Sparky!”

They spot an ELEVATED TRAIN as it zooms by, sending water

cascading over the sides of the tracks.

INT. TRAIN - SHORTLY AFTER

Bernie and Cinder sit self-consciously in a train car clearly

designed to accommodate Air, Earth and Water, but NOT Fire.

The other passengers stand back from them and stare.

The train LURCHES causing a nearby WATER GUY to stumble,

splashing WATER on Cinder with a HISS.

Cinder winces. Her flame shrinks and steams. Bernie quickly

pulls some wood out of his bag and tenderly feeds it to her,
repairing her fire. They both look to Cinder’s pregnant belly
-- that was close.

Bernie then GLARES back at the Water Guy, furious.

BERNIE
Hmmmm. Water.

EXT. ELEMENT CITY EARTH/WATER NEIGHBORHOODS

They exit a train station and eagerly approach an Earth

brownstone building with a “For Rent” sign in the window.

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An EARTH LANDLORD opens the door, but her eyes widen when she
sees Bernie and Cinder. She points to her leafy hair:

EARTH LANDLORD
Dry leaves.

Then slams the door in their faces.

At another building, Cinder pushes a doorbell. It catches

fire -- in a panic she blows it out, then acts casual.

A WATER LANDLORD opens the door, sees the two of them and
immediately slams the door.

A series of more door slams.

EXT. RUNDOWN NEIGHBORHOOD

Dejected, Bernie and Cinder find themselves under the

elevated train tracks, in a rundown, deserted neighborhood.
They sit down to rest, exhausted, defeated.

This is not how they hoped things would go.

Suddenly, Bernie spots something.

On the other side of a CANAL FILLED WITH WATER is a broken

down building with a “For Sale” sign. Hope flashes in his
eyes. He runs to the building.

BERNIE
(in Firish, excited)
Khû kò shá sh!

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - DAY

Bernie runs around, excited and full of ideas.

BERNIE
Rì báì khûr! Utriksh! T’áù ss
ksòrìf!

Cinder, more skeptical, stands just inside the doorway. Water

drips from A PIPE and almost hits her. Bernie bounds to her
side.

BERNIE
Ha ha!

He gestures excitedly, laying out his plan.

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BERNIE
Ksôdàr ì Bùrdì!

He continues running around.

BERNIE
Ha ha!

SNAP his feet burn through a floorboard. He falls out of

frame into the basement.

BERNIE
Ah!!

His thumb shoots up through the hole:

BERNIE
I’m ok!

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - NIGHT

Some time has passed.

We hear a BABY CRY, and find Bernie and Cinder peacefully

huddling with newborn EMBER, the Blue Flame at their side.
They speak softly in Firish.

CINDER
Íkì ss ûr.

BERNIE
Bê ss ksòrìf.

Bernie reaches into the lantern and scoops some of the Blue
Flame into his hands and pours it over baby Ember’s head. A
blessing.

BERNIE
Oh.

Delighted and proud, Bernie holds her up and smiles.

BERNIE
Welcome, my Ember, to your new
life.

Baby Ember takes it in. She may not know what her father is
saying but she can feel the love and excitement.

TITLE: ELEMENTAL

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INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - LATER

We start to PICK UP MOMENTUM as life continues on.

-- Bernie holds the Blue Flame lantern as Ember, now a

toddler, watches. He pours the flame carefully into a large
empty cauldron.

BERNIE
Our Blue Flame hold all our
traditions and give us strength to
burn bright.

Ember climbs up to the cauldron’s edge. She watches in awe as

the flame grows. It shoots up and she’s knocked back! Ember
takes in the brightness of the flame.

Bernie steps in front of the cauldron.

BERNIE
Do I burn as bright?

Goofing around, he flexes.

BERNIE
Hnnng. ERgggg. Hmmmm!

-- The shop is mid-construction. Bernie pushes the BLUE FLAME

CAULDRON into place as Ember, now big enough to stand on it,
cheers him on. Cinder lovingly watches them as she hangs a
curtain.

LITTLE KID EMBER

One, two! One, two! One, two!

-- Bernie and Ember stand in front of an oscillating fan,

taking turns making goofy faces and sounds.

LITTLE KID EMBER

Aaaaaahhhhhh.

BERNIE
Aaaaaahhhhhh.

LITTLE KID EMBER

Aaaaaahhhhhh.

-- Bernie and Ember work on the shop sign together. Bernie

writes “FIREPLACE” and Ember burns in a small flame design.

TIME JUMP, the SIGN hangs over the front door of the shop.
Bernie climbs down the ladder and joins Ember. They admire
the sign together.

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BERNIE
This shop is dream of our family!
And someday it’ll all be yours

Hers?? Ember’s eyes grow in excitement. From that moment on,

THIS is what she wants -- to be a good daughter and to take
over the shop.

TIME JUMP. The place is coming together. It’s a bit corny,

and over the top, but it’s what Bernie wants: a shrine to
Fire Land.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP

Opening day. A fresh pot of Lava Java is ready to serve.

A CUSTOMER enters, blown away by the decor. Bernie, Cinder

and Ember light up!

BERNIE
Welcome!

CINDER
Welcome!

BERNIE
Everything here authentic.

FIRST CUSTOMER
Then I’ve got to try the kol-nuts.

BERNIE
Kol-nuts coming up!

Ember sits on the counter next to Bernie. Imitating him, she

taps on her own homemade toy register.

LITTLE KID EMBER

Kol-nut coming up!

BERNIE
(laugh)
Good daughter.

Together, Ember and Bernie prepare the order, squeezing logs

in their palms to make bite size pieces of coal.

Ember hands them to the customer.

LITTLE KID EMBER

Some day this shop will all be
mine!

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Bernie tousles her flame.

BERNIE
(laughs)
When you are ready.

EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - NIGHT

Time lapse of outside the shop. The community develops and

more Fire Elements arrive.

EXT. FIRE TOWN - A FEW YEARS LATER

Ember, a bigger kid now, sits on her dad’s shoulders as they

ride a scooter around town, making deliveries.

BERNIE BIG KID EMBER

Delivery! Delivery!

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - ANOTHER YEAR

The shop is even busier. Two FIRE KIDS approach the counter.

FIRE KID 1
Two sugar pops please!

The bigger kid places a few coins on the counter in front of

Bernie and Ember.

BIG KID EMBER

I got it, Àshfá!

Ember grabs a sugar pop and sculpts it. She molds the pop to
look exactly like the kid. She hands it to them and their
eyes grow in AWE.

The littler kid takes a chomp.

FIRE KID 1
Hey!

Just then, across the store, TWO WATER TEENAGERS enter. They
laugh and jokingly push each other, splashing water and
knocking things over.

Bernie gives Ember a nod.

BERNIE
Water. Keep an eye on them.

Ember SALUTES and slinks off.

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In an aisle, the snickering Water Teens take turns pouring

water onto flaming souvenirs, putting them out.

WATER TEENAGER 1
Oops!

WATER TEENAGER 2
Oops!

A roiling Ember jumps in front of them.

BIG KID EMBER

You splash it you buy it!

Ember’s eye’s narrow, then she suddenly FLARES big!The Water

Teenagers boil.

A souvenir torch POPs from one of their hands and Ember

catches it. The punks run sloppily out.

EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - RIGHT AFTER

Ember stands in the doorway, smirking as the Water Teenagers

run off. Bernie walks up with a smile.

BERNIE
You show them, huh?
(yells after)
Nobody waters down Fire!

Ember shakes her fist.

BIG KID EMBER

Yeah!
(cursing in Firish)
Sháshà r íshà!

Bernie, startled, can’t help but laugh. Ember looks up at

him.

BIG KID EMBER

Can the shop be mine now?

Bernie hugs her and tousles her flame.

BERNIE
When you are ready.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - MORE YEARS LATER

We jump ahead more years. A Fire soap opera plays on a

television above the counter.

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SOAP OPERA WOMAN

(melodramatic)
The truth is...

Two shop regulars, FLARRY and FLARRIETTA, watch the show

while Cinder stacks “Kiss Me I’m Firish” shirts:

CINDER
She’s not in love with him.

SOAP OPERA WOMAN

(melodramatic)
...I’m NOT in love with you!

CINDER
(loud, cocky)
Ha! Knew it!

At the counter, TEENAGE Ember is next to Bernie making coal

nuts. She has surpassed him in speed, as he’s slowed down.

A CUSTOMER approaches the register.

TEENAGE EMBER
Àshfá, customer.

BERNIE
How about...
(this is a first)
You take it today.

Ember’s eyes grow. This is a big deal.

TEENAGE EMBER
(thrilled)
For real?

She beams. Words she’s waited to hear since she was a kid.

She confidently walks to the register with a smile. Bernie

backs away, thumbs up. Ember takes a deep breath.

TEENAGE EMBER
Ráì khìf! How can I help you?

A customer with GLASSES places a METAL BASKET filled with

small items on the counter -- next to it is a BUCKET filled
with dozens of individual SPARKLERS.

SPARKLER CUSTOMER
All this, and the-- oh! The
sparklers are ‘buy one get one
free?’

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TEENAGE EMBER
That’s right!

SPARKLER CUSTOMER
Great! I’ll just take the free one.

The customer grabs a sparkler and lights it.

TEENAGE EMBER
Oh, no, see, you need to buy one to
get one free.

Ember nicely takes the sparkler from the customer and blows
it out.

SPARKLER CUSTOMER
But I just want the free one.

The customer grabs another sparkler from the bucket.

TEENAGE EMBER
Sorry that’s not how this works.

Ember takes that sparkler from the customer a bit more

emphatically.

SPARKLER CUSTOMER
But the customer is always right.

TEENAGE EMBER
(trying to be nice)
Not in this case...

A beat, then in QUICK succession, the customer grabs another,

Ember grabs it, they go back and forth, as Ember’s
frustration builds and she gathers a BOUQUET of sprinklers in
her hand:

TEENAGE EMBER
(blows between each nope)
Nope. Nope. Nope! NOPE! NOPE!
NOPE!! NOPE!!

SPARKLER CUSTOMER
Just give me one for free!!

TEENAGE EMBER
THAT’S NOT HOW THIS WORKS!!

Suddenly, with a handful of sparklers, Ember’s flame turns

purple and she EXPLODES. A HUGE KABOOM!

It clears, revealing devastation -- the customer’s basket has

fused with all the items into one melted smoking blob.

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There’s a black scorch mark on the floor and other small

fires smoke here and there -- It was a BIG explosion.

Bernie pops into frame.

BERNIE
Oh!

He grabs a few of the unlit sparklers, sticks them in the

basket blob, blows on the them to LIGHT THEM, and hands it to
the customer.

BERNIE
Happy birthday!

Bernie quickly walks Ember out from behind the counter. Ember
is shocked and upset.

BERNIE
What just happened? Why you lose
temper?

TEENAGE EMBER
I, I don’t know. He was pushing and
pushing and it just--!!

BERNIE
Calm, calm. Sometimes customer can
be tough. Just take breath
(breath)
and make connection --

Ember nods, taking this in. Bernie sweetly puts her apron
back on.

BERNIE
When you can do that, and not lose
temper, then you will be ready to
take over shop.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - SEVERAL YEARS LATER - PRESENT DAY

TITLE OVER BLACK: SEVERAL YEARS LATER

We COME UP ON THE SHOP, behind Ember at the counter. She’s

across from a complaining CUSTOMER:

CUSTOMER
...This is too expensive and that
is not made in Fire Land...

EMBER
Take breath, make connection.

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CUSTOMER EMBER
And they weren’t crunchy and (breath)
there wasn’t enough sauce. I Take breath, make connection.
think this is rotten and you
touch everything...

Close on Ember’s face, bright red with licks of purple.

CUSTOMER (O.S.) EMBER

Do you even have a license (build)
for this? Why are you Take breath, make connection.
breathing like that? Take breath--

EMBER
--MAKE CONNECTION!!!!

KA-BLAM. She EXPLODES. The large glass in the front counter

SMASHES to pieces.

CUSTOMER
Ah!

EMBER deflates, frustrated, and gives a GENUINE sorry look to

shell-shocked customer:

EMBER
(embarrassed laugh)
Sorry. Sorry about that. Sorry,
sorry.

The shop regulars, FLARRY and FLARRIETTA, sit at a table with

a FIRE DANGER sign. Flarry moves the arrow to the edge of
purple.

FLARRIETTA
She almost went full purple! I’ve
never seen anyone go full purple!

EMBER
(to the shop)
Sorry everyone.

Bernie hurries over to the customer.

BERNIE
Oh, please forgive my daughter. She
burn bright, but sometimes TOO
bright, eh?

He blows out a burning flower on the customer’s hat.

BERNIE
Nice hat by the way.

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BERNIE
Let me make you a new batch! On the
house!

The still stunned customer nods and walks away.

CUSTOMER
Okay.

Ember jumps over the counter to scoop up all the glass

pieces... while she cleans:

EMBER
Sorry Àshfá. I don’t know why that
one got away from me.

She puts the glass in her mouth and starts chewing. Bernie
moves into a station next to the counter that’s filled with
coals, he starts making the kol-nuts.

BERNIE
Oh you are tense because of big Red
Dot Sale tomorrow. It has us all at
a broil.

Ember spits out the glass in a long glowing tube that she
blows and molds into a pane.

EMBER
I guess. It’s just, some of these
customers, they get me all, grrr.

She accidentally smooshes the glass in her hands. Oops.

BERNIE
I know, I know. Just do what we
practice. You are SO good at
everything else.

EMBER
You’re right. I’ll get it. I just
want you to rest.

Ember blows on the glass, smoothing it into shape. This is a

natural talent of her’s and she’s proud of it.

EMBER
Mmhmm.

She sets the glass into place.

EMBER
Done.

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Bernie goes back to making kol-nuts but bursts into a

COUGHING fit.

EMBER
You okay?

BERNIE
Just tired.

EMBER
Let me help.

She helps him off the coals and climbs in the station to take
over.

From across the store:

FLARRY
Bernie, that cough is terrible.

FLARRIETTA
Almost as terrible as your cooking.

BERNIE
Ê...shútsh...

FLARRIETTA
When you gonna put Ember out of her
misery and retire, huh? Finally put
her name on the sign out there?

BERNIE
Ah, she take over when she’s ready.

Ember’s face briefly sinks. Not the answer she wanted. She
hides the disappointment, puts her shields up and covers:

EMBER
And speaking of “ready,” we are
MORE than ready for you to actually
BUY something, if you’d ever get up
off your lazy ash.

The shop reacts with laughter and an “Oh! Burn!”

FLARRIETTA
Burn!
(laugh)

BERNIE
(reassuring)
But she is SO close.
(then a challenge)
(MORE)

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BERNIE (CONT’D)
I mean, she’ll probably never do
deliveries as quick as me...

Ember puts the last kol-nut into the basket. She picks up a
counter timer and cranks it.

EMBER
You don’t think I can beat your
record? Because I’ve been taking it
easy on you so I don’t hurt your
feelings, Mr. Smokestack.

EMBER
But game on!

Bernie watches with a smile as Ember hurries to pack up

deliveries.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - SAME TIME

At the back of the shop, a beaded curtain hangs over the

entrance to the hearth. A sandwich board advertises match
making services.

Ember whizzes by, collecting things for her delivery. We hear

Cinder’s voice from inside the hearth.

CINDER (O.S.)
Before I see...

INT. CINDER’S MATCHMAKING OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

This looks like a fortune teller’s room. CINDER sits on one

side of a table across from a young, nervous FIRE COUPLE. In
the center of the table stand two sticks.

CINDER (CONT'D)
...if you are a match, I splash
this on your heart to bring love to
the surface.

Cinder splashes them with oil.

CINDER
And I will read the smoke.

They each light a stick and Cinder studies the smoke. Cinder
leans in, excited.

Just then, Ember throws open the curtains with a WHOOSH. The
smoke dissipates.

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CINDER
Ember! I’m doing a reading!

EMBER
Sorry, gotta grab some stuff.

Ember starts collecting items.

EMBER
Going for Dad’s record.

FIRE GUY
So... are we a match?

CINDER
It's true love!

She turns toward Ember.

CINDER
Which is more than I ever smelled
on this one.

EMBER
(rolls her eyes)
Oh goodie. This ol’ chestnut.

As Ember moves toward the exit, Cinder grabs her arm and
sniffs it.

CINDER
(sniff)
Yup, nothing. Just a loveless sad
future of sadness.

Ember turns to leave but her mom stops her again.

CINDER
Ember! Work with me!

Ember rolls her eyes.

CINDER
You finding match was my mother's
dying wish!

INT. BEDROOM - FLASHBACK

Ember’s grandmother lays in bed with the family around.

GRANDMOTHER
Promise me one thing -- marry fire.
Uhh.

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POOF, she’s gone.

INT. CINDER’S MATCHMAKING OFFICE - BACK TO SCENE

Everyone is where we left them.

EMBER
Nice try, Mom. Gotta go!

Ember exits and Cinder turns back to the couple who are now
full-on making out.

Cinder picks up a spray bottle and squirts.

CINDER
Save it for the wedding!

FIRE GUY
(react to spray bottle)
Hey!

EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - SOON AFTER

Ember exits the shop rushing boxes to her scooter. CLOD, a

pubescent EARTH BOY, pops out of a planter.

He follows Ember as she loads her bike.

CLOD
Yo yo yo Ember!

EMBER
Yo Clod. Can’t talk, in a hurry.
And don’t let my dad catch you out
here again.

Clod combs his hair with a gardening fork.

CLOD
What? C’mon. He doesn’t like my
“laaandscaping?”

Ember gives a half-smirk but keeps loading.

EMBER
Uff.

CLOD
Anyway, June Bloom is coming and
you just got to be my date. Cause
check it out! I’m all grown up!

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He lifts up his arm revealing a small flower.

CLOD
(sniff sniff)
And I smell goooood.

He plucks the armpit flower and holds it out to her,

kneeling.

CLOD
Ow! My queen.

Ember takes the flower. POOF it burns.

EMBER
Sorry buddy. Elements don’t mix.

Ember LOOKS through the front window of the shop at the TIMER
on the counter.

EMBER
Flame! Gotta go!

She gets back to business. But Clod is persistent.

CLOD
Come on! Go to the festival with
me! You never leave this part of
town.

EMBER
That’s because everything I need is
right here.

Just then a WATER TRAIN passes by on an elevated track. Water

splashes and Ember swiftly pops open her umbrella. She looks
at the train crossing the bridge, annoyed. By contrast, Clod
happily soaks up the shower.

EMBER
Plus the city isn’t made with Fire
people in mind.

Irritated, she closes her umbrella and hops on her scooter.

EMBER
Sorry, but it’d take an act of God
to get me to cross that bridge.

CLOD
An act of God or an act of... Clod?

Ember starts her scooter and pulls away.

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EMBER
Gotta run!

She drives off.

EXT. FIRE TOWN - CONTINUOUS

We follow Ember as she makes her deliveries. And while she

might seem TENSE in the shop, out here she seems FREE.

-- She makes a delivery to a CHIMNEY STORE. They, in turn,

give her gift.

-- Ember pulls up to a HOT LOGS CART. She holds out a

package. A FIRE CHEF pops up from the grill and takes it.

-- Ember pulls up to a FIRE COUPLE pushing a charcoal grill

down the sidewalk. She hands them a bottle of lighter fluid.

EMBER
As ordered.

They lift the lid off the grill, revealing a tiny FIRE BABY
keeping warm over the charcoals. One of the parents feeds the
baby the bottle. The baby sucks on it and burbs flames.

EMBER
Gotta run! Going for dad’s record.

-- Ember is behind a SLOW old truck carrying wood. She loses

her patience.

EMBER
Move it!

She manuevers her scooter around the truck. She turns back,
shakes her fist and calls back.

EMBER
Sháshà r íshà!

-- SHOTS CUTTING FASTER

-- Ember delivers sandbags to a SMOKE CLEANERS experiencing a

water leak.

-- She hands off a parcel outside a WOODSHOP.

-- She races by a FIREWORKS COMPANY dropping off a box of

FIREWORKS. Kids swarm around the box, the contents explode
and they cheer.

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Ember drives off with the fireworks going off behind her. The
sequence ends with Ember racing home, happy, free.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - THAT NIGHT

The shop’s OPEN sign is turned inward. Ember rushes in,

celebrating.

EMBER
Ha ha! Winner winner charcoal
dinner--

She sees something and quickly catches the door so it won’t

slam.

We reveal Bernie asleep at the counter, pen in hand and

surrounded by sheets of red dot stickers.

Ember softly shuts the door and tip toes in. She smiles
lovingly, then cleans up the papers and drapes a chainmail
shawl over his shoulders. He wakes with a SMOKE COUGH.

Ember gently pulls a red dot sticker off his cheek.

EMBER
Head to bed. I’ll close things up.

Bernie gets up and Ember follows.

BERNIE
Still have much to prepare for Red
Dot Sale.

EMBER
Dad, I'll take care of it. You need
to rest.

Just then the TIMER rings. Bernie looks at the timer, then to
Ember with excitement.

BERNIE
How?

EMBER
I learned from the best.

They share a warm laugh. Ember puts a hand on Bernie’s back

and leads him across the shop. As they approach the Blue
Flame, Bernie starts coughing again.

BERNIE
I am old. I can’t do this forever.

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He picks up a stick from the base of the Blue Flame’s

cauldron.

BERNIE
Now that you have beaten my time
there is only one thing you haven’t
done... tomorrow I sleep in. And I
want YOU to run shop for Red Dot
sale.

EMBER
Seriously?? By myself??

BERNIE
If you can do that without losing
your temper, it will show me you
are able to take over.

He breaks the twig in two and hands a piece to Ember.

EMBER
(this is HUGE)
You got it Àshfá.

Bernie holds the twig with both hands and closes his eyes.
Then he tosses it into the Blue Flame. Ember beams.

EMBER
I won’t let you down. I swear.
You’ll see.

They share a warm hug.

BERNIE
Hmm. Good daughter.

Bernie slowly climbs the stairs. Ember watches him go, then
flares up, excited.

EMBER
Yes!

Ember turns to the Blue Flame. Just like Bernie, she holds
her stick and closes her eyes before tossing it into the
cauldron.

EMBER
Blue Flame, please let this go my
way.

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EXT. FIRETOWN - SAME TIME

We look over the smoky rooftops of Firetown toward Element

City.

EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - THE NEXT MORNING

The streets of Firetown are waking up.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - CONTINUOUS

We see QUICK SHOTS of EMBER slapping RED DOT STICKERS on

items.

She stands at the front door and takes a moment to adjust the
RED DOT SALE pin on her apron.

EMBER
Take a breath.
(breath)
Calm as a candle.

She rolls up the front window shade and sees a wall of

customers waiting to come in. Her eyes go wide for a moment
but then she puts on a smile and opens the door.

EMBER
Morning. Welcome to the Fireplace--

Customers RUSH in and she’s practically trampled.

We go to a series of POPS of the sale. It’s chaotic, like

Black Friday. Ember fights to keep her cool.

-- A CUSTOMER yanks on a can at the bottom of a pyramid

display, shaking the whole stack. Ember rushes up.

EMBER
Whoa whoa, they’re all the same.
Just take one from the top.
(then, chipper)
Thanks for shopping.

-- A CUSTOMER heaves an armload of red stickers onto the

counter

STICKER CUSTOMER
(effort)
So many stickers for sale!

-- A customer sweeps a whole shelf of Blue Flame trinkets

into a basket.

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TRINKET CUSTOMER
Are these fragile?

EMBER
No wait!

SMASH. Several trinkets fall and break.

-- Ember stops a CUSTOMER from putting a log in their mouth:

EMBER
You have to pay before you eat.

-- A crescendo of SUPER QUICK SHOTS of Ember at the register.

All she can see is faces and questions and items being shoved
toward her.

CUSTOMERS
Does this come in a large? / What’s
your return policy? / These glasses
are backward. / I want a refund. /
I’m next!! / Has anyone seen my
husband?

INTERCUT TO CLOSE UPS OF EMBER TRYING TO BREATH THROUGH

ANGER.

EMBER
(through gritted teeth)
Take breath.

A kid holds up a broken toy.

KID CUSTOMER
My dad broke this.

EMBER
(through gritted teeth)
Make connection...

A high-pitched kettle starts to whistle.

KETTLE CUSTOMER
Mind if I test this kettle?

It’s too much. Ember is on the verge of EXPLODING. Smoke

building and fire roiling. With gritted teeth and a SUPER
STRAINED voice, her color starts turning more purple...

EMBER
Be back in 5 minutes!

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She rushes awkwardly out, sparks and flame blasting, hands

covering her mouth, barely contained.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - BASEMENT

Ember rushes down the basement steps, her fire SPITTING AND
SPARKING.

She hurries to an area away from the door and LETS IT OUT!

EMBER
AHHHHHH!

Her fire BLASTS. As the smoke clears, there’s a LOUD

VIBRATION from a pipe.

CUT TO upstairs, the pipes in the shop are vibrating too. The
customers look around, concerned.

Back in the basement, the pipe cracks and SHOOTS a fire-hose-

like stream of water right at Ember!

It douses part of her flame and she ducks away.

More streams burst from the pipe, spraying all over the
basement.

Ember panics. Water is SPRAYING EVERYWHERE, filling the

basement and HURTING HER.

She has to dodge the spray. Thinking quick, she picks up an

umbrella and, getting STUNG by water, jumps toward the pipe.

She uses her hands to heat the pipe and weld the crack,
stopping the leak.

Then, she surveys the damage. The basement is completely

flooded.

EMBER
Oh no no no no no.
(whispering, total panic)
Stupid temper! Not today!

Ember’s flame is damaged. She quickly grabs sticks from a

bucket and eats them, growing her flame.

EMBER
What is wrong with me?

Just then, A PICTURE FRAME floats to the surface of the water

and starts to move.

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Then two streams of water fountain up out of the pool and two
hands holding the frame appear... WADE sits up out of the
water, bawling his eyes out.

EMBER
What the--?

He looks at the picture, moved, crying.

WADE
What a happy family. Is that you
and your DAD??

The frame holds a photo of young Ember and her parents. She
is held up by Bernie, blowing fire on a birthday cake, the
candles sparking.

WADE
I love dads. And it’s your
birthday!

His tears splash Ember.

EMBER
Who are you? What are you doing
here?

WADE
(still crying)
I don’t know! I was searching for a
leak on the other side of the river
and got sucked in. This is bad! I
can’t lose another job! I just
can’t seem to find my flow.

He stands, revealing himself for the first time. And he’s

HUNKY, CUT. Ember can’t help but notice.

EMBER
Dang.

Then Wade looks down at himself.

WADE
Ugh, that pipe squished me all out
of shape.

He shakes and PLOPS back into his regular bouncy Wade shape.

WADE
That’s better.

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EMBER
Dude, just get out of here. I gotta
clean this mess before my dad sees
what I did.

WADE
Ooo, actually...

Wade sloshes his way over to a junction of several pipes.

Frowning, her pulls a notepad and pen out from under his
shirt.

WADE
I’m afraid I’m going to have to
write you a ticket.

He starts scribbling on the pad.

EMBER
A ticket??

WADE
Yeah. I’m a city inspector. And
this pipe is definitely not up to
code.

EMBER
I sucked a city inspector into our
pipes??

WADE
I know, ironic, right?

Wade taps on the pipe.

EMBER
Stop messing with that!

WADE
I need to make sure it’s solid.

EMBER
Everything’s solid. I should know.
My dad re-built this place himself.

WADE
Wait, your dad did?

EMBER
Yes! With his bare hands. Every
brick and board. It was a ruin when
he found it.

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WADE
Wow. He did all of this himself?
(getting weepy)
Without permits?

EMBER
Uh...

Wade’s tears start to flow again.

WADE
I’m gonna have to write that up
too. First I’m sucked into a pipe
and now I have to write citations
that could get this place shut
down. Oh gosh, it’s just too much!

Ember instantly FLAMES UP.

EMBER
Shut us DOWN??

WADE
I know! It’s awful!

EMBER
No! You can’t shut us down. Please!
This is a big day for me. It’s our
Red Dot Sale!

Ember flares her arms out trying to grab the ticket book.

WADE
Hey, take it easy. This is as hard
on me on as it is on you.

EMBER
Get back here!!

Wade runs for the other side of the room.

WADE
Sorry! I gotta get these to city
hall before the end of my shift.

He slips out a basement window. Ember lunges after him.

She looks at her Red Dot Sale button then rips off her apron,
tosses it on the ground.

EMBER
Flame!

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BEHIND HER we see another pipe-joint begin to leak -- the

problem is NOT over, but she doesn’t notice.

She climbs out the window and chases after Wade.

EMBER
Get back here!

REVEAL Bernie looking out the window. He sees Ember chase

Wade down the street.

BERNIE
Hmm?

EXT. FIRETOWN - RIGHT AFTER

Ember chases Wade to the the train PLATFORM -- the train she
said it’d take an act of God for her to get on.

TRAIN ANNOUNCER (O.S.)

Next stop, Element City.

Down the platform, Wade, not seeing Ember, steps into a

waiting train. She has to follow. Crap.

She looks back at Firetown.

As the doors start to close, Ember throws on her hood and

SLIPS into the last car.

INT. ELEVATED TRAIN CAR - RIGHT AFTER

She scans for Wade. But the train is CROWDED -- and Ember is
right -- the city is definitely NOT made with Fire Elements
in mind.

She tries to work her way toward the front, carefully

squeezing past a HUGE grassy Earth Element, but the train
lurches.

EMBER
Whoa!

She slams into the grass man. POOF his grass burns up leaving
a very skinny guy.

EARTH ELEMENT
Hay!

EMBER
Sorry!

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She looks ahead, there’s Wade. But it’s too crowded for her
to squeeze through. There has to be another way.

Thinking fast, she climbs out a window.

EXT. TRAIN - RIGHT AFTER

Ember’s fire is whipped by the wind as she inches along the

outside of the train car.

It’s dangerous -- Water SPLASHES from the aqueduct and

they’re fast approaching tunnel under a GIANT waterfall!

In a panic, Ember melts her way through a window--

INT. TRAIN CAR - CONTINUOUS

-- and into the train car, just in time.

But it’s pitch black because of the tunnel. She’s the only
light source. She moves through the car looking for Wade and
illuminating startled Elements.

Then she sees a flame hovering in front of her. Odd.

EMBER
Huh?

She moves closer... could it be her own reflection?

EMBER
What the?

Just then the train exits the tunnel and the car is bright
again and she sees that what she was looking at was her
reflection was on the back of Wade’s head!

But she’s got the tickets in sight. They’re in his hand.

She’s so close. She slowly reaches toward them, but her heat
causes Wade’s hand to quietly BOIL...

TRAIN ANNOUNCER (O.S.)

THIS STOP CITY HALL.

Feeling this, Wade looks down and is startled see Ember is

still following him.

WADE
Ah ah ah! Hands off!

He quickly whips the tickets away from her and hurries out
the open doors.

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EMBER
Gah!

She follows but has to dodge passengers loading onto the

train.

EMBER
Ooh, sorry.

EXT. ELEMENT CITY - TRAIN STATION - RIGHT AFTER

Ember exits the train to find that she’s in the middle of her
worst nightmare -- a city crowded with ELEMENTS.

EMBER
Ugh.

Then she spots Wade at the bottom of the stairs, headed

toward a busy street. He weaves easily through the crowds.

EMBER
Stop!!

The chase is on. Ember rushes down a busy staircase... she

flails, collides with other people and tumbles down the steps
into a lamp post.

But she’s not giving up. She leaps to her feet.

EMBER
Stop!!

She gets to the busy street and stops for traffic just as an
AIR ELEMENT steps in front of a car. POOF! He’s hit, then
reforms, his jacket laying in the street.

AIR ELEMENT
Aw! My new jacket.

Ember bolts across the street.

EXT. STREET - VARIOUS - RIGHT AFTER

Ember races down the sidewalk toward Wade who passes a

NURSERY SCHOOL BUS. He easily hops over the crowd of little
EARTH KIDS.

Ember follows, but the kids are blocking her path.

Thinking fast, she pops open her umbrella and flares up. Like
a hot air balloon, she lifts up and over the kids. They’re
amazed.

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She keeps soaring until she passes over the EARTH KIDS.
Suddenly, her umbrella melts and gives out. She falls to the
ground landing hard, then springs to her feet and keeps
chasing Wade who now realizes he’s being chased. Yikes!

He takes a sharp left, appearing to splash into the side of a

building. Ember skids to a stop and sees he’s slipped into a
very narrow space between two buildings.

She squeezes her fire and follows him. Crammed, they both
shimmy through the extremely tight passageway.

Wade makes it to the other side but his ticket book gets
stuck in the crack. He desperately pulls and gets it free
JUST as Ember bursts from the crack and swipes for the ticket
book.

But Wade gets away and darts through traffic toward City Hall
as Ember follows.

EXT. CITY HALL - CONTINUOUS

Wade hurries to the building with Ember still in hot pursuit.

She swipes a bottle of CHILI OIL from a DIRT BURGER VENDOR’s
cart.

DIRT BURGER VENDOR

My chili oil!

Ember makes it to City Hall first and jumps in front of

Wade’s path, exhausted. She sprays the oil in a line in front
of her then stomps on it creating a HUGE WALL OF FIRE.

EMBER
Come on, guy. You can’t get through
this. So it is time to hand ‘em
over.

WADE
Oh boy. I’m sorry. This is going to
be really disappointing for you--

Wade steps onto a drain and PLOP disappears, then pops up

through another grate on the other side of Ember right next
to the building. He hurries inside.

EMBER
Oh no no no no no no...

But he rushes into a revolving door.

EMBER
No no no no no no!

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WADE
Sorry!

And slips into the building. Ember’s flame shrinks in defeat.

EMBER
Please! No! You don’t understand.

Ember slumps on the steps, her fire dims and reveals an inner
prismatic light.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOORS, Wade puts the tickets in a

canister. But just as he’s putting the canister into a vacuum
tube -- FOOMP! -- he SEES caustics cast on the wall from
Ember’s prismatic light.

WADE
Whoa.

He turns to see Ember outside, desperate, pleading to the

closed door, more to herself, her light private, prismatic,
vulnerable.

EMBER
The shop is my dad’s dream, if I’m
the reason it gets shut down it
will kill him.

INSIDE, Wade’s face looks pained, empathetic.

WADE
Aw.

EMBER
He will never trust me to take
over.

Wade comes out of the building.

WADE
Why didn’t you say that before?

Ember INSTANTLY ZIPS her fire up, shields on.

EMBER
Wait, does that mean you’ll tear up
the tickets?

WADE
I mean, I would. But I just sent
them over to the processing
department.

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Wade gestures to the root vacuum system inside the doors.

Ember grips her head in frustration.

WADE
But, I can take you there so you
can plead your case.

Ember looks back at him, hopeful again.

INT. CITY HALL - HALLWAY - RIGHT AFTER

Ember and Wade travel down a dim hallway. Above them, a

system of pulsing VINES lead to a door at the end of the
hall.

INT. FERN’S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Wade opens the door into a jungle of an office.

Ember follows him in through a tangle of leafy vines. Wade

walks through a branch. It snaps back at Ember and she ducks.

EMBER
Whoa!

They break through to find an overgrown Earth Element, FERN,

a low-key humorless bureaucrat with PILES of paper in his
inbox.

Behind his desk are a series of vacuum tubes made from VINES.

WADE
Hey, Fern! How you doing?

FERN
Living the dream.

Fern inserts a roll of papers into a canister.

WADE
You know those citations I just
gave you from Firetown?

FERN
I was about to send them to Mrs.
Cumulus then get sprayed for fungus
rot.

Fern moves to put the canister into the tube.

EMBER WADE
Wait! Wait!

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WADE
(sotto to Ember)
Tell him what you told me. About
your dad and letting him down.

EMBER
(sotto)
No. That’s personal.

WADE
(sotto)
It really got to me. He might feel
it too...

Wade keepings talking as Ember tries to cover his mouth.

WADE
Her dad will be sup--

EMBER
Nope!

WADE
Sup--

EMBER
Nope!

WADE
Super disa--

She then grabs Fern’s nameplate and, SPLTT!, shoves it into

Wade’s mouth.

WADE
--ppointed in her.

Ember is triggered by Wade exposing her.

EMBER
Stop it!

Wade keeps talking with the nameplate in his head.

WADE
(to Fern)
He might even be...

Ember shoves a globe into his face, knocking out the

nameplate...

WADE
(full mouth)
...ASHAMED.

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EMBER
What are you doing?

Ember’s flame starts to show some PURPLE. She starts stress

breathing.

WADE
(to Fern, weepy)
But the main thing is if her father
can’t retire...

Fern moves the canister closer to the tube.

WADE
...It will be ALL EMBER’S.. FFFF-

EMBER CUTS HIM OFF!

EMBER
STOP TALKING!

Ember EXPLODES in a ball of fire. When the smoke clears we

see ALL of the stacks of citations have been fried. Except
Ember’s that are in the canister. Wade douses a still flaming
bobble head. Fern’s charred desk collapses.

FERN
Looks like I’m going home early
today.

He puts the canister into the tube.

EMBER
No, don’t--

The tickets shoot out of the office. Failure.

FERN
Expect to get shut down within a
week. Have a good one.

Fern hands Ember a brochure. She takes it and turns away,

dejected. Wade watches, concerned.

WADE
Sorry.

EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - LATER

Ember walks, dejected, over the culvert bridge. She stares at

the brochure Fern gave her -- there’s a chipper cartoon of an
element being booted out of their business, along with the
words "So your business is being shut down!"

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As she approaches the shop she sees a “closed” sign on the

door and goes into an instant panic:

EMBER
What?!

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - CONTINUOUS

Ember enters the shop, concerned.

EMBER
Already??

She looks around the empty shop and tucks the brochure into
her pocket.

EMBER
Hello?

She hears Bernie coughing in the basement.

She rushes downstairs and freezes: pipes are now bursting and
leaking EVERYWHERE. Her parents are desperately trying to
repair the damage. Bernie stands precariously on top of a
ladder.

EMBER
Oh no. Dad! What happened??

BERNIE
We lucky nobody hurt. It RUIN Red
Dot Sale! Did he do this?

EMBER
Who?

BERNIE
The Water guy I see you chase.

Water drips onto Bernie's face.

BERNIE
(pain)
Ah!

EMBER
Oh, uh, um...

Ember weighs this for a moment, as she hops off the stairs
and begins repairing a pipe. She could come clean. But
instead...

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EMBER
Yeah. He did. Uh, he just broke
through a pipe.
(clears throat)
I don’t know why. Luckily I was
able close it off. I, uh, couldn’t
catch him though.

Bernie flares up.

BERNIE
Water. Always trying to water us
down!

EMBER
He was a Water PERSON, dad, not
just water.

BERNIE
(grumble)
Same thing. And why is water in
pipes? City shut down years ago.
There should be NO WATER!

Bernie’s fury causes a coughing fit. He falls over backward.

BERNIE
Ah!

EMBER
Dad!!!

Ember catches him just before he hits the water.

CINDER
Bernie!

Bernie coughs. Cinder leads him to the stairs.

CINDER
We will get through this. Just like
before.

EMBER
Before?

Bernie sits, Cinder looks to Ember.

CINDER
There is a reason we left Fire
Land.

Cinder holds Bernie’s arm, she wants to talk about it. Bernie
looks down. Cinder smiles at a memory.

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She’s almost talking MORE to Bernie, reassuring him they did

the right thing -- she KNOWS his deeper wound.

CINDER
Oh, Ember. We loved it there so
much. Most everyone had a Blue
Flame, and it connected us all
together...

EXT. FIRE LAND - FLASHBACK

Fade to an aerial view of Fire Land, glowing homes clustered

on a rocky hillside.

CINDER
...to our traditions, our family.

The camera passes ground-floor windows and we get FLEETING

GLIMPSES of FAMILY FLAMES, until we stop at a window of a
FAMILY SHOP that has a Blue Flame burning in a cauldron
inside. A YOUNG BERNIE stands on a ladder, putting up a sign.
He looks to a VERY PREGNANT Cinder who smiles, so proud.

CINDER (V.O.)
It was hard living, but your father
began to build a life for us. We
put everything into it. But then a
great storm came.

There’s a PULSE of wind and Bernie and Cinder’s flames

flicker ominously. Worried, they look up to the sky and see a
large dark storm above the rooftops. And then it hits them --
FEROCIOUS WINDS.

SOON AFTER, inside the shop, debris crashes down, knocking

over the cauldron with the Blue Flame. Thinking quickly,
Bernie thrusts a lantern into the Blue Flame to capture it.
They huddle together as the building collapses around them.

LATER, they stand in the rubble, devastated. We can see the

destruction isn’t everywhere... some buildings were lost like
theirs, others are only slightly damaged.

CINDER (V.O.)
All was lost for us.

LATER that night, Cinder sleeps on the floor, but Bernie is

awake. He looks to his lantern with the Blue Flame he saved
and prays to it then looks to pregnant Cinder.

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CINDER (V.O.)
Your father understood...
(painful memory, but
resolute in the decision)
We HAD to leave... everything. Our
home.

After a moment, he gets his answer -- a LOOK OF RESOLVE

crosses his face.

LATER, we find Bernie and Cinder on the beach. They walk

toward a boat, about to leave for their new life.

CINDER (V.O)
It was the only way to create a
better life!

As they board, Bernie looks back at his parents. Stoic, they

watch him leave. The boat pulls away from the shore and
Bernie and Cinder watch their homeland recede in the
distance.

CINDER (V.O.)
It was the last time your father
ever saw his family.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - BACK TO SCENE

Fade back to the basement, Bernie somberly mops up puddles as

Cinder finishes the story.

CINDER
That is why we came here. To build
all this.

Ember is floored. She looks at the brochure from Fern, then

tucks it away and walks over to Bernie with resolve:

EMBER
Áshfá... nothing will happen to
this shop or the flame again. I
promise.

Ember takes the mop from her father. He smiles and places his
hand on her cheek.

BERNIE
Mm. Good daughter.

EXT. CITY HALL - THE NEXT MORNING

Elements bustle outside City Hall during the morning commute.

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INT. CITY HALL - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

Wade listens to music on his way into work. The sound waves
from his headphones vibrate through his head. He’s deep into
it, eyes closed, as he approaches the entrance to his
department. He doesn’t see a FIRE burning on the floor next
to the door. It catches his bag on fire. Wade looks down,
shocked!

WADE
Ah! Fire. Fire! Ah! Fire!

He pats out his bag, then starts to stomp on the fire.

Suddenly EMBER stands up, emerging from under a chainmail
blanket... the fire was her.

EMBER
Hey HEY!

WADE
Oh. Sorry!
(checking his burnt bag)
You’re so hot!

EMBER
(raised eyebrow)
Excuse me?

WADE
No! I mean like you’re smokin’! No,
I didn’t mean it like tha--

EMBER
Are you done yet?

Wade is dripping.

WADE
Yes please.

EMBER
I’m waiting to talk to your boss.
So make like a stream and... flow
somewhere else.

Ember settles back down on the ground.

WADE
Actually, Gale won’t be in today.
She’s a HUGE airball fan and the
Windbreakers are finally in the
playoffs! Toot Toot!

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Ember is unaffected by Wade’s enthusiasm. She flares up in

frustration.

EMBER
UGH!

WADE
Okay... Well, I just came by
because I left my passes for the
game here last night.

Wade starts to walk away but Ember perks up.

EMBER
Passes? Like, plural?

He turns back. Then it hits him, is she serious?

EXT. CYCLONE STADIUM - LATER

Ember and Wade walk up the Wetro stairs into the middle of
the busy Air District.

Ember is intimidated by the crowds of AIR BALL FANS flooding

into the entrance of CYCLONE stadium. She pulls her hood
tight around her flame.

The marquis reads WIND BREAKERS VS CROPDUSTERS.

INT. CYCLONE STADIUM - AFTER

Inside, it’s a huge, amazing space. Like Madison Square

Garden on steroids. High above, CLOUD PLAYERS battle mid
game, passing a ball toward a hoop.

Ember enters with Wade. She has never seen anything like it.
She is WAY out of her element.

EMBER
Where is she?

WADE
Up there, in that skybox.

Wade points to one of the sky boxes where GALE, Wade’s

supervisor, sits. She’s a storm cloud, complete with
lightning, and is completely engrossed in the game.

GALE
Come on!

Ember steels herself:

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EMBER
(breath)
Okay.

EMBER
(action hero)
Time to cancel some tickets.

They walk towards Gale’s box, passing a drink vendor.

TOOT TOOT JUICE VENDOR

Toot toot juice! Getcha toot toot
juice! Toot juice! Getcha toot toot
juice!

They get to the row behind Gale’s box. Everyone sitting there
is Water.

WADE
(super encouraging)
You’ll be great! This way.

Wade walks down the row. Everyone seems to know him. Ember
gets a look of determination on her face -- she’s not going
to fail! She then does that tight walk you have to do in
stadiums where everyone has to stand to let you through.

EMBER WADE
Excuse me. Sorry. Pardon. Oh (greeting friends)
sorry. Fire girl coming Jimmy, what’s up? Wendy! How
through. good is it to be here?

The Water Elements start to boil as she passes -- she’s

desperate not to hurt anyone.

They take their seats behind Gale’s box. Gale yells at the
game, getting THUNDERY.

GALE
Break some wind!!

Ember clears her throat and calls to her:

WADE
Hi Gale. How you doing?

Gale glances back at her.

GALE
Look at the score. What do you
think??

She turns back to the game with a rumble.

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GALE
Blow the BALL not the GAME!

EMBER
(breath)
Yeah, so uh, Gale. My name is Ember
Lumen. My family runs a Fire
shop... Wade wrote us a bunch of
tickets yesterday and--

BUZZER! Game going south. Gale gets stormier, her winds blow
in Ember and Wade’s faces.

GALE
What kind of call was that??!!
(half-paying attention)
Lumen? Yeah, Fire shop with thirty
citations...

EMBER
(shocked to Wade)
Thirty??

Wade shrugs apologetically. Ember turns back to Gale.

EMBER
Anyway, friend, I was hoping we
could work something out--

BUZZER again! Gale erupts.

GALE
Come on Ref! ARE YOUR EYES IN THE
BACK OF YOUR HEAD??

The AIR REF’S eyes literally pop out the back of his head as
he GLARES at Gale.

WADE
Oh no!

But not reading the mood, Ember tries again.

EMBER
Yeah bummer, aww yeah. Okay, so the
30 citations--

Gale whips around to face Ember, annoyed.

GALE
Do you mind? There’s a GAME going
on.

As she turns back toward the game,

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GALE
Fireball.

This gets to Ember. Her flame starts to spark and roil.

EMBER
Fireball?

She steps in front of Gale’s box, between her and the game.

EMBER
(getting annoyed)
Actually, I do mind. This is my
LIFE we’re talking about. Not just
some game.

Gale THUNDERS huge with LIGHTNING.

GALE
“Some game?” This is the PLAYOFFS.
So forgive me if I don’t want to
hear a sob story about the problems
of some little shop.

Ember’s flames get bigger too. We see licks of PURPLE.

EMBER
Well that “little shop” matters WAY
more than a bunch of over-paid
cloud puffs blowing some ball
around.

Ember and Gale are nose to nose.

GALE
I dare you. Say “cloud puffs” one
more time.

EMBER
(in her face)
Cloud. Puffs.

Ember blows away Gale’s nose. Gale furious, growls back.

Ember’s fire ROARS. They angrily stare each other down as

tension quickly builds.

The crowd boos.

WADE
Oh no!

Gale’s eyes dart to the game.

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Huh?? Ember looks to the game.

WADE
Lutz!

LUTZ, one of the players, tries to block the play but fails.

The home team is scored on again. As the crowd boos, Lutz’s

spirit sinks.

WADE
Lutz man, he’s been in such a funk
‘cause his mom has been sick.

Lutz has the ball stolen from him. The crowd keeps booing.

WADE
That is so not cool. He’s doing his
best.

Wade suddenly stands and shouts.

WADE
We love you Lutz!

Ember ducks and looks away from him.

WADE
LUUUUTZ!

Wade starts gesturing to the fans around him to join the

chant.

WADE
We love you Lutz! We love you Lutz!
C’mon! We love you Lutz! Everybody!

CROWD WADE
We love you Lutz! We love you (with the crowd)
Lutz! We love you Lutz! We We love you Lutz! We love you
love you Lutz! Lutz! We love you Lutz! We
love you Lutz!

Lutz looks over at their section, clearly touched.

The whole stadium picks up the cheer. Then Wade starts an

ACTUAL WAVE of Water People that goes all the way around the
stadium.

WADE
Whooooooaaaaa...

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CROWD
(doing a wave)
Whooooooaaaaa...

Ember opens her umbrella just as the wave SPLASHES OVER them.

ON THE COURT, Lutz is energized.

He blasts up to the top of the stadium and SLAMS the ball

into the net for a score. The crowd goes wild.

Ember even gets caught up in the moment. It’s a stadium

ELECTRIFIED!

EMBER
(cheering)
Ah, yes! Yes!

WADE
(cheering, celebrating,
tearing up)
Woo! Way to go Lutz!

Lutz holds his arms up - success!

WADE
(cheering)
Yeah Lutz! That was amazing Lutz!

Wade high-fives everyone around them.

WADE
(high-fiving)
Uh! Yeah! Yeah! Yes!

Ember looks at Wade, amazed at what he just did.

WADE
Woo hoo!

Wade tries to high five her, she instinctively leans away.

WADE
Oh.

He high fives himself.

EXT. CYCLONE STADIUM - LATER

JUMP AHEAD to the front entrance. Rowdy Elements pour out of

the stadium, cheering.

We find Gale celebrating. Ember walks next to her.

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GALE
Wohoo! What a comeback!

REVEAL Wade covered head to toe in Windbreakers merch,

including two foam hands, a puffy wig and cloud-shaped
glasses.

WADE
Check out who found the gift shop!
Woo!

Ember does a double-take at Wade with a smile... this guy is

ridiculous, then to Gale:

EMBER WADE
I gotta admit that WAS pretty (still celebrating)
cool. Uh! Yeah!

GALE
You can see why I can get all
churned up. But as a “cloud puff”
who used to come here with her dad,
these wins mean a little bit more.

EMBER
And as a “Fireball” who’s supposed
to take over her dad’s shop...
(softening, not easy to
say)
...I sure don’t want to let him
down... and I could use a win too.

Ember’s letting her guard down a little.

EMBER
Now I just gotta stop water from
coming in--

GALE
WATER? In FIRETOWN?

EMBER
Yeah?

GALE
Water was shut off to there YEARS
ago. Forget the tickets, I’m gonna
have to TAKE APART YOUR DAD’S SHOP
to figure out what’s going on!!

EMBER
YOU CAN’T! My dad put his WHOLE
LIFE into that place!

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GALE
(angry detective, to
Wade)
ARGG. I bet this is connected to
that fluffin’ leak.

WADE
(to a freaked out Ember)
Yeah, we’ve been trying to track
down a leak in the city. It’s why I
was in the canal and--WAIT!!
(to Gale)
I know where I got sucked into
Ember’s shop! Ember and I could
track the water from her shop to
find the SOURCE OF THE LEAK!

GALE
Keep talking.

WADE
I could call in a city crew to fix
whatever we find.

EMBER
(getting on board)
Yes! And there’d be no need to
touch my dad’s shop!

Gale thinks, then smiles at their hopeful faces.

GALE
You’re lucky you’re a cute couple.

EMBER
Oh, we’re not a--

GALE
You got until FRIDAY. If you can
find the leak and get a crew to fix
it by then those tickets are
forgiven. If not? YOUR DAD’S SHOP
gets shut down.

Ember feels the weight of this. Gale flies up into the

flowing air crowd, hooting, cheering:

GALE
WOOHOO! BREAK WIND! BREAK WIND!

EMBER
Thank you!

Ember exhales... she got a reprieve. She looks to Wade.

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EMBER
Please take all that off.

WADE
But I got you a hat!

Wade puts the hat on Ember’s head. We go wide to see a huge

plume of fire and smoke explode above her.

Back on them, that hat is gone and Wade’s outfit is singed.

WADE
Okay.

INT/EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - NIGHT

Ember and Wade walk up to the shop.

EMBER
Just keep outta sight, okay? It'd
be a whole thing.

They hear Bernie from inside the shop, he’s livid.

BERNIE
Now water upstairs?? It’s in the
walls.

Ember and Wade peer through a window. They watch as Bernie

rips away a piece of wall revealing a leaking pipe.

BERNIE
I don’t understand! I fix one pipe
and another one leaks!

Bernie pushes the Blue Flame away from the leak.

BERNIE
Ah, water!

Bernie throws open the window. Coughing and letting smoke

out. Ember and Wade plaster themselves to the wall. Bernie
leaves the window.

EMBER
(whispered)
How could it be worse?

WADE
Now that water’s back, the pressure
is forcing it up to ALL your pipes.

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EMBER
We gotta find the source!

They crouch down and peer into the basement.

EMBER
How did you even end up here?

We follow a pipe going from the shop to the culvert and into
the floor of the canal.

WADE
Well, I was in the canals checking
the doors for leaks...

EXT. CULVERT WORKSITE - FLASHBACK - DAY

Wade, wearing a hard hat, stands near CULVERT DOORS, and a

LARGE PUDDLE.

WADE (V.O.)
When I found some water that
shouldn’t have been there...

He dips his finger in the puddle and tastes the water...

WADE
(smacks lips)
...rusty, with a hint of-- motor
oil?

SUDDENLY there is a RUSH of water. Wade is SWEPT OFF HIS FEET

and SUCKED into a drain.

WADE (V.O.)
There was this WHOOSH of water.

WADE
AHHHH!

WADE (V.O.)
And I got sucked into a filtering
system...

Wade is knocked around a filtering system.

WADE
Help!

THEN BAM! He’s JAMMED into a pipe that’s clogged with DEBRIS.

WADE (V.O.)
But then I heard this explosion...

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SUDDENLY there’s the VIBRATION that shook the pipe when Ember
exploded.

EMBER (O.S.)
AHHHHHH!

Wade’s eyes grow in terror as he ALSO vibrates. The debris

breaks up and FOOMP he’s sucked in.

WADE
AHHHH!

On Wade’s face as he bursts out of a pipe. Behind him we see,

through the distortion of the water, a blurry Ember...

WADE (O.S.)
That’s how I ended up at your
place.

EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - BACK TO SCENE

Ember and Wade are where we left them.

EMBER
(dawning)
Oh flame, my temper caused this.

Ember looks down the seemingly endless canals.

EMBER
(overwhelmed by the odds)
So we’re searching for water
“somewhere” in a canal?? Those
canals go EVERYWHERE.

WADE
It’s why tracking down that leak
has been so dang hard.

EMBER
(gets an idea)
The roof.

CUT TO:

EXT. ROOF OF BERNIE’S SHOP - SHORTLY AFTER

Ember pulls a tarp off of the roof. Then, she melts a LARGE
old chimney SMOKE CAP off it’s stand. It topples over, almost
hitting Wade. She attaches the tarp to the upside down smoke
cap.

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EMBER
You might want to step back.

She climbs into the cap and flares up super bright and hot.
The tarp inflates like a hot air balloon. Wade is astonished.

WADE
Holy dew drop!

EMBER
Shh. Get in.

Wade scurries and climbs in as it starts to RISE. He stares

at Ember with WONDER.

They float above the rooftops of Firetown. It’s gorgeous.

Wade admires Ember’s blaze. They’re so close, his arm starts
to boil. He takes a step away from her.

We see the spot he was sucked in, there’s a puddle.

WADE
Okay that’s where I got sucked in.

The camera PANS up the canal, following a trail of puddles.

WADE
More water. Go that way!

Ember turns the balloon to follow the puddles. They pass a

building... we hear giggles.

EARTH PRUNER 1
(giggle)
Right there.

As they pass a darkened window, Ember’s light illuminates two

EARTH ELEMENTS picking each other’s fruit. They FREEZE,
caught.

EARTH PRUNER 2
(giggle)
Oh!

EARTH PRUNER 1
Nothing weird going on here.

EARTH PRUNER 2
Uh, just a little pruning.

Wade and Ember stare as they float away. After a beat they
turn to each other and burst out laughing.

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A moment of connection. Wade looks at Ember’s amazing fire.

She catches him, her light refracting in his water.

WADE
So, uh, what do you do at the shop
if you don’t mind me asking?

EMBER
My dad’s retiring and I’ll be
taking over. Some day, when I’m
ready.

They float past glittering skyscrapers.

WADE
It must be nice knowing what you’re
gonna do. After my dad passed I got
all “what’s the point?” Now I just
go from one job to the next.

Ember gives him a sympathetic look.

EMBER
There’s a word in Firish. Tìshók'.
It means embrace the light while it
burns, cause it won’t always last
forever.

Wade processes and tries to repeat it.

WADE
(quietly butchers it)
Tee shook...

EMBER
(small smile, he’s way
off)
Or something like that.

BUT, just then, they round a large building revealing an

older section of town. Ember sees a large, ornate but rundown
building. Her face drops. Wade see it.

WADE
You okay?

EMBER
(no)
Yeah.

WADE
You sure?

She decides to open up, and points to the building.

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EMBER
It’s just... that building over
there? That’s Garden Central
Station.

EXT. GARDEN CENTRAL STATION - FLASHBACK - DAY

We GO TO a FLASHBACK of GARDEN CENTRAL STATION. There’s a big

SIGN advertising a Vivisteria Tree -- a rare and exotic
plant. YOUNG EMBER, holding BERNIE’S hand, excitedly runs up
to the entrance.

EMBER (V.O.)
When I was a kid, my dad took me
there because they had a VIVISTERIA
tree. I’d ALWAYS wanted to see one.
It’s the only flower that can
thrive in ANY environment. Fire
included.

They get in line with other ELEMENTS, eager for the exhibit.

EMBER (V.O.)
I was so excited.

They approach the doors. But before they enter a GUARD stops
them.

EMBER (V.O.)
But they said our Fire was too
dangerous and they wouldn’t let us
in.

The guard points to a “NO FIRE ALLOWED” SIGN. Bernie is

FURIOUS. He yells and the guard yells back.

BERNIE
Tsh’à ts’ shâ sh pfùkh!

GUARD
Go back to Fire Land!

EVERYBODY laughs. Some jeer.

MUSEUM GOERS
(laughing, jeering)
Burn somewhere else! / Get outta
here!

EMBER (V.O.)
My dad was so angry, and
embarrassed.

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CLOSE UP: Young Ember scared.

INT. HOT AIR BALLOON - BACK TO SCENE

Ember and Wade are where we left them. We’re close on Ember,
her eyes burning with anger at the memory.

EMBER
The building flooded a few years
later. So I missed my one chance to
see a Vivisteria.

She turns to Wade. And to her surprise, he’s tearing up.

WADE
You must have been SO scared.

This takes Ember back, and momentarily disarms her. Almost as

a kid she says:

EMBER
(softly)
I was.

THEN, she shakes it off, almost annoyed and amazed.

EMBER
How do you do that?

WADE
Do what?

EMBER
Draw people in! You got a whole
stadium to connect with you. I-- I
can’t even connect with ONE
customer. My stupid temper always
kicks in.

WADE
I guess I just say what I feel.

Ember deflates --this does not resonate at all.

WADE
And I don’t think a temper is so
bad. Sometimes when I lose MY
temper... I think it’s just ME
trying to tell me something I’m not
ready to hear.

EMBER
That’s ridiculous.

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WADE
Maybe...

Suddenly Wade sees something! His eyes GROW with excitement.

He points!

WADE
Hey, there! Put us down there!

EXT. CULVERT - SHORTLY AFTER

They land in the culvert and climb out and approach two GIANT
WOODEN CULVERT DOORS that are broken and ajar. There’s a
gaping hole where they should meet.

WADE
That’s not right.

Wade dips his finger in some standing water and tastes it.

WADE
Motor oil!
(then chipper)
Yup, this is the source!

They walk through the doors to investigate and head toward

the main canal.

EMBER
Why’s there no water?

WADE
Because the doors are broken. This
is supposed to catch spillover from
those main canals and--

Just then a giant cruise-liner rolls by and it’s wake

triggers a small tsunami over the canal walls.

WADE
--RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!

Ember and Wade run toward the culvert doors. Ember jumps
through and climbs the door to RELATIVE safety, but Wade is
caught on the other side, holding desperately to a broken
part of the door.

WADE
Ahhhh! Help! Ahhhh!!!

Thinking fast, Ember melts a piece of rebar off the door.

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EMBER
Uh...

She thrusts it toward him.

EMBER
Grab this!

With great effort, Ember pulls Wade to safety.

She looks at where the water is headed -- in the distance we

can see the smoky tops of Firetown’s buildings.

EMBER
(to herself)
Firetown!

She spots a pile of SANDBAGS on the raised edge of the canal.

Without hesitation she leaps over the water and climbs to the
bags, grabs one and calls out to Wade:

EMBER
Catch!!

She swings the sandbag and throws it down to him.

Wade turns just as the bag arrives BAM, knocking him to the
ground. He gets up and, moving against the flow of water,
carries the sandbag toward the doors. Ember lifts another.

Water is still pouring through the gates. Ember stops to

watch Wade. He holds a sand bag under one arm and uses his
free arm to press against the deluge. His body undulates and
he starts to grow in size as water fills him up! With super
strength, he pushes back the flow.

Ember watches from above, impressed. Wade heaves the sand bag
at the base of the door opening. He’s now ENORMOUS,
waterlogged but powerful. He calls up to Ember.

WADE
Ember! Throw me more!

They start to pile more sandbags. Ember throwing them down

and Wade stacking them up.

When the pile is high and the water stopped, they place the
last bag together.

They finish... Ember, looks at the sandbags, concerned.

EMBER
So, will this hold?

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Wade pushes against the bags, testing the strength.

WADE
Yup.

He turns to Ember. We see he has a clump of sand in his face.

She can’t help but look at it as he talks:

WADE
It should for sure. At least long
enough for me to get a city crew to
fix it before Friday.
(sees she’s staring)
What?

EMBER
You’ve got a little... sand.

Wade touches his face.

WADE
Oh. Here? Here?

Ember points and reaches toward him, she almost touches his
cheek.

EMBER
It’s.. right there.

Ember pulls her hand away.

EMBER
Um...

Wade reaches into his face and pulls it out.

WADE
Oh. Thanks.

They keep eye contact. It’s almost intimate. Ember breaks

away from it.

EMBER
Well... let me know when it’s done
I guess.

WADE
I’ll make sure there’s a city crew
here by Friday.

EMBER
Okay, see ya.

She turns and starts to walk off. Wade blurts out after:

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WADE
Wait!

Ember turns back.

WADE
Any chance you’re free tomorrow? To
hang out with a Water guy?

EMBER
With a Water guy? My dad would boil
you alive.

WADE
He doesn’t have to know! We could
meet in the city. I promise nothing
weird... maybe a little pruning?

EMBER
Sorry. That’s not going to happen.

ON Ember as Wade, hopeful, watches her walk out of frame.

WADE
You smiled! I saw it! Tomorrow!
I’ll be at the Alkali Theater.
Three o’clock!

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - NEXT AFTERNOON

Flarry and Flarrietta sit at their regular table, playing

Fire chess. Suddenly a drip of water falls from a pipe into
Flarry’s mug. They react:

FLARRY
Oh! Your ceiling is dripping again.

Bernie GRUMBLES.

BERNIE
More leaks?

Ember hurries over and gets on the table to melts the pipe
shut.

EMBER
Don’t worry. This whole problem is
going away. I can feel it.

She then sees the CLOCK, it’s 3:00. She hops off the table.

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EMBER
And since we’re all good, I am also
going away... to do deliveries!

Bernie smiles as Ember rushes out. She passes Cinder on the

way. INSTANTLY Cinder starts sniffing the air.

CINDER
Do I smell something on... EMBER??

She smiles HUGE.

EXT. BERNIE'S SHOP - RIGHT AFTER

Ember hurries out the door, checks to make sure nobody is

following her, then turns to find herself face to face with
Clod.

CLOD
Yo Ember!

She jumps, startled, busted.

EMBER
Ah! Clod!

CLOD
I grew another one...

He lifts his arm and, with great effort, a tiny flower pops
out.

CLOD
Ow!

He picks the bud and offers it to Ember.

CLOD
My queen.

She touches the flower -- POOF!

EMBER
Oops, sorry! But, gotta go.

She hurries off.

BEGIN MONTAGE that spans several days:

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EXT. ELEMENT CITY - ALKALI THEATER

Wade waits for Ember outside the movie theater. The marquis
says “TIDE & PREJUDICE.” Wade lights up when he sees Ember
coming. Overwhelmed, he starts to get teary. Ember cringes a
bit. He pulls it together and they head in.

INT. ALKALI THEATER

Ember and Wade are in their seats. When the lights dim, the
rest of the audience scowls at Ember’s glow. She tightens her
hood and sinks low in her seat.

EXT. ELEMENT CITY STREET - PHOTO BOOTH

Wade and Ember stop at a photo booth. They take a series of

photos. When the prints come out we see Ember’s light has
completely blown out the exposure. All we can make out is two
sets of eyeballs.

INT. ELEMENT CITY BUILDING - ELEVATOR

Wade and Ember board an elevator. As other passengers get on,

they’re forced closer and closer together. The doors close.
As the elevator goes up, they’re almost touching. Wade starts
to bubble a little.

INT. OBSERVATION DECK - CONTINUOUS

They exit the elevator to an observation deck and look out on

the city. A group of kids comes up next to them-- they are a
little nervous about her fire. Ember blows smoke rings that
become silly faces on the nearby buildings. The kids cheer
and Ember takes a bow. Wade watches adoringly. When Ember
looks back at him, he tries to play it cool.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - DAY

Ember is at the counter with an open notebook, drawing sign

ideas. Lifting the book, she steals a peek at the photo strip
of her and Wade. The Sparkler Customer steps up to the
counter and lights a sparkler before buying it. Ember grabs
the sparkler from him and begins to roil. But she quickly
composes herself with a breath and calmly hands the sparkler
back to the customer.

As she looks down to steal a look at the picture of Wade,

Bernie walks up, startling her.

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He almost caught her looking at the photo but she covers it

up with a smile. When he walks away, Ember sighs with relief.

Ember crosses off. Cinder darts into frame and sniffs.

She then lifts Ember’s book and looks at the picture,

excited, intrigued.

CINDER
Who IS this guy??

EXT. OUTDOOR CAFE - DAY

Ember and Wade sit at a outdoor cafe in a courtyard. A WAITER

drops off two large mugs full of PINK LIQUID. Wade downs his
in one gulp and turns purple. Ember goes to drink hers, but
the drink boils away before it hits her mouth. Wade laughs.

Suddenly, people around them start dancing. It’s a FLASH MOB!

Wade pops up and starts bouncing his stomach to the music. He
gets Ember to join him in the dance. Other dancers start
coupling off. Wade extends his hand to Ember. Ember backs
away. She wants to take it, but knows she can’t. Another
dancer knocks Wade backward into the base of a fountain. He
reappears spouting out the top. He strikes an elegant pose.
Ember smiles.

END MONTAGE

EXT. MINERAL LAKE - DAY

Ember and Wade walk around MINERAL LAKE. Crystals of minerals

grow along the shore. Suddenly, Ember’s flame turns GREEN.

WADE
Whoa.

Pan down to reveal she’s standing on a crystal.

WADE
How’d you do that?

She picks up a crystal.

EMBER
It’s the minerals.
(then)
Check this out.

Showing off, she twirls onto another crystal and her flame
turns PINK.

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WADE
Awesome!

Ember runs along the shore. Hopping between crystals, her

fire changing into all the colors of the rainbow.

WADE
Wow.

Smitten and wanting to share, Wade glances toward the water.

WADE
Watch this!

He runs onto the surface of the lake and then skids spraying
a fine mist into the air, creating a rainbow. He comes to a
stop, standing in the water. She looks at him, aglow.

EXT. FIRETOWN - EVENING

Ember, deep in thought and glowing from the dates, walks

under the elevated train which whizzes by creating a wall of
water. She reaches out to touch it... could she? Is it
possible?

But she hesitates. The wall of water dissipates, revealing

the shop. It’s like reality interjecting in the moment. Ember
heads to the shop.

EXT. CULVERT - THE NEXT DAY

Water trickles through the sandbags. Then a gush, as more

water pours through and heads to Firetown. Clearly the bags
didn’t hold.

EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - LATER

A steady stream of water runs through the culvert outside the

shop.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - SAME TIME

Bernie struggles to make coal nuts.

He turns to see Ember helping a customer with a smile on her

face.

FIRISH CUSTOMER
Sòbê sh sfá.

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EMBER
Another?

FIRISH CUSTOMER
Ìshkshá.

Ember reaches for a bottle on the top shelf but suddenly

there’s a RUMBLE and the shop shakes.

An exposed pipe bursts. Water shoots out toward the Blue

Flame. Bernie and Ember spring into action.

EMBER
No no no no no no!

BERNIE
The water is back?!

They hurry to move the Blue Flame. Bernie starts to cough.

Ember runs to melt the pipe together when we hear from O.S...

DELIVERY PERSON (O.S.)

Ember Lumen? Delivery for Ember
Lumen?

A DELIVERY PERSON enters with SIX VASES of flowers. And ine

one of the vases Ember sees TWO EYES! Oh no! It’s Wade!

Cinder is so giddy some guy has sent Ember flowers, she

doesn’t notice the eyes.

CINDER
Flowers for Ember?

Ember quickly finishes repairing the pipe. She runs over to

collect the flowers before anyone notices.

EMBER
(rushing)
Oh excuse me. Hehe, these are
beautiful. I’m gonna go put these
away.

Arms full, she kicks open the basement door and darts into
the basement...

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - BASEMENT - CONTINUOUS

...where she puts the vases on the floor. She hisses at Wade:

EMBER
What are you doing here?

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As Wade explains, he pours the water from the other vases

into his head. With each pour he grows taller and reforms.

WADE
I got bad news. The sand bags
didn’t hold.

EMBER
Uh, obviously!

WADE
Yeah. And I also got worse news.

Almost back to form, he pulls his shirt into place and plucks
flowers out of his head.

WADE
I’d forgotten a TINY detail about
the last time I saw that city crew.

INT. CONSTRUCTION SITE - FLASHBACK - DAY

Wade is being scolded by his Earth Element EX-BOSS:

EX-BOSS
You knocked over three tons of
cement dust. Half the guys still
haven’t recovered...

REVEAL a group of angry WATER CONSTRUCTION WORKERS covered in

cement, frozen like statues. All they can do is blink.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - BACK TO SCENE

Ember and Wade are where we left them.

WADE
...I guess you could say they still
have HARD feelings. Heh heh.
Because they won’t help us.

EMBER
Wade, Gale’s deadline is tomorrow.
We need more sandbags.

WADE
But that didn’t work before.

EMBER
Well I can’t just do NOTHING!!

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JUST THEN the basement door opens. It’s Bernie, coming down
the stairs.

BERNIE
Ember, did you fix leak?

Bernie sees Wade.

BERNIE
Huh? It’s you again!!

WADE
Who, me?

BERNIE
You’re guy who started all this!

Bernie grabs a poker and swings at Wade.

WADE
(high pitched yell)
Ahhh!

EMBER
No, dad! Different guy. Not all
water looks alike.

BERNIE
(sees Wades badge)
You are city inspector?

WADE
Uhh-

EMBER
No!
(prompting Wade)
Right??

WADE
Right. I am not an inspector.

Wade puts his hand over his badge, but his water MAGNIFIES
the word “INSPECTOR.” He tries again putting his other hand
on top but it just magnifies the word even bigger.

BERNIE
You ARE inspector. Why you poking
around? Is this because of water
leak?

EMBER
No! Not because of water in ANY
way.

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EMBER
He’s a different kind of inspector.
Right??

WADE
Yeah, yeah... I’m a... I'm a...
FOOD inspector. I’ve come to
inspect your food.

BERNIE
(annoyed, suspicious)
Hmmm.
(sotto to Ember)
I think he’s lying through his
feet.

EMBER
(correcting him)
Teeth.

BERNIE
Whatever!
(to Wade)
Food upstairs. Come.

Bernie walks out. Ember shoots Wade a look.

EMBER
(hissing)
Food inspector??

WADE
I panicked!

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - RIGHT AFTER

Bernie stands behind the counter, eyeing Wade on the other

side.

BERNIE
You really food inspector?

WADE
As far as you know, yeah.

Bernie SLAMS a plate of burning kol-nuts on the counter in

front of Wade. Wade gulps.

BERNIE
Then inspect THIS.

EMBER
Dad...

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BERNIE
Ê... shútsh.

Wade leans over the plate and quickly sniffs.

WADE
Yep, all looks good to me.

BERNIE
No no no no. Inspect with your
mouth.

Bernie takes a big bite and blows fire.

Wade, terrified, scoops a kol-nut into a spoon and

reluctantly brings it to his mouth. He blows on it, then
takes his first flaming bite-- it sizzles all the way down
his throat.

Flarry, Flarrietta and other customers watch, holding their

breath.

The coal reaches his belly. Suddenly, Wade screams in pain.

He quickly clamps his hands over his mouth to cover. But a
giant bubble grows in his body and rises to his head and
floats out of his mouth.

The bubble floats across the shop and hits Bernie in the
head. It POPS:

WADE
AHHHHHHHHHHH!

Ember tries to cover.

EMBER
You see? He likes it.

Wade coughs, miserable, but smiles and gives a thumbs up.

BERNIE
You must try these. Straight from
Fire Land.

Bernie pours a pile of coals onto Wade’s plate. Ember

realizes what her dad is up to.

EMBER
Dad. Those are too hot.

WADE
(croaks)
I’m okay. I love hot food.

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Wade’s in too deep. He takes another bite of flaming coals.

His head quickly fills with huge air bubbles that immediately
POP out of his face and force him backwards. He falls into
shelf, spilling water all over the shop.

BERNIE
Hey! Watch your water!
(then)
So, did we pass?

WADE
Mmmhmmm. A-plus.
(tastes his mouth, then)
Actually... After the heat dies
down, that’s really good.
(has an idea)
If you don’t mind...

Wade grabs a mug and scoops up more kol-nuts. He then drips

water on top of them with his finger. The coals go out with a
HISS.

Ember realizes what Wade is doing and tries to get his

attention and wave him off.

EMBER
Mmmm mmmmm!

Bernie watches, getting increasingly annoyed. Wade drinks.

WADE
(lip smacks)
See, it’s really tasty if you water
it down a little--

Bad choice of words, Bernie EXPLODES.

BERNIE
Water us down? Water us down?!!
Where’s camera?!

Bernie pulls out a camera and snaps a photo of Wade’s

terrified face.

BERNIE
We will NEVER be watered down by
you. Get out!!

Ember hurries out from behind the counter.

EMBER
Alright, sir. You gotta go.

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Wade sets the mug down and rushes for the exit.

Bernie huffs and swears in Firish.

BERNIE
Ìsh ì k’áì pó?!

EMBER
Dad, don’t worry. I’ve got this.

BERNIE
Khshkff fì íkht’ shíbù áù!

Ember runs out after Wade.

EXT. BERNIE'S SHOP - CONTINUOUS

JUST OUTSIDE THE DOOR, Ember catches Wade:

EMBER
(with resolve)
Look, meet me at the beach and
we’ll make more sandbags. We have
to figure out how to fix those
doors.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - CONTINUOUS

BACK INSIDE THE SHOP, Ember finds Bernie still seething.

BERNIE
Water want to water us down? Then
water no longer allowed in shop!

He slams Wade’s photo onto the wall under a sign, “BANNED.”

BERNIE
He is panned!

EMBER
(correcting him)
Um... banned.

BERNIE
Banned!

Agitated, he starts coughing dark smoke. It’s the WORST

COUGHING FIT we’ve seen from him to date. Ember rushes to
comfort him.

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EMBER
Àshfá, it’s okay. It’s all going to
be okay.

Ember, not so sure it’s going to be okay, looks at Wade’s

photo, concerned.

EXT. BEACH - SUNSET

On the beach, the sun sets over the water. Ember shovels sand
while Wade holds the bag open.

WADE
I don’t think this is going to
work.

EMBER
Well it won’t unless you hold the
bag straight.

WADE
Maybe your dad will understand.

Ember SCOFFS and keeps shoveling.

WADE
I’m serious. Look, I know it can be
tough. I mean with my dad... we
were like oil and water.
(deep regret)
I never got a chance to fix that.
(then)
But you guys are different. It
might be time to tell him.

EMBER
(increasing intensity)
Yeah, right. And tell him what??
That I got us shut down and
DESTROYED HIS DREAM??

On “dream” she FLARES PURPLE, melts the shovel and lets out a
yell. Then collapses to her knees, distraught, her shields
down.

Her fire slows down and dims to a candlelight, soft, gentle.

It’s like we’re seeing her INNER light... the same light from
when she was vulnerable in front of city hall. Caustics
reflect around her.

And then the truth:

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EMBER
I think I’m failing.
(then)
My Àshfá should have retired YEARS
ago but he doesn’t think I’m ready.
You have no idea how hard they’ve
worked or what they’ve had to
endure, the family they left
behind...
(beat, her big question)
How do you repay a sacrifice that
big? It all feels like a burden...
How can I say that?

She hangs her head.

EMBER
I’m a bad daughter.

WADE
Hey, no. You’re doing your best.

She shakes this off, not ready to go deeper, then gets

uncomfortable with the fragility she is showing Wade.

EMBER
(sniff)
I’m a mess.

She tries to collect herself and blaze up to cover her

vulnerable light, but before she can:

WADE
Nah, I think you’re even more
beautiful.

Ember smiles back at him, her flame growing bright again. She
looks out at the ocean, the sun meets the horizon.

EMBER
Maybe you’re right when you said my
temper is me trying to tell me
something.

Wade notices where Ember is sitting, the sand is molten.

WADE
Whoa, look what your fire did to
the sand. It’s glass.

Ember breaks off a piece of the glass, melting it in her

hands. She forms it into a sphere and uses her fire to create
a design inside, what she feels -- a fragile Vivisteria
flower.

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WADE WATCHES mesmerized.

WADE
It looks like a Vivisteria flower.

SUDDENLY Ember has a realization.

EMBER
I know how to seal those doors.

She hops up and runs off, leaving the glass Vivisteria in the
sand.

EXT. CULVERT - LATER THAT NIGHT

It’s dark. Ember takes a deep breath and then puts her hand
on the stack of sand bags holding the doors shut.

There’s an EXPLOSION of LIGHT and GLASS as Ember melts the

sand bags and begins to seal the culvert door the newly
created glass. But this is unlike anything we’ve seen from
her... she’s joyous, OWNING the experience... it’s almost
like watching a dance or someone paint with passion. She
seems free and alive and is GLOWING with JOY... and her light
is vulnerable, beautiful.

Wade can’t help but try to take it all in -- the glass, the
caustics, her light.

EMBER
Yes!

When she finishes, she and Wade stand back and admire her
work. Ember is out of breath but her light is peaceful.

Wade bites his lip trying hard not to cry.

EMBER
(scoff)
Are you crying?

WADE
Yes. I’ve just never been punched
in the face with beauty before.

They share a moment. Suddenly the earth VIBRATES.

An enormous boat passes through the canal, sending sheets of

water into the culvert.

They look to the glass as water RUSHES in... they’re poised

to run, and take a couple steps back. But the glass holds.

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It SPLASHES, then settles, only filling the very bottom of

the culvert behind the doors.

EMBER
It worked!

WADE
I’ll have Gale come by right after
work. I’ll let you know the second
I hear anything.

EMBER
You think this'll be good enough
for her?

WADE
Honestly?
(concerned)
It’s hard to know. She could go
either way.

Ember nods, nervous. Wade takes something out of his pocket.

WADE
(remembering)
Oh. Here... I saved this for you.

He hands her the glass Vivisteria. Ember takes it in her

hand.

WADE
It’s special.

EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - THE NEXT EVENING

Shimmering rays of light spill out of an upstairs window.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - EMBER’S ROOM - CONTINUOUS

And we see the light’s source: Ember sits on her bed,

secretly looking at the glass Vivisteria. Her light refracts
through it and dances on the walls.

Suddenly, she hears Bernie coughing downstairs. She quickly

gets up.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - RIGHT AFTER

Ember runs down the stairs to see Bernie repairing a water-

damaged wall. He’s exhausted.

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EMBER
Àshfá, you okay?

He sees her and smiles.

BERNIE
Yes. Yes. Just too much to fix.

Ember pulls over a metal can and sits.

EMBER
I’ll take care of it. YOU need to
rest. And that’s an order.

Bernie salutes.

BERNIE
Yes, ma’am.

They share a laugh. Then Bernie sits and takes his daughter’s
hands in his own. This is a big moment for him.

BERNIE
Ember, I see a change in you.
Happier. Calmer with customers, and
with that...
(with disgust)
...food inspector.

He gestures to PHOTO of Wade on the “BANNED!” board.

BERNIE
Always putting shop first. You
prove I can trust you.

They stand and Bernie heads for the stairs. He stops to

cough, then turns back to Ember.

BERNIE
I’m so lucky I have you.

He goes upstairs. Ember smiles lovingly. All she wants is to

please him. Then her face falls. She pulls out the “going out
of business” flyer from Fern, then turns to the picture of
Wade on the board. SUDDENLY:

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - CINDER’S MATCHMAKING OFFICE

Dozing Cinder suddenly sits BOLT UPRIGHT and sniffs.

CINDER
Love!

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EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - LATER

Ember gently closes the shop door and sneaks to her scooter
and drives off, quietly. JUST THEN, Cinder exits the shop,
sniffing. Her eyes dart around, suspicious.

She turns in the direction Ember rode off and follows the
scent.

EXT. WATER DISTRICT - WADE’S MOM’S APARTMENT - NIGHT

Ember parks her scooter and approaches the entrance to a

tall, waterfall covered apartment building. She gulps at the
splendor.

As she approaches a WATER DOORMAN, Wade shows up and opens

the door. He’s THRILLED to see her.

WADE
Ember! You found it! Everything ok?

EMBER
Please tell me that you have some
good news from Gale.

EMBER
I'm getting really worried about my
dad. This has to break my way.

WADE
Yeah, I haven’t heard from her yet,
but she SWORE she’d call tonight.
(then)
Actually, my family stopped by for
dinner? You, want to come up and
wait for the call together?

Ember pauses. Meet the family? That feels like a new step...

EMBER
Your family?

AROUND THE CORNER, unseen by Wade and Ember, Cinder sniffs,

still tracking Ember’s trail.

She suddenly stops in her tracks. She sees Ember talking to

SOMEBODY -- but from her POV, she can’t see who.

EMBER
Um... okay, I’ll come up for a bit.

Cinder ducks, peering over a ledge.

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BACK WITH Ember and Wade: the DOORMAN opens the front door
and tips his hat. It’s pretty ritzy.

EMBER
I’m sorry... You LIVE here?

WADE
It’s my mom’s place.

EMBER
Oh my gosh.

Wade and Ember enter. Hot on their tail, Cinder hurries up to

the building and tries to enter. The Doorman blocks her path.

DOORMAN
I’m afraid I can’t let you in.
Residents and guests only.

Cinder pretends to leave, then suddenly does a spin dodge to

get around the doorman, but he quickly extends him arm
creating a wall of water.

CINDER
Ah, okay. I under-STAND.

Cinder spins again in the other direction, but the Doorman

creates a second wall of water with his other arm.

CINDER
You’re surprisingly good at your
job!

DOORMAN
You’re surprisingly fast for your
age.

CINDER
You have NO idea.

Cinder suddenly spins her fire into a tornado! The Doorman

gulps, concerned.

INT. WADE’S MOM'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS

The door is thrown open and Wade’s mom, BROOK is there,

gushing!

BROOK
Ember! Oh I’m so excited to finally
meet you.
(unsure)
(MORE)

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BROOK (CONT’D)
Do we hug or... wave or... don’t
want to put you out ha ha.

EMBER
Um, a hello is fine.

BROOK
Hardly. Wade hasn’t stopped talking
about you since the day you met.
The boy is smitten!

WADE
Mom!

BROOK
Oh, come on. I’m your mother. I
know when something’s “lighting you
up.” I just didn’t know she’d be so
SMOKEY!

They all laugh. Ember stops sooner... not as funny to her. A

beat.

BROOK
Come this way. Meet the rest of the
family.

Ember starts to follow but is stopped in her tracks when she

sees the apartment is one big swimming pool with floating
furniture.

Brook steps into the pool and Ember hangs behind. It’s an
awkward moment. But, thinking fast, Wade grabs a floaty chair
from the side of the room, and then fetches a welcome mat
from the foyer. He places the mat on the chair. Solution!

Ember cautiously steps onto the floaty. Wade carefully guides

Ember into the living room, when Brook remembers:

BROOK
Oh honey! You won’t believe what
your baby niece did today! She...
she smiled.

Brook starts to tear up which gets Wade going.

WADE
No, she didn’t.

She nods. They both burst into tears. Ember watches, wide-
eyed. What has she gotten herself into??

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INT. WADE'S MOM'S APARTMENT - DINING ROOM - LATER

Ember and Wade follow Brook through a waterfall curtain. Wade

holds his arm above Ember to keep her dry.

We reveal the rest of Wade’s family gathered around an

inflatable dining table. Everyone there is Water. Wade yells
to the room.

WADE
Hey everyone! This is Ember!

Everyone turns to them:

ALAN
Hey!

WADE
That’s my brother Alan and his wife
Eddy.

EDDY
Hi!

ALAN
And we got two kids that are
swimming around here somewhere.
(calling out)
Marco! Polo!

Two heads pops out of the water. One chases the other,
slapping him with a pool noodle.

POLO
Hi Uncle Wade!

Suddenly they see Ember. Whoa. They’ve never been this close
to Fire.

MARCO
Do you die if you fall in water?

Marco starts to shake Ember’s floaty.

EMBER
Whoa!

Wade is furious.

WADE
MARCO!

Alan jumps in.

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ALAN
(to Ember, embarrassed)
Kids. Heh he.
(dead serious)
Don’t hate us.

Alan pulls Marco off and ushers the kids away.

Ember regains her balance and smiles uncomfortably. Wade,

feeling bad, leads Ember and her floaty over to the dinner
table.

WADE
Anyway... that’s my little sib
Lake. And her girlfriend Ghibli.

GHIBLI
‘Sup.

WADE
They’re students at Element City
School For the Arts.

LAKE
Yeah, following in Mom’s wake.

BROOK
Oh nonsense, I’m just an architect.
The real artist is my brother
Harold.

Reveal HAROLD, standing in front of a very large painting.

HAROLD
Oh, I just dabble in water colors.
(dad joke)
Or as we like to call them,
“colors.”

He laughs at his own joke. Brook sets a dish down on the

table and sits. As they talk, everyone takes a seat and the
meal begins.

BROOK
Oh don’t listen to him. He’s a
wonderful painter. One of his
paintings just got in the Element
City Museum’s permanent collection.

EMBER
Wow. That is so cool. My only
talent is “clean up on aisle 4!”

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WADE
Talk about being modest-- Ember’s
got an incredible creative flame!
I’ve never seen anything like it.

Wade looks lovingly toward Ember. Harold jumps in.

HAROLD
(loud and slow)
I just have to say that you speak
SO well and clear--

Wade shoots him a look. Ember keeps her cool.

EMBER
Hmph. Yeah, it’s amazing what
talking in the same language your
entire life can do.

HAROLD
(embarrassed)
Doh!

Alan tries to break the tension.

ALAN
Uh, hey Ember, did Wadey here ever
tell you that he’s deathly afraid
of sponges?

EMBER
(intrigued)
No.

FLASHBACK:

INT. KINDERGARTEN HALLWAY - DAY

WADE (V.O.)
I was traumatized...

A five-year-old Wade is walking down the school hallway when

a janitor drops a large sponge. Curious Wade hangs back and
tentatively pokes it.

Wade reaches out and touches it with his finger-- it

immediately starts to suck in his water. Panicking, he tries
to pull away but the suction is too strong and it soaks him
up entirely!

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Close on the sponge with little Wade’s terrified eyes peering

out.

BACK TO PRESENT:

Everyone except Wade is cracking up, especially Ember.

BROOK
I still can’t use a sponge around
him!

WADE
I was stuck in there for hours!

As he laughs, Alan pours from a glass pitcher, but it slips

out of his hand and SHATTERS.

ALAN
Oh!

BROOK
Alan! That was new!

Ember quickly picks up a couple shards of glass and blows on

them, melting them together.

ALAN
My bad. I’m all whirlpools
tonight...

EMBER
I can fix it.

Without thinking, she gathers all of the pieces and heats

them up, melting it into a glowing ball. She then blows into
it, shaping it, working it.

And we see her light grow vulnerable, prismatic, caustics

shining, just like at the dam. She molds the glass into a
gorgeous, colorful piece of art.

She sets down the pitcher, lost in the moment, and doesn’t
notice that the whole family watching mesmerized. She looks
up:

EMBER
Oh, uhm...

Self-conscious, she ZIPS up her fire.

EMBER
Sorry.

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HAROLD
(blown away)
That... was... incredible.

The family explodes in applause. Ember tries to cover how

flattered she is.

EMBER
It’s just melted glass.

BROOK
Just melted glass? Every building
in the new city is built from “just
melted glass.” Oh no, you have to
do something with that talent.

Ember looks to the city through the floor to ceiling windows -

- it’s glistening with lights, glass... it’s beautiful.

Wade leans to her and whispers.

WADE
See, I told you you’re special.

She smiles. It’s a lovely moment. Then Wade suddenly gets an

idea! An actual bubble floats up through his head...

WADE
(gasp)
Ooh, thought bubble!

WADE
Maybe after dinner we play “The
Crying Game?”

Everyone is thrilled with this suggestion. Ember smirks.

EMBER
Let me guess: you TRY to cry?

WADE
We try NOT to cry.

INT. WADE’S MOM'S APARTMENT - SOON AFTER

Everyone is gathered in the living room. It’s game time. As

Wade turns over an hourglass timer:

WADE
You have one minute. Go!

Brook and Harold face off against each other.

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HAROLD
1979. November. You were--

Brook bursts into tears.

Her team throws their hands up, the other team celebrates.
Ember smiles, this is kinda fun.

BROOK
(bawling)
--Never got a chance to say goodbye
to Nana. Damn, you’re good.

HAROLD
Okay, Ember, Wade, you’re up.

Ember and Wade face off.

EMBER
Yeah this is almost unfair. Because
I have literally never cried. You
got no chance.

WADE
Sounds like a challenge.

As Harold flips the timer:

HAROLD
Ready, go!

WADE
Butterfly. Windshield wipers. Half
a butterfly.

Everyone tears up. Ember is unmoved.

WADE
Okay. An old man on his deathbed.
Remembers the summer he fell in
love. She was out of his league and
he was young and scared.
(sniff, tearing up)
He let her go thinking surely
summer would come again.
(sniff)
It never did.

Ember is still unmoved.

HAROLD
(sniffling)
Almost out of time.

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Wade smiles at Ember, then takes the plunge and be honest.

This is no longer about the game, it’s about telling her how
he REALLY feels.

As he speaks, his family leans in, captivated.

WADE
Ember, when I met you I thought I
was drowning. But that light, that
light inside you has made me feel
so alive. And all I want now is to
be near it. Near you. Together.

We ZOOM close into Ember’s eye. There is a small glimmering

flame in her pupil... it becomes an impressionistic version
of EMBER. She floats with WADE and they dance around each
other... she sheds her outer light and we see her full
vulnerable light as they spin. It’s lovely. They reach out to
touch hands, but Ember suddenly pulls back, the magic is
broken. She falls away from him...

PULL OUT and we see the same reflections on a LAVA TEAR DROP
that drips out of Ember’s eye, rolls down her cheek and into
the pool.

The entire family is caught up in the emotional connection

Ember and Wade just made, stunned.

Ember and Wade just stare into each other’s eyes.

And then, THE PHONE rings and the moment is broken. Wade
rushes over to pick it up.

WADE
(into phone)
Hello? Gale, hi.

Ember tries to read his expression.

INTERCUT WITH:

EXT. CULVERT - SAME TIME

Gale and TWO AIR CITY WORKERS stand skeptically at the glass-
repaired doors. Gale does not look happy.

GALE
(you idiots)
Glass?? You repaired it with
glass??

Behind Gale an Air Worker punches the glass.

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AIR WORKER
(efforts)
Hey hey!

GALE
Hold the storm...

Wade swallows hard. Ember looks nervous.

Gale watches as another worker slams the glass with a large

hammer, the glass holds. The workers give her a thumbs up.

GALE
TEMPERED glass? Solid as a rock. I
like it. Consider the tickets
cancelled.

Wade hangs up, smiling, teary eyed with joy. Ember can’t
believe it.

EMBER
We did it!?

WADE
Yup!

Ember pulls the brochure out her pocket and triumphantly

burns it.

WADE
Awesome!

Wade runs toward her, arms outstretched.

WADE
Wooo!

Ember opens her arms, they’re about to hug but stop

themselves.

EMBER WADE
Oh! Um. Oh.
(laugh)

Suddenly, Polo pops up behind Wade and smacks him HARD with a
pool noodle.

WADE
(pained)
Oh!

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INT. WADE’S MOM’S APARTMENT - HALLWAY - SHORTLY AFTER

LATER at the door, Brook says goodbye to Ember and Wade.

Brook holds the repaired glass vase.

EMBER
Thank you Mrs. Ripple. This was...
this was really great.

BROOK
Yeah, it was. And I mean what I
said about your talent. I have a
friend who runs the best glass
making firm in the world. During
dinner, I slipped out and I made a
call. And I told her about you.
They’re looking for an intern. It
could be an amazing opportunity.

EMBER
For real?

BROOK
It’s a long way from the city, but
it would be an incredible start.
You have a bright future.
(then, re: vase)
Look at me! I have an original
Ember!

Ember’s expression falls. She smiles nervously and turns to

go.

WADE
Hold up. I’ll walk you out.

Wade follows her out.

EXT. WADE’S MOM’S APARTMENT - RIGHT AFTER

The doorman, now a half-steamed water wall, but still holding

strong, stands across from a still full-on-fire-tornado
Cinder.

DOORMAN
(out of breath)
I’m afraid you’re still going to
have to wait out here ma’am.

Cinder’s tornado slows to a stop. She tries to catch her

breath, dizzy.

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CINDER
(out of breath)
And I'm afraid... I will throw up.

Cinder staggers away from the building to recover.

Behind her, Wade rushes to catch up to Ember as she hurries

to her scooter and hops on.

WADE
Ember! Ember, hold up. What’s going
on?

EMBER
I can’t believe she basically
offered me a job.

WADE
I know! Could be cool!

EMBER
Yeah, super cool, Wade! I could
move out and make glass in a far
away city. Do whatever I want.

WADE
I don’t understand.

EMBER
I’m going home.

She starts her scooter. Wade, unsure what else to do:

WADE
Fine, then I’m going with you.

Wade hops on the back of the scooter.

EMBER
Ugh!

Ember GUNS the scooter and zips into the night. Wade hangs on
for dear life.

ANGLE ON Cinder, she whips around just in time to see them

drive off. She’s SHOCKED:

CINDER
A WATER guy??

EXT. BRIDGE

ON EMBER AND WADE as they drive fast.

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WADE
(yelling over the noise)
Look-- My mom was just trying to be
helpful! She doesn’t know how
excited you are to run the shop!

EMBER
(frustrated)
Arrgh!!

Ember guns it. They weave through traffic. The inertia and G-
Forces stretch Wade out.

WADE
What is the matter??

EMBER
Nothing!

WADE
Yeah? Because we’re going like a
thousand, and-- BUS!

Ember SWERVES, Wade stretches from the force, splashing along

the side of the bus.

WADE
Ah!

EMBER
You don’t know me, Wade! Okay? So
stop pretending like you do.

They speed toward Firetown.

WADE
What is this about?

EMBER
Nothing. Everything. I don’t know.
It’s...

She SLAMS the brakes and SKIDS to a stop in front of the

shop, the Blue Flame glowing from inside the dark windows.

EMBER
I don’t think I actually DO want to
run the shop, okay? THAT’S what my
temper has been trying to tell
me... I’m trapped.

She gets off the bike and faces the shop. Wade joins her.

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EMBER
(looking at Flame)
You know what’s crazy? Even when I
was a KID, I would pray to the Blue
Flame to be good enough to fill my
father’s shoes someday. Because
this place is his dream. But I
never once asked... what I wanted
to do.
(sigh)
I think that’s because deep down I
knew it didn’t matter. Because the
only way to repay a sacrifice so
big is by sacrificing your life
too.

Wade stares at Ember.

SUDDENLY we hear:

CINDER
Ember!

We see tiny, distant Cinder up on the train platform.

CINDER
Don’t move!!

EMBER
Oh, blaze! My mother.

Cinder hurries down the stairs and runs up to them, exhausted

from the chase.

EMBER
Mom, it’s okay. He’s just a friend.

CINDER
Si--
(breathes heavy, finger
up, then)
SILENCE! I could smell you from
over there! You stink.

EMBER
What are you talking about??

CINDER
YOU know what I’m talking about!

Ember sniffs herself.

EMBER
You're smelling love on me?

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Ember glances at Wade... is she... in love?

CINDER
(a warning)
If your father find out.
(then)
Fire and Water cannot be together!
I prove it! Come with me.

Cinder goes into the shop, gesturing for them to follow.

INT. CINDER’S MATCHMAKING OFFICE - SOON AFTER

Ember and Wade sit across from Cinder, two sticks stand on
the table between them.

CINDER
I splash this on your heart to
bring love to the surface!

Cinder ANGRILY splashes Ember with oil. Then, she FURIOUSLY

splashes Wade, leaving a little oil-slick. He flinches at
first but then enjoys it.

WADE
(pleasant)
Mmmm.

Cinder gestures to the sticks.

CINDER
And then you must light these with
your fire and I read the smoke.

Ember sniffs herself. Then she lights a stick.

Cinder turns to Wade and gestures smugly. His turn. He looks

at his finger. No way to light the flame.

CINDER
See, Ember, it cannot be.

Wade gets a thought.

WADE
Actually...

He stands between Ember and the sticks.

EMBER
(sotto)
What are you doing?

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He pulls up his shirt and refracts Ember’s light through his

torso, causing a magnifying glass effect. He focuses the beam
of light onto the stick. And it works!

The stick lights and starts smoking, surprising Cinder and

Ember both.

Everyone watches as the intermingling smoke turns into a

double-helix. Cinder can’t help but read the smoke.

Ember watches her mom... could it actually tell them

something? They are all caught up in the moment when suddenly
we hear:

BERNIE (O.S.)
Cinder? Who down there?

Ember’s eyes grow in horror.

EMBER
It’s my dad. You have to go!

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - RIGHT AFTER

Cinder and Ember rush Wade out the front door just as Bernie
enters from upstairs.

WADE
Wait, are we a match?

Cinder SLAMS the door -- Wade’s hand gets momentarily caught.

WADE
Ahhh!

Bernie approaches from the other side of the shop, unaware.

BERNIE
What's going on? I wake up and
nobody upstairs??

After a struggle, we hear Wade escape. Ember tries to cover:

EMBER
It was just me. I was... double
checking the locks. And mom came
down and...

CINDER
Yes and we...
(bad lying)
...began looking at this door. We
don’t talk about this door enough!

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EMBER
(hissed, sotto)
Pull it together!

Bernie smiles.

BERNIE
Well, since you are awake... I was
going to tell you tomorrow, but...
I’m too excited to sleep. In two
days... I retire!

EMBER
Oh!

CINDER
Oh Bernie!

EMBER
(this is shocking)
Two days?

BERNIE
Yes.

BERNIE
We’re going to throw BIG party. A
grand reopening!

Bernie takes Cinder by the hand and spins her.

BERNIE
That way I can tell whole world my
daughter take over.

Cinder is overjoyed. Ember looks sick to her stomach.

BERNIE
And I have gift for you. I've had
this for awhile, but after our talk
I know now is the time.

Bernie walks to the counter and pulls out a large box. He

puts his hand on it and pauses, getting serious.

BERNIE
Before I give it to you, I need you
to understand what it means to me.

EXT. FIRE LAND - SHORE - FLASHBACK

We’re back in Fire Land. A group of Fire Elements watch as

two figures, Bernie and Cinder, walk toward a boat.

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BERNIE (V.O.)
When I left Fire Land, I gave my
father the “Bà Ksô,” the Big Bow.

Bernie turns back toward his parents and does the CEREMONIAL
Bow -- on his knees, arms outstretched.

BERNIE (V.O.)
It is the highest form of respect.
But my father did not return the
Bow, did not give me his blessing.

A heartbroken Bernie, still in the bow, looks to his stoic

father.

BERNIE (V.O.)
He say, if we leave Fire Land, we
will lose who we are.

Bernie hangs his head.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - BACK TO SCENE

Back to Bernie today, tears in his eyes. This is unresolved

trauma.

BERNIE
They never got to see all of this.

He gestures to the shop, to the shrine.

BERNIE
They didn’t get to see that I NEVER
forgot we are Fire. This is burden
I still carry.

Cinder wells up. Bernie is NEVER this open about his

emotions.

BERNIE
Ember, it is important that you
know you have MY blessing every day
you come in here. So I have this
made for you.

Bernie opens the large package: It’s a neon sign for the shop
that reads: EMBER’S FIREPLACE.

Ember’s eyes widen, stunned. Bernie beams with pride.

EMBER
Wow, Àshfá.

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Bernie flares up, excited, full of YOUTHFUL energy.

BERNIE
It’s gonna be big, bright! Everyone
is gonna see this. EMBER’S
FIREPLACE! We unveil it at grand
reopening!

CINDER
Come Bernie, you need your rest.

Cinder leads Bernie away, but turns back and SHOOTS EMBER a
look as they go.

LATER, Ember sits on the floor, alone in the shop, staring at

the sign, turning it on and off. Her flame dims and she
quietly starts to cry.

EXT. CULVERT - THE NEXT DAY

A boat goes by and a WAVE of water spills into the culvert.

We see that the glass dam still holds, but water is almost to
the top, creating enormous PRESSURE. A TINY crack appears.

INT. BROOK'S APARTMENT - HALLWAY - THAT EVENING

There’s a knock on the door. Wade opens it and is thrilled to

find:

WADE
Ember! So what’d your mom say?
About our reading?

She’s subdued, holding a box.

EMBER
Nothing. Look, I have a gift for
you.

Wade steps out into the hall. Ember hands him the box. He
reaches in and pulls out the Vivisteria glass.

WADE
And you came all the way here to
give it to me?
(then, realizing)
Wait, why are you giving me gifts?

Ember looks away. Wade gets it. She’s ending things.

WADE
Oh no. No, no, no, no no.

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But he gets an idea... bubble, glass, Vivisteria...

WADE
Hold on. I think I have something
to show you.
(energized, excited)
Just give me two seconds! And
you’re going to need a pair of
boots!

On Ember, puzzled.

EXT. GARDEN CENTRAL STATION - SOON AFTER

Ember and Wade walk toward a deserted GARDEN CENTRAL STATION,

passing the VIVISTERIA SIGN we saw in Ember’s flashback. It
now has a banner over it, CLOSED.

EMBER
Wade, what are we doing here?

WADE
Just wait!

They stop in front of a chain link fence.

Wade takes off his shirt, throws it over the fence and then
walks easily right through, diving back into his shirt on the
other side.

Ember also walks right through, melting the metal.

WADE
Why do they even have these?

EMBER
Eh, who knows.

They continue on toward the station. The NO FIRE sign still

stands in the entryway.

Wade knocks it over.

INT. GARDEN CENTRAL STATION - SUBWAY ENTRANCE - CONTINUOUS

The station is decrepit. The TILE on the walls is broken and

there are just hints it was once incredibly ornate. Entrance
stairs from ground level lead down then vanish into a dark,
flooded tunnel.

Reveal Gale in front of the flooded tunnel.

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GALE
Hey! It’s my favorite fire ball!

Ember is puzzled.

EMBER
Hey Gale... what's going on?

WADE
I know you think you have to end
this but..
(re: water)
That flooded tunnel? It goes to the
main terminal.

EMBER
O-kay?

WADE
Do you still want to see a
Vivisteria?

Ember is shocked... for real? Wade gestures toward GALE.

WADE
Gale?

Gale BLOWS a HUGE bubble in the water, big enough for Ember
to get into. She holds the bubble closed at the water’s
surface. Ember’s eyes widen as she realizes what Wade’s
thinking.

EMBER
Wait, I’m supposed to get in there?

WADE
The air should last...

GALE
...at least twenty minutes.

Ember looks to Wade, hesitant.

WADE
THEY said you couldn’t go in
there... Why does ANYONE get to
tell you what you can do in your
life?

Ember looks at the bubble, then back to Wade. He gives her an

encouraging nod.

She steps to the edge of the water... and jumps in.

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Inside the bubble, Ember opens her eyes - it worked!

EMBER
Whoa.

Getting her bearings, she looks out from the bubble down the
long dark passageway. Wade swims around and gives her two
thumbs up. He grabs her bubble and starts swimming them
deeper. From the surface, Gale waves.

INT. SUBWAY TUNNEL - UNDERWATER - CONTINUOUS

Wade holds Ember’s bubble and swims them down the staircase.
Ember looks to Wade who gives her a reassuring smile.

They reach the bottom of the stairs and emerge into an old
train station. Ember’s light illuminates the walls. It’s
gorgeous. Somehow, preserved under water, is the opulence of
another era... beautiful tile walls, vaulted ceilings.

Ember looks up at the GARDEN CENTRAL STATION platform sign.

Wade and Ember explore an old subway car, looking through

it’s windows into the interior. Ember’s glow lights up their
surroundings and startles a school of fish. They swim at
Ember, swirling around her bubble.

Ember and Wade follow the fish up a staircase. It opens up

into the GRAND BALLROOM of the station. And in the middle of
it, growing in the double-helix, is the DORMANT Vivisteria
plant. No flowers.

Wade and Ember are entranced at seeing it. Wade pushes Ember
closer and as her light hits the vine, the bud closest to
them BLOOMS.

EMBER
(whispered)
A Vivisteria.

Ember’s light grows almost entirely prismatic, casting

caustics. They’re both in awe. They swim up the vine. As
Ember’s light hits the plant, more flowers bloom.

Another cloud of fish sends Ember’s bubble spinning.

EMBER
Whoa.

More BLOOMS. She glows brighter and the vine EXPLODES with
flowers. They swim together through the vines. Ember reaches
toward the flowers. It’s a shared, magical moment.

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BUT suddenly the bubble begins to shrink around Ember as air

is used up. The bubble’s wall touches the top of Ember’s
flame.

EMBER
Ouch!

WADE
Hey! You’re running out of air!

Ember is alarmed. Wade looks around and spots an exit.

He swims her shrinking bubble as fast as he can up the

stairwell.

As Ember’s bubble gets tighter, she starts to hyperventilate,

burning up what little oxygen she has left.

WADE
Almost there. Try to breathe slow
and steady.

Ember nods and manages to slow her breathing down as Wade

pushes her up.

Wade swims with all his might.

They see light-- they must be nearing the surface. They break
through just in time.

EXT. MINERAL LAKE - OLD SUBWAY ENTRANCE - CONTINUOUS

Ember and Wade burst out of an old entrance at Mineral Lake.

They lay there breathing heavily.

Wade looks at Ember, worried.

WADE
I’m so sorry, I should never have--

She springs up onto her feet.

EMBER
Are you kidding? That was amazing.
I finally saw a Vivisteria!

Wade stands and walks toward her.

WADE
It was inspiring. You were
inspiring.

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Ember looks at him, suddenly serious. Wade just stares into

her eyes, calm. He holds his hand out to her.

EMBER
No. Wade, we can’t touch.

WADE
Maybe we can.

Ember furrows her brow. She takes a few steps away and stares
at the water.

EMBER
No.

WADE
But can’t we just prove it.

She turns back to Wade.

EMBER
Prove what?

WADE
Let’s see what happens, and if it’s
a disaster then we’ll know this
would never work.

EMBER
But it actually could be a
disaster. I could vaporize you. You
could extinguish me. And then--

WADE
Let’s... let’s start small.

Wade holds his hand out to Ember. After a moment, she

tentatively reaches towards it. She hovers her hand over his.
Her hand flickers and his starts to bubble.

She tries again. Placing her palm in his, they TOUCH, in awe.
Water boiling, steam, chemistry.

They’re touching and they’re okay... equalizing. His water

gently simmers from her heat. She pulls her steaming hand
away and examines it. She looks to Wade, also inspecting his
hand.

They step closer and press their fingertips and then their
full palms together. Wade’s water pushes back to match the
strength of her heat. Their hands find a tingly equilibrium.
It’s a magical moment, a coming together like a kiss. They
lock eyes then grasp both hands and lean in. In each other’s
arms, they dance.

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WADE
(intimate, soft)
I’m so lucky.

SUDDENLY there’s a quick POP:

-- A tired Bernie from before, heading upstairs to bed:

BERNIE
I’m so lucky I have you.

MORE flashes:

-- Ember and Bernie at the Blue Flame together.

-- Ember helping a tired Bernie up from the counter.

-- Bernie and Ember sharing a warm hug.

-- Ember’s new SIGN.

OUT OF FLASHBACK Ember ZIPS up her fire, covering her

vulnerable light, and pulls away from Wade.

EMBER
I have to go.

She runs away along the lake path.

WADE
Wait, what? Where are you going?

She hurries up the Wetro stairs and Wade follows.

EMBER
Back to my life at the shop. Where
I belong. I take over tomorrow.

Wade jumps in front of her, stopping her.

WADE
Whoa whoa whoa, hold up. You don’t
WANT that. You said so yourself.

EMBER
It doesn’t matter what I want.

WADE
Of course it does!!

She moves past him, up the stairs toward the train platform.
Wade, totally confused, follows.

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WADE
Listen LISTEN!! You’ve got an
opportunity to do something you
WANT with your life!

This stops her. She turns around.

EMBER
WANT? Yeah, that may work in your
rich kid follow-your-heart family.
But getting to “do what you want”
is a luxury. And not for people
like me.

WADE
Why not?? Just tell your father how
you feel. This is too important.
Maybe he’ll agree.

EMBER
(scoff)
Oh, ha. Yeah.

There’s no WAY she will do that. Wade sets his jaw.

WADE
Funny. And this whole time I
thought you were so strong, but it
turns out... you’re just afraid.

That hurts... and is probably true. Ember BLAZES.

EMBER
Don’t you DARE judge me. You don’t
know what it’s like to have parents
who gave up EVERYTHING for you. I’m
FIRE, Wade. I can’t be anything
more than that. It’s what I am, and
what my FAMILY is. It’s our way of
LIFE. I cannot throw all of that
away JUST FOR YOU.

WADE
I don't understand!

EMBER
And that alone is a reason this
could never work.

As she boards the train,

EMBER
It’s over, Wade.

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The train pulls away. Wade is left alone on the platform.

INT. TRAIN CAR - CONTINUOUS

Inside, Ember is about to cry. She takes a deep breath, then

puts her hood on and armors up.

EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - THE NEXT EVENING

The street outside the shop is set for a party. A stage has
been erected, lights hung. The community has gathered for the
big event.

Inside the shop, Bernie lights a lantern, the one he brought

with him from Fire Land, with the Blue Flame.

Outside, Ember and Cinder sit on stage together. They all

wear colorful, festive outfits. Ember smiles as Bernie exits
the shop. He climbs on stage, places the flame on a pedestal,
and takes the microphone.

BERNIE
Everyone. Welcome! It is good to
see your faces.
(getting emotional)
I am honored to have served you.
But it’s time to move on.
(to Ember)
Come.

Ember stands next to him.

BERNIE
My daughter. You are the Ember of
our family fire... That is why, I
am so proud to have you take over
my life’s work.

A rope hangs on the microphone stand. Bernie take it in his

hands and with a squeeze, he lights it. The rope burns like a
fuse leading to decorations covering the sign on the front of
the shop. There’s a big BLAZE and when the fire passes we see
that Ember’s SIGN is lit up. Everyone applauds.

BERNIE
(winks to Ember)
Pretty good trick, huh?

Bernie then gently picks up the lantern and turns to Ember.

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BERNIE
This is lantern I bring from old
country. Today, I pass it on to
you.

People in the crowd are touched. Ember reaches to take the

lantern, but hesitates. This is a big moment. But just as
she’s about to grab it:

WADE (O.S.)
I thought of other reasons.

Ember looks up. A Wetro train passes and when the CURTAIN of
water clears we see Wade, standing heroic.

EMBER
Wade?

Ember is shocked. Cinder looks nervously at Bernie.

CINDER
(under her breath)
Oh boy.

EMBER
What are you doing here?

Wade walks toward her, entering the party.

WADE
You said me not understanding is
the reason we can never work. But I
thought of other reasons. A bunch
of them. Like, number 1: you’re
Fire, I’m Water. I mean, come on
that’s crazy. Right?

A guest near him nods.

BERNIE
Who is this?

CINDER
(bad lying)
No idea.

But Wade is focused in on Ember. He continues toward the

stage.

WADE
Number 2: I’m crashing your party.
Like what kind of a jerk am I?

Ember is unflinching.

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EMBER
A pretty big one.

WADE
Right? Number 3... I can’t eat
your... delicious foods!

Wade takes a hot coal from Flarry and Flarrietta’s table. He

let’s it boil down his throat. His head bubbles and pops.

WADE
(strained)
VERY unpleasant.

Bernie suddenly realizes:

BERNIE
(to Cinder)
Wait, I know him! He is food
inspector!

WADE
Oh right! Number 4! I’m banned from
your father’s shop.

He steps closer.

WADE
There are a MILLION reasons why
this can’t work. A million “no’s.”
But there’s also one “yes.”

Ember is being drawn in.

WADE
We touched.

Bernie and Cinder are shocked.

WADE
And when we did, something happened
to us. Something IMPOSSIBLE. We
changed each other’s chemistry.

They look deep into one another’s eyes. Suddenly Bernie

erupts, exasperated.

BERNIE
Enough! What kind of food
inspection is this??

This yanks Ember back to reality.

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WADE
A food inspection of the heart,
sir.

Bernie steps up to Wade, confrontational. Ember is frozen.

BERNIE
Who are you???

WADE
(romantic to Ember)
Just a guy who burst into your
daughter’s life in a flooded old
basement.

BERNIE
So you ARE the one who burst the
pipes!

WADE
What? Not me, it was...

Wade’s eyes unintentionally dart toward Ember. Ember-- no!

Too late. Bernie turns to Ember.

BERNIE
(hurt, to Ember)
You... you burst the pipe??

EMBER
I, I...

WADE
Ember--

BERNIE
Silence!!

WADE
No!
(to Ember)
Take the chance. Let your father
know who you really are.

Ember hesitates torn between Wade and Bernie.

WADE
Look, I had regrets when my dad
died, but because of you I learned
to “embrace the light while it
burns.”
(perfect pronunciation)
Tìshók'. You don’t have forever to
say what you need to say.
(MORE)

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WADE (CONT’D)
I love you Ember Lumen. And I’m
pretty sure you love me too.

Ember is torn between two worlds. She puts up her fire wall.

EMBER
No Wade. I don’t.

EXT. CULVERT - SAME TIME

A CRACK suddenly appears in the GLASS DAM.

EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - BACK TO SCENE

Cinder can’t take it.

CINDER
That’s not true! I did their
reading!

Everyone is shocked. Including Ember and Wade.

CINDER
Bernie, it’s love. It’s true love.

EMBER
No mom, you’re wrong. Wade, go.

WADE
But, Ember--

FLARING UP HUGE.

EMBER
I DON’T LOVE YOU!

EXT. CULVERT - SAME TIME

Almost as if the power of her FLARE has reached all of

Element City, another CRACK breaks in the dam and WATER
starts to SPRAY out. It’s going to BLOW.

EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - BACK TO SCENE

Back on Ember.

EMBER
GO!

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Wade, defeated, takes the GLASS VIVISTERIA out of his pocket

and places it on the stage at Ember’s feet. He turns and
walks out, heartbroken.

Bernie glares at Ember, devistated.

BERNIE
You have been seeing WATER??

He coughs.

EMBER
Àshfá I--

BERNIE
(betrayed)
You caused leak in shop???
(deeply hurt)
I TRUSTED YOU!

Ember looks down, unable to confess. Bernie COUGHS more.

BERNIE
You will not take over the shop.
(coughs)
I no longer retire.

Bernie grabs the lantern. He storms off the stage and into
the shop.

Ember crushed, looks down at the glass Vivisteria.

EXT. BRIDGE - LATER

CROSS FADE to Ember riding her scooter through Firetown and

up onto the bridge.

CUT TO her sitting on a bench, head hung. She’s removed her

ceremonial jacket. She stands and walks to the bridge
railing.

We see a FLASH of her and Wade, touching for the first time
at Mineral Lake.

BACK ON the bridge, Ember pulls the GLASS Vivisteria ball out
of her pocket.

She looks to Firetown, then to Element City.

EMBER
(to herself)
Why can’t I just be a good
daughter?

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She holds the GLASS Vivisteria ball to her forehead then

pulls it away.

A look of RAGE and FRUSTRATION crosses her face and she

starts to throw it into the water, but she can’t.

She looks directly at the glass Vivisteria. We see her

reflection WITH a reflection of Element City and Firetown.
She is BOTH things.

SUDDENLY... she hears a boom in the distance--

CUT TO the CULVERT, as the GLASS from the dam suddenly gives
way.

A wall of water POURS out. Its enormous force crumbles the

sides of the culvert, toppling a towering windmill.

BACK WITH EMBER as she sees that all of the PENT UP water
RUSHING down the culvert right toward Firetown!

A DELUGE is coming and it is heading right toward Bernie’s

Shop.

EMBER
Firetown!

Ember starts her scooter and rushes off.

INT. GRAND GATEWAY - SAME TIME

An emotional Wade holds a ticket and addresses Brook, Alan,

Eddy, Harold, Lake, Marco and Polo, who stand across from
him.

WADE
Well, one way ticket to anywhere
but here.

BROOK
Go! Travel the world. Heal that
broken heart.

Brook mimes holding a baby in her arms.

BROOK
(singing, tearing up)
My little drip-drip-baby-boy.

Tears flow down Wade’s face.

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BROOK
(crying)
Drip drip drip goes the baby boy--

Harold interjects:

HAROLD
(tearing up)
I made you a painting. It’s of a
lonely man awash in sadness.

Harold hands Wade a painting that is LITERALLY Wade standing

and crying, just as he looks right now.

Wade bursts into tears. Everyone sobs.

SUDDENLY, a siren. Wade instantly stops crying. Through a

doorway, he spots steam rising up from Firetown. Oh no.

WADE
Ember.

EXT. BRIDGE TO FIRETOWN - SOON AFTER

Ember races her scooter across the bridge into Firetown.

Ahead of her, water rushes down the culvert toward the shop.
Ember sees her parents out in front, cleaning up from the
party, and calls out to them:

EMBER
Mom! Dad!

But they don’t hear her. Ahead, the river slams into the
elevated water train track. The track crashes down, spilling
even more water.

Determined, Ember speeds up and pulls off the bridge, racing

the flood of water toward the shop.

EXT. FIRETOWN - CONTINUOUS

Water starts to fill the street. With dare-devil moves, Ember

crosses the culvert.

She speeds along the Firetown sidewalk toward the shop,

calling out to the neighborhood:

EMBER
Water’s coming!!

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There’s a panic as Fire folks seek safety. Ember speeds by,

the flood at her heels.

EMBER
Watch out! Behind you! Climb!
Climb! Flash flood! Hurry!

Ember nears the shop and desperately shouts to her parents.

EMBER
Mom! Water! Get to higher ground!

Cinder hears and grabs Bernie and pulls him to leave.

CINDER
Bernie!

But the deluge catches up to Ember’s scooter and the vehicle

starts to hydroplane. Water splashes up on her leg.

EMBER
(wincing)
Ow!

The water in the street quickly gets too deep to ride the
scooter. Ember leaps off onto a floating truck and looks
ahead as water reaches the shop where she sees the flood of
water lift up the stage from the party, carrying Bernie and
Cinder with it.

They cling to each other as they’re tossed about. Bernie

lunges toward the shop but Cinder stops him.

BERNIE
The flame! Let me go!

Bernie then sees Ember, leaping from floating debris to

floating debris, fighting to get to shop.

BERNIE
Ember no!!

But Ember is on a mission. She gets to the front of the shop

and takes one final, giant leap and lands, grasping the
transom window over the shop’s front door.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - CONTINUOUS

Ember climbs through into the shop and takes in the scene.
Water is leaking everywhere, and right behind her around the
front door.

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Ember shoulders into the door trying to stop it, but pressure
builds -- spouts of water begin to JET through the WIDENING
cracks around the door, AND FLOW toward the BLUE FLAME.

Ember quickly grabs sandbags and throws them at the door.

Standing on the bags, she presses her whole weight into the
door, trying to hold the everything back, but the rising
water nips at her feet. It’s dire.

SUDDENLY, through the glass of the door, TWO EYES appear.

Ember is stunned to see Wade, smashed uncomfortably against

the glass. The ROAR of the flood is deafening.

EMBER
Wade??

Wade gestures toward the door handle.

WADE
(muffled)
Key-hole!

Getting it, Ember yanks out the key and Wade painfully,
squeezes through the keyhole...

WADE
Gahhhhhh!!

...and puddles on the ground. He re-forms and springs into

action, joining Ember at the door.

WADE
(effort)
I was hoping to make a more heroic
entrance.

Together, face to face, they hold back the door.

EMBER
You came back after everything I
said.

WADE
Are you kidding? And miss all this?

Ember smiles. Then sees that the water is almost at the BLUE
FLAME.

EMBER
(to Wade)
Hold the door!

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She grabs more sandbags and races to the flame, leaping

between shelves.

She places sandbags in a circle around the Blue Flame. Then

she FLAMES BIG and starts to make glass.

EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - SAME TIME

The waters are VIOLENT... Bernie and Cinder watch as the shop
sign tumbles off the building and SPASHES into the water.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - SAME TIME

As water fills the shop, Ember QUICKLY builds a glass shield

around the Blue Flame while Wade does his best to hold back
the door... but it’s a losing battle... water begins to reach
Ember’s glass barrier.

EMBER
No, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

And the windows begin to burst from the pressue. The window
in the door window behind Wade gives way.

There’s no holding it back.

The water rises faster. The lantern from Fire Land, the one
that carried the Blue Flame to Element City, is swept into
the flow. So is the photo of Ember’s childhood birthday.

Wade reads the situation:

WADE
Ember we have to go!

He strains as water pours in over his shoulders.

WADE
We have to go. NOW.

EMBER
I can’t leave!

The water is rising quickly toward the top of her protective

glass cylinder.

WADE
I’m sorry to say this but the shop
is done. The flame is done.

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EMBER
No! This is my father’s whole life.
I’m not going anywhere!

SUDDENLY, WATER SMASHES through a large window and POURS in,

taking everything with it.

A shelf topples and SLAMS into Ember’s glass cylinder,

SMASHING through the glass and into the flame.

A rush of water forces the door open, knocking Wade over.

Water and debris surround the Blue Flame. Ember climbs up on

a box to avoid the rising water. She shouts to Wade,

EMBER
Throw me that lantern!

As Wade swims for the lantern, he’s knocked over by a huge

wave.

WADE
Ah!

Ember, the flame, and Wade are PUSHED VIOLENTLY toward

Cinder’s office in the OLD FIREPLACE HEARTH.

INT. CINDER’S HEARTH - CONTINUOUS

Debris SLAMS into the opening, sealing Ember inside... with

the BASE of the Blue Flame... but the flame is out. Ember is
horrified!

EMBER
No!

CUT TO outside the hearth, everything in the shop is

underwater. The birthday photo floats by.

BACK IN THE HEARTH Ember looks takes in her situation. She’s

trapped and the Blue Flame is gone. It appears everything is
lost.

EMBER
No, no no no no no.

But just then, Wade climbs out from the debris holding a
lantern lit with the Blue Flame. Ember is thrilled.

EMBER
Oh Wade!

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EMBER
Thank you, thank you.

He hands it to her. She smiles, relieved. They share a

moment. Then suddenly Ember flinches in pain.

EMBER
Ah!

Water has seeped in through the pile of debris, and hit her
leg. She looks up at the blocked entrance. Water is squirting
through the cracks.

She goes to the wall of debris and HEATS it up, flaring hot,
melting metal to seal the cracks.

And it works! The leaks stop... but Wade is boiling.

WADE
It’s too hot in here.

Oh no! They have to get out of there. Ember looks up the

chimney stack - it’s open to the sky.

EMBER
Climb!

Ember starts to climb and Wade follows...

EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - SAME TIME

The street outside is a river. A floating bus crashes into

the side of the shop. The building shakes and the top of the
chimney CRASHES DOWN.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - HEARTH - SAME TIME

Wade and Ember are inside the chimney as debris tumbles down
around them.

EMBER
BACK UP BACK UP BACK UP!

WADE
Ah!

They drop back down into the hearth. It’s an even tighter
space now, more filled with debris.

And it’s even hotter. Wade is steaming.

Desperate, Ember tries to burn through the wall of debris.

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Wade reaches up and tries to move the bricks blocking the

chimney, but they don’t budge.

EMBER
I have to open that up!

WADE
No! The water will come in and
you’ll be snuffed out.

EMBER
But you’re evaporating! I don’t
know what to do!

WADE
It’s okay.

EMBER
No, it’s not okay!

Wade is boiling. She’s horrified. He takes her hand.

WADE
Ember... I have no regrets. You
gave me something people search for
their whole lives.

EMBER
But I can’t exist in a world
without you! I’m sorry I didn’t say
it before. I love you, Wade.

Steam surrounds them.

Ember’s vulnerable light casts caustics on the wall.

Wade looks from her to the caustics around the room with a
sense of peace.

WADE
I really do love it when your light
does that.

They embrace. All is silent. Steam fills the hearth.

EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - LATER

Firetown is a wreck. Everything is soaked, so much is

destroyed.

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INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - CONTINUOUS

Inside the shop, the WATER has receded but everything we saw
of Bernie’s world is ruined.

Bernie, Cinder and others work their way through the debris.

FIRST CUSTOMER (O.S.)

They’re in the hearth!

A large Fire Element clears debris away from the opening to

the hearth.

They pull aside the Blue Flame’s base and we reveal:

Ember. She’s kneeling on broken bricks, hugging the lantern

with the Blue Flame.

Relieved, Bernie and Cinder move toward her. But they stop.
She’s not getting up or even turning toward them.

EMBER
Wade is gone.

Cinder hurries over to her.

CINDER
Oh my daughter.

EMBER
He saved me.

Bernie’s face falls, he knows loss.

Ember slowly stands, holding the Blue Flame, and she faces
Bernie and finally says the most difficult thing she’s ever
said:

EMBER
Dad... this is all my fault. The
shop... Wade-- I need to tell you
the truth.

Her flame grows dim, vulnerable.

EMBER
I don’t want to run the shop. I
know that was your dream, but it’s
not mine. I’m sorry. I’m a bad
daughter.

Ember hands the lantern to Bernie. He takes it, looks at it

in his hand, then puts it down.

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BERNIE
Ember, the shop was never the
dream. YOU were the dream. You were
always the dream.

Ember looks up, surprised, moved, a burden lifted. She then

hugs her dad, crying in his arms. There are no more lies.

EMBER
I loved him dad.

Ember kneels, crying. Her light dims even more, cool, loving.
Bernie’s matches hers. Cinder joins them. A family,
heartbroken, but one unit.

Then... we hear a distant, familiar whimper.

Ember breaks from her parents’ embrace and looks into the
hearth.

And that’s when we reveal CONDENSATION in the chimney. A

SINGLE DROP of water falls from the ceiling into a bucket.

Ember looks up at the condensation... no, it can’t be. She

gets an idea and says:

EMBER
Butterfly...

She stares hopefully up at the ceiling.

EMBER
Butterfly. Windshield wipers. Half
a butterfly.

Another whimper. A few more drops fall into the bucket.

Ember is energized... maybe it CAN be...

EMBER
An old man on his deathbed
remembers the summer he fell in
love...

More drops. Water starts to pool. Ember gets brighter. We

hear more faint weeping from WADE.

It’s working, Ember can hardly believe it.

EMBER
She was out of his league and he
was young and scared. He let her go
thinking surely summer would come
again. It never did.

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Water is falling harder. Wade’s cries are building.

Water streams off the ceiling into the bucket. Cinder pieces
it together. She looks up at the ceiling...

CINDER
You are perfect match... ten out of
ten!

More weeping, more rain drops. Bernie looks to Cinder.

BERNIE
I don’t understand. What's going
on?

CINDER
Just say something to make Water
guy cry, okay?

Bernie gives it a try.

BERNIE
Um, uh... you are no longer panned.

WADE
(whimpering)
Banned.

BERNIE
Banned.

Wade WAILS. Drops POUR. Ember, drops falling all around her,
YELLS to the world:

EMBER
I want to explore the world with
you, Wade Ripple! I want to have
you with me, in my life. Forever!

One more drop and then, they stop. The bucket is full. Ember
peers into the bucket... two eyes appear. Then a smile. Wade
stands up, alive!

WADE
Whoa.

He turns to face them. Naked, he picks up his shirt from the

rubble.

WADE
Your, uh, chimney needs cleaning.

Everyone is stunned.

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And then Ember runs to Wade, throwing her arms around him.

Then, they KISS! LIGHT shines through the room. It’s

breathtaking.

Cinder beams. Bernie glances away.

Ember and Wade break out to the kiss, look deep into each
other’s eyes and embrace.

CINDER
I KNEW it! My nose ALWAYS knows.

Everyone laughs.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. FIRETOWN STREETS - MONTHS LATER

TITLE: MONTHS LATER...

Elements mingle on the Firetown sidewalks. Folks are fixing

the last of the damage from the flood. The town is almost
fully restored.

INT. BERNIE’S SHOP - CONTINUOUS

The fixed-up shop is busy. We see a fresh pot of Lava Java

brewing.

We find Clod on a ladder, wearing an apron, clearly now an

employee. But he’s not working, he’s talking to an age-
appropriate FIRE GIRL.

CLOD
If you were a vegetable, you’d be a
cute-cumber.

He holds up his arm, revealing a small cluster of blooms. He

yanks them out and hands her the bouquet.

CLOD
(pained effort)
My queen.

We pick up Gale as she walks through, dressed in a

Windbreakers jersey.

GALE
Uh! I can’t believe I was gonna
shut this place down.

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She backs up into an Earth Guy who we see is FERN with short,
flowering hair. He’s also wearing a Wind Breakers shirt.

GALE
Whoa! Sorry.
(gasp, noticing)
Fern? You’re a Windbreakers fan?

FERN
Toot toot.

Gale is immediately drawn to him.

GALE
Toot. Tooooooot.

Flarry and Flarrietta stand behind the counter.

FLARRIETTA
Oy. You know what I like best about
running this shop?

FLARRY
Not having to eat Bernie’s kol-
nuts!

Pan to Bernie and Cinder sitting at a table.

BERNIE
(laugh)
Sorry. I couldn’t hear you through
my retirement.

Everyone BURSTS OUT LAUGHING... the laughing continues as we

go outside...

EXT. BERNIE’S SHOP - SAME TIME

...to find Ember. She approaches, taking a beat to stand in

front of the shop. She looks up, the original shop sign is
back, without her name.

INT. BERNIE'S SHOP - CONTINUOUS

Ember enters quietly and watches the shop, full of life.

GALE
Ooh!

The Fire Girl chases Clod past the counter.

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Ember watches everyone with fondness. Bernie feeds Cinder a

kol-nut. Then, he sees Ember. They share a smile. A
connection.

But then Wade enters. He yells to the room:

WADE
Hey!

Everyone happily turns to the doorway.

BERNIE CINDER
Wade! Hi Wade!

FLARRIETTA FLARRY
Wade! Hi Wade!

CLOD
Hey Wade! Yo yo yo!

Wade turns to Ember...

WADE
Ember, it’s time.

Ember smiles, a little sad.

EXT. GRAND GATEWAY - SOON AFTER

Ember and Wade, luggage in hand, stand next to a large boat.

Bernie, Cinder and Brook stand facing them.

WADE
You know, I’m not really one for
tearful goodbyes.

Brook bursts out crying.

BROOK
(sobbing)
Oh Wade, you big liar.
(singing)
Drip drip drip...

Wade joins her in the song.

BROOK, WADE
(starting to sob)
Goes the baby boy.

They hug, Brook lifting Wade up. They hold each other, ugly-
crying.

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Bernie and Ember exchange a look.

BERNIE
Uh, are you sure about this one?

Ember smiles.

EMBER
I’m sure.
(then, sincere)
Dad, I’m sorry the internship is so
far away. I mean it’s the best
glass design company in the world,
but who knows if it’ll become a
real job. I’ll be back in a few
months anyway, and it might not end
up being anything--

BERNIE
Ay-yah, shhh. Go. Start new life.
Your mother and I will be here. Now
with more time for hanky-panky.

Cinder gives his side a playful slap.

CINDER
Ê... shútsh!

They all laugh.

Ember and Wade walk to the boat. Wade starts up the ramp.
Ember is about to take a STEP but pauses. She turns to her
parents, smiles at Bernie, then sets down her luggage... and
then gives the BIG CEREMONIAL BOW.

Cinder gasps. Bernie, tears in his eyes, steps forward and

RETURNS THE BOW.

They have a moment -- a weight lifted for both of them. A

blessing for father and daughter, and a trauma healed.

Then the boat sounds its horn, and they stand.

Ember picks up her bag, faces the boat and takes a deep
breath.

She STEPS onto the ramp and boards.

The screen goes to BLACK.

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