Avatar: The Last Airbender (2003–2008): Season 2, Episode 10 - The Library - full transcript

KATARA: Water...

Earth...

Fire...

Air.

Long ago, the four nations
lived together in harmony.

Then everything changed
when the Fire Nation attacked.

Only the Avatar,
master of all four elements,

could stop them.

But when the world
needed him most,

he vanished.

100 years passed,



and my brother and I
discovered the new Avatar...

An airbender named Aang.

And although his airbending
skills are great,

he has a lot to learn before
he's ready to save anyone.

AANG: Oof.

But I believe Aang
can save the world.

ZHAO: I discovered a hidden library.

I tore through
scroll after scroll.

TOPH: You did it!

You're an earthbender.

ROKU: Sozin's Comet will return
by the end of the summer.

And Fire Lord Ozai will use
its power to finish the war

once and for all.

You must defeat the Fire Lord



before the comet arrives.

SOKKA: What's out here?

TOPH: A lot, actually.
There's hundreds of little...

Shh! I know you
can see underground,

but don't ruin the surprise.

Just watch.

♪♪
♪♪

♪ Eh ♪

Ha ha! Yeah!

♪♪
♪♪

♪ Eh! ♪

I'm putting
an orchestra together.

Orchestra, huh? Well...

♪ La-di-da ♪

-♪ Laah ♪
-♪ Diih ♪

♪ Daah ♪

♪♪
♪♪

♪ Eh ♪

♪ Eh! ♪

♪ Eh! ♪

♪ Eh ♪

This is great and all,

But don't we have more important things
to worry about?

We should be making plans.

We did make plans.

We're all picking mini-vacations.

There's no time for vacations.

I'm learning the elements
as fast as I can.

I practice hard every day
with Toph and Katara.

I've been training my arrow off.

Yeah. What's wrong with having a little
fun in our downtime?

Even if you do master all of
the elements, then what?

It's not like we have
a map of the Fire Nation.

Should we just head west
until we reach the Fire Lord's house?

Knock, knock! Hello, Fire Lord!
Anybody home?

I don't think so.

We need some intelligence
if we're gonna win this war.

♪ Laah ♪

Hee hee! All right.
We'll finish our vacations.

And then we'll look
for Sokka's intelligence.

AANG: Your turn, Katara.

Where would you
like to go on your mini-vacation?

How about the Misty Palms Oasis?

That sounds refreshing.

Oh, yeah, I've been there.
It's a pristine natural ice spring.

And I don't usually
use the word "pristine."

It's one of nature's wonders.

[SOUNDTRACK MUSIC SLOWS DOWN]

Must have changed
ownership since I was here.

Heh heh.

Ptooey!

[GROWLING]

[SNORING]

One mango, please.

I don't see anything wrong

with having one of those
fruity beverages

while we plan our strategy.

Excuse me.

No worries. I clean up easy.

You're a living relic.

Thanks. I try.

An Air Nomad right front of me.

Professor Zei,
head of anthropology

at Ba Sing Se University.

Tell me...

Which of the air temples
do you hail from?

The Southern Temple.

Oh, splendid! Now, tell me,

what was the primary
agricultural product of your people?

Uh, are fruit pies
an agricultural product?

Oh! Truly fascinating.
That's one for the journal.

SOKKA: So, professor,
you're obviously a well-traveled guy.

Do you have a more current map?

Ours seems to be a little dated.

Certainly.

What? No Fire Nation?

Doesn't anybody have
a good map of that place?

KATARA: You've made a lot
of trips into the desert.

ZEI: All in vain, I'm afraid.

I've found lost civilizations
all over the Earth Kingdom,

but I haven't managed to find
the crown jewel...

Wan Shi Tong's library.

You've spent years
walking through the desert to find

some guy's library?

This library is more valuable
than gold, little lady.

It is said to contain a vast collection
of knowledge.

And knowledge...

Is priceless.

[DEADPAN] Hmm. Sounds like good times.

Oh, it is. According to legend,

It was built by the great knowledge spirit

Wan Shi Tong with the help
of his foxy knowledge seekers.

Oh, so this spirit
has attractive assistants, huh?

I think he means
they look like actual foxes, Sokka.

ZEI: You're both right.

Handsome little creatures.

Wan Shi Tong and his knowledge seekers

collected books from all over the world

and put them on display
for mankind to read

so that we might better ourselves.

If this place has books
from all over the world,

do you think they've got
info on the Fire Nation? A map maybe?

I wouldn't know.

But if such a thing exists,

it's in Wan Shi Tong's library.

Then it's settled. Aang,
I do believe it's my turn.

I'd like to spend my vacation
at the library!

Uh, hey, what about me?
When do I get to pick?

You've got to work
here a little longer

before you're qualified
for vacation time.

Hmph.

Of course, there's the matter
of finding it.

I've made several trips
into the Zi Huang desert

and almost died each time.

I'm afraid that desert's
impossible to cross.

Professor, would you like to see
our sky bison?

A sky bison? You actually have one?!

[GROWLING]

Sandbenders, shoo!
Away from the bison!

Tell me, sky bison,
are you the last of your breed?

Oh, delightful! I only wish
I spoke his tongue.

Oh, the stories this beast could tell.

Shush, chatty monkey.

Wow. It shouldn't be too hard

to find a place like this out here.

Ah! Does this place even exist?

Some say it doesn't.

Shouldn't you have mentioned that before?

Grr!

There it is!

That's what it will sound like
when one of you spots it.

[APPA GROWLING]

It shouldn't be this hard to spot
a giant ornate building from the air.

Down there. What's that?

Forget it. It's obviously not
what we're looking for.

The building in this
drawing is enormous.

What kind of animal is that?

ZEI: I think that was one
of the knowledge seekers.

Oh, we must be close to the library.

No. This is the library. Look!

It's completely buried.

ZEI: The library is buried?!

My life's ambition is now full of sand.

Well, time to start excavating.

Actually, that won't
be necessary.

The inside seems to be completely intact.

And it's huge.

SOKKA: That fox thingy
went in through a window.

I say we climb up there
and give it a look.

I say you guys
go ahead without me.

You've got something
against libraries?

I've held books before.

And I got to tell you,

they don't exactly do it for me.

Oh, right. Sorry.

Let me know if they have
something you can listen to.

Don't worry, buddy. I'm not making you
go underground ever again.

You can stay out here with Toph.

What's up?

[CHATTERS]

ZEI: Oh, it's breathtaking.

The spirit spared no expense
in designing this place.

Look at those beautiful buttresses.

-Hee hee!
-Hee hee!

ZEI: What's funny?

Nothing. We just like architecture.

As do I.

My word!

The exquisite mosaic handiwork
of this tile-rendered avian symbol...

Eh, nice owl.

[RUSTLING]

[CHATTERING]

I know you're back there.

Hello!

I'm Professor Zei, head of anthropology

at Ba Sing Se University.

You should leave
the way you came

Unless you want
to become a stuffed head of anthropology.

[SPEAKING GIBBERISH]

Are you the spirit who brought
this library to the physical world?

Indeed. I am Wan Shi Tong,
he who knows 10,000 things.

And you are obviously humans,

Which, by the way,
are no longer permitted in my study.

AANG: What do you have against humans?

Hmm. Humans only bother learning things

to get the edge on other humans,

Like that firebender who came
to this place a few years ago,

looking to destroy his enemy.

So who are you trying to destroy?

What? No, no, no destroying.
We're not into that.

WAN SHI TONG: Then why have you come here?

Um, knowledge for knowledge's sake.

If you're going to lie
to an all-knowing spirit being,

you should at least
put some effort into it.

I'm not lying! I'm here with the Avatar,

And he's the bridge between our worlds.
He'll vouch for me.

Ow!

Uh, yeah. I'll vouch.

We will not abuse the knowledge
in your library, good spirit.

You have my word.

Hmm. Very well.
I'll let you peruse my vast collection

on one condition...

To prove your worth as scholars,

you have to contribute
some worthwhile knowledge.

Please accept this tome
as a donation to your library.

First edition. Very nice.

I have an authentic waterbending scroll.

Oh, these illustrations are quite stylish.

Uh, oh! I know.

Ha!

I suppose that counts.

Oh, great spirit, check this out.

Ta-da!

It's a special knot.

That counts as knowledge.

You're not very bright, are you?

Enjoy the library.

Bright enough to fool you.

So, do you like flying?

Of course, I'm more comfortable
on the ground where I can see.

Well, I don't see the way you do.

I feel the vibrations in the ground
with my feet.

But this sand is
so loose and shifty,

It makes everything look fuzzy.

[GROWLS]

Not that there's
anything wrong with fuzzy.

Hey! Look at these
weird lion-turtle things.

Ah, I've seen weirder.

Aang, did you know in a past life,
you were left-handed?

I always knew I was special.

"The darkest day in Fire Nation history."

It's got a date at the top,

but it doesn't say anything else.

Sokka, where are you going?

I want to know what happened
to the Fire Nation on their darkest day.

This could be promising.

The information on the Fire Nation
should be right up here.

AANG: Firebenders.

KATARA: They destroyed everything
having to do with the Fire Nation.

That's so unfair!

Just when I think
I'm one step ahead of the Fire Nation,

it turns out they beat us here
a long time ago.

I need to know what happened
on the darkest day.

[WHIMPERING]

Hello, little weird fox guy.

ZEI: It seems it's trying to assist you.

Um, sure. I guess I'll follow you.

This room is a true marvel,
a mechanical wonder.

It's a planetarium
that shows the heavens moving.

SOKKA: This is beautiful,
but how is it helpful?

Maybe these dials
represent dates and times.

Sokka, try entering that date
from that parchment you took.

Shh! Katara, not in front of the fox.
He's with the owl.

[WHIMPERS]

Wow! I got to hand it to you, Sokka,

You picked
the best mini-vacation for sure.

KATARA: Hey, wait.
What happened to the sun?

Great. You must have broken it.

It's not broken.

The sun is behind the moon.
It's a solar eclipse.

It's literally the darkest day
in Fire Nation history.

Now I get it.
Something awful happened on that day.

I don't know what, but I do know why.

Firebenders lose their bending
during a solar eclipse.

Sorry.

That makes sense.

I mean, think of what the lunar eclipse
at the North Pole

did to the waterbenders.

This is huge.

[FOX WHIMPERS]

Fine. You earned it.

We've got to get this information
to the Earth King at Ba Sing Se.

We'll wait for the next eclipse.

Then we'll invade the Fire Nation
when they're totally helpless.

The Fire Lord is going down!

Mortals are so predictable

and such terrible liars.

[SOKKA GULPS]

You betrayed my trust.

From the beginning,
you intended to misuse this knowledge

for evil purposes.

You don't understand.
If anyone's evil, it's the Fire Nation.

You saw what they did to your library.

They're destructive and dangerous.

We need this information.

You think you're the first person
to believe their war was justified?

Countless others before
you have come here,

seeking weapons
or weaknesses or battle strategies.

We had no choice.
Please. We're just desperate to protect

the people we love.

And now I am going
to protect what I love.

AANG: What are you doing?

I'm taking my knowledge back.
No one will ever abuse it again.

He's sinking the building.
We've got to get out of here!

I'm afraid I can't allow that.
You already know too much.

-Aah!
-Aah!

[KIDS SCREAMING]

[GROWLS]

I already told you.
I don't want to snuggle.

Library's sinking.
Library's sinking!

Hyah!

[YELLS]

Aah!

Great knowledge spirit, I beg you,

do not destroy your vast collection
of priceless tomes.

Aah!

We've got to get back to the surface.

Sokka, let's go.

But we still don't know
when the next eclipse is gonna happen.

Don't be stupid.
We'll find out later.

No, we won't.
If we leave this place,

we'll never get the information.

Aang, come with me
to the planetarium. I need cover.

Katara, take Momo and get out of here.

But...

SOKKA: Go!

Hurry, Sokka!

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

What is it now?

Who is there?

AANG: Why are we doing this?

Because if this calendar can tell us
about eclipses in the past,

then maybe it can project
when the next one will be.

You can't possibly
check every single date.

I don't have to.
We just need to check

every date before Sozin's Comet arrives,

because after that,
well, try not to think about that.

Come on, eclipse!

SOKKA: That's it... The solar eclipse.

It's just a few months away.

Got it! Now let's get to Ba Sing Se.

Don't make me put this down.

No! Stop sinking!

No!

I'm sorry, Appa.

-[CHATTERING]
-[SCREECHING]

At least I'll have one specimen
to add to my collection.

Aah!

Your waterbending
won't do you much good here.

I've studied northern water style,
southern water style,

even foggy swamp style.

Hyah!

That's called Sokka style. Learn it.

Wait! Professor, let's go.

I'm not leaving. I can't.

I've spent too long
trying to find this place.

There's not
another collection of knowledge

like this on earth.

I could spend an eternity in here.

Just go!

[WAN SHI TONG SCREECHES]

[KIDS SCREAMING]

We got it.
There's a solar eclipse coming.

The Fire Nation's in trouble now.

Where's Appa?