[A whiteout of ash. And through it comes...]
STOICK Hiccup? Hiccup!?
[Stoick appears, searching desperately. Everything is scorched. Even the ground is smoking from the terrible heat.]
The temperature continued dropping until everyone but the Vikings noticed.
STOICK (CONT'D) Hiccup!? Son!?
[Through the ash, Stoick the motionless silhouette of Toothless.]
"Oh no." whispered Rapunzel.
STOICK (CONT'D) (GRAVE) Hiccup.
[He hurries to the dragon's side. Toothless is roughed up, but conscious. His scorched saddle, however, is vacant. Stoick looks to the sky in despair. He buckles at the knees, overwhelmed by the loss.]
Even though they knew this had already happened, everyone became somber.
STOICK (CONT'D) Oh son...I did this...
[Astrid pushes through the crowd, her eyes welling up. Followed by Gobber. They flank Stoick as he kneels, slumped over. Behind them, a ring of Vikings form, keeping a respectful distance. As the dust and smoke clear, a ring of wild dragons can also be seen, gathering just behind and between the Vikings. Toothless stirs and groggily rolls his head toward Stoick. Their eyes meet.]
STOICK (CONT'D) I'm so sorry...
"There's the magic word!" said Eugene.
[Toothless unfolds his wings, revealing Hiccup, unconscious, clutched safely against his chest. Stoick's eyes widen.]
STOICK (CONT'D) Hiccup.
[He scoops Hiccup into his arms. Listens to his heart. Bursts into relieved laughter.]
"Why is he laughing?" asked Tuffnut. Everyone groaned.
STOICK (CONT'D) He's alive!
(TO TOOTHLESS)
You brought him back alive!
[The crowd roars. Followed by the dragons. The Vikings look around to find themselves surrounded. Stoick leans close to Toothless, meeting him eye to eye.]
STOICK (CONT'D) (PRIVATELY) Thank you... for saving my son.
[Gobber looks Hiccup up and down.]
GOBBER Well, you know... most of him.
Everyone but Hiro, Baymax, Aunt Cass, and most of the Vikings frowned in confusion.
[Stoick glances back at him. Gobber shrugs, redirecting his eyes toward...]
INT. STOICK'S HOUSE - DAY CLOSE ON
[HICCUP, asleep, his head on a pillow. Healing scars on his face show that maybe a week or two have passed. Toothless hovers over him, WHINING and GRUMBLING impatiently.]
"Impatient much, Bud?' asked Hiccup, earning a grumble from the dragon.
[Hiccup stirs. Opens his eyes.]
HICCUP (GROGGY) Oh, hey Toothless.
Tadashi rolled his eyes. "As if it's the most natural thing in the world to have a Night Fury in your house."
[Toothless excitedly nuzzles and nudges Hiccup.]
HICCUP (CONT'D) Okay, okay! I'm happy to see you too, bud. Now just-
[Toothless steps on his groin, causing Hiccup to sit BOLT UPRIGHT with a YELP.]
All the males winced. The girls giggled.
[He looks around, confounded. He's in his bed, moved beside the fire pit on the main floor of his house.]
HICCUP (CONT'D) I'm in my house.
(re: Toothless, leaning over him, excited)
HICCUP (CONT'D, panicked) You're in my house!
Everyone started laughing, even Val.
[Toothless TEARS around the room, knocking things over, far too big for the space.]
Astrid laughed so hard she fell out of her chair, gasping for breath. Stormfly squaked, confused at why her rider was acting so weird.
HICCUP (CONT'D) Uh...does my dad know you're in here?!
[Toothless pauses at the foot of the bed, tongue wagging. He eyes the rafters... and LEAPS UP onto them, brimming with 'happy dog' energy.]
Hiccup gave a long-suffering sigh. Toothless whacked him in the head with his tail gently. "Hey!"
HICCUP (CONT'D) (DISTRESSED) Okay, okay - no Toothless! Aw, come on...
[Hiccup shifts to get out of bed... then pauses... sensing that something is wrong.]
Everyone waited in anticipation.
[He peels back the covers slowly. What he sees startles, horrifies, and overwhelms him - all at once.]
ON THE BARE FLOOR
[His booted foot touches down. Followed by a mechanical prosthetic in place of his second leg. It's an ingenious spring-loaded replacement, made of wood and iron.]
Val gasped, guilty tears pricking at her eyes. She felt guilty that she was not there to help raise him, and to help him cope with the leg. Everyone else was murmuring among themselves.
[Toothless lands by the bed and approaches calmly, sniffing the new leg. He raises his eyes to meet Hiccup's, seemingly aware of what Hiccup is going through. Hiccup braces himself on the bedpost and tries to stand on it. He winces and stifles the pain...]
HICCUP (CONT'D) Okay...okay...
[... but STUMBLES with the first step. Toothless catches Hiccup's fall with his head... and slowly lifts him up, stabilizing him.]
HICCUP (CONT'D) Thanks bud.
[Hiccup leans on him like a crutch. They take a few steps together. Their missing parts form a poetic silhouette as they make their way toward the door. Hiccup pries it open (as he did in the opening scene), revealing a MONSTROUS NIGHTMARE flapping outside the door.]
"A dragon raid?" asked Wasabi in confusion. "But I thought-"
"Just watch," said Hiccup, smiling.
[Hiccup YELPS and slams the door closed. He turns to Toothless, alarmed.]
HICCUP (CONT'D) Toothless? Stay here, bud.
[Hiccup pauses... and cracks the door open again. He peeks outside, his eyes widening. He allows to door to swing open, revealing... ... the Monstrous Nightmare, carrying Snotlout on its back.]
All the girls groaned.
SNOTLOUT Come on guys, get ready! Hold on tight! Here we go!
GoGo smirked a little. Maybe he was capable of doing something nice!
[A class of newbie dragon riders follow him through frame on a variety of dragons, pulling back the curtain on an amazing vista in which: Vikings and dragons mill about by the dozen, basking on the rooftops, weaving along the plaza. No one seems upset, there isn't a sword in sight. Under the framework of a MASSIVE BARN, a Nadder BLASTS fire onto a metal brace. It steps back to let a Viking hammer it into shape.]
"Portable welding torch." quipped Hiccup, much to the annoyance of Astrid's dragon.
[Nearby, a Gronkle lands, carrying a tree trunk in his mouth. He shows a Viking what he's found. The Viking pats his head. Another Viking backs a Zippleback into a stall to check it for size. Hiccup takes a step outside, finding Stoick waiting for him on the step.]
HICCUP I knew it. I'm dead. Stoick laughs.
STOICK No, but you gave it your best shot.
[He puts his arm around Hiccup, steadying him. He gestures to the transformed village.]
STOICK (CONT'D) So? What do you think?
[Hiccup just shrugs, amazed. Below, the plaza, villagers take notice.]
VIKING #1 Hey look! It's Hiccup!
[They rush over, surrounding him with a hero's welcome.]
VIKING #2 Hiccup, how you doin' mate?
VIKING #3 It's great to see you up and about.
STOICK (SWEETLY) Turns out all we needed was a little more of...
(GESTURES NON-SPECIFICALLY AT HICCUP)
... this.
Everyone laughed.
HICCUP (PLAYING ALONG) You just gestured to all of me.
GOBBER (O.S.) Well. Most of you.
[Gobber pushes through the crowd, beaming proudly.]
GOBBER (CONT'D) (re: the prosthetic leg) That bit's my handiwork. With a little Hiccup flare thrown in. Think it'll do?
"I made a few tweaks."
HICCUP (bittersweet, coming to TERMS) I might make a few tweaks.
Once again, Hiccup blinked in surprise, everyone else tittering.
[Astrid appears and jabs Hiccup in the arm. Hiccup recoils with a grumble.]
ASTRID That's for scaring me.
HICCUP (PROTESTING) What, is it always going to be this way? Cause I...
[She grabs him aggressively...]
"Uh oh..." started Elsa and Anna.
[then kisses him. Hoots and hollers follow.]
HICCUP (CONT'D) ... I could get used to it.
Hiccup grinned. Astrid blushed.
[Gobber presents Hiccup with a rebuilt saddle, rigging, and tail.]
GOBBER Welcome home.
[Suddenly, Toothless pounces on the crowd, crushing several unsuspecting Vikings under his weight.]
The Vikings he had crushed grumbled. Toothless turned, and gave them each a gummy smile.
VIKING Night Fury, get down!
[Toothless eyes the new tail excitedly, tongue wagging. Amidst the groans and grumbles, Hiccup and Astrid exchange a sheepish grin.]
CLOSE ON CLOSE ON
[Hiccup's prosthetic foot, snapping into the modified stirrup. The two pieces click together, forming a single shape. Astride Toothless, he's whole again. He rotates the pedal. The new tail opens. Bright red with a skull and Viking horns emblazoned on it. Hiccup approves.]
CUT BACK TO REVEAL...
[Hiccup and Toothless, saddled up and ready to fly. Astrid backs her Nadder into position.]
"A race?" asked Hiro. Hiccup and Astrid nodded in anticipation.
HICCUP (TO TOOTHLESS) You ready?
[Toothless SNORTS an excited 'yes!' From his mount, Hiccup looks out over the changed world.]
HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D) This... is Berk.
(BEAT)
It snows nine months of the year... and hails the other three.
"You're welcome." snarked Elsa, while everyone laughed, figuring out she was the Ice Queen.
[They LEAP into the bright blue sky, together as one. Astrid follows, giving chase.]
HICCUP (CONT'D) Any food that grows here is tough and tasteless. The people that grow here are even more so.
Tadashi eyed Hiccup nervously. Hiccup laughed. "Don't worry, it's a joke."
[Hiccup and Astrid race their dragons through the village - under eaves, over rooftops, down cliff-sides, and between ship masts. It's a high energy, romantic dance of sorts.]
HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D) The only upsides are the pets. While other places have...ponies or parrots, we have...
"We have horses." said Elsa.
"Chameleons." said Rapunzel.
"Robots and house cats."
"Dragons." said Hiccup, sighing in love for the creatures.
[Their fellow recruits join them as they take to the open sky, rocketing far above the village. The Northern sky swirls with blazing, multicolored dragons. Hiccup and Toothless break from the pack, spinning into the blinding sun.]
HICCUP (V.O.) (CONT'D) (PROUDLY) ... dragons.
FADE TO WHITE
Jamie stood up. "Now there will be a 30-minute intermission. Please feel free to mill around and visit. No killing anyone, Astrid. Bathrooms are over there," she continued, pointing. "Elsa, I forgot to bring in someone from your time. Could you come with me? Neo will stay behind to 'supervise'."
Annnnnnnd we are officially DONE with HTTYD1! Next chappie is the intermission. See you soon! ;)