Episode 3: Mother (2003 series)/Transcript

''The following is a transcribed copy of the English dub of "Episode 3: Mother (2003 series)". Feel free to add to or edit this page, as long as the information comes directly from the episode.''

Opening

 * [Opens up to Edward and Alphonse in a library going through a bookshelf. On screen text reads, "Older Brother 15 - Younger Brother 14]
 * Edward: [sighs] There aren't any more books here about the Philosopher's Stone. Just shoot me in the head, will ya?
 * Alphonse: I can't believe that Cornello's stone was a fake. Now we're out of leads again.
 * Edward: Mustang's gonna scream my ears off.
 * Alphonse: [reaches down to grab a book] Brother, look! [holds up book] Introduction to Alchemy... takes you back, doesn't it?
 * Edward: ...I guess. [is handed the book and flips it open to a basic transmutation circle]
 * [Fades into a flashback to Resembool. On screen text reads, "Older Brother 6 - Younger Brother 5]
 * Edward: See? This line goes here!
 * Winry: [holding Den and whining] Heeey! I'm bored!
 * Alphonse: One more second, Winry.
 * Edward: Alright, we're done! What do you think, Winry?
 * Winry: I think that's a lousy present.
 * Edward: Well, that's not the present, it's just an outline for one.
 * [Edward and Alphonse both spill what appears to be a pile of dust into the center of the circle before putting their hands down on it, activating the array. The "dust" begins to take shape, however its unsettling appearance scares Winry]
 * Winry: [screaming] Ahh! [falls to her knees, while Den barks at the array]
 * Alphonse: Winry! [both he and Edward get up to console a crying Winry]
 * Alphonse (Narrator) : That was our very first use of alchemy. Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one and only truth.
 * [The opening theme, "Melissa" (メリッサ Merissa)" plays]

Act 1

 * Yuriy: They weren't trying to scare you, Winry, they went through a lot trouble.
 * Sarah: That's right. Edward and Alphonse were just trying to do something special for you.
 * Trisha: I'm sorry about this. It was a misunderstanding.
 * Pinako: [opens the door] But no mistake of talent. You know, I found even the more gifted folks give up before they do anything of real merit, but your boys have one heck of a start. [holds up the transmuted doll] Look at this work!
 * Trisha: I know, it's stunning. They shouldn't know anything about alchemy.
 * Pinako: Well, they are his sons, after all.
 * [Trisha goes outside to take Edward and Alphonse home. They're seen laughing as they walk home, Trisha reading Introduction to Alchemy in one hand.]
 * Trisha: [closes the book] Okay boys, no secrets. When did your dad teach you alchemy?
 * Edward: How can we learn from someone who's never here?
 * Alphonse: We learned it from his book.
 * Trisha: You mean you really understand it on your own?
 * Edward and Alphonse: Yeah, more or less.
 * Edward: So, are you upset with us?
 * Trisha: You mean for using alchemy? [laughs] No, Ed, I'm proud! I think I'll brag to everyone I know. Now be sure to put the books back where you found them!
 * Edward and Alphonse: We will!
 * Trisha: When your dad gets back, be sure you thank him.
 * Edward and Alphonse: Okay!/Alright!
 * Trisha: And that door is off limits, okay?
 * Edward and Alphonse: We hear you!
 * Alphonse: There they are!
 * Edward: Get that one!
 * Alphonse: No, you can't get that one first!
 * [Books fall from the bookshelves]
 * Trisha: [facepalm] Oh...
 * Alphonse (Narrator): Dad left a long time ago, when Ed and I were still boys. Mom stared off into the distance a lot, but she carried on as if nothing went wrong. We started studying alchemy, like our father before us. The more we learned, the more she smiled. She praised us, and we competed with each other. We became absorbed in the science that made you feel like you were magic.
 * Edward: Mom!
 * Alphonse: Ahaha!
 * [On screen text, "Older Brother 8 - Younger Brother 7"]
 * Alphonse: Look Mom, look!
 * Trisha: Whatchya got there?
 * Alphonse: Brother made it. Isn't it awesome? I can still only do this one.
 * Trisha: Well, I think they're both gorgeous. You two really are his kids, no doubt about it.
 * [Edward and Alphonse laugh together]
 * Alphonse: You think Dad would be proud of it too?
 * [Edward's face falls, and Trisha pauses]
 * Trisha: Yes. Once he comes home, he'll tell you so.
 * Alphonse: 'Kay!
 * Edward: [snatches his toy cow from Trisha and runs off] I'm going to Winry's!
 * Alphonse: Brother, wait! [runs after Edward]
 * [Trisha rubs her shoulder. Cut to both brothers sitting on a hill]
 * Alphonse: Brother... why are you so angry at Daddy all the time?
 * Edward: Why do you think? He ditched us. I can't say I hate him-- I don't remember him enough. But when Mom thinks of him, she gets sad. That's reason enough not to like him.
 * Alphonse: [looks down] I guess.
 * Edward: [sighs and pats Alphonse's head] C'mon, let's go show this to Winry.
 * [Cut to the Rockbell residence, Winry sobbing and Pinako gripping tightly to a letter]
 * Alphonse: Wh...What do you mean, "dead"?
 * Winry: Don't be stupid, Al, they're plain dead! My mom and dad are dead!
 * Edward: But how? I thought they were just doctors!
 * Winry: They went to be surgeons for the war in Ishval. It was a surprise attack.
 * Alphonse: Winry... our dad's gone too, y'know. We make it okay. [places the cow next to her on the table]
 * Winry: Shut up, you idiot! [knocks the cow off the table] Your dad just ran off, my parents are both dead! They can't ever come back!
 * Edward: [picks up Alphonse's cow] That's not necessarily true. I read it in a book. There's this artificially made thing called a homunculus. It's sort of a living doll, without a mind to begin with, but some scholars believe with alchemy, if you're willing to give up enough-
 * Pinako: Stop! There'll be no talking like that in this house, understand me? That's a forbidden science! Alchemy is not some magic end-all answer. That's why we automail engineers exist!
 * Edward: Backwards old bat.
 * [Both brothers are promptly kicked out of the house]
 * Edward: She knows she's right. Winry's already lost more than we ever will.
 * Alphonse: Poor Winry. Can you imagine how that'd be?
 * [Edward and Alphonse see their Mom outside their house and run up to her, hugging her tightly as they cry]
 * Trisha: What's the matter with you two? C'mon, what's troubling you, my little man? What could be so bad?
 * [Cut to a train passing by and Alphonse chasing Edward on a hill]
 * Edward: C'mon Alphonse! You couldn't beat a snail with a broken leg!
 * [On screen text, "Older Brother 10 - Younger Brother 9"]
 * Edward: Hello, Mom! Sorry we're late! ...Eh? [drops basket] ...Mom? Mom?!
 * Alphonse: Mom?!
 * Doctor: We just have to wait. I can tell you this isn't some sickness she contracted yesterday. She must've been dealing with this for years without telling anyone.
 * Edward: These are all letters he sent us. If we mail something to each of these addresses explaining everything...
 * Alphonse: ...Someone is bound to know where he is and can tell him to come home!
 * Edward: Damnit! I don't want him here! But it's the only way... she has to see him!
 * Trisha: Your dad... we left us... money. I have never touched it. I was saving it for... you boys. Use it... and take care of each other.
 * Edward: Don't be silly, we'll use it with you.
 * Trisha: Edward... would you be a sweetheart and transmute something for your mother? Yes, I know... a ring of flowers would be nice. You see, your father... always... used to make them for me... [dies]
 * Alphonse (Narrator): That's when we finally understood the reason Mom would always smile at our alchemy. It reminded her of Dad.
 * Alphonse: Brother... I'm hungry. And I'm cold, too. How are we gonna do this? How are we gonna live without her?
 * Edward: We're not, Al. We're going to bring her back.
 * Alphonse: Brother... I'm hungry. And I'm cold, too. How are we gonna do this? How are we gonna live without her?
 * Edward: We're not, Al. We're going to bring her back.

Act 2

 * Edward: Look, it's right here in his notes. I don't understand it all, but he's written something about human transmutations. If we just decipher it...
 * Alphonse: But Aunt Pinako says human alchemy is forbidden! This book says the same thing!
 * Edward: Forget about that! If scientists could bring people back to life, we all know we'd be better off, right? Alchemists tried for centuries and couldn't figure it out. Slapping a forbidden label on was just a way for them not to feel bad about their failure.
 * Alphonse: But... maybe we should ask Dad about it first.
 * Edward: Don't you start again with that junk again, Al. Mom's life drained away waiting for him, it's his fault she's dead! He didn't even come to her funeral. No, this is something our dad couldn't do. We will. We have to.
 * Alphonse (Narrator): We used some of the money to find ourselves a teacher, and we learned alchemy from page one. The serious kind. We were done making dolls and roses.
 * Edward: Water, 35 liters; carbon, 20 kilograms; ammonia, 4 liters; lime, 1.5 kilograms; phosphorus, 800 grams.
 * Alphonse: Salt, 250 grams; saltpeter, 100; sulfur, 80; fluorine, 7.5; iron, 5; silicon, 3 grams.
 * Edward: And trace amounts of 15 other elements. Yeah, that's everything. The physical ingredients of a human body. Now, if we can just put together a soul, we should be able to call Mom back from the other side.
 * Alphonse: Edward... you sure we should do this?
 * Edward: Of course! Don't wimp out on me now.
 * Alphonse: But... no one's ever done this right! I mean, alchemy is equivalent exchange! The body content seems simple enough, but what about the soul? What could we possibly offer?
 * Edward: Just hold out your finger, okay? [cuts both his and Al's fingers] It's a soul, really. If we take out the myth, it's the spark that starts life. This is our blood. From her blood. That's a fair trade.
 * Roy: There's something foul in the air.
 * Alphonse: Brother, something's going wrong here. [starts screaming as his hand gets taken]
 * Edward: Al!
 * Alphonse: Edward! Brother! Brother! Brother, please!
 * Edward: No, Al!
 * Alphonse: Ahhh!
 * Alphonse (Narrator): And that's the last thing I remember. Ed, reaching for me. His leg, already broken down by the forces of alchemy.
 * Alphonse: [wakes up in the armor] Huh? What is this?
 * Edward: I'm sorry... Al.
 * Alphonse: Brother! What happened to you? And me? What happened to me?!
 * Edward: [weakly] There wasn't much time. I used my right arm as material for the transmutation. All I could manage was to attach your spirit to the armor in the corner.
 * Alphonse: But... what about Mom?
 * Edward: You shouldn't look. It... wasn't human.
 * Alphonse: I don't understand, Ed. What happened? Your theory and equations... they all seemed right.
 * Edward: The theorems weren't the problem, Al. It wasn't the math. It was us.
 * Alphonse: Please... help him. He's gonna bleed to death.
 * Winry: Al? Is that you?
 * Pinako: Ah!
 * Winry: I didn't even know you were back from training. How could all this happen, Al?
 * Pinako: Well clearly, it's a product of mischief. You were trying to bring back your mother, weren't you?!
 * Roy: [enters the house] Well, that explains a few things. Human transmutation... I've never seen such a furious reaction before. Pardon me. [holds up his watch]
 * Alphonse: A... State Alchemist?
 * Pinako: What are you doing here? I have no time to entertain dogs. Can't you see these boys are hurt?
 * Roy: Take it easy, ma'am. I'm just checking the mail.
 * Alphonse: One of our letters! Then you know where our dad is?
 * Roy: I only wish, kid. We've been looking for Hohenheim for a long time, and we're still only kicking up dirt.
 * Pinako: Well, if you didn't have any information why did you come? You sure as heck aren't going to find their dad here.
 * Roy: Let's call it nostalgia, or misplaced curiosity. Whatever it was, I'm happy that I came. If these boys can try human alchemy and survive, their dad just dropped a rung on my priority list.
 * Pinako: I want you out of this house immediately! I've had enough lives wrecked by the state.
 * Roy: The name's Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang, a State Alchemist. Pay me a visit in Central sometime.

Act 3

 * [As Winry takes care of an unconscious Edward, she gets curious and plays with Al's armor]
 * Alphonse: Good morning, Winry.
 * Winry: Eagh! Al! You're on! I mean, you're awake! Sorry, I was just- and I-
 * Edward: There's some money in the house. In a closet.
 * Pinako: I'm sure it's safe. There are more important things to worry about right now.
 * Edward: That's not what I'm saying. I want you to take it as payment. For automail. I can't go through my plan lugging around a couple of stumps. I'm gonna visit that man Mustang and become a State Alchemist.
 * Pinako: I was hoping you weren't conscious to hear that talk.
 * Edward: He's not the only one I've heard from. The teacher we had told us about State Alchemists. They've got access to the federal library in Central, with books on alchemy no one else has. They'll pay you, and fund your research, and those pocket watches amplify alchemic reactions.
 * Pinako: Please tell me that's not all your teacher said? What about State Alchemists being the military's attack dogs, called into war ordered to mow down the lives of people the state tells you are bad? Did your teacher mention that? In the attacks that took the lives of my sons, there were alchemists involved. When war comes again, are you ready to do the same?
 * Edward: I don't wanna be chained to the state any more than you. But I'll do whatever it take to fix things.
 * Pinako: Fix you, or the world? Make sure you ask yourself that.
 * [Cut to Edward undergoing the automail surgery]
 * Winry: Just bear with us, Ed. It's the highest quality procedure we can do.
 * Edward: Ngh!
 * Winry: Stay out of the room, Al!
 * Pinako: I'm impressed, Ed! Even adults scream at this part of the operation. We're attaching each one of your nerves to the mechanism.
 * Edward: This pain's nothing compared to what he's given up.
 * [Cut to Alphonse training. "Kyoudai (ブラザース, Brothers)" begins to play]
 * Alphonse: It's been enough time. We should see what we can do.
 * Edward: To train the mind to its potential, we gotta train the body. That's what our teacher said, but I dunno. How good can you be as an empty heap of steel?
 * Alphonse: Better than a couple chunks of automail, I know that!
 * [They both begin to spar]
 * Alphonse: Brother, are you serious about becoming a State Alchemist?
 * Edward: I'm serious about trying. I'm gonna see this Mustang guy, and find out if I have a shot.
 * Alphonse: I don't want you to join.
 * Edward: I've made up my mind.
 * Alphonse: Then I will too.
 * Edward: You can't.
 * Alphonse: Brother? Are... you going to try to bring back Mom again? I mean, we agreed it was a mistake, right? All the bad things that happened... I'll become the State Alchemist, and I'll find out a way to get you back to normal, with a real arm and leg again. Then you can forget about all these other things you say you have to do.
 * Edward: It's not your burden to carry, Al.
 * Alphonse: Well, why shouldn't it be?! I wanted you to stop, but I went along with it anyway! I'm the one who had the feeling-- I should've acted on it! And then you gave up your arm to save me!
 * Edward: You've got no place feeling sorry for me, Al, okay?
 * Alphonse: But Brother...
 * Edward: I'm serious. I'm the one who has to fix things, and get your body back.
 * Alphonse: And... you won't try with Mom again?
 * Edward: Well... chances are, there isn't anything in this world we can trade for Mom's soul. Besides all that... y'know, I don't wanna risk losing you again.
 * Alphonse: Good. I'll have to come with you, then.
 * Edward: And why's that?
 * Alphonse: You're no good without me! You just turn into a jerk.
 * Edward: Thanks for the endorsement.
 * Alphonse: But seriously. We're all we've got. From now on, we can't do anything that can pull us apart.
 * [Shots of the Elric house burning down. On screen text, "Older Brother 11 - Younger Brother 10"]
 * Alphonse (Narrator): Even though we were trying to restore our own bodies, it was still human transmutation we were after. A forbidden science. If we failed the next time, there would probably be nothing left of us. We had no idea what the future would hold, but we knew there was no turning back . So, on the day we left, we burned down the family home, and all the familiar things inside, because some memories aren't meant to leave traces.
 * [Ending theme, "Inerasable Sin (消せない罪 Kesenai Tsumi)" plays]