Issue 37: Together Again

Together Again is the thirty-seventh issue of the comic series.

Synopsis
Worried over his friends and his grandfather, Helia returns to Red Fountain just as a notorious villain is let out of prison and is making attempts on Saladin's life.

Plot
Flora is showing the Winx the portrait of her that Helia painted for her as a gift and the girls are thoroughly impressed. Flora is a bit shy when it comes to talking about it, but Stella insists that she should brag about it, as it is what women naturally deserve. Musa confesses that she wished guys really thought that way, but Bloom tells her not to read into it too much, as Stella just thinks highly of herself. Stella, on the other hand, believes that girls should believe in their beauty first and foremost, otherwise men will just look elsewhere. Musa then asks Stella what a girl should do if they are not as pretty as she is, to which Stella suggests that they simply go to a beauty parlor. Her answer offends Musa and Bloom until she clarifies that every girl has something that makes them beautiful, that beauty is a state of mind, and that girls can make themselves beautiful by discovering and showcasing their inner beauty, with the added help of friends. Musa admits that Stella's belief in beauty seems a lot more noble now and asks what is wrong with her because Riven does not act as if he finds Musa to be beautiful. Stella claims that it is because Musa does not believe she herself is beautiful and tells her that she needs to discover what she thinks her best quality is. She then tells the girls of another girl in their class named Ophelia who, despite being riddled with horrible pimples, was able to make a guy fall for her after she talked with him all day over model airplanes. Stella further explains that winning over a boy with charm is like a battle itself and Musa needs to use all of the weapons at her disposal. Musa realizes that she just needs to look for her best qualities and apologizes for getting angry at Stella earlier. Stella then remembers that they were originally talking about Helia being able to capture Flora's best qualities in her portrait and Flora reveals that she plans to meet with him at the park later today.

As planned, Flora and Helia are at the park together later that day. Flora notices that Helia has been acting rather seriously and asks him what is wrong. Helia claims that he is just having his usual doubts, and Flora asks if it could be about their relationship. Helia claims that that is not the case, as everything has been going well for him recently, however, he cannot seem to be happy about all of it. Flora finds an empty park bench they can sit on and suggests that he talk about it with her. Helia sits down and reveals that he is doubting his decision to leave Red Fountain, claiming that his sudden decision to leave was possibly due to his ego. Flora asks why he thinks that way, to which Helia claims that he was only thinking about himself and chose to leave everyone behind without even talking to them and he feels like he betrayed the trust of his friends and his grandfather, Saladin. Flora insists that Helia is just worrying too much as this is normal behavior for a person after they make a life-changing decision and claims that he will be fine and that Red Fountain will not fall apart without him there. Flora then asks Helia what he thinks could possibly happen to Saladin without him at Red Fountain, as there is no one that would be willing to harm him.

Little do they know, at Red Fountain, Codatorta reports to Saladin that they had received a warning from the Magix Security Force, notifying them of a man named Viktor Krazan. Saladin wonders why it took the Security Forces ten days to send them the warning, to which Codatorta explains that they had lost track of Krazan, which is already odd itself, as the security systems are supposed to be foolproof. He further explains that he was told that it was the cause of a breakdown within the system, but Codatorta suspects that on of the security agents must have gotten distracted. Saladin, however, does not believe that any sort of reason could justify the late arrival of the warning. Codatorta then expresses his concern for Saladin as Krazan must be after him if he is in Magix now, but Saladin believes that if Krazan wants to meet him than he can because he has already served his sentence and is now a free man. Codatorta keeps trying to insist that Saladin stay in Red Fountain but Saladin does not want to drastically change his lifestyle just because Krazan is in the same place. Saladin then changes the subject by asking Codatorta if the inspection for that afternoon has already been completed, to which Codatorta confirms this and tells him that all of the Specialists are waiting for them at base camp. Saladin sends Codatorta out, telling him to notify him once their time to depart arrives, as he would like to get some last-minute things done.

Soon, a Red Fountain shuttle arrives. Codatorta and Saladin climb aboard the shuttle as Codatorta explains that they will arrive at the base camp in 20 minutes. The shuttle takes off but, soon, something inside the shuttle explodes.

Codatorta asks what happened and the Specialist piloting the ship reports that the compressor in the right motor exploded. He then prepares the shuttle for an emergency landing as it spirals downwards.

The shuttle makes a safe landing and Codatorta and Saladin run outside. Codatorta goes to make sure that Saladin is alright, but Saladin insists that he check up on the Specialist that was stationed to pilot the shuttle. The Specialist runs out of the crashed shuttle intact and reports to Codatorta that the shuttle's damages can still be repaired. He then reports that he contacted the base camp and a spare shuttle will arrive soon to pick them up. Codatorta suggests that they put off the inspection but Saladin refuses to let the boys' work go to waste over a "minor" accident. The spare shuttle arrives earlier than expected and the three of them successfully make it to base camp.

At night, the boys have returned to Red Fountain and look back on how tough the 15 days at the base camp were. Brandon complains about how he supposedly cannot even remember what a girl look like, until Timmy asks them all if they have heard about the assassination attempt. Riven asks why it is considered an attempt and not an accident, to which Timmy reveals that once inspection was done on the shuttle Codatorta and Saladin were in, they found that the compressor that exploded was booby-trapped. The boys do not quite understand, so Timmy further explains that there was a special compound found in the compressor that was set to explode as soon as the temperature rose. Sky asks about what Codatorta had to say about this but when Timmy is about to answer, Brandon starts to complain, claiming that Codatorta is going to work them tirelessly to find the culprit and that he is sure that it will not be a cute girl that they will be looking for.

Meanwhile, Codatorta tells Saladin that they can no longer ignore this threat and must take action. Saladin asks if he suspects that it is Krazan behind the incident, to which Codatorta confirms. Saladin then asks what Codatorta advises they do, to which Codatorta claims that they need to work with the police in order to track down Krazan and apprehend him. Saladin believes that that plan is reasonable and Codatorta advises that he be careful, Saladin promises to do.

Later, Codatorta has the Specialists report to him as he tells them that they will be patrolling Magix in tight shifts between two other groups. He then shows them Viktor Krazan's mugshot and assures them that they will be able to relax as soon as they catch him. Codatorta has the boys dismissed and as the boys leave, Brandon complains about how their shift is during the weekend, so they will be unable to spend it with their girlfriends. Timmy then reveals that they took another group's shift so when their shift comes, the other group will be patrolling for them. Brandon tries to kiss Timmy as thanks but he obviously declines Brandon's offer.

At Alfea, Stella lets the rest of the Winx know that the boys can still make it to the lake to hang out with them this evening. Tecna asks whether their hangout was supposed to be tomorrow, and Stella begs Bloom to convince Greta to move their hangout today instead. While Bloom is unsure, she tells Stella that she could possibly convince Greta and Stella happily thanks Bloom over and over again. She then tells the girls to get themselves ready, to which Musa claims that she does not have much time if they are meeting the boys that evening and she runs into her room. The Winx watch as Musa does something on her desktop and try to figure out what she is up to.

That evening, the Winx and Specialists are enjoying themselves by the lake. As Stella and Brandon dance together, Bloom and Tecna notice that Musa and Riven have been awfully close. In fact, Musa has been letting Riven listen to a compilation of songs on her MP3 player. Riven asks Musa how she was able to get a whole album from his favorite band, and Musa reveals that she managed to get all of the songs from her friends. Riven thanks Musa for the gift and then apologizes for how he has been treating her, claiming that he just cannot help it sometimes. He asks Musa if she can forgive him, to which Musa claims that she will so long as he does not do it again. Riven promises not to treat her badly again and Musa urges him to go for a walk with her in order to tell him about an idea she suddenly got. Riven asks her what that idea could be, and Musa reveals that an old man by the name of Sifelius is letting her use the greenhouse in his garden to play music. As the two of them go for their walk, everyone else quietly cheers Musa on now that she and Riven are getting along. Soon, Flora and Helia come back from their walk with snacks that they got from Greta, as they had stopped by the White Horse on their way back. As the group enjoys all of the snacks, Brandon asks Helia how Saladin is, although, Helia is still unaware of the assassination attempt that was directed towards Saladin two weeks ago. As Timmy tries to assure Helia that Saladin is okay, Sky gets a call from another group of Specialists claiming that they have picked up Krazan's signal and need their assistance. Just as Riven and Musa return from their walk, Timmy tells him that they have to leave immediately. Stella protests against the boys leaving and ultimately, the boys bring the Winx and Helia with them.

As they speed into Magix City, Sky tells everyone that the group that called for them cannot pinpoint Krazan's exact location and, since they are all unarmed, all Sky's group has to do is try to chase Krazan out of the abandoned factory just in front of them, luring him towards the other group, who will apprehend him. Easing themselves towards the entrance, they all notice a Specialist shuttle scoping out the other side of the factory. Bloom notices a man hop over the brick fence, and Sky, Brandon and Helia give chase as Timmy and Riven agree to guard the Winx. As the three of them chase after who they suspect to be Krazan, Sky advises Helia to be more careful as he has not experienced recent training. Helia, on the other hand, does not care if he has not gone through recent training, as he still needs to protect his grandfather. The boys then catch sight of Krazan again, where Brandon suggests that they split up in order to catch him more easily.

Out by the factory's entrance, the girls are waiting for the Sky, Brandon and Helia to return and they start to worry whether or not they should try joining them. Stella pulls Musa aside, asking her how things are going with Riven, to which Musa reveals that she followed Stella's advice and gave Riven a CD full of all of his favorite music. She then claims that Riven is a lot sweeter when he is calm and she cannot wait the issues with Krazan to blow over so that she would have more chances of getting to know the sweeter side of Riven. Stella agrees about the Krazan issues and starts to wonder why the boys are taking so long. She openly hopes that Brandon is not being too reckless.

Meanwhile, Helia manages to grab Krazan by the legs and pin him to the ground. Sky and Brandon catch up and turn Krazan around in order to get a look at his face. However, it turns out that the man they have been chasing was not Viktor Krazan at all. The man panics, claiming that a man gave him money with the device and told him to run. While the man did not know what was going on, he needed the money to eat and just did what he was told. Sky reports back to the second group that the man they found was not Krazan, until the other group reports that they had found another man with the same device on. The boys soon realize that Krazan duplicated the device and had many other men run around with them on in order to distract the Specialists, keeping them away from Red Fountain and leaving Saladin vulnerable.

Just as they had deduced, Krazan has Saladin at gunpoint in his own office! Saladin claims that a gun would not do any good against him as a wizard, until Krazan mentions a woman's name: Zatura. Saladin is surprised by the mention of her name as Krazan reminds him that she was a "very dear classmate" of Saladin's in the past. Saladin insists that his relationship with Zatura is in the past as she was not what she seemed and he claims that he still wants nothing to do with her. Krazan asks him if he will still feel nothing for Zatura if she were to die, to which Saladin shouts that he will not allow Krazan to kill her, even if he does not like her. Krazan then reveals that if he does not return to the place Zatura is being held, then his two accomplices will kill her and that in order to save her, he must return to their meeting place with Saladin. Saladin ultimately agrees to go with Krazan as Krazan leads him out of Red Fountain, still holding a gun to his head.

Later, the boys and the Winx rush back to Red Fountain and towards Saladin's office, only to realize that they came back too late. Sky suggests that they look for any sort of ransom note, but none of them can find any clues. Flora tries to get an answer from a potted plant and she learns that something dramatic had recently happened, which caused the plant to wither. Furthermore, there are no signs of a struggle despite Saladin being a very powerful wizard. Bloom suspects that Saladin was coerced into leaving with Krazan, as Helia starts to blame himself for his grandfather's kidnapping. Flora tries to reassure Helia by claiming that there still may be a way to track down Saladin. She explains that they can ask the plants since the shuttles often release exhaust fumes that are poisonous to the plants in the countryside, but she will need help from the rest of the Winx in order to cast such a spell.

Just outside of Gloomy Wood Forest, Flora can feel that the grass has recently been suffering due to something poisonous making contact with them. As the Winx concentrate their magic on communicating with the plants, they are able to conjure up a path of light made up from the exhaust trail that the shuttle left. Now that they have a way of tracking Saladin down, the Specialists and the Winx follow the light path before it disappears.

Meanwhile, Krazan and Saladin arrive at the meeting point where it turns out that Krazan was working for Zatura this whole time! Saladin is taken aback by the fact that Zatura is neither a prisoner nor has she seemed to have aged, to which Zatura reveals that she had Krazan do all of this in order to get Saladin to see her and that her not-aging is the result of her being a practitioner in black magic. Saladin claims that Zatura's behavior is the reason why they broke up all those years ago, but Zatura pities Saladin, as he could have been young forever alongside her if they had stayed together. Zatura then offers to give Saladin eternal youth so they can be happy together once more, but Saladin is convinced that if he were to accept this, then he would have to obey her as if he were her pet. Though she claims that she will treat Saladin equally, Saladin still refuses her offer. He further claims that while her appearance is that of an attractive woman, he can still see clearly that she is greedy for power and is now a servant of evil. He makes it clear that he will continue to serve the side of heroism but Zatura finds these claims to be completely foolish as practicing black magic has allowed her to become as powerful as she is. To prove it, Zatura attacks Saladin. He manages to conjure up a shield, but Zatura's black magic proves itself to be more powerful. She threatens Saladin to join forces otherwise he will die, but she is interrupted by the Winx and Specialists arriving on the scene.

Zatura then turns half of her attack onto the Winx, who struggle to try and fight against the force of her magic.

Helia rushes towards Saladin, who is now trapped in a magic bubble, and he begs for Saladin to respond. Saladin tells Helia to take his hand as only he will be able to do so. Helia grabs Saladin's hand as he was told and Saladin tells him to give his other hand to Sky. Soon enough, the Winx, Specialists and Saladin form a magic chain that amplifies all of their magical energy towards Zatura. They manage to defeat her and even make the effects of her magic wear off, causing her appearance to reflect her true age. Saladin approaches Zatura, telling her that he always saw her as the ugly old crone that she is now and tells her that those who follow evil will always be defeated by the forces of good, as those who follow evil are too busy being swallowed up by envy and greed, that they cannot seek help from others. On the other hand, those who work under the forces of good will always have the help of others and their combined efforts will always vanquish evil. Zatura admits that Saladin had beaten her but she claims that they will meet again as she disappears.

Saladin then commends Helia for his efforts and reveals that Helia was the only one who could pass through the magic bubble Zatura trapped him in as he was the only one who shares Saladin's blood. Helia realizes that he works best alongside people who he cares about and apologizes to Saladin that it took him so long to realize this. Flora then runs up to Helia and tells him that she will always be by his side. As the sun rises past the mountains, Saladin, the Winx and the Specialists all return home together.

Spells Used

 * Shield of Justice - Used by Saladin to defend himself against Zatura's attack.
 * "Show us, oh grass, the evil taste that you oft must sustain. When o'er you, a different motor flew, and caused you pain!" - Used by the Winx to get the grass to show them the trail of exhaust fumes left by Viktor Krazan's shuttle.

Mistakes

 * Throughout the issue, Musa's eyes appears to be black rather than their usual dark blue color.
 * On page 6, when Flora tries to get Helia to talk about what is troubling him, the blue flowers on her skirt are missing in one of the panels.
 * On page 8, when Codatorta and Saladin are discussing the recent news of Viktor Krazan's arrival in Magix, the whites of Saladin's eyes are missing in one of the panels.
 * On page 18, as Stella lets the rest of the Winx know that the boys can still hang out, Flora's eyes are completely blue in one of the panels.
 * Throughout the issue, Musa's hairbands will change color between orange, pink and red.
 * On page 35, as the group waits for Flora to finish making contact with the grass, the blue flowers on her stockings are missing.
 * On page 42, as the Winx, Saladin and the Specialists form a magic chain to defeat Zatura, some of the Winx's Enchantix forms have a few errors in them.
 * For Musa, her hair retains its appearance when she is usually in her civilian form, as it is not a purplish color and has not grown any longer. The borders of her Enchantix wings are purple instead of yellow.
 * For Stella, her Enchantix wings are missing their borders and her gloves are the same color as her skin tone rather than being more of a pinkish color.
 * For Tecna, her hair has not grown to its usual shoulder-length size and her gloves are the same color as her skin tone instead of being more of a bluish color.
 * For Flora, the borders of her Enchantix wings are purple instead of pink.
 * On page 44, as the group watches Zatura disappear, Musa and Tecna's hairstyles are back to matching their civilian forms despite all of the Winx still being in their Enchantix forms.

Debuts

 * Viktor Krazan
 * Zatura

Characters

 * Winx Club
 * Bloom
 * Stella
 * Flora
 * Tecna
 * Musa
 * Aisha


 * Specialists
 * Sky
 * Brandon
 * Timmy
 * Helia
 * Riven


 * Enemies
 * Viktor Karzan
 * Zatura
 * Red Fountain Staff
 * Saladin
 * Codatorta