Back at Alfea, the girls return, and all the students notice Layla's Enchantix, all staring in awe. Lots of old favorites, plus a bunch of new girls too! Cool! Griselda comes through, complaining about the girls' unauthorized absence. Bloom explains that Layla's blind, and how Baltor took her sight. Griselda looks sympathetic. Yay!
Stella comes running to Miss Faragonda's office, with the pixies. Faragonda explains that something both terrible and wonderful happened to Layla: a dark spell took away her sight, but she was also able to earn her Enchantix, and that she is now strong enough to break Baltor's spell by herself, with the healing power in her fairy dust she now has, and that she can release it if she concentrates hard enough. Trying hard enough, Layla gets her vision back. And unfortunately, she hardly gets a chance to see her own Enchantix form. She'd probably want to know what she looks like herself, right? Now that that's over, Griselda's all-to-eager to punish the girls. Understandably. She says that not only did the girls leave Alfea without proper authorization, but they also phoned in false illness reports and had pixies impersonating fairies, and as punishment, they must report to the school library and sort all the books in the restricted section without using magic. As the girls leave, Stella asks how bad it could be. Musa says she thinks there're about 10,000 to 20,000. Stella looks depressed. Though honestly, they got off light. Probably due to Layla's getting her Enchantix. More about that later.
A little later outside, the Winx girls are around. Layla tells Bloom that Sky is here, and points to him. Bloom runs up and hugs him. Sky says he heard they saw some action in Tides and wanted to make sure Bloom was OK, and wanted to ask Bloom something. Sky says it's going to be his kingdom's thousandth anniversary, and they're holding a millennium party, and Sky wants to announce to the whole world that Bloom is his girlfriend.
Bloom: Wow, the whole world... wait, isn't that a lot of people?
Yup. I love the change of expression... excited and dreamy, to nervous, just like that! Sky says he wants everyone to know how important Bloom is to him. At least if it's OK with her. Bloom gets excited and hugs him again, which Sky assumes to mean "yes." Bloom says nothing will keep her from the party, then remembers the punishment from Griselda might stop her.
Mermonsters swim by, the scrolls glow near the Trix, and Baltor stares at an image of Bloom. Icy asks if the power of the Espero scrolls will be his once he absorbs their magic. Darcy comments about how easy it was to take over the world. Icy yells that they're just talking to themselves, that they just boosted all of Espero's magic, in addition to all of Tides' and Solaria's magic, and Baltor will soon be the top sorcerer of the entire world, and show some enthusiasm, and all Baltor can do is stare at "that Bloom loser." Entire world? Baltor's already done that! Heck, Darcy just mentioned that! I think Icy means universe, but it's probably just a script error. Not Icy's fault. Darcy asks Stormy if Baltor might be crushing on Bloom: Stormy gets a freaked out/angry/"static-haired" expression. A great expression! Baltor says they don't want to underestimate Bloom, and that the Trix should already know that. You'd think they'd realize that by now. Though Baltor says that soon he'll be so powerful, even Bloom won't be able to stop him.
COMMERCIAL BREAK #1
Back at Alfea, a bunch of students are in the quad, and watch in amazement as a magical net/forcefield thing encases Alfea. Apparently, this is the signal for an emergency meeting, as the students are now all in the auditorium, Winx girls included. Faragonda says that they just received word that Baltor has just invaded Espero, and Baltor has its magical treasure, giving him great power, and Faragonda believes Baltor will soon attack Alfea. The Winx girls are all completely shocked. And why did this come as such a shock, exactly? Faragonda says that for the girls' safety, that no one may enter or leave the school without special authorization from Griselda. Griselda looks a little too happy about that, too. I mean, maybe they deserve being punished, but there're other girls in the school too, right? Stella complains that they won't be able leave. Griselda happily reminds her that she can't go anywhere anyway, what with her library detention.
In the library, Griselda explains that the detention will last until all the books in the restricted area are dusted, catalogued, and shelved. She reminds them that absolutely no magic is allowed. Oddly enough, Griselda doesn't seem to care that the girls have the pixies with them to help. Go figure. Griselda leaves, and Miss Barbatea tells the girls that these books can be pests and have bad tempers. She hands Tecna one book that tries biting her. Barbatea leaves, and the Winx girls look nervous about the job ahead of them.
A moment later, the girls are all working. Tune seems to really enjoy dusting, too. Flora says at the rare they're going, they'll be working forever. Tecna says that they'll actually only be working until late Sunday. Musa and Stella complain that Sky's party will be a bust. Layla says she has no intent of allowing Bloom to miss the party. Stella says they only have until Saturday to finish in time, though, and impossible to finish without using magic, unless they use someone else's magic, that if a book were to use magic, it wouldn't be breaking the rules. But then, if Stella were going to "cheat" like that, why not use a safer source of magic, like the pixies that Griselda is oddly allowing to help the Winx girls? Or maybe Stella just figures none of the pixies would agree to cheat like that. Digit predicts failure is highly probably. Musa says it's all but certain. Layla says it would still be cheating. Stella doesn't care, and mentions that the catalogue notes said that blue book had a wish-granting genie in it, and if she just opens the book, it couldn't possibly be cheating. Instead of a genie, though, there's a monster that escapes from the book. Stella apparently didn't realize there was more than one blue book! Did it really seem like a good idea to just open up a random blue book, after seeing how dangerous the books could be? Stella freaks out. Musa says they'll have to use magic now. Bloom tells Layla to leave and protect the pixies, and to make sure Griselda isn't coming. How convenient that they got rid of the fairy with the Enchantix. The other girls transform. Bloom says they need to protect the books, and Tecna and Musa put a digital sheet music sort of barrier to protect them. Bloom and Stella notice the monster is mad. In case we couldn't figure that out ourselves.
COMMERCIAL BREAK #2
Bloom blasts at the monster and misses. The monster blasts at Stella, pushing her into a bookshelf, knocking a pile of books upon her. Musa is amused by it. And Musa is so thinking she deserved it for being stupid in the first place. Go Musa! Flora vine-wraps the monster, and Bloom changes the book monster into a bookworm, and Stella happily slams the worm back into the book. Musa's glad that's over, but Bloom says for them, it's just beginning.
Now to another realm, where we see people shopping, and a mansion... and DIASPRO! She's back! Yee! A maid asks if Diaspro is going out tonight, that all of Eraklyon is celebrating. Diaspro complains that there's nothing to celebrate, and she doesn't want to see the dress. The maid says how beautiful it is, and she thought Diaspro was going to wear it at Prince Sky's millennium party.
Diaspro: If you think I would ever go to a party where my ex-fiance is bringing his precious little Alfea girlfriend, then you need to, like, get out of my sight right now!
Um... yeah. Diaspro tearfully says she wishes there were a way she could get rid of "that stupid fairy Bloom." This one little bit here says a lot: that Diaspro isn't just angry that Bloom got Sky, but she sounds genuinely hurt. She so loved Sky. Baltor appears in her mirror, and walks through. Diaspro wants him away. Baltor says he can help with her problem. Diaspro still demands he leave. Baltor still tries to convince her, that he asks how else she can get rid of "that stupid fairy Bloom," holding up a vial of something.
Back at Alfea, still in the library, the Winx girls and pixies are all tidying up the library. Flora comments how well they're doing, and Chatta asks if Bloom's excited. Bloom is, but says she'll get intimidated by all the royal ceremony stuff. Stella says she'll get to go, and it'll be all romantic and fabulous. Tecna says Stella's optimism is inspiring. Stella tells Bloom all the stuff Sky's going to do, and how everyone's eyes will be on Bloom. Bloom says she's even more nervous now, that she's forgetting that she grew up in the simple little town of Gardenia. But never fear, for Princess Stella and Princess Layla are there to help teach Bloom how to be a perfect princess. Bloom says they'll probably have a lot more work than they realize. First, Stella and Layla walk while balancing a book on their heads. Bloom tries, and the book falls. Tune hmphs. She has that look of "I don't know this girl!" Stella hands Bloom some tea, saying that a princess never spills more than one drop for every thousand cups. Bloom spills the whole cup. Tune sighs. Stella demonstrates a royal bow. Bloom tries, but loses balance, and falls. Tune looks like she wants to be anywhere but here. A bit later, Bloom seems to have learned much of this, but Stella teaches Bloom the proper look, which includes slightly flaring her nostrils. She winds up frightening Stella and Lockette though, with her piggy nose. A little later, Bloom seems to have almost everything down, except she still can't bow without falling. Stella says it'll have to do. Tecna says this crash course has slowed them down a lot, and put them seriously behind schedule. Stella says she has another fabulous idea, but Tecna and Bloom think they should just clean the library already. Cue "Just Us Girls," as the girls clean the library. They finish ahead of schedule--at least ahead of Tecna's--and Griselda dismisses the girls from detention. Faragonda says she will allow the girls to go to Eraklyon for its millennium party. The girls cheer. Faragonda says she has something important to discuss with Bloom, though: something she's wanted to know for a long time.
COMMERCIAL BREAK #3
Faragonda walks alone with Bloom, elsewhere in the library. Faragonda says there are things Bloom needs to know about Baltor that connect to her. Bloom says Baltor said something about that on Tides, but she didn't understand what he meant. Faragonda explains:
Faragonda: What you see here is the Company of Light, a brave order made up of the best of the heroes, fairies, and sorcerers, and founded to fight Baltor and the three ancient witches.
Bloom: Baltor was with the ancient witches?
Faragonda: Yes. They are the ones who created him. You see, just like you, Baltor's power comes from the dragonfire, only his comes from an ember that was mixed with darkness. The witches took that dark ember and used it to create him. Now, the Company of Light was founded by your birth parents, Oritel and Miriam, in order to protect and defend your planet. As you know, the ancient witches destroyed Sparx, but they didn't do it without a valiant and heroic fight from Oritel and Miriam.
Bloom: How do you know all of this?
Faragonda: Because I was a member of the Company of Light, along with Griffin and Saladin, and it was with your parents that we faced Baltor in his final battle.
Bloom: Miss F, you were with my parents in that final battle?
Faragonda: Yes, Bloom, but we were knocked out, and it was your parents who defeated Baltor and locked him away in the Omega dimension, but the price of that victory was very high, as Oritel and Miriam never returned that day.
Bloom asks if no one saw them, then if it's possible they might be alive. Faragonda doesn't know. Bloom says Baltor would know, but Faragonda warns Bloom to be very careful, as Baltor wants to destroy her.
First, Diaspro! So great to see her back, and to hopefully see the whole issue of her being upset about Sky dumping her for the girl who attacked her for no reason! I like Bloom and all, but I can hardly blame Diaspro for wanting revenge. I hope Bloom's going to apologize for that incident.
Now, it would seem the girls got off rather easy, only having to dust and organize the books in the restricted section of the library. I'd bet Layla getting her Enchantix has something to do with that. You know, being a requirement for passing their third year at Alfea. Expelling Layla would cause a weird situation where there would have been absolutely nothing she could have done to pass, so I guess Griselda's hands were kind of tied. Still, guess some punishment is better than none at all, right?
Nice to see, even back then--at least in dire situations--Faragonda and Griffin could put aside their differences for the common good of everyone. At least past episodes have led me to believe their rivalry is older than seventeen years, anyway.
How about Layla's sight being restored? It was done adequately. Kinda' interesting that she could get her vision back with her Enchantix, yet she was complaining about it not happening immediately. But then, it was also kinda' annoying, hearing her complaining about it incessantly.
And finally, a thought: what would have happened if the girls got caught using magic against the pseudo-genie? I'd hope Stella would have done the right thing and taken the blame for that. Since it was her fault, after all. Actually, that would've been cool if that did happen. Stella could use a boost like that, considering she's turning more into "old" Stella lately.
Actually, though, as far as Stella's concerned, at least she was her nice self we all know and love during the whole bit with her training Bloom to be a princess. That's what we want more of!
7 out of 10 on the old scale.
