Welcome to Gaia! ::

The sound of bells was stronger in the Winter season, though one could hardly say if they were due to the celebrations of the holidays or something far more....sinister. Songs were also in the air, song by ponies far and wide, played out by instruments, but beneath them all, on the proper wind?

There was a certain song, calling out towards a trio who had once been together. A trio who stilled quite belonged to someone who was waiting to see them again. There certainly wasn't any affection behind the want, oh no, but there was something there that had the song pull.

Come, come. It seemed to say, but only for those three. All others would be safe, for now.

Since being “freed” from a witch's spell, Blacklight Dreams found everything around them… taxing. Impudent, even. The ponies that cared for them seemed a pair they would have once enjoyed the company of. Now, however, they found themselves staring up into the sky, lost in the silver of moonlight and silence.

Always silence. No matter how hard Light strained their ears, they could only hear the serenity of the gardens around them. There were no bells, no chiming laughter luring them into the wilds.

It weighed heavy on their heart, the knowledge that the one pony that had actually wanted them was nowhere to be found. Orphaned by parents that clearly hadn't wanted them, they had found a sort of comfort in being with the witch. Perhaps it had been their magic; perhaps Blacklight had a dark soul.

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps…..

The call had been soft at first, barely audible over the buzz of conversation in the buildings behind them. It grew steadily, the soft melody wrapping around them like an old friend’s caress, until it was all they could hear. Once more as if on their own, the foal's hooves moved. They trekked carefully through the trees, following the sound with swiveling ears and near frantic determination.

They'd come back! They'd come back and they called to them!

Blacklight Dreams would heed that call, magic bonds or no, for they had chosen them over all others. That had to mean something.

The song continued, growing harsher and more urgent the closer and closer to a certain clearing. It wasn't a cruel harshness, oh no, but rather one that set the blood aflame with want and need and an almost unwillingness to surrender. They were wanted, not needed, and the tone of the song seemed to indicate as such. If the three foals could feel that and understand that, then all the better, for the source of the song would admit nothing to them even when asked.

But they stood there waiting none the less, in a clearing rimmed by darkened trees that still held colored leaves that hadn't fallen despite the snow that decorated the ground. A sliver of light fell through onto a figure blanketed with red and bells, who had a faint glow about their horn as the song continued.

The Bell Witch would wait only so much longer for them to arrive, though there was a feeling deep within their heart that told them the foals would come. They belonged together, for better or worse, and a thin smirk crossed over as they looked. Come, little foals. I'm here, I'm here....

It wasn’t long before Hearkened was sure that he heard hoof steps echoing around him and he knew it was the hooves of the other two foals that had shared his stay at the witch’s cottage. Something about that fact seemed more reassuring to him than fearful. They were being called home. Perhaps, this time...they’d all stay. Stay where they were wanted. Where they felt like they belonged.

When Hearkened finally pushed forth into the silver lined clearing, he noted the pixie had arrived first and was already approaching the familiar opalescent figure of the bell witch. A soft smile lit up his features as he too, put hoof steps towards the witch, his bell signaling and calling out to the other’s they all shared.

A rounded ear flickered backwards, wondering if the other foal were still on their way and if they’d felt the want and welcoming he and clearly the other pixie had felt in this calling song.

Ahh, but there they were. The Bell Witch had been so sure that the moment of their freedom had given the others a sort of...freedom as well, but it seemed as though the song still worked; the proof was in their arrival and the bells the Witch knew they carried. Magic still coated each of the foals like a thin wrap, stretched so hard it could snap at any moment, and the Witch couldn't help but give themselves a mental approval over the skill of their...enchantments.

"Good, good. I'm so pleased to see you." For the first time since the song had started they actually spoke, though the glow of their horn and the melody lingered. The foals were getting larger, as evident by their size and the time the group had spent apart, but that hardly mattered to the Bell Witch. "I can't say how much I've longed to see the three of you. Our parting was quite sudden after all."

It had been an amazing parting, of freedom and wonder and power that they wielded on their own terms now. Never again would the Witch submit, oh no, but these little ones need not worry over that. Oh no, oh no, they had other things to think of. "So tell me, did you miss me? Like I have missed you?" The Bell Witch made no moves to get closer to the foals but it was evident that they wanted them all....nearer.

//sorry, suuppeerrrr short//

Mistletoe gave the slightest smile when the Witch said they were pleased to see the foals. At least he was missed!

"It feels like we were just together yesterday," he said, not knowing how much time flew. "Where did you go?"

"Ahhh, but you were taken from me. I never let you go, never offered you the chance to run. You took it on your own, all of you, but there are few words that describe my delight at your returns." The Bell Witch might have laughed, or done something, for the faint sound of bells echoed in the air of the clearing. It was a bright and cheery sound, almost matching whatever farce this reunion was. These three foals did not belong to the figure they viewed with such awe and adoration, and yet there was nothing else there.

Bechtwill would have them, always, even if the spell snapped thin and the chimes ceased. They had been touched and always would be, would always find themselves returning to this clearing the moment the song entered the air.

Of course they would not be foals for much longer, a true shame, but even then would the Bell Witch still want them? "As for where I went, dear one, I became free. I was so trapped there, all alone and hurt and worried until the three of you came to my side. You made my imprisonment....bearable." Another truth or another lie? It was hard to tell with the way the unicorn smiled, the show of teeth and eyes that seemed to look through anyone who dared stand before them. "But tell me, where did you all go? Do you have...family now?"

The question felt almost accusatory, like the Bell Witch was fishing to see if they'd been.....replaced.