//------------------------------//
// Home Away From Home 
// Story: The Bell of Bridlewood 
// by milesprower06 
//------------------------------//

After filling up on tea and snacks, Misty was now following her father down the path north through Bridlewood, getting friendly waves and looks, but understandably, none of recognition.

As much as she was trying, she didn't recognize anything. She was digging for memories that were too deep, or just plain weren't there to begin with.

"And here we are," Alphabittle announced, turning to the left, and Misty found them standing in front of a simple one-story tree dwelling. The stallion stepped forward, unlocked the door, and pushed it open, inviting his daughter inside. She followed him in, and took a look at her surroundings.

It was a cozy enough place. Moss covered the old tree roots that were acting as the support for the structure. A small bookshelf was mounted to the wall beside the front door, and several trophy awards on display. She took a closer look, and saw that some were for him, tea brewing competitions, and a couple others were Izzy's.

"This here used to be your room..." Alphabittle told her, as he stood in the middle of the room, stepping towards the closed door on the left. He opened it, and stepped aside, letting Misty walk in first.

"When you vanished, I kept everything just as it was, and that allowed me to take Izzy in when I found her at the Elder Bell. Then, when she grew, the room changed over the course of her fillyhood. She took most of her stuff with her when I got her the house near the south end of the forest, so this has been largely unused for now."

As Misty listened to her dad's explanation, she took in the simplicity of the room; Izzy had taken almost everything with her to her new home, and had probably done much of the same when she moved to Maretime Bay. A pair of lamps were on either side of the purple-tinted twin bed, and there was a shelf with nothing on it mounted on the wall above. A window on the right side of the room gave a nice view of the back yard.

"Dad... I know what you're thinking of doing; you want to offer me my room back. But please, don't. This room belongs to Izzy just as much as it did to me," Misty told him. She saw how he tried to hide his disappointment behind the soft smile that he had given her. "I know you want to try and pick up where we left off, but I just think we'd both end up being disappointed in that. We have to start over. All over again, just like you did with Izzy. I can't even imagine what she's thinking of doing now that we're step-sisters."

Alphabittle nodded as he stepped forward and hugged his daughter.

"You've got it, kiddo. I guess there is no perfect way for us to enter each other's lives again. There's no turning back the clock," he said, squeezing her.

Misty returned the embrace.

"Thanks for understanding, dad."