//------------------------------//
// Within Living Memory 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

"How much do you know," Felicity began once everyone was settled into their seats, "about Mistvale?"

"Almost nothing," Maple admitted. "We're still fairly new to the Empire, and most of our time has been spent living on our ship at Stormhoof. Prince Gazelle is paying our mooring fees, and we've spent a week at most away from this island."

"Is he?" Felicity looked stunned and excited by that revelation. "Such a handsome sphinx. I've rarely seen him myself, but oh, you must be high enough up to walk in the same circles..." She fanned herself lightly with a wing. "Well, regardless. Have you heard, perhaps, about the Yanavan incident not quite thirty years ago?"

Valey shrugged. "Lady, not even a clue. The two things I know about the Misty Mountains are that they probably look like that mural in your foyer, and that the monks up there are bad news. Got messed up by one a ways back."

Felicity pursed her lips. "Oooh. And you lived to tell the tale? Quite hardy of you, darling. There aren't a lot of ways to do that. Fighting up there is an art style many take long years to perfect..."

"What's a Yanavan?" Starlight asked, feeling like she wanted to keep the story moving.

Felicity nodded. "One of the most culturally-defining incidents in... generations. It caused a great deal of damage to the Night Mother's faith, and involved a reasonably large exodus to the south of ponies who no longer felt the call... Our mother was among them. I was a filly at the time, younger than you, dear." She pointed at Starlight. "Neither of these two were born yet. Our mother was a cleric, you see."

Valey blinked. "Wait a sec. Some huge faith thing thirty-odd years ago?" She scratched her head. "Bananas, maybe I have heard of that. Just not by name, or anything about it. The, uh, dude I got monked by mentioned something caused him to bail a long time ago..."

"Less than thirty," Felicity corrected, "and yes, that's almost definitely what it was. Essentially what happened... One of the members of the sacred council, the highest order of intermediaries and guardians between us and the Night Mother... went rogue. Not only lost faith but betrayed it, you know. With no warning signs, right out of the blue, Monk Lord Yanavan stole an ancient set of treasures the council was tasked with guarding that were said to contain the Night Mother's power and turned them on the council, becoming a horrifying monster in the process."

"Wait, wait a sec!" Valey's eyes widened. "These spooky treasures wouldn't happen to be called Nightmare Modules, would they?"

Senescey blinked. "That's the story I heard. Have you heard of that part, too?"

"Bananas." Valey caught her breath. "Yeah, horrifying monster indeed. I've seen one of those in action before."

"You have!?" Felicity's eyes went huge. "Well, I, well... that's... Oh my, darling. I don't know whether to be impressed or afraid. You probably have an even better idea of what they do than I do, then."

Maple smiled wistfully. "We believe you that they're not pleasant," she added, hugging Starlight with a foreleg. "Go on."

"Well." Felicia shook herself, flustered and regaining her composure. "That's what I had to say about that, at least. They say Yanavan was defeated and sealed away somewhere in the mountains, though I don't know if that's true. He's the kind of figure naughty foals are told stories of when they're up past their bedtimes. Regardless, my mother and I moved down the mountains into Gyre, which is a frankly horrid place nopony should ever go. Too much of the Empire for Mistvale, too much of Mistvale for the Empire, and plenty of misery and solitude for everyone. A dump, to put it crudely. Almost like it's in a constant state of decay..."

She shook her head. "Of course, we got along. We were hardly the only ones who left. There was a monk who accompanied us for a while. I think he felt a sense of duty to my mother since she was on her own with a foal. Eventually went on to become Senescey's father... We all have different fathers, by the way. Don't ask about Larceny's. He also tried to teach us to defend ourselves, or more accurately me to defend my mother." She met Valey's eye and curled a hoof, scanning it with passing interest. "I was a quick study."

Valey blinked. "Wait. So you can..."

"Use Mistvale's combat techniques?" Felicity smiled. "Oh, all of us can, darling. I learned and then I taught my siblings when they were old enough. You probably know, but one of the most foolish things a sarosian can do in the Empire is walk around without a means to defend themselves. Of course, we also don't use them lightly. The three of us have taken an... an oath, regarding our conduct and how it reflects on our race, if you will."

"Huh." Valey's tail flicked once against the sofa.

"Riiight," Larceny grumbled into her bean bag chair. "You use them for other things."

Felicity reddened. "Well, they are quite useful..."

"Well, thanks." Valey nodded, then leaned back against the couch. "You three at least seem a whole lot more trustworthy than everyone I've met who uses them before, though. Meh. Anyway. Weren't you guys from Izvaldi though, or something? I feel like someone said that."

Senescey blinked. "We are, but I don't think anyone said it? Or... I told you that last time, right! Wow, your memory is good."

As Valey rubbed the back of her neck, Felicity nodded. "That's where we went when it finally came time to get out of Gyre once and for all. When our mother found out she was having Larceny, she decided that was three foals too much for that environment and we booked it, as it were. It didn't help that our standard of living had deteriorated rather quickly after... things happened to Senescey's father. Especially since Larceny came from a certain... means of getting by, if you know what I mean." She glanced nervously at Starlight. "I'm sorry if I'm beating around the bush, but some of these things are awfully uncomfortable with a filly in the room."

Starlight blinked. "What?"

"Yeah, uhh..." Valey reddened a little, also uncomfortable. "Don't worry. I get what you mean. Probably not super easy to continue doing that when you've got kids, too..."

"Changing the subject!" Felicity announced loudly. "We moved to Izvaldi, long story, occasional tragedy, the three of us were sisters and things happened." She blushed back. "Or... that's something I can elaborate on. Sorry this conversation is awkward..."

"She's starstruck," Larceny explained from the corner. "And trying to flatter you by getting flustered."

Felicity threw a pillow at her blue-maned sister. "I am not! You go back to listening to music in your room, you ungrateful toad!"

Senescey and Larceny both burst out giggling, and Felicity put on a mighty pout to avoid joining in.

"Uhhhh." Valey blinked between all three of them. "Well, at least you get along well?"

"Hmmmph!" Felicity haughtily pulled herself back together, then smiled at Valey. "We're all each other has, darling. We couldn't very well get by if we weren't able to put up with a few eccentricities. All in all, they're my family and I love them. Now, where was I? Did you want to hear more of our time in Izvaldi?"

Valey burped a little, still stuffed from lunch. "Buh? Oh yeah, sure. How occasional was this occasional tragedy?"

"Welllll..." Felicity thoughtfully rolled her eyes, leaning back as she thought. "How much do you know about Izvaldi's history, darlings?"

"A lot more than Mistvale's," Maple offered. "It's apparently under a steward rulership between when its real lord dies and when Gazelle takes it over as his new province, right? Since the real lord is infirm with age?"

"Mmm. Quite." Felicity nodded and sipped her tea in agreement. "And have you heard about its previous steward?"

"Percival's father?" Valey blinked. "Dunno if I got his name. Heard he was a rude dude, though."

Felicity frowned earnestly. "Oh, that's putting it simply. Lord Victor was his name. Didn't even deserve a G at the start of it. He was... by all accounts loud, drunk, unacceptably flirty, undesirable and driven to madness by his status as not a sphinx and thus a failed heir to his father."

"Oh." Maple blinked.

"Quite incompetent, too, if I might add," Felicity added with another sip. "He... left the province in a great state of disrepair upon his passing... which was ruled a suicide, I might add, by that old bat called Chauncey. I almost wish that's a lie. He wasn't deserving of doing himself in when so many likely wanted it more. I certainly did. He was... well..." She closed her eyes. "How much do you know about..." She swallowed, suddenly tense. "Have you any ideas what killed my mother?"

Valey's breathing slowed. "Uhhh... do I want to?"

"No?" Maple whispered.

"Poison," Larceny growled. "The capital of Izvaldi lies on a river that everyone pipes drinking water from. That sub-equine had built a mine next to it, a distance upstream. Something in the mine overflowed or started leaking, and it took months for them to stop it. Chauncey shut it down once he died, but in the meantime... you were in Izvaldi. Did you ever wonder why there were so few people?"

Maple froze, face turning ashen. "Oh no..."

Felicity got up, walked across the room, and sat down in front of her, offering a wistful smile. "Everyone's thoughts exactly, I'm afraid. It... disproportionately hit certain age groups, so even today, Izvaldi has a great shortage of the very elderly, and many of the youngest grew up with... fertility issues. A lot of foals born there these days don't survive long as a result. It took our mother, though by some miracle the three of us survived, at least. Foals seemed more resilient in general. Anyway."

"Th-They..." Maple held Starlight against her, feeling cold. "So that's another part of why... I saw some census data, but it was only for the last twenty years..."

"Come now. Let's take a break." Felicity motioned for everyone who pleased to get up and do their own thing, but nobody moved. "...Well, fine, then. Can I get anypony more tea?"