With the reunification of the pony tribes, there came a renewed interest in ancient pony things. Things previously only of interest to historians like Argyle suddenly became the new hot thing, and ponies had started livestreaming about artifacts they found (or, more likely, things they’d made themselves and tried passing off as legitimate for clout and fake internet points).
Of course, when one is a queen, she can ensure that any ancient artifacts found are legitimately ancient artifacts by simply financing an expedition with royal funds.
She descended from her chariot gracefully to the sound of six guards playing trumpets. “Your queen has arrived,” she announced airily.
“Queen Haven!” one of the historian ponies said. “We’re glad you came.”
“I… did,” Haven said, looking around distastefully. “There are so many plants. A thousand years of nopony weeding really did a number on this place. Have you found anything?”
“Oh, this is a treasure trove of history,” he responded enthusiastically, his wings flaring in excitement. “It’s a small village, and it seems to have been abandoned over time, possibly when the magic disappeared the first time and the tribes split up-”
But Haven was in no mood for a history lesson. “Have you found anything of note?” she emphasized.
“Oh, uh, yes. We did find this.” He held up a crystal necklace, with a small chain for hanging around the neck. “It seemed a little out of place among the abandoned houses.”
“Oh, that’s pretty,” Haven said.
“It’s yours, of course,” he said eagerly.
Haven smiled. She knew exactly what she was going to do with this.
Zipp’s phone buzzed. She raised it and her ears lowered as she read the name.
Sunny looked questioningly at her.
“It’s my mom,” Zipp explained, tucking her phone away without answering. “Again. Probably trying to get me back for another manners lesson or something. Ugh.” She let her head fall back and she stuck her tongue out.
“Didn’t you just have one of those?” Izzy asked.
“I did; but I swear, I sit down, I blink, and I get up, and two hours have passed. I don’t even remember learning anything. Not that I’d want to, anyway,” she added under her breath.
“Aw, come on, Zipp,” Sunny said amicably. “I’m sure she’s just trying to help you become a good queen.”
“A good bore is more like it,” Zipp scoffed. “If I was there and present for the whole two hours, I’d go insane.” She glanced around, clearly conflicted, but her sense of duty won out in the end. “Fine, I’ll call her back. But I’m probably going to hate it, whatever it’s about.”
Haven held up the crystal. “Do you like it?”
Zipp cringed. She hated it when she was right. “It’s… shiny,” she said with a forced smile, clearly struggling to find something appreciative to say. Jewelry wasn’t her thing, and she would much rather have not worn anything at all.
But Haven wasn’t going to let a little thing like her daughter’s feelings get in the way of what she wanted, and she held it out expectantly. “Try it on,” she said.
With hesitation in her eyes and hooves, Zipp reached out and took it. With a low, pained groan, she slid it on.
“Oh, that looks lovely,” Haven said.
Zipp suppressed a cringe. “Thanks, mom,” she said.
Zipp made it back to the Crystal Brighthouse in record time. “Ugh. I don’t know,” she said, holding up the necklace. She attempted to peer through the crystal. “It just feels too fancy for me.”
“I think it’s cute,” Pipp said, snapping a quick picture.
“It’s a piece of history,” Sunny added, stealing another look. “I may not know a lot about fashion, but I think it’s pretty cool.”
Zipp rolled her eyes. “You want it?”
Sunny’s ears pricked.
“Mom would notice,” Pipp sang under her breath, not looking up from her phone.
Zipp grunted an agreement and dropped it. “I mean, I get it. She’s always wearing jewelry and such, something about appearances being important.” She blew a quick raspberry. “But that’s just not me. I can be a queen just fine without all that stuff.”
“That crown still has to fit your head,” Pipp interjected airily, as if calling back to a previous conversation.
Zipp grunted. “I haven’t ruled out abdicating and sticking you with everything,” she warned.
Pipp sniffed disinterestedly, still not looking up from her phone. She knew Zipp would never actually go through with it, and she knew Zipp knew it, too.
Sure enough, Zipp exhaled and dropped it. “Egh. I know my mom. I’ll just start taking it off in a couple weeks, she’ll get used to not seeing it, and she’ll forget all about it.” She glanced over at Sunny. “And then it’s all yours,” she promised.
Sunny shrugged, hoping her cheeks weren’t coloring. “I mean, it’s yours, I shouldn’t…”
“Eh, you want it and you know it. It’s yours.” She looked around for a distraction. “Hey, Hitch. Something crazy happened this week with your animal buddies, right? Please say yes and discuss at length.”