"And this here is a prime location for your new home, your highness," Harrow stated as Luna gave him a flat look while Sapphire simply quirked an eyebrow at the indicated spot. The spot turned out to be a hill that was just a few mere hundred feet from the edge of the Pear Family farm.
"Umm... I think there’s one problem with this spot, Hallow," Sapphire replied, as Luna nodded in agreement.
"But your highness, this hill would give you a clear view of the surrounding countryside! Imagine the view of the Pear Family orchard when the sun is rising!" Harrow declared as Sapphire started to adopt Luna's expression.
"Except that if I need to expand, or if ponies decide to settle and build around my castle, then your farm would be in the way, causing your orchard would be cut down to make room," Sapphire pointed out, causing Harrow to gape at the idea of his family's trees being cut down just for construction.
"Did I said this was a prime location? No no no no, it's just a good spot to have a picnic, that's what I mean!" Hallow exclaimed, sweating a bit as he smiled at the princesses. It was shortly after morning when the two princesses had arrived at Vanhoover where they received a celebration, that was mostly in Luna's honor. This lasted till after lunch where Sapphire was finally brought to what Harrow, Copper, and Silver thought to be good locations for Vanhoover's royal castle.
Snickering behind her hoof as she was wearing a black dress with silver trim, Silver stated, "Didn't think that far ahead, did you, Harrow?" causing Harrow to give her a glare.
"So says the mare that wanted me to demolish four city blocks for my castle," Sapphire dryly countered, causing Silver to blush as Hallow pointed a hoof at her while letting out a laugh.
"I think you should follow your own advice first, Silver!" Harrow exclaimed with a grin.
As Silver was now giving Harrow a hate-filled glare, Sapphire rubbed her forehead as she looked to Copper, asking, "Do you have any suggestions for where my castle should be built?"
Putting on a false smile, Copper answered, "Why yes your highness, I do have a couple spots in mind..." as he wiped a hoof across his forehead.
Okay... this might not turn out well either, Sapphire thought to herself as she started to follow Copper, all while ignoring the staring contest between Silver and Harrow.
"So you're suggesting... that I make the base for my castle, in the water," Sapphire said in a skeptical tone as she stood on a cliff that was thirty feet above a short beach that overlooked part of the sea and the city's docks that were to the north.
Giving Sapphire a confused look, Copper replied, "But, your highness, you're the princess of the sea. Su—"
"Princess of water, not sea Copper," Sapphire interjected as Luna just looked at the two with an amused expression.
Bowing down, Copper said, "Sorry for mistaking your title, your highness. But the original idea behind the selection of this location was that since you're the princess of water, having your castle right in the bay would be symbolic of your title. Surely with your magic, you can create a base for the castle, and from here we can construct a bridge to your new home before building it to your utmost desires."
Tilting her head, Sapphire responded, "And how exactly do you expect me to make the base in the first place?"
Looking at Sapphire in utter confusion, Copper replied, "Well, by raising the ocean flo—"
"Princess of water, Copper, not princess of the sea. I only control water, not everything else in it," Sapphire flatly explained as she placed a hoof on her head, groaning at the ridiculousness of the idea.
"Oh, how about you make the base out of ice then?" Hallow asked, causing Sapphire to resist her right eye's urge to twitch.
"That would require me to maintain the ice at all times, Hallow, which isn't feasible since I do need to sleep and I may have to leave the city to visit other cities for some reason, like going to Canterlot for a gala," Sapphire pointed out as she shook her head at the idea.
"Hmmm... still, having your castle surrounded by the sea does sound like an interesting concept, one that would allow you to easily defend it if the need ever arises," Luna replied before turning to look at Copper. "Perhaps there is some island that Sapphire could build her castle on instead?"
Shaking his head, Copper said, "Not really your majesty, there are no islands of the necessary size and possessing the stability to support a castle."
Rolling her eyes at the idea of her home needing to have a water theme of sorts, Sapphire looked back at the city before looking past it to the land north of it, where Sapphire spotted some lush green hills that had some sparse amount of trees on them. "Hey Copper, is there anypony that owns the land to the north?" Sapphire asked as she pointed a hoof at the area she was looking at.
Squinting his eyes, Copper hummed to himself before answering, "I don't believe anypony owns it... unless its owned by Silver's family..."
"Which if that is the case, I will humbly bequeath it to you, your highness," Silver stated with a bow.
Rolling her eyes at Silver, Sapphire sighed as started to walk forward, stating, "Let's just take a look around there for the time being."
"Are you certain that you want your castle on just a hill? Why not a mountain where you can loam over your subjects, like that one over there," Luna said as she pointed at the closest mountain.
"Cause that's like a hundred miles away and I don't think anypony would want to traverse that much distance just to have a meeting with me, nor would Copper like to make that a daily commute," Sapphire countered as she looked upon the hill they were standing on. To Sapphire, it was a rather nice hill that had a large enough flat top for a small castle, though she knew that odds are Luna wouldn't let her get away with that. There were a few more hills nearby, but this was the tallest and biggest one. "Besides, we already have a castle on a mountain in Canterlot. We don't need a second one," Sapphire added.
Letting out a huff, Luna said, "Oh very well, you can have it here if you want. Now let's discuss what material your castle will be constructed from."
"Wait, that's something we have to talk about?" Sapphire asked as she turned around to look at Luna in confusion.
"Of course, there are many options available. I myself recommend that you have your castle be constructed of obsidian," Luna suggested, causing Copper to pale which drew Sapphire's attention.
"I myself would recommend the use of marble, thus bringing a taste of Canterlot to Vanhoover, your highness," Silver stated as Sapphire walked towards Copper, who was muttering to himself as he sweated profusely.
"Is something the matter, Copper?" Sapphire asked, drawing everypony's attention to him. This only served to make him squeak in fear as he sweated even more, which Sapphire wondered if he was going to have a puddle beneath him soon.
"Oh nothing, just thinking of all the logistics that it would take for a marble or obsidian castle, your highness," Copper stated with a forced smile, while Luna just cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Hmm... is there anything you would want to recommend then, Copper?" Sapphire asked, causing Copper to briefly glance at Luna.
"Well, your highness, I would say that maybe you should just stick to limestone for yo—" Copper started to say before Luna stomped a hoof down, silencing him.
"Nonsense! Sapphire will have a castle that will be worthy of an alicorn!" Luna stated with a snort.
"Whoa whoa, wait a minute," Sapphire stated as she held a hoof up as she looked at Luna. "Just what is wrong with using limestone if it makes things easier for Copper?"
"Its because it is the most common building material, your highness. Something used for much more simpler castles or during the days of antiquity where marble would be harder to afford for royalty," Silver explained. "A limestone castle wouldn't be befitting for an alicorn of your stature, as Princess Luna would attest to."
"But I'm not one for... much fanfare..." Sapphire countered as she looked at Copper. "Copper, can you just give me all the benefits of going for limestone?"
With his eyes darting back and forth from Sapphire and an annoyed Luna, Copper answered, "Well your highness, if we were to go with limestone, we could draw upon the stone quarries east of the nearby city of Tall Tale, which would give them an influx of bits. Furthermore, as Silver stated since limestone is more common, we get it at a cheaper price. Thus, we would save some bits, or construct a larger castle instead than what we could make with marble or obsidian."
"Well, a bigger castle would mean more space, so I suppose we could go that route if you're not against it, Luna," Sapphire declared as she looked up at her fellow princess, who was giving Sapphire a flat stare. Taking a step back from that, Sapphire added, "It is my castle, so shouldn't it be built in a way that I would like?"
Staring at Sapphire for a moment, Luna eventually released a sigh as she answered, "Yes, it should. While I may not approve the use of limestone for your castle, the decision is ultimately up to you. Though, I do approve of the idea of a bigger castle than our current budget can obtain for us. Perhaps we can get the royal quarters constructed before the end of the month."
"Well, if we're going for limestone, we should at least get you a marble statue of yourself, your highness," Silver stated, looking a bit disappointed at her idea being rejected. However, that faded to a bit of alarm when Sapphire turned her attention towards her as she sported a frown on her muzzle.
"Silver, I rather not have a statue of myself in my castle. And no, I wouldn't want a limestone one either, or any in the first place. Remember that I just said I'm not much for fanfare?" Sapphire said as she kept a firm look at Silver.
Looking back at Sapphire in confusion, Silver replied, "But, your highness, how about your former career as a fashion model before you were reve—"
"That was a job, Silver. Nothing more. So drop that topic immediately," Sapphire interjected, prompting Silver to rapidly nod in acknowledgment.
"Well then, Princess, I'll be heading back to my farm and see if any of my family would be willing to lend a hoof in the construction of your castle or help Copper in getting the word out of the need for laborers," Harrow stated with a bow before making his leave.
Watching Harrow leave, Copper asked, "So, your highness, do you have any design in mind for your castle?"
Glancing back at Luna, who was about to open her mouth, Sapphire quickly answered, "Just hire an expert for the castle, and have them consult Luna for anything special that I might need due to being an alicorn."
As Luna frowned at being denied a chance to get a word in, Copper bowed as he said, "As you request, your highness. Now if you will excuse me, I must return to the town hall to begin the necessary preparations for this construction project," before he started to trot away, leaving Sapphire with Luna and Silver.
Turning her attention towards Luna, Sapphire saw that Luna was less than pleased as she loomed over Sapphire, narrowing her eyes as she stated, "Normally, if it was any other pony, I would have punished them for going against my wishes or even preventing me from getting a word in. But since you're a fellow princess, I commend you for taking a somewhat assertive stance on this matter." Then, Luna smiled as she continued, "Now I shall go, for I have some ideas for your castle since there is more room to work with."
Letting out a sigh of relief as Luna took off into the air, Sapphire was about to say something when Silver said, "How about a marble entrance room where depictions of you are et—"
"Silver, drop it before I start to lose my temper and do something that you'll regret," Sapphire declared as she turned to look at Silver as one of her veins on her forehead was pulsing a bit.
"Yes Princess, forgive me for my transgressions," Silver replied as she bowed her head in a display of submission.
"I'll forgive this... after you take me to the nearest restaurant. It's been a couple hours and I'm already hankering for dinner.”