“Princess Blueblood?” Record Haste quietly ducked into her mistress’s room. A moment after adjusting to the light she saw Sapphire Blueblood sitting in the morning light of a large window. The large blanket that originally covered the royal bed now wrapped around the mare. “Princess Blueblood.”

“Yes Haste?” Sapphire halfheartedly stood up, letting the blanket fall around her hooves. Slowly turning to Haste, she quickly wiped tears from her eyes. “What is it?”

Haste gave Sapphire a quick once over, noting several things. The first of which is red eyes fresh from crying. Second, a look which she had seen increasingly more often over the past year. The look of a night of sleeplessness, paired with an extreme case of bed head. Lastly, the small pocket watch hanging around her neck. A broken piece of clockwork that she had never seen her mistress without. “I come with some news for you this morning. Your brother, Prince Blueblood requested that your niece Vervain stay at the family mansion for a few days. She will be arriving in a couple hours.”

“Oh, yes.” Sapphire pushed her disheveled golden mane out of her eyes. Taking a second to grab a hairbrush from a nearby bed stand, she returned her attention to Haste. “That’s right, I think he said something like that yesterday. Have the, th-” Sapphire yawned, the brush held in her blue magic falling to her side. “Agh, have the kitchen prepare her favorite lunch around noon.”

“I also have a message from the castle for you.” Haste pulled a small envelope from her uniform and held it out to Sapphire.

Sapphire resumed brushing her hair and rolled her eyes. “If it’s the Hunter’s Association, then tell them we still haven’t located the dracolich. It’s only been a week since they dropped it into my lap.”

Haste straightened her posture giving a side glance at the stamp of the sun on the letter. Taking a slow breath, Haste cautiously read the sender’s name. “It’s from Princess Celestia.”

The hairbrush clattered to the floor, released from Sapphire’s telekinetic grip. Haste watched as anguish and anger passed over Sapphire’s face before ending in a deep sadness. A familiar cycle which Haste had seen many times recently.

Sapphire took a deep breath before speaking. “What does she want.” She gently pressed the pocket watch protectively against her chest.

At Sapphire’s beckon, Haste quickly tore open the letter and began reading the short page. “It appears she is asking if you are alright. Your absence from the Hunter’s court has been worrying her for the past year. She knows that today is the anniversary of Celestial Tinker’s death.” Haste’s summary faltered for a moment as the entire room began shaking. Sapphire’s magic radiating throughout the room, covering every surface.

Steeling her nerves Haste continued summarizing the letter. “And is wondering if you would like some company to talk about what happened on that day.”

Crack!

Haste flinched as the large window cracked under Sapphire’s magical pressure.

“That’s. Enough.” Sapphire growled, quickly reigning in her magic. The blue aura around the room dissipating. Turning to see that the large crack in the window she sighed. Picking back up the hairbrush, she calmed herself. “Apologies for my outburst Haste. I, I have a lot on my mind. Tell her.” Sapphire walked back to the window and peered at the scaffolding around a large unfinished clocktower. “Tell her that I am busy watching Vervain today, and that she shouldn’t worry.”

“Of course, Princess. I’ll send your reply immediately. Breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes in the dining hall.” Haste bowed and exited the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Sapphire lifted the watch in her magic to eye level. Wiping another tear from her eye, she watched her reflection in the glass. “Have I used my time well?”

“Auntie Sapphire!” A bubbly little filly yelled as she burst into the dining room.

Sapphire smiled and ruffled the filly’s mane affectionately. “VV, I hope your trip wasn’t too terrible boring. Take a seat, food will be here soon.”

VV pulled out one of the chairs next to Sapphire and took her seat. “Can you tell another journal story auntie?’

“Now? We’re just about to-” Sapphire’s objection was cut short after looking at VV’s pleading eyes. “OH, alright then, what story do you want today.”

“Ooh, ooh, how about the Wandering Nightmares! Or the Timberpack Hunt!” VV hopped in her seat considering the possibilities.

Pulling out a journal from her saddlebag, Sapphire ran her hoof over the gear symbol on the cover. “How about a new story.”

“New story?” VV stopped her listing and immediately sat to attention, a curious sparkle in her eyes.

“It’s a very special story, back when I first met a good friend.” Sapphire began turning the pages of the journal.

“What’s the story called?” VV asked peering at the worn pages of the journal.

Sapphire stopped at one of the earlier pages in the journal. “The Impossible Tinker.”

Author's Note

A Tinker's Last Breath is the corner of a very large puzzle which I may or may not finish writing. Since it was sitting in my google docs for several months I decided to upload it. If I ever get the inspirational spark to finish another story in Sapphire's or Tinker's timeline, I do plan to upload them. For that matter any of the other stories in root:Dawn will probably be uploaded if finished.

The Impossible Tinker, A Tinker's Reprise, The Timberpack Hunt, and The Wandering Nightmares are all in half-baked stages. If you're interested in any of them, leave a comment and I'll get on writing them when I have free time. Or if i'm not working on another project I get spontaneous interest in.

If you see any errors in either of the chapters, feel free to point them out and I'll fix them as soon as possible.

Hope you enjoyed the story!