Shimmer walks up to the building where Aura has been staying, a grave look holding to his face. He carefully pulls tape and a pre-prepared note out of his saddle bag and places the note onto the door in a way to where it will not fall off or be blown away by wind.
Shimmer nods his head and contemplates weather to knock or just leave. His ambition getting the better of him, he decides to go ahead and knock, but waste no time in leaving afterwards, pulling the hood over his head and covering his luscious mane, and galloping away at a hurried pace.
The note which he left on the door had been written in neat precise handwriting, meaning Shimmer really took the time to think this note out and write it. There are some remnants of tear drops around the edge, but otherwise the paper perfectly reflects on the stallion’s neat freak personality.
But the neat set of the note cannot ever completely hide the grim news that is held within its words. As Shimmer walks home, he reflects on the note itself reads:
"11/7/2014
Dear Aura,
Please forgive me for simply walking and not coming in and telling you personally. I cannot be away from home too long, otherwise I would have done so. I have terrible news, and it involves Bunny Crescent.
At day care today, while I was at work, Bunny was playing on the monkey bars at the playground during recess. She doesn't fit in well as it is, and her being an orphan, and having a father who is single with no mother to take proper care of her, she does get made fun of. The bullies of this day care had somehow peer pressured her into trying to fly. She is 1-year-old, she cannot possibly fly. The bullies, being a few years older, had helped her onto the monkey bars and told her exactly what to do.
But the bullies did not calculate that she cannot carry her own weight on her undeveloped wings. With this, she tumbled...and not for the better. When she landed, she landed on her back, causing her to break one of her wings, as well as snap a vertebrae in her neck. She had a concussion, but is conscious and stable now.
I know you are about to leave Aura, and its very selfish of me to ask you of this, but can you come and comfort her when I can't for work? She trust you over all my mare friends as a motherly figure, and she truly loves you Aura. My work schedule is very flexible, and happens to be that I work at the same hospital, but I cannot always be there for her.
Again, I know you are about to leave, but I would greatly appreciate if you did this for me Aura. She is not closer to anyone else (With me for an exception).
With great love and care,
Your dearest friend,
-Shimmer Cuddle"
And with that, Shimmer is gone. Upon the door, hung with tender love and care, the note being the only evidence of his presence, hoping that the inhabitant of the building will soon find its existence.
***
With the rising of the sun the next morning, Aura goes to the hospital as swiftly as possible to find Shimmer, worried about Bunny and her health.
"Shimmer where are you!"
She burst out as she barges through the doors of the facility, not caring to what it is the other patients and workers are doing, only hoping that the filly she loves is safe and in good care. After being confronted by one of the nurses on duty in the waiting room, she is directed to the room where the little filly in distress is kept.
She traverses the halls of the vast hospital, ambitious to find the room that contains Bunny, and hopefully Shimmer as well. She takes turn after turn, only stopping to check she is headed in the right direction. After finding the room, she slowly opens the door and observes the blue stallion hunched over the bedside that may hold his sleeping daughter.
Shimmer hears the door creak silently, and looks up from his designated post.
"Aura, you came!" He cries as he leaves Bunny's bedside, approaching Aura goes to give her a hug thankfully, lightly nuzzling her neck before letting go. "Thank you very much for coming. I cannot thank you enough."
The Alicorn smiles with a slight chuckle
"Yeah, of course I came. You mean a lot to me Shimmer.” She responds she hugs him back, smiling from having seeing him again
"My mother wants me to teach weather to the unicorns and pegasi. I have to stay here a bit longer than what was expected, so I was in town"
Shimmer smiles brightly as the news reaches to his ears.
"She does? So that means you’re staying now?"
"It is only for a first term to see how many turn up. So where is she?” Aura ask, swiftly changing the subject from her to the filly in pain.
Shimmer reluctantly motions to the bed, where a small hump is formed under the covers, then leads Princess Aura to her.
"She I asleep right now, and she won’t really be able to move for a good while as she heals."
The benevolent stallion describes the condition of the babe as Aura sits, listening respectfully to show she is understanding Shimmer’s situation. Shimmer reaches out again and hugs Aura as they both overlook the peaceful slumber of the filly.
"Thank you very much for coming Aura, I don't know what I would do if someone else wasn't here"
His voice falters as emotion fills his mind, which is not hidden at all with the croak of his voice as it leaves his lips.
“I am sure she will be fine Shimmer, as long as you care a lot"
Shimmer rolls his shoulders and lets out the reluctant huff of a sigh
"I care more than the world.” He pauses, “But with my job, I have been back and forth between her and other patients." His voice breaks off again as he looks at the sleeping filly. It is apparent from his messy mane and sagging eyes that Shimmer has been up all night, and possibly the night before, stressing over his broken daughter, "I don't quite have the time to be with her sometimes” He stops and takes a moment to let his words sink in as he realizes the reality of the condition for the first time.
Aura realizes the distress of her close friend, and decides that her herself may be able to help him and take some of the weight of this world off of his shoulder.
"Shimmer,” She begins, “I can be by her side if you would like me to. It might help more with a mare by her side than a stressing father who has to decide whether to stress over her or support his patients."
She looks over at the sleeping filly, smiling a little, then looks back to Shimmer.
Shimmer nods and leans against Aura unintentionally, feeling comforted to have her warmth touching against him.
"That would help a lot Aura, I don't think you understand" His voice fades again, his sudden burst of energy to welcome the princess having spent the last of his energy he had stored "It helps a lot."
"I will shimmer to help you out.” She smiles and motions to him to go attend to his business, “Go do what you need to do, ok? I’m always here to help" She sits next to the bed, holding her wings over the filly smiling looking compassionately at Shimmer.
Shimmer smiles gently ad gives Aura one last hug, filled with all emotion to his daughter, hoping his friend can help her mend
"You do not mind watching her while I rest?" Shimmer ask, as he looks at his messy complexion in the mirror for the first time, embarrassed to have allowed himself to go this far in personal appearance over his job.
"Sure.” Aura starts, “Go relax and take some alone time to cool down. I will be here by her side watching over her as if she were my own."
She lets out a coy set of giggles while looking at the state of her friend, distressed that his situation had allowed him to loose himself in his mind and health. "Trust me, you need it.”
Shimmer observes around the room, familiar as he had worked in many rooms of the building identical in every way to this one, the only difference being it is his filly in the bed other than some reckless daredevil teen or elderly patient. He tries his best to rest and get situated in the generic recliners and tries his best of efforts to get comfortable, a blanket wrapped around to his chest and legs, a pillows supporting his head up.
"Aura" Shimmer says really quickly.
"Yes Shimmer, what is it?" She looks over to him in his perch, smiling lightly.
"You do not understand how much this means to me," He sits up and looks Aura in the eyes to show how serious and sentimental this moment is to him, "How much you mean to me dear." *Holds his eye contact as he awaits for what her response to him will be.
She blinks, and has a pause, then smiles heart warmingly to comfort the distressed stallion wrapped in a blanket. "Tell me when your awake now Shimmer, okay? Now sleep."
Shimmer smiles in return and leans back in the chair to lead himself slowly to sleep "Thank you very much Aura."
He then cuddles and wraps the blanket close to him and closes his eyes, thinking of his thankfulness and appreciation for the beautiful Alicorn watching his young daughter.
"Sleep tight Shimmer."
Aura looks at him concerned, covering Bunny with her majestic slate grey wing lightly to keep her safe and protected, as if an invisible danger were wishing to whisk her away, and the mass of feathers were the only thing to protect her.