Thus far, HBO’s The Last of Us has been showering game fans with quite a few easter eggs to give us something to fawn over. But this most recent episode had an easter egg that truly did not have to be added, yet I’m so glad for it anyways.
When Joel and Ellie arrive in Jackson, Tommy and Maria give them a tour around the premises, ending at the stables. Ellie is promptly introduced to a newborn foal in the maternity barn: a lovely little filly with a full white blaze, who sticks her head over the fence for immediate cuddles. The love is already there, and we love to see it.
But you know what else we love? The foal’s name is Shimmer.
I knew that name sounded familiar, so I went to the Last of Us wiki and searched it up. Turns out, Shimmer is Ellie’s horse in The Last of Us 2. Like, Ellie owns her. She is officially Ellie’s.
Y’all don’t even know how much this made my horse-loving heart sing. Episode 6 already went above and beyond in establishing that Jackson is a home, with room to grow for our beloved father-daughter duo. But knowing that this little baby horse is going to be GIVEN to Ellie, to raise and break in on her own, to grow up together? That’s like every horse girl’s dream, and Ellie has only JUST entered her horse girl phase. I’d call her lucky, but let’s be real, the girl’s owed one supreme dream come true.
Of course, being The Last of Us (and especially HBO’s take on the series), this leaves a lot of room for emotional devastation down the road. But hey, whatever, right? Ellie gets her own little fuzzhead and is going to experience the joys of horse-rearing. I’m personally stoked for her.
…That said, god help her, because in-game Shimmer is chestnut, and chestnut mares have the absolute worst tempers. Although this version of Shimmer seems to be a bay. Ahh, horses.
(Featured Image: HBO)
