//------------------------------//
// The Horrible News 
// Story: What is Life For? 
// by zanzibaby 
//------------------------------//

*Twilights POV*

And yet, like an idiot I opened the letter. I was surprised to find that it was from Rarity. I hadn't seen her for a while, and had thought that she was still in Manehatten with her little sister, working for Sapphire Shores. I was pleased to hear from my old friend, but very concerned with what the letter said.

At first, it seemed innocent. Rarity opened with what had been going on in her life. She was now Sapphire's personal assistant and fashion designer. "Life is busy, but fun here" she wrote. Sweetie Belle had branched off and released her own album. She called it "Sweetie" (A/U this is a parody of Demi Lovato's new album "Demi"). It had been a huge success, and the young filly was getting huge publicity from all the papers in the area.

Rarity had also spoken to Applejack for the first time in almost two years. She had seen the farm pony while AJ was in town, opening yet another apple store. She and her siblings had been doing well, but Rarity was sad to inform me of the death of Granny Smith. She passed away on the 14 of February, almost a year ago.

When I read those words, I felt a sharp pain for the Apple family. Granny Smith had really tied them together. She was the one who had taught them how to be a hard worker, and had been almost a parent substitute for both Big Mac and AJ. Apple Bloom also idolized her, and respected her as a wise and all-knowing pony. "They must have been heart-broken to see her go" I thought to myself.

But if I had thought that was going to be the worst part of Rarity's letter, I was severly mistaken. Even worse news lay on the next page, where more stains of water lay. I now know that these were Rarity's tears, falling off her face as she wrote the horrible news that was the main point of this letter. Her tone switched to a more business-sounding one, and I knew it must be hard for her to write the words I read next. They read as follows:

"Twilight, I regret to inform you that our friend Fluttershy has taken ill. She has written to me that the doctors have diagnosed her with third-degree lung cancer. There is also the possibility that it is also spread to her liver and heart, but she will not know until she gets the results of the lab work back"

"Of course, I left everything and went to her side. I was distressed to she the result that hideous disease has brought about on her. Her mane had thinned significantly, and her normally bright yellow coat has dulled to a dull white. She still keeps her good attitude, and insists that she feels fine. The doctors have confided privately in me, once realizing  I was a friend of hers, that she does not have much longer to live at all. There is only so much they can do, at this point, and are reluctant to do anything at all until the lab work has come back. I hear them privately converse, saying that they think she only has a month or two left. I hope this is not the case, because I cannot imagine a world without Fluttershy in it."

"Twilight I write to you today, to tell you news of what is happening, but also to ask you for two favors. You are a princess now, and I was wondering if you may be able to talk to Princess Celestia on behalf of Fluttershy. Maybe there is some kind of cure that she knows of, that the doctors here in Ponyville do not. If there is, please write. I am willing right now to pay any expense to save my friend"

"The second task is much more difficult, I am afraid to say. I have already managed to contact Pinkie Pie and Apllejack and give them the horrible news, but I cannot handle writing to Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy and Dash were always very close, and since Dash's accident, she gets much more upset about these things. You are much closer to Dash than I am, and I am afraid that if she hears the news from me first she would become depressed, suicidal even. If you could write her a letter or even fly up to Cloudsdale to tell her, I would be in your debt."

Rarity ended her letter hear, closing it with only the words, "All we can do know is hope". The words brought tears to my eyes, and blinked rapidly to try and stop them, but it was no use. They spilled out in every direction and dripped onto the letter. It was too hard to pull myself together, so I just sat there crying for a while, thinking over everything I had just read.

Fluttershy. My sweetest friend, dying in a hospital somewhere. Fluttershy, saying she felt fine just because she didn't want to bother anypony. I just couldn't believe it. How could this have happened to her? She was one of the cleanest, most health-conscious ponies I knew. "How did this happen?", "Why did it happen?", and "How could it be stopped were just a few of the questions that swirled through my mind. But the worst one of all jarred me back into my senses. "How much time does she have left?".

I stood up with a start and raced in to Spike's room where I found him eating a snack. There was no time to waste. I threw open the door and hit Spike again. He flew backwards, knocking over a table and sending his gem sandwich tumbling to the ground.

"Spike, take a letter" I commanded.