//------------------------------// // Heart to Heart // Story: Look Out For Her // by Twilight Glimmer //------------------------------// “Well, Spike, I wanted to talk to you about Twilight.” “Twilight? What about her? DId she do something wrong? DId she get a bad grade on a test? Princess, I swear, she’s trying her hardest.” “I know, Spike, that’s what I wanted to talk about.” Spike looked at her, bewildered. If Twilight was trying her hardest, then what could be the issue? He knew Princess Celestia wouldn’t break into Twilight’s home in the middle of the night if there wasn’t something important to talk about. Wait... “Did you break in, Princess?” “Um, that’s not important right now. Spike, have you noticed that Twilight is a little... jumpier than usual?” “Well...” Spike considered the question. Twilight had always been anxious, but she had been a little more paranoid these last few days. Possibly because her older brother was going away to an extended training camp for the next 2 years. He would be training to become the next captain, as the current one would step down as soon as he returned. But Shining’s contact with Twilight would be limited. The two siblings had always been close, and they used to visit each other at least twice a week. But now... “Actually, yes. She’s been acting a little more paranoid than usual since her brother left.” “Ah, I see.” Celestia had considered the possibility that this was some sort of anxiety brought on by her brother’s absence but Spike’s response made her even surer. Even though he would be able to visit sometimes, they wouldn’t see each other nearly as much. As his training gets harder, his time to visit would decrease. She would have to prepare Twilight before that happens. “When she gets worried enough, she has these fits, where she’ll start shaking, perspiring, and frantically listing the worst possible scenarios while pacing back and forth. It’s scary, and I don’t know what to do when it happens,” Spike said. He had seen his fair share of Twilight’s attacks in his short life, and they really were frightening. He hated seeing his mother figure in such a state. He hated seeing her in pain. “Well, you see Spike, Twilight has a special way of processing things. It’s part of what makes her unique. “Special? What kind of special?” “Um, It’s called OCD. Many ponies have it.” Celestia decided not to mention that Twilight’s case was one of the most severe ones she’s ever seen so Spike wouldn’t worry. “What is OCD?” Spike’s attention was caught at the possibility of learning something new. “OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is when a pony has this need to have something be in a specific order. Some ponies need to have everything in symmetry, others need to keep everything clean. And in Twilight’s case, she needs to...” Celestia hesitated, should she tell Spike that Twilight has Scrupulous OCD? She didn’t want him to think of her as an awful pony. You are an awful pony. You banished your own sister. Celestia pushed the negative thoughts out of her head. She had more pressing matters to attend to: her student’s mental health. “Princess! What is Twilight’s type of OCD?” Celestia was immediately snapped back to reality by the young dragon’s question. Spike looked up at her with big, green eyes, waiting for an answer. Celestia sighed, “Twilight has this fear of disappointing a god or deity, it’s called Scrupulous OCD.” “So, she has this fear of disappointing you.” “Unfortunately, yes. She has placed me on this pedestal where she thinks that disappointing me will reap unimaginable consequences.” “Will disappointing you reap unimaginable consequences?” “To a very extreme extent, yes. But I’m not just going to send somepony to Tartarus for a 99% on a test. She would have to commit a serious crime, such as murder. However, I don’t think she would ever willingly kill anypony.” “Is her OCD the reason she gets these fits?” “These ‘fits’ are called panic attacks. OCD is a disorder that is related to anxiety. The attacks are a symptom of her anxiety.” The panic attacks. The attacks were as scary for Celestia as they probably were for Twilight. Not only were some of the possible outcomes she came up with for situations unsettling to hear, sometimes her anxiety would actually cause her to pass out and Celestia would have to help her come to. Twilight was so young, and she was technically her guardian until she turns 18 in a few months. She was like a daughter to her, since ruling Equestria alone left Celestia unable to settle down with anypony and have foals. “What am I supposed to do, Princess?” “What do you mean?” “I’ve helped Twilight throughout most of her life, but this is the only thing I don’t know how to help her with, and it’s the thing I want to help with the most. I can’t bear seeing her so scared and not being able to help. What should I do?” Celestia smiled warmly down at Spike. Twilight certainly is doing a good job with him, she thought. “Well, Spike, there is a way to help her. Listen carefully, I’ll tell you what to do.” The young drake was all ears. “The best thing to do first is calm yourself down. Take a deep breath and count to 10. By the time you’re done, you’ll be calm enough to reason with her. Next, ask her to calm down. It most likely won’t work the first time, but it will certainly help. Then, try to reason with her and bring her thoughts back down to reality. Finally, give her a hug. She will definitely need one after an attack.” Spike nodded, making a mental note of everything the Princess had just said, but he still had one last question. “But what if I can’t calm her down?” “Then you send me a scroll, and I will personally come to help as quickly as possible.” “Will do, Princess. Thank you for teaching me what to do.” “You’re welcome, Spike.” Celestia looked over to the bed where the petite mare was still peacefully asleep, “I trust that you will not tell Twilight about this conversation.” “I won’t.” “Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must get some rest. The sun won’t rise by itself.” Celestia walked over to the stairs and whispered “Pleasent dreams, Spike,” before walking down the stairs to the door. She teleported outside and thought to herself ”They’ll take good care of each other” before flying back to the castle. Spike yawned. He was exhausted, and Celestia coming in the middle of the night disturbed his sleep, but he was glad she came. He would be prepared the next time Twilight’s anxiety got the better of her, and he was thankful for that. He closed his eyes and nestled into a long, pleasant slumber.