His Little Pet

Psychiatric Evaluation of patient (unnamed), Age: 6-18 months, conclusions after one (1) year of regular meetings.

Performed by Dr. Mind Eye

Physical and physiological analysis attached. Main points summarized in main report.

Something you should know. Something I figured out only after bringing together all the fact. This creature, this "dragon," is a changeling. Or rather, it's what baby changeling aspire to be when they grow up. Legend speaks of these creatures but I believed them to be an old mare's tale. Perhaps, with what I know of Princess Luna, old mare's tales should be given more credit.

As with all scientists I have a working understanding of ancient Pegasi. As such I have chosen to refer to him as Spectus. Short for circumspectus which translates to look around, or watchful. Because this is truly his greatest talent. The child is aware in a way that I am unfamiliar with. He instinctively reads body language, speech patterns, and pheromones and seems to copy them in an attempt to create an unconscious bond between himself and the pony he is speaking with.

Now if he were truly like a changeling then we would be able to understand his needs but his physiology is like nothing we've ever seen before. Firstly, he cannot feel. Emotion, that is. His brain is constructed with very little of the common chemicals. His adrenal glands seem severely underdeveloped and dopamine is nearly non-existant.

And yet he emotes. At first I believed he was shy and withdrawn. Uncommon in toddlers and infants but nothing to be to concerned about. When he finally opened up to me he showed all the signs of a regular toddler. He responded to every test and question perfectly. As if he read my mind to see the correct answer.

After he had accustomed himself to me he began to... change me to fit him. This is a slow process and the only way I caught it is because I had notes to look back on. He asked if I liked him, and of course I said I did. And I meant it, I find all of my patients quite enjoyable company, a child's bright outlook on life is why I got into this business in the first place. But he asked if he were my favorite patient. He used that word exactly, patient. Children do not refer to themselves as patients, not on their own.

I found myself agreeing with him. He was my favorite patient. Bright, happy, and surprisingly knowledgeable. That one a big warning sign when I later reviewed my notes. I began bringing him treats. Tiny gemstones that didn't cost much to purchase from a friend of mine that works in the mining industry. I have never before given any patient of mine a snack or treat. I believe they get more than enough sugar at home and I don't need to be giving them more. Spectus convinced me that gemstones were fine since there was no sugar in them.

In the last months I believe that I truly loved him. He was like the son I never had. Doctors do not grow attached to their patients.

When the physiology report came in I looked over my notes about the boy. I felt fear then, I am not ashamed to admit. His body is made for what he is, the perfect predator.

Do you know why 'transform' can mean both to change shape and to change position? It's because by some strange circumstance transformation magic handles both teleportation and changing shape. When analyzing Spectus's magic it was found that it was the same type of magic that changelings use to take the shape of a pony, but slightly different. It's theorized that Spectus can grow larger or smaller and take the form of any living creature, even plants.

He also has receptors in his nose that pick up pheromone and magical discharge. We know that ponies have a kind of haze or aura around them and this aura grows stronger when they are happy or in love. This is what changelings feed off of to replenish their magic. Spectus, however, is set up to internalize this aura and use it both as as secondary power source and as a kind of perfect empathy mirror. He knows exactly what a pony is feeling and with his intellect he can most likely understand why they are feeling that way.

In essence, he could manipulate a hardened politician into arguing for the other team. But this isn't all, oh no, this is the tip of the iceberg. Dragons are omnivores for obvious reasons, needing the protein and iron from meat to help with proper growth and vegetables to provide the neutralists they cannot obtain with a carnivorous diet. They also eat gemstones. We believe this is to assist with scales and tooth growth. It, we have found, also serves another purpose. Internal magic.

As I'm sure you're aware, ponies and most other creatures draw on the natural magical energies around them into their bodies to be used in such things as spells, cloud walking, and assisted plant growth. If they use too much they will become tierd but they will eventually "recharge." Dragons cannot do this as their physiology naturally repels all outside magic which is why it is hard to effect them with spells. So they found another way. Gemstones naturally capture a great amount of magical energy, which is why they are often used in magical artifacts. Dragons, therefore, eat these and digest them to add to their non-replenishing internal magic. They could, of course, eat magical plants or beings and get the same effect but gemstones can hold much more energy than any single plant or animal.

But that has very little to do with anything other than some interesting tidbits about dragons that we did not know before. The final nail in the coffin, as they say, is Spectus's saliva. It's a drug, pure and simple. It calms and creates good feelings in the creature exposed either by bite, kiss, or lick. As with all things one or two doses won't create any sort of long term effect beyond making Spectus seem more trustworthy because you aren't tense around him. He uses this weapon liberally. Licking ponies like a dog. Giving out small kisses on the cheek. He has even "accidentally" scratched somepony and licked the wound clean.

The doses are so small that they are nearly unnoticeable over a short time period or with more than a month between doses. But what if he gets a marefriend? Kissing her everyday, or performing oral sex? There are no side effects. It doesn't seem to be an all consuming addiction like some of the more hard core drugs. No, this is far more insidious. A hard drug would create immediately noticeable changes in behavior, this works slowly and over time. A pony continuously subjected to it would not lose their ability to find enjoyment in other activities, but those activities would be enhanced with a quick kiss from Spectus.

So it would seem like everything would be better if this mare were around him. Just like how many say love feels like.

I took the liberty of forwarding the test results to an animal expert under the false name "Dr. Bird Eye" and asked the expert what they predict the life cycle of such a creature would be. The report is attached.

After reading the report I have come to the conclusion that patient Spectus is a monster in every meaning of the word but one. He is not malevolent. However, he may only not be malevolent only on the basis that he cannot feel grief or remorse and thus does not understand that what he does is wrong.

Patient Spectus cannot and does not feel emotions the way we understand them. He takes no joy is what he does and yet he feels no remorse for manipulating those around him who love him. He sees living creatures simply as tools to be used to his ends and will manipulate them with word, drug, and magic to get what he wants. He will act polite, nice, loving, caring, gentle, aggressive, hurt, or shamed as the situation dictates but he does not truly feel these emotions. He, instead, wears the mask that will make those around him happy, loving, or simple accepting that he is not a threat.

He is an apex predator living among prey and yet he is praised for being "cute," "attentive," and "a sweet dear." He has the entire palace wrapped around his little finger and I have no doubt that his power base will grow as he gets older. Mark me. He will take what he wants, and they will thank him for it. He will hurt and kill those that stand in his way, and they will praise him as a hero. He will give those that love him what they want, and what they need, not because he loves them but because he does not want his tools to break.

This is a monster far more dangerous than those that wait in the dark with sharpened claw and tooth. This is a monster that will make you love him, one that you will thank for his "kindness."

End of Evaluation

A much folded and re-folder white page was clipped behind the report. It was mouth written and slightly dirty

Dear Dr. Bird Eye

This is a very interesting report that you have sent me. Truly a creature that is well suited to its particular environment. As you have not seen fit to tell me the species I shall assume, for arguments sake, that this is a new kind of changeling that has just been discovered. It is a miracle that something like this would be discovered. This creature seems highly adapted to camouflage perfectly into any society from dragons to ponies to gryphons. But you asked for a predicted life cycle so I shall try my best.

The creature would start off as an egg, of course. This egg would have to either be abandoned or placed among eggs of a different species. This is because the creature shows no sign of having the ability to either, A: Be emotionally attached to the offspring or, B: Have the necessary emotions to feel the infant the aura it needs to survive.

Now let's assume that this egg is placed in a sea serpents nest. Being a sentient creature the sea serpent would immediately notice that a new egg had come into its nest so I guess that the egg would be camouflaged to look like all the eggs around it. Perhaps the parent would do this or the egg would have some kind of chameleon ability. The creature inside would also change to fit the genome of the creatures surrounding its egg so that when it hatched it would look like all the other infants.

The creature would attempt and most likely succeed in emulating any actions the other infants took. In the case of the sea serpent they would kill and eat each other until only three or four were left. Then the creature would feed on the love of the parent until either the parent pushed them out on their own or died from having their emotions and magic drained. In the case of almost all sentient creatures the former will come before the latter as the creature would be a baby and not need very much love to sustain itself.

Then, after it has left the nest it will look for a community. This is where any egg left in a dragon's or sea serpent's clutch would need to learn their first shape shifting ability. Since sea serpents and dragons are solitary creatures they wouldn't be able to provide enough total love to do more than barely feed the creature. Any mate they took from these creatures would die from loss of magic and heart breaking depression, thus leaving the creature to either find a larger source of emotion or take mate after mate very quickly.

Now let's assume that this sea serpent looking creature walks into a gryphon village. Of course it gets chased out. Then it looks into another one and the same thing happens. The creature would try different tactics. Emulated behaviour, attitudes of superiority or submission, anything to be accepted.

Eventually it would come to one of two action plans. The same plans that the changelings use. Either it can transform into something that looks like the creatures it wants to feed from or it can kidnap individuals and keep them drugged as they absorb their energy.

Let's assume that this creature picks the first option sooner or later. First it would establish itself. Learn about the gryphons it was living with, learn about the different jobs, and generally act cordially to all. Then it would pick a target. It would have been living off the ambient emotions for a while and getting quite hungry so it would pick an easy target. Somegryphon who was fat, or ugly, or had low self esteem, or had none or few friends, and they would get close to them.

The creature would make them feel safe, secure, and loved. Using its ability to understand the other creatures emotions and with a liberal application of its drugged saliva they could make any creature fall in love with them. Then it would firmly establish a hold on this creature. Most likely by exploiting their self esteem issues to manipulate them into having intercourse.

The gryphon would feel like they were cared for, loved even. This is actually a symbiotic relationship at this point. The gryphon gives the creature love and the creature gives the gryphon self esteem and somegryphon who (they believe) loves them. This relationship could continue for years before the creature grows enough to need more love. By this point the gryphon is so in love with this perfect mate that they would do anything the creature asks.

And so the creature asks if their mate wants more mates. The gryphon, even if they felt jealous, or shameful (because gryphon society is heavily monogamous) they would say yes. Anything for the creature that took them from the pits of despair and self doubt and made them feel loved. Thus would begin recruiting. This may be done be either the creature themselves, the mate, or both. After the initial target the creature would be free to go after any creature they wished.

Ideal targets would be those who were unattached, known to the creature and/or the mate, and magically or emotionally powerful. This list would probably include creatures that also had financial or social high standing. Politicians, social butterflies, the strong willed, and the well established would make excellent targets.

Using any wealth or power the creature or its mates came by it would lead a well off but not obtrusive lifestyle. Depending on the creatures life span this may go on for several generations with it taking a new set of mates and moving around to not be suspicious.

In conclusion. I am tempted to call this a parasitic life form like that of the changelings. However, a changeling can, will, and does live off a single pony at a time. Draining them until they die and moving on to another victim. However, the creature you describe couldn't live this way. It would need an entire support structure to keep itself well fed and that would mean keeping a large harem alive and, hopefully, happy and healthy.

I am also tempted to call this wrong. The creature you describe could not ever truly love its mates and would be keeping them attached to it with drugs but...

The creature wouldn't be subverting their personality or emotions. Just because it is assisted by drugs does not mean that the emotions are false. Just as when a stallion or mare lies for intercourse it doesn't mean that something real cannot come of it. The mates of this creature could still be sad, or depressed, or angry at a stupid comment, and the creature would have to deal with these things in a logical manner. It couldn't brush off the concerns of a mate because that mate has to stay happy, healthy, alive, and in the vicinity of the creature for the entirety of the creature's life.

In a way, the creature would have to be more attentive to its mates than any loving husband or wife would want to be. It would act patient, caring, and always see to the needs of its mates. It would seem to express all the emotions a mate would expect. Anger, jealousy, possessiveness. Incredible possessiveness. This creature would be very possessive.

This is my personal opinion and normally I could include it in a report but as this is an informal request I believe that the opinion of a mare may help in this instance. I believe that, were I a mate, I would stay with the creature even if I did know what it was. Even if in my heart of hearts each word was a lie and every caress was calculated to make me love it and stay with it. Because sometimes a mare just wants to know that she has a solid foundation to stand on.

Sincerely,

Dr. Fluttershy, field biologist, researcher, and veterinarian of exotic plants and animals.