Thankfully, it wasn't too difficult for Giegue to figure out what to feed Moondancer. Leaving her in the care of a Starman named Larice, he teleported down to Earth to observe the closest terran counterpart - a pony - and grabbed a few samples of its preferred diet. He then teleported back up to the ship. By the time he returned, Larice had started showing unusual behavior. The Starmen - silver-bodied metal soldiers that served the Geeg as shock troops - were meant to be nothing but that: shock troops. His time with Moondancer, however, had caused Larice to start exhibiting unusual bonding behavior, to the point he actively resisted Giegue's attempts at retrieving her. For his pains, Larice had his Emblem - the sign of his servitude to Giegue - cracked, and was sent to the labs to be decommissioned...eventually.(1)
Once Giegue confirmed that Moondancer did indeed enjoy eating the vegetable matter he'd brought back, he shoved it into the matter replication engine of the ship, coding it to use PSI energy to enhance the foodstuffs to help accelerate Moondancer's development. He was pleased to see that this apparently made the food taste better to Moondancer, and fed her as much as she wanted to eat...once he'd mushed it up to a consistency she could eat.
After that first meal, he began careful study of her, examining her from every angle as he held her aloft in his PSI, doing his best to determine the source of her power. For some reason, this seemed to thrill the little filly, as she laughed gaily from the floating. Before long, her horn began to glow, its energies interacting with Giegue's PSI, and she began levitating herself.
"You certainly learn fast," Giegue observed calmly as he turned to trace her movements as she zoomed around and around him. Noticing her entire body glowing, he frowned. "That is not PSI. That is your energy. I want to understand it." Carefully, he began probing the energy fields around the filly with his PSI.
Despite his best efforts, his probing brought him no answers. Instead, Moondancer swung around his head giggling happily before finally settling atop his head, snuggling in between his antennae.
"You are being quite frustrating," Giegue observed irritably.
Perhaps if you took a different approach? Niiue suggested diffidently from within Giegue's Magicant.
...and what would you suggest? Giegue asked coldly.
Trying to use PSI to analyze her abilities isn't working, Niiue pointed out. Perhaps you should teach her to tap PSI, and then see how her energies interact once the two powers share a body?
Giegue frowned thoughtfully as he turned the notion over in his mind. He saw no harm, and saw every reason why it would work. He decided to engage in the activity immediately...and he knew just how to begin. Of course, he would need to wait for Moondancer to get hungry again...
While waiting for Moondancer to get hungry, she actually fell asleep on Giegue's head. He was mildly surprised at this, but saw no reason to dislodge her. He could easily carry her weight as well as his own as he floated, and not only did this reduce the chances of him losing track of her, it meant he didn't need to go to the effort of constructing a crib for her...or journeying back into his nursery to retrieve the betrayer's prison for his child mind-
Giegue closed his eyes, rubbing his temples with both fore-tendrils as he struggled to push back the wrathful thoughts. He had a project to study, and if it gave him everything he wanted it to, he wouldn't have to give into rage to fix everything. The engine was off...everything was going to be fine...just fine...just fine...
Moondancer woke with a cry of hunger, much to Giegue's pleasure. Gently lifting her off his head, he strapped her into a chair before going to the opposite side of the room to mix up her food. Once it was mixed - and releasing an aroma he presumed was pleasant to the filly - he left it where it was before floating over to Moondancer's side.
The filly glanced up at him in confusion, pointing insistently at the bowl. Giegue waited impassively, watching her to see what she would do. After a time, she turned back to the bowl with a pout, her horn glowing as her aura gently lifted the bowl off the counter.
Giegue immediately lifted a tendril, directing his PSI to push the bowl back down onto the counter. Moondancer let out a plaintive cry, glaring up pugnaciously at Giegue.
...that is absolutely adorable, Niiue pointed out from within Magicant. Giegue ignored him.
Giegue repeated the experiment a few more times, using his PSI to push the bowl back onto the counter each time the filly tried to bring it to her with her aura. Each time, she let out a noise of complaint that got angrier and angrier with each outburst. Finally, after the seventh try, Moondancer rounded on Giegue and slammed her hooves down on the chair's tray-table with a cry of pure infantile rage.
Giegue didn't see it coming, but he felt the blow of pure PSI forming just before it took him on the underside of his chin, sending him flying across the room. He managed to recover before he hit the wall, glancing down towards the filly. "Not what I expected, but..." His voice trailed off.
Moondancer was looking up at him in absolute horror, tears in her eyes as she clutched her front hooves to her mouth. Giegue couldn't for the life of him understand why.
Look at it from her perspective, Niiue pointed out. She just used her first expression of PSI...to strike the one she looks at as father. She's probably terrified she'll be punished...or just of PSI in general.
Seeing the logic, Giegue floated back down to Moondancer's side, caressing her mane with one tendril as he smiled reassuringly. "Good job," he offered gently, hoping to reassure her. As he'd hoped, the terror started to leave her expression, and she nuzzled into him. He continued the caress, then gestured again to the bowl.
Turning, Moondancer's horn glowed as she lifted the bowl with her aura. This time, Giegue wrapped one tendril around her horn as he guided his PSI to push the bowl back down. Moondancer looked up at him in confusion, then back at the bowl...and focused, screwing up her face in concentration.
A few moments later, Giegue wiped vegetable mush off his face as the bowl continued to spin upside down on his antennae. Moondancer looked up at him, her expression a mixture of worry and suppressed mirth.
Well, she did move the bowl with PSI like you wanted, Niiue pointed out, his mental voice also showing signs of amusement.
At that point, Moondancer burst into helpless giggles. To Giegue's surprise, he found himself...enjoying the sound.
(1) For those who've played "Mother: Cognitive Dissonance", just a little tip of the hat. For those that haven't, this will be important later.