//------------------------------//
// Edict of Species 
// Story: What Am I? 
// by LordOctavianStark 
//------------------------------//

"One of the worst things you can tell a pony, or any other creature for the matter, is to stay calm. Ironic as it is, telling them to stay calm generally has the opposite effect. Instead, try to reason with them. Ask them their name and address them as such to establish familiarity." You're having difficulty following along as the old stallion drones on about the same seminar you've taken twice before. Even more difficult was simply trying to stay awake. Sleep once again eluded you, though not due to any nightmare or the strange creature in them. No, you failed to obtain any sleep through your own actions of staving off slumber.

You were afraid. Not of having the nightmare, but of what it might mean or bring. Part of you is concerned that it may be a parasite harboring corruption. The time you spent with Luna left you well versed in dreams and their dangers. What if it's a Tantabus? What if it's THE Tantabus. The Nightmare? Those questions are what kept you up. You chastised yourself for not telling Luna of what plagues you, but after your hallucination, you also have a sinking feeling that there's more to it.

Whatever that vision was, it left you second guessing your oldest and closest friend. And you hated yourself for it, something in the back of your skull is telling you that you were wronged, and by Luna no less. But that's just not possible, Luna hasn't done anything to me but show me kindness. She's ALWAYS been my friend… Always… something clicked with that line of reasoning. 

"Luna always treated me like such an old friend. As if I had known her for years long before we ever actually met." The weight of your thoughts from the previous day crashed down upon you. Your disembodied voice echoed through your skull once again, reminding you of how much younger you sounded. Your chest tightened at the thought. No, no. I'm overthinking this. Tantabus, it has to be a Tantabus. It's trying to do the same to me as the Nightmare did to Luna. Make me question everypony till I feel like nopony is on my side. I have to tell Luna. 

With your resolve steeled, you sit upright. Determined to keep awake, not only through the seminar, but also until Luna awoke some time in the early evening.

… It was easier said than done.

Stumbling through the crowd of mostly ponies, you made your way through the double door that constituted the exit of the auditorium. Stepping off to the side of the building to adjust your saddle bags and bask in the rays of the sun. It alleviates some of your exhaustion, but does little else for you. Glancing to the celestial body, you guess-timate that it's barely past noon. Leaving you with quite a few hours to kill.

That was an issue. A part of you wanted to just wait it out at home, but you have little trust in yourself to not slip-up and pass out. The other option was to find something to do, there was a problem with that as well. The seminar was held at Canterlot Advance Thaumic Academy. Directly in the Upper Ring of the city. A place you did not visit often due to the expensive nature of the area, and the obnoxious nature of the ponies who inhabited it. 

Even with this dilemma, one thing was non-negotiable. Coffee. The nectar of the gods, and likely your only hope to remain conscious. Deciding it was prudent to obtain caffeine first,  your hooves began to stagger their way off the campus. Your gait is more reminiscent of a zombie as opposed to the living, though, you're far too tired to care. Passing through the closest exit, you begin to eye up and down the street. Desperate to find a cafe.

While scanning the block, you notice a shadow form above you. Glancing up, you're surprised to see a familiar face. "By the ancestors man, you look like you crawled through the wrong end of a hydra." Hovering a few feet above, Foltess looks down with concern.

"I wasn't aware there was a right end to crawl through, and hey. What're you doing here?" You step out from under him as he lands. His beak still maintaining his perturbed frown. 

"Well, since you blew me off yesterday; I figured I'd catch ya leaving the seminar and see if you wanted to grab lunch. Though, now I think I should take you home. You look half dead. Are you alright?"  

"I, well I'm not really too sure." The young Griffin's frown deepened at the statement. "It's, just nightmares man. Nothing to worry yourself over." You finish while waving your foreleg dismissively. He gives you a questioning look and  you answer his query before he can ask it. "And no, I don't want to talk about it. Atleast, not until I talk to Luna: but you said you wanted to get lunch? Cause I could definitely go for some coffee."

His frown still not wavering, he eyes you for a moment, before acquiescing with a sigh. "Sure, I guess. Did you have some place in mind?" He finally breaks his stare as he begins to survey the block. "Cause I don't think we'll find any here."

"Ya, I figured as much. I was actually planning on just trotting around till I find one." You finish with a nod as Foltess returns his attention to you. "Till you find one? Aren't you up here like twice a week?" He asks with an admonishing tone.

"Ya, to go to the palace. I never shop or eat here. Too blue for my blood." You search the recesses of your mind, trying to recall where you may have seen a cafe or restaurant. "Actually, I think I might know a place, c'mon." You stagger away from the Griff. Confident that he'll catch up. You were proven correct as merely a few seconds later, the sound of claws on cobble could be heard on your right. 

You're surprised that, in your sleep deprived state, you were able to remember the path to the elegant cafe so easily. "Un Avant-goût de Prance? The heck does that mean?" The black feathered griff asked. You can only shrug in response, "beats me, I don't speak Prench." You nudge Foltess forward, "s'go, I can already smell the coffee."

As you near the entry of the Cafe, a unicorn hostess trots out to meet you. She was tall, standing a hand or so over you. Her long-slender-purple legs looked like they belonged to a Saddle-Arabian, but her horn told otherwise "Excuse me monsieur. Is he with you" her accent was thick, and a little difficult to understand. Following her outstretched hoof, you can see she is pointing to your partner. 

"Uh, yes. A table for two please." As soon as the words leave your mouth, the hostess frowns. "I am sorry, monsieur, but we don't serve meat here." She informed while casting a sideways glance at Foltess.

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem, we just came here for some coff-", the Prench unicorn cuts you off before you can finish your statement. "No monsieur, you misunderstand. We don't serve carnivores here."

You're positive you misheard the mare, yet the words echoed clear as day in your mind. "What the buck do you mean by that?" You ask, your tone laced with venom. 

"Exactly what I said, we don't serve-"

"No, no. I fucking got that. Why in the name of the Old Gods won't you?" You let the anger get the best of you. Your voice is barely below a shout. And the effects were instant as two stallions exited the Cafe and joined the hostess. Seeing her fellow employees, the hostess puffs slightly in confidence, clearly signifying that she wasn't planning to relent. "Are you seriously not gonna let him in!? What the fu-" you were cut off by a talon on your back. Turning, you see Foltess shaking his head. "Come on man, it's not worth it." Bullshit it's not. You think too yourself. You are about to continue tearing a new one into the snobby Prench pony until you catch sight of Foltess' eyes, pleading you to stop. 

You acquiesce, but not before you put the unicorn in her place. "You still haven't been to the palace yet right? We can get some coffee from the Royal Kitchen." You say far louder than needed to ensure all can hear. "You sure it's okay if I go?" Your griffon companion asks. This puts a smile on your face, "Oh definitely. As the Herald of Luna I can definitely bring a guest. If the Princess asks about it I'll be sure to let her know it's cause this shithole coffeeshop refused us entry." You put extra emphasis on your title to get the point across. Turning away you can't help but feel a little smug, and glancing back to see the Prenchie have a worried look on her face was the icing to top it all off. 

Foltess runs to catch up to you, flapping his wings for added boost. "Thanks for sticking up for me Star. You didn't have too." You scoff before you begin your response. "Like Tartarus I didn't, what the heck is their problem? You're a Constable of Canterlot for Celestia’s sake, they not think you're good enough to eat there?" You pause to collect yourself and try to get your emotions under control. "Sorry, I'm tired and my temper is short as a result. Can't believe you kept your cool, of the two of us; you're by far the more wroth."

"You're fine, you're fine. And I kept my cool cause it's definitely not the first time that's happened." You immediately whip your head towards him, your anger returned. "Whoa, whoa. Calm down there Star. It's not that bad and doesn't happen too often. Most ponies go by the Edict. Just places like Canterlot and Cloudsdale tend to be a bit more prejudice." His words do little to soothe you, if anything, they make you feel guilty. He's been my partner for two years for Luna's sake. How did I not know about this sooner? 

"Why haven't I heard or seen this before?" You ask as the castle grounds begin to come into view. "I mean, we hangout all the time." 

"When's the last time we hungout outside of the Griffon District? Of course nopony or griff is going to turn me away!" Thinking on his words, he was right. Your apartment put you right outside of Little Griffonia. Not to mention that the department precinct was right in the middle of said area."Hmm, maybe only once or twice. And what Edict are you talking about?" 

Foltess stops dead and looks at you flabbergasted. He opens his beak to respond before breaking into a hearty laugh, "with how smart you act I completely forget that you only have a G.E.D." He managed to say in between snickers.

"Hey, I'm sure I have a regular diploma… Somewhere. Just can't remember what name it was under." Your response barely hides your embarrassment as a soft blush manages to push it's way through your onyx coat. "But what's this edict thing?" 

The young griffon takes a moment to recompose himself. "The Edict of Species. Pretty much the document that separates all animals into three categories. Intelligent, Semi-Intelligent, and Non-Sentient. It's a document agreed upon to create a universal set of rights for species. Dragons, Ponies, Zebras, Griffons, Minotaur, etc. are all 'intelligent'. Then you have Semi-Intelligent, which can be used as slaves or like in Equestria, indentured servants. They consist of the Cows, Buffalo, Diamond Dogs, and Deer. Then-"

"Wait." You cut him off. "I've met the Deer before when I went on a diplomatic trip with the Princess. They're just as smart as Ponies." You're positive of this, they had such an elegant culture that vaguely reminded you of a more nature-centric Prench style. You saw their art; their music, sculptures, and paintings. They were not the works of an unevolved species. "You sure about that?"

"Well, yah. Why do you think they have all those civil wars? The Red-Tail are kept in power by Equestria and the White-Tail want sovereignty/be recognized as a first rate species. I mean, how else would the Red-Tail keep power when they're outnumbered like 10-1 in favor of the White-Tail?" He finish his response with a shrug of his feathers and a raised brow. As if both asking and simply stating.

You're taken aback. You read all the time, especially history. But never have you came across this tidbit of information. "That's not in the history books." You state, still in disbelief.

"Not in Equestrian history books maybe. In the Griffon Kingdoms, less tends to be censored. Not saying it's perfect or propaganda free, but they wouldn't want to draw the ire of Equestria by lying." He answers in a hushed tone, glancing around as if to avoid eavesdropping. As if it was some forbidden knowledge he brought with him from his homeland.

You're at a loss for words. Though you feel like you've never heard this before, a sinking sensation is telling you that this isn't news to you. You try and latch on to this inkling but it only leads to a searing migraine behind your eyes. Causing you to clutch hour eyes. "Ya, no. I-I think I heard this before." You stated, somehow able to keep the pain from your voice.

"Yah, kinda messed up. Hey, they got steak at the palace? Something exotic like a hydra steak?" He asks with a voice laced with gluttony. "Actually I think they do." You respond with eyes still locked shut. The pain only somewhat faded. 

"Race you there?" He asks, sounding as if he was already several paces ahead of you. "Ha, better not. I mean you don't even know the way.." you finally open your eyes to see your companion bolting towards the main gate. "...there." sighing at his immaturity you can't help but smile. His childish attempt at cheering you up apparently succeeding. You gallop after your compatriot, hopeful to catch him before he is tackled by the Guard. Pushing the disgusting revelation from moments out of your mind. I'll talk to Luna about it. The thought piled with your ever mounting concerns.