//------------------------------//
// Supplemental Chapter: Meeting 
// Story: Same World, Different Realities 
// by Mocha Star 
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Mother, sister, and I, a lowly colt celebrated with the other grounders for longer than I’d ever celebrated. I was asked to go to the mating hut but chosen not to, as Green Hoof is the one I’m saving myself for. She’s my age, and one more season cycle and I’d be a stallion and could choose her as my first.

I fell asleep with my family after father was done in the mating hut and joined us. I had never been so happy and when the leaf rumbled to a loud stop I wasn’t scared of awaited us. We were new grounders, worthy grounders, perhaps we would see the Mistress Platinum herself.

I was laughed at for my hopes and idealism until we left the leaf. We gathered with our fellow herdmates from the other leaves and found our friends, sharing what we’d seen and felt, then we heard a noise I can’t describe. The warriors were facing us and staring at us menacingly. We gathered, unknowing what was to come.

The warriors parted and her highest majesty, ruler of all the world and stars in the sky stood on a ground raft, pulled by grounder flappers. I heard many make water as we stood like a snow grounder, unable to do anything from fear and awe at her reverence.

I’d never seen a whiter being in my life. Her horn touched the sky she’d created, her wings made the wind that blew through our manes, her hooves were unworthy of touching the ground that she’d created with her first steps. The Mistress was beyond everything and standing before us.

I was not the first but among the herd, it didn’t matter, we cried and prostrated ourselves before her. We were worthy of her light, her air, her ground, and her love. She spoke to us in our lower language from her own and my heart, my head, my being melted into the ground at her voice.

“My little ponies. I welcome you to our land where you will now call home. Please, rise and prostrate yourselves never again before another.”

We struggled to heed her command but many of our bodies wouldn’t respond. Our tears, our emotions, our souls were overwhelmed with passion and love that she brought with her to our now worthy eyes.

“Rise, and hear my commands,” she said with kindness that offered no options. “Thank you for greeting me in such a worthy manner. I will not separate your herd so I have given you land of your own. You are all free ponies in my land and what you grow you may keep or share with other herds, villages, towns, cities, or even myself should you wish it. I require nothing from you except that you honor each other and the others of this land with your presence and harmony.

"We will have you taken to your new home, in the shadow of this, my mountain in the setting sun. Wwhere you will be taught our ways, laws, rules, technology, and introduced to the other tribes of this land. Earth, unicorn, and pegasi ponies are your friends, your family, and your herd. Are there any questions?”

There was silence, save for the crying and weeping, yet she waited, looking over us, her chosen. My foreleg rose and she looked at me. In her eyes, I felt the weight of my ancestors’ sins lift from me and I could nearly fly without wings.

“What, are we to you?” I managed to ask, my feeble voice a trembling whisper.

“You are earth ponies under my protection. You are equals in the land of Equestria. You are lives that matter and belong to nopony and everypony. You are free to do as you wish, as long as it is within the laws.”

A voice came from behind me. “What shall we do to show our fealty?”

Her smile brought more tears to my eyes and I couldn’t clear them fast enough to see her respond.

“You are to live full lives and share what you know to future generations.”

There was murmuring of understanding as she moved her wings and flapped them, taking to the air and landing in front of us with wind washing over us all, touching the earth to show her power of the elements over us. Then she bowed her horn to us. “I wish you the best in your future, if you need anything you need but ask your representatives and I will do my best to see that you have it.”

She didn’t wait for her raft, choosing instead to fly over us and then looped back to her palace, built of the mountain itself.