"So, we call our planet Earth."
"Oh yeah? So do we."
"Whoah, really? You don't call it... like... 'Horsie Horse Ball?'"
"No. We don't."
"You sure?"
"Flash..."
"Ahem. Right. Moving on. Planet Earth! The world where I'm from—is... like... four and a half billion years old. A bunch of different animals have lived on this planet. Homo sapiens—that is human beings, us... er... me and all the other me's—have lived on Earth for maybe a few... million years? Way less than a billion, that's for sure. And intelligent civilization didn't start until... uhhhhhh... twenty-to-forty thousand years ago. But nothing was really written or recorded until about ten thousand years ago. Soooooo... in the grand scheme of things, we're pretty darn green. Some people believe we're even younger than all that—like six thousand years of existing since the Garden of Eden or whatever. Then there are people who'll swear we didn't start living until the day after Steve Jobs invented the first iPod. You keeping up, Soarin?"
"Uhhhhhhh..."
"Anywho... humans got ahead in life cuz we have opposable thumbs. Do you know what an opposable thumb is?"
"Yes. Minotaurs, centaurs, griffons, pre-pubescent dragon hatchlings, the Storm King and his minions, and the legendary Ahuizotl all possess opposable thumbs—although the lattermost's thumb is located in his tail."
"... ... ..."
"Are you 'homo sapiens' the only creatures from your world with opposable thumbs? I'm... not sure how that explains your rapid ascent into intelligent civilization."
"Okay. Forget the thumb thing. Turns out we humans are really good at inventing stuff."
"Ah. That works."
"We made irrigation, calendars, sailing ships, printing presses, and the integrated circuit. Although... on the other hand... we also invented guns, nuclear weapons, land mines, and Justin Bieber. Soooooo... there's been more than a few bumps along the way."
"Sounds like humans have been very busy at creating things."
"Uh huh. At least the things we can patent and trademark."
"You must be very proficient in magic to get it all done."
"Ha! That's just the thing, Soarin. There is no magic in my world."
"No magic?"
"Nope!"
"None at all?"
"Not a spark—well... there have been some examples of freaky magic stuff happening. Especially lately."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Because of the portal that connects our two worlds. Lots of... uhhhh... second-hand Equestrian razzle-dazzle seeps on through and sorta... royally messes things up around where I go to school. Heh... makes me look forward to the weekends extra harder."
"That's unfortunate. I'm sorry."
"Pfffft. Not your fault, dude."
"Also... there's a portal now?"
"... ... ...you don't know about it?"
"Is there a reason why I should?"
"Well, you're a Wonderbolt! I figured you dudes were like the FBI with wings! Back in Ponyville, the locals have caught rumor of the portal existing. It's how I was able to easily explain things to... y'know... my other friend."
"The other pony who knows that you're 'Flash Sentry' and not 'Brad.'"
"Right."
"I can't say that I've heard of a 'portal,' bro. Spitfire's never briefed us on such a thing. But... it doesn't really surprise me that one exists."
"Oh?"
"Pffft. Anything's possible in Equestria. We live in a magical world. Well... I do."
"Hah. Must be easy to pass things off all the time."
"You seriously don't have magic in your world?"
"Nope."
"None whatsoever?"
"I... guess there are people where I come from who will vouch for miracles. Y'know... divine providence and the like. But... eh... I've not experienced any personally. I've never been much of a religious type anyways..."
"But... without magic... how do you get anything done? How do you cure diseases? How do you get around? How do you even fly?"
"With airplanes. For the flying part—I mean. We also have automobiles for getting around... and trains... and hoverboards—not the type we were promised in Back to the Future, granted, but we invented them anyways. Humans get bored easily, you see. Heh."
"So... it's all technology?"
"A-and common sense! And camraderie. And also a mutual desire for liberty and comfort for everyone... ehhh... when it m-matters."
"I'm just... trying to wrap my head around it..."
"Dude. I've been in your Equestria for two days and still I just... I-I just can't deal, bro!"
"What's so strange about it? We use magic to raise the sun and moon and keep the seasons in check. The world rolls on! Happy and healthy!"
"Heeheehee..."
"... ... ...anypony tell you that you giggle like a teenager?"
"Because I am a teenager, Soarin."
"Uhhhhh—"
"Anyways, on Earth we don't do anything to affect the sun and moon."
"You don't?"
"Nope. Earth is stuck in a heliocentric rotation around our solar system's central star."
"Your... it... h-huh?"
"Aaaaaaand our earth rotates super quickly. Because of that, the sun appears to rise and set within a twenty-four hour period. But the reality is that our planet is constantly moving and spinning—just like the rest of the stuff in our solar system... in the observable universe on the whole, really."
"But... that's... that's..."
"Am I going to fast?"
"Ahem... how about sticking to just hoo-mahns... I mean 'humans.' My bad."
"So, yeah. We like building stuff. Whether we like it or not, technology is always improving. While it makes life way better... it also makes life more complicated. Also it takes a heck of a lot of resources to allow our technology to continue to work. Sooooooo... unlike this place—Equestria, I mean—Earth is being stripped of the available stuff to make technology accessible far too swiftly for it all to be handled."
"Meaning?"
"We're... kinda messing things up for the planet. Well, not kinda. We are royally screwing our planet up... and Earth is nowhere nearly as clean and pristine as Equestria. Trust me."
"Then why haven't you... haven't humans changed the way of things or slowed it all down?"
"It's more profitable to keep going at the pace we've set for ourselves."
"More profitable?"
"I... guess? Guh... I'm sorry, Soarin. Looks like I've picked a less-than-savory subject matter when it comes to humans."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be—"
"How about you tell me some things about humans that you're proud of!"