One in the morning, and the only thing to do is either listen to the same music over and over, or stare at the Pacific ocean far below us. I sigh out of stress as I lean back and rub my eyes, unable to sleep at all. Still another several hours before we even get close to landing. I thought I would love flying for this long, but I'm really starting to wish I hadn't had to take this trip. I look over to my right to see Rainbow quietly sleeping, her mouth hanging slightly open. It makes me smile to see her so peaceful, yet I'm jealous at her lack of stress.

I slip my jacket off and drape it over Rainbow, and she grabs it in her sleep, wrapping herself up in it. I almost chuckle just at the sight of it. I think about maybe going back and talking to Cedrick to relieve me of my boredom, but chances are that he's probably asleep live every other passenger on this hell of a flight. I'm literally the only person I can see that isn't sleeping. What the hell brain, can't I have just a few hours of peace? Is that so much to ask?

I decide that listening to the same songs I've heard hundreds of times, and pull out my phone. I plug in my headphones, making sure to stay quiet in the process so I don't wake up Rainbow. That is how I spend the next two hellish hours of my life.

At about three thirty in the morning, Rainbow finally wakes up, meaning I'll finally have something to do.

"Are we there yet?" She asks, obviously very tired. She rubs her eyes and does this adorable little yawn.

"Nope, still a good five or six hours... So get comfortable."

"Ugh... I'm not even tired anymore, what do I do now?" I would tell her to finish Treasure Island, but then I wouldn't have anything to do again, and I don't exactly want that in my life right now. I decide to turn on my watch's hologram, and spin around the projected globe to see if any new rifts have opened. And of course they haven't, as I haven't gotten an alert yet.

"Why me?" I mumble to myself.

"What do you mean?" Rainbow asks, her eyes still half closed from sleep.

"I mean... I'm nineteen Rainbow, barely out of highschool, and already I'm a father, basically an agent in the field, and all while trying my best to protect you... It just seems like too much to handle sometimes. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever have a normal life again..."

"Are you saying you were happier before we met?"

"What!? No! I'd go through everything all over again just for you. I'm glad that you came into my life. I'm just saying I could really do without the whole end of the world thing..."

"Oh, I guess I can see your point there... Yeah, I feel the same way. I'm also glad we met, but I sometimes wonder how my life would have turned out if I hadn't jumped in front of Twilight that day. Was that really almost two years ago?"

"Yeah... Heh, think about that. I probably would have fallen in love with Twilight instead of you if you hadn't jumped in front of her like that."

"And Star wouldn't exists would she?"

"Yep, that's the butterfly effect for you..."

"The what effect?"

"The butterfly effect. Basically it's the concept that small events, can have big effects. Think about it, that one little event of you taking the hit for Twilight led to both of us meeting, Star being born, and so much more, and it all started with one little action."

"Wow, that's really deep if you think about it..."

"You bet it is. The butterfly effect is all around us. Another example is the fact that Twilight forcibly brought you back to Equestria. If she hadn't done that, I wouldn't have come after you, then I wouldn't need a way home, Celestia never would have given me the portal spell, and the rifts never would have opened. That's why I always make decisions carefully, and always think of what negative effects each of my choices could have on the future."

"Well, lets hope nothing negative happens for a while..." Rainbow says as she snuggles up against my arm. She falls asleep just moments later. With her close to me, I'm finally able to drift away in a peaceful slumber.

"Hey, Matt, we're landing in like five minutes." Rainbow shakes me awake, much to my objection. I crack my eyes open, only for them to be filled with sunlight streaming in from the window. I can feel the plane slightly tilting towards the ground, so I figure I should probably get my shit together before we come to a stop. I gotta remember to catch Cedrick on the way out.

I stretch to the best of my ability, the tight space between the wall, the seat, and Rainbow limiting my movements. I lean over and quickly give Rainbow a morning kiss on the tip of her muzzle. Her face scrunches up, and she almost sneezes in response. I check my watch to see it is eight in the morning, right on schedule.

Once we land, I get to stand up finally and stretch my muscles to their fullest. Rainbow does the same, and everyone stares at her when she starts hovering in the middle of the aisle. I quickly grab her out of the air and hold her to my chest, hoping everyone will stop staring if she isn't flying.

"What? Never seen a blue pegasus before?" I scoff in a sarcastic attitude. Everyone slowly turns away, going back to their own business. I place Rainbow on the ground, and she goes right back to stretching. As I'm grabbing my bag out of the small space above us, someone bumps into my back.

"Oh, sorry abou- Oh, sup Matt?" Cedrick says as he backs up a little to give me room to reach my bag.

"Hey man, you sore as all hell too?" I say as I'm still trying to get the knots out of my back and neck. Really painful little things.

"Duh, who isn't? even Rainbow seems to be as cramped as the rest of us, and she's half our size. They really gotta improve these plane seats."

"Yeah they do. Hey, listen, I know it's a lot to ask, but can you at least help me out of the airport? I need to get to Shanghai as soon as possible, and I have no idea how to get there, but I figures escaping the airport is step one."

"I can do more than that. I've already got an apartment here, since this is my second year back."

"You were here last year? I was under the impression that you were new around here."

"Nah, I lived here last summer, so I already know my way around pretty well. I think I can help you get to Shanghai."

"That would be a miracle Cedrick, I don't think I can thank you enough."

"Don't sweat it! I'd do it for anyone. Now lets go before the terminal gets back up with passengers."

We make our way out into the airport, and I can already tell that it is MUCH different than the one in Los Angeles. First of all, I can't read most of the signs scattered throughout the place, and everyone looks so much different. I'm used to seeing people in stupid clothing, sagging their pants or some dumb shit. Everyone here, however, looks more refined and composed compared to us. It does make me feel a little more comfortable being with someone who can speak English and at least read Chinese. Cedrick explained to me that while he isn't fluent in Chinese by any standards, he can read it pretty well. With that ability, he is able to lead us out of the airport.

"Where to now?" I look out at the streets and buildings off in the distance. It really is a beautiful city. I can see why he would like living here.

"My apartment is about ten miles north of here. We could walk if you want, but I'd prefer a cab." So, we wait for a few minutes before a cab pulls up to us. It is pretty weird to see the driver on the right side of the car, but what do you expect in another country?

We hop into the cab, just happy to finally be off that God forsaken plane. I stare out the window while Cedrick and Rainbow talk about something that I start to tune out after a few minutes. I try to relax by just watching the new city pass by as we make our way down the highway. Everything looks so different, yet so similar to cities in the United States.

"The sound barrier? No way, I refuse to believe it." I hear Cedrick say as my senses come back to me. I turn my head to see them arguing over the fact that Rainbow can break the sound barrier. I remember thinking the exact same thing before watching her practically telling physics to go fuck itself.

"No, she really did it. I saw her do it myself. Take a look." I take out my phone and open up the camera roll. I find that video I took of Rainbow breaking the sound barrier, and show it to Cedrick.

"That's totally edited." He says with a laugh as he rubs the back of his head in disbelief. Again, I had acted the same way.

"Nope, I actually did that! Why doesn't anyone ever believe me?" Rainbow says as she rubs her hooves against her eyes. We all laugh, and continue to tell stories until we reach the apartment.

"Welp, this is my place." Cedrick says as he gets out and move the the back of the taxi. He gets his suitcase out of the trunk, and closes it before meeting us on the sidewalk. He pays the taxi driver with the foreign currency. I think they're called Yuan or something like that. Once the taxi leaves us, we enter into the apartment complex.

"Well, this is it!" He says as he leads us into the apartment. Nothing amazing, but definitely not bad by any standards. A normal one bedroom apartment with a large kitchen, and living room and a bathroom. Looks like he wasn't lying about being here last year. The entire place is already well furnished, minus the lack of food.

"Nice pad Ced!" I say as I set my backpack down next to the door.

"Thanks. So, what is it that you needed help with exactly?" He says as he sits down on a big couch in the living room and sighs a sigh of relief.

"We need to get to Shanghai as soon as possible to close that rift. I don't have any kind of Chinese currency, so unless I can get some, I'm practically broke. I have no idea where to even go to exchange my money."

"I can help with that." He opens his wallet and pull out a wad of cash. He hands it to me with a smile. "I have some leftover money from the plane tickets. I have plenty to spare. Besides, you need it more. This is about four hundred dollars if you convert it. This should get you to Shanghai by train." I look at the money, dumbfounded by his generosity. I can't just take this and not repay him.

"I-I'm grateful, really! But this is just too much! I can't just take four hundred dollars from you without paying you back!"

"Hey, you said you were gonna save the world and all right? You proved that with that little cube thing you have. Save all of our asses, and I'll consider us even." He says with a smile.

"That's... wow Cedrick. I really can't thank you enough." I say as I slowly pocket the money. This is one of the greatest gifts I've ever gotten.

"Don't mention it! Like I said, I got plenty to go around."

"We... should probably get going then. Time waits for no man..." I say with a sigh as I check my watch. Still only the one rift over Shanghai.

"Already? Well, I can understand the rush. Godspeed you guys, go save the planet!" Cedrick says with a wave as I go to collect my stuff.

"Thanks so much Cedrick for the money! I'll make sure to stop by once I close that rift. We'll celebrate our victory!" I say as I stand in the now open doorway.

"Looking forward to it! Text me if you need any help or get lost in the city or something!"

"I will, thanks again! C'ya around!" Rainbow and I make our way back out onto the street, now filled with a new found confidence. This might actually be easier than I thought.

"By train? Won't that take forever?" Rainbow asks as I open up my phone to try to find the closest train station. Looks like there is one about three miles from here, about an hour's walk.

"They have bullet trains here Rainbow!" I say as my memory of the country starts coming back to me. "They go so fast that everything you pass by looks like a blur! It would only take a few hours to travel the eight hundred miles to Shanghai! We can actually do this if we hurry!"

Rainbow and I break into a full out sprint towards the nearest train station. Of course, she is way faster than me, so it's more of a jog for her. This is really looking up for me. I don't see how things go wr-

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*

Rainbow and I come to a sudden stop, my sneakers screeching against the pavement as I slide across it to slow myself down. Was that my watch? I press the little button on the watch and start to spin the globe around.

"Oh no... no no no!" I grab a fistful of my hair in my hand as I about rip it out of my skull in both anger and fear.

"What happened Matt!?" Rainbow says, worry filling her voice.

"T-Two new rifts..."

"What!? Where?"

"Tokyo and..." I start to stutter my words.

"Matt? Where is the second one!?"

"J-Jacksonville..."