The first three hours of the train ride passed smoothly for Artex and his herd. They had gotten up early to catch the first flight out of New Humansville and they were all feeling the effects of minor sleep deprivation. Artex volunteered to stay awake until they arrived so the mares could all catch a small power nap. There were no other passengers in the car so, deprived of conversation, he chose to look out the window and admire the passing land. He thought about whether or not he had chosen the proper clothes for his first introduction to Razor's family. He wanted to make a good first impression on his future in-laws. He looked at his reflection in the glass of the window. He wore his green hooded traveling cloak over top of his normal brown work clothes. He had decided to forego carrying his khopesh for fear that it might be taken as a sign of hostility. He absent-mindedly fingered the sharp edge of the heavy hatchet/hammer he always carried, 'I had this tool made, but I get to use it so rarely.' He thought mournfully, 'A tool needs to serve its purpose.' That train of thought led to the kinds of things he could create. 'I need to stay somewhat busy until the foals arrive... that's it.' He smiled silently as the thought entered his mind, 'Cribs. I can make the cribs and beds for every one of our foals. My own hands can craft the comforting furniture that allow our foals to sleep soundly, safe, and secure. Surely there can be no better use of my tools than creating things for my family.' His smile widened and the thoughts brought him a great deal of joy.

He took a deep breath and let it out, relaxing. He looked over to his mares and his smile widened even farther, 'I wonder what our foals will be like?' His eyes fell on Razor Wit first, 'They will be smart for certain with a Mother like Razor. I wonder if they will be Unicorn or Earth Pony? My blood is that of an Earth Pony, but Razor's genes may end up being dominant.' He shrugged, 'No matter what they are, they will be ours and they will be loved.' His vision shifted to her side, admiring Oriana's slumbering form, 'I have no idea what kind of foals I'll have with Oriana, but I hope they get her sweet personality and soothing voice.'

He took a look at Rose Thorn next, 'Strong foals to be sure and no mistake. Earth Pony almost certainly. Strong and valiant like their Mother. Who could ask for more?' He then turned his eyes to Vaiawa, 'An amazing mare. Quiet and reserved, but willing to lay down her life in the protection of others. Willing to defy the socially accepted norm for what they believe to be right, such tenacity is an honorable trait indeed. I hope they get her thoughtful nature and lack my brashness.'

He spied a passing building out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to follow the motion. Beyond the window were small homes and businesses lightly dotting the wide expanse of cleared farmland, 'This can't be Trottingham...'

His thoughts were interrupted by one of the train stewardesses opening the door to their car and trotting through, "Now arriving at Flankfurt station. Next stop, Trottingham station." She trotted out the door on the opposite end she entered through.

Artex remembered that Flankfurt was between Canterlot and Trottingham. Trottingham and Flankfurt were close neighbors and neither was particularly far from New Humansville. He raised his eyes toward the thick trees of the forest which separated Flankfurt from New Humansville, 'It's so close...' the train slowed to a stop and he saw half a dozen Ponies standing on the platform waiting to board the train. He looked around, wishing he had asked the stewardess how long it was to Trottingham.

He was lost in thought until he spied motion out of the corner of his eye. Two Earth Ponies, a mare and a stallion, opened the door of the car and entered. The pair instantly froze once they spotted Artex, their faces ashen with fear. Artex was taken aback by their reactions, 'I guess they never saw a Human before.' The mare suddenly shrieked at the top of her lungs, turned and bolted back through the door, the stallion right behind her. Artex wiggled the index finger of his right hand in his ear, "What the 'fuck' is her problem?" He grumbled.

"What did you do, Artex?" Rose asked.

Artex startled, nearly jumping out of his seat. Rose was on her hooves in a ready posture and he had not even heard her move, 'She sure is quick for an Earth Pony.' It was then that he noticed the noise had awakened the other mares as well. He sighed and waved his hand toward the door, "Some flaky mare saw me and decided to wake you up. I'd say her imitation of a rooster leaves plenty of room for improvement."

"Do you know why?" Oriana asked yawning.

Artex blew air out from between his lips, "I'm not an idiot, so I can't say my mind works like hers. Maybe she's never seen a Human before or something."

Vaiawa caught Artex in an unamused stare, "You're being too harsh. Perhaps she has been told lies about Humans, frightening tales, that sort of thing. You have no right to say she is an idiot, a flake perhaps and certainly prone to outbursts, but idiot is far too harsh." She admonished him.

Artex rolled his eyes at her, "Yeah I know." He grumbled, "It just 'pissed' me off. I didn't even say anything to her."

Vaiawa opened her mouth in a huge yawn, her tongue sticking out and curled at the end. She closed her mouth and looked past Artex, "Excuse me," Artex turned his head and saw the stewardess from before, "How long before we reach Trottingham?" Artex smirked, 'Sometimes I wonder if she can read my mind.'

"We will stop at the Trottingham station in about twenty minutes. Was there anything else you needed ma'am?" The stewardess replied.

Vaiawa smiled at her, "No, thank you. That was all I wanted to know."

The stewardess nodded and exited the car as the train began moving again. Artex placed his hands on his knees and took a deep breath, 'Almost there... GOD I want this to be over already! This tension and anxiety is killing me.' He was so distracted that he failed to realize he was clenching and unclenching his fists on his robe. He also failed to realize that the mares had taken notice.

"Artex calm down." Vaiawa said evenly, "It's bad enough with Razor lying about being stressed out,"

"HEY!"

"We don't need you on edge too. You were fine just a little while ago. What happened?" The disguised Changeling asked.

Artex waved his hands at the door dramatically, "That 'bitch' happened. I was fine until her scream gave me a reality check." He leaned over and placed his face in his hands, "It reminded me that not all places are as used to us as New Humansville. In other countries it was a given that I'd be strange, but in my mind I always thought that Equestria was home and that I'd always be welcome." he sighed and clench his hair, "I forgot that we're invaders to your home and I'm sure there are still plenty of places where Ponies don't know much, if anything about Humans."

Oriana slid up next to him and pulled him into a hug. He released his head and hugged her back. Half a second later, he received a firm but not harsh conk to the back of his head, "Oww!" He looked at Oriana in surprise, "Did you just Gibbs Smack me?"

The Zebra mare withdrew her hoof and sat up straight, looking him square in the eyes, "I don’t know what a 'Gibbs Smack' is, but you're being dumb." She crossed her forehooves over her chest just like she had seen him do, "Invaders indeed! You did not have a choice in the matter and besides, it doesn't matter what a few Ponies say. Interlopers would be more accurate, but even that implies you not being wanted. Stop feeling sorry for yourself over something that doesn’t matter. We love you and you love us. Who cares what other Ponies think? We have each other and nothing else matters."

Artex opened his mouth, but Oriana cut him off, "Nothing!"

He settled back against the window peevishly, "I still don't like the way she reacted."

"Neither do I." Oriana stated bluntly, "It was foalish and ignorant. She does not matter though. WE matter. All of us. This herd matters. I hate it when you put yourself down."

Artex crossed his arms, feeling very petulant, "I don't know if you Ponies have mental diseases, but have you ever heard of Manic Depression?"

Oriana shook her head, "I have not, but do not make excuses fo..."

"I'M NOT!" He snapped loudly. Oriana leaned away from him, her left foreleg raised defensively. Artex quickly covered his mouth with his right hand and looked away. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. His breathing was the only sound aside from the rumbling of the train. The mares were stunned. Artex rarely raised his voice and never had he done so in such a harsh manner. They all heard him whisper, "I hate it when that happens."

He opened his eyes and stared sorrowfully at Oriana, "I'm sorry for yelling." He sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes, "I haven't done that in four years... or longer. It's one of the symptoms of Manic Depression. It manifests under stress once in a while. I always try to control it but... I'm sorry." He bit his lower lip and looked away again, eyes watering, "Damn. I should have realized I was cycling this morning." The mares all stared at him in confusion so he clarified, "It started this morning. Rose and I had an intimate moment and she reacted because she hasn't Accepted me yet. I was calm throughout the whole ordeal. Too calm. I should have realized it then. The situation at the station was the second factor. I was too harsh to that Pegasus mare. I had two warning signs already and I missed them both. The mare screaming at me compounded with the stress I was already experiencing about Trottingham and everything else was a build up. I should have seen the signs." He spoke without looking at her, "Are you alright, Oriana?"

The Zebra mare did not know what to think. She had seen him tense and nervous before, but never had he verbally lashed out like that before. His outburst took her completely by surprise. She looked at him and felt sympathy swell within her chest, 'He's been hiding this for more than a year?' It made sense, 'Razor did say that he kept things to himself, but I would not have guessed he hid something like this.' Her mind twisted in confusion, 'What do I do? How do I respond?'

Artex laid his head back against the window and closed his eyes. A tear dripped from each eye as he took another deep breath. Her initial response was to be angry with him for snapping at her, but she held it back, 'It would not do any good right now. He obviously feels bad about yelling but... I don't know what to do. I have never even heard of 'Manic Depression'. How am I supposed to react?'

The answer was delivered for her as Vaiawa spoke up, "Try not to make a habit out of those outbursts, Artex. It was unnecessary and hurtful to Oriana. I understand it may be difficult for you, but if you feel yourself nearing that point again let us know. We cannot help if we do not know."

"You can't help if you don't understand either." Artex replied sourly.

"True," Vaiawa admitted, "So why don't you enlighten us?"

Artex sighed and wiped his eyes, "I'll try." He looked toward the Zebra he loved, "Are you alright, Oriana?"

She lowered her forehoof back to the seat and nodded reluctantly, "I am upset, but mostly I'm confused. How does one even become ill with a 'mental disease'?"

"Traumatic Stress, often enough. I don't know how it happened, but it's something I've lived with my entire adult life. Do you remember around the time of Hearth's Warming last year when I was really quiet for almost a week?"

Oriana nodded and he continued, "That was my Manic Depression. It's cyclical in a way. It always hits around the winter holidays, but it can be triggered at any time by enough sudden stress. If it is slow stress I can acclimate to it and I'll be fine. Sometimes though, it can come about very quickly. I think it's called a cascade effect."

Razor perked up, "That mare started the cascade when she screamed, didn't she?"

Artex nodded, "That was what started it, yes. It kept building when I thought about the kinds of bad things that could happen in Trottingham and it jumped when Oriana smacked me. It spiked when she claimed I was making excuses. That's when I lost control. I'm sorry about that, Ori."

Oriana shook her head, "It was my fault too. I should have believed you."

"You were both at fault." Vaiawa said calmly, "In the future you should listen more closely Oriana. Artex does not make a habit of lying to us. As for you, my love, you need to be patient. Oriana is not perfect. None of us are. You need to explain things in a way we can understand." She lowered her head slightly, looking less regal, "Now, let us all try to relax until we reach Trottingham..."

"Too late." Rose spoke up staring out the window.

All eyes turned to the window as large buildings whizzed past. Most of the buildings were made of red brick and looked solid and sturdy. Ponies of all breeds went about their lives, ignoring the train as it passed them by. Many of the buildings were quite large. Rose spotted one which looked to be more than ten stories tall. It was one of the largest she had ever seen.

The train's brakes squealed, slowing the locomotive and preparing to stop. Artex and his herd all held on to their seats as the forces of motion worked to dislodge them. Every one of them had concerns weighing on their minds. Razor Wit summed it up the best, "Here we go."

Author's Notes:

Stop!

Consider this chapter very carefully and take time to review the presented information You need to fully understand what is going on before you proceed.