A/N This is for my trainsona's arrival on Sodor. Where she cries was slightly inspired by Michaela (and any other fanfic scene with a crying engine comforted in a similar way to what I describe) and by my reaction to getting yelled at when I was a young girl, along with some of what I imagine in my head.
Erica, a purple US tank engine, was headed to Sodor. She and her crew had heard about the steam haven across the sea and now it was within sight. Then, the ship docked and her crew stepped on the island's shore. She was unloaded and shunted to the Steamworks by Thomas to be inspected and modified. After her stay there, she took on coal and water and her fireman got her fire going. Eventually, she was in steam and they could move down the track. She could hear the sound of another engine puffing quickly along the rails.
"Out of my way! Express coming through!", a blue engine with a tender bellowed as he whistled loudly.
Erica was upset by this, so her dark eyes welled up with big tears and she sniffled as she began to cry. Her driver pulled her into a siding and climbed out of her cab to comfort his engine. He walked around to her face and took out a purple handkerchief to dry her tears, speaking soothingly to her as he rubbed her face and wiped her teary eyes.
"There, there", he said. "I'm sure he didn't mean to upset you. He just wants to get the express to its destination on time"
"I don't like the noise. It felt like he was yelling at me", she replied and sniffed, long and loudly, as he continued to wipe the tears away. After a little while, Erica stopped crying and smiled at her driver. He climbed back into her cab and they continued. They arrived at where the other engines were, except Gordon, who would be there after the express. Thomas had told her his name while shunting her, but now she was told the others' names. Thomas, as the gang leader, said the express engine was Gordon after the other engines present had told their names. She looked all around with her cheeky smile on her face. She had her quirks, but she was a goodhearted little engine.
Later on, Gordon came back and saw Erica and said to her rudely, "Another cheeky little tank engine to bother us big engines."
"You hurt my feelings!", she said to the big engine. A tear fell down her face and her driver came to comfort her, wiping it away and drying her eyes to relieve them from unshed tears.
Her driver said, "There, there. He must've had other tank engines tease him before. Don't take it to be an individual attack. Cheer up.".
"Driver, you made me happy again", Erica said, smiling and bright-eyed once more.
The new engine to Sodor and her crew went to the place she was to work. They decided she could sleep in Knapford Sheds. When Erica and Thomas were both free, they talked.
Erica told Thomas, "I don't like Gordon too well. He whistles really loud and he's rude."
Thomas said, "He can have a rude attitude, but he's not bad. When he was new here, I was cheeky to him. I've got a long history of teasing my fellow engines. Ever since I was first steamed, I've been cheeky."
Erica said, "I've played plenty of tricks in my life. Back where I'm from, I got up to all kind of mischief with my oldest brother."
He said with a cheeky little grin, "You've got an accent. Where did you come from?"
"You're the one with accent", she said. "I'm a US tank engine."
He said, "You shall have to learn to speak like us here. What you call a railroad's a railway here, what you call switching's shunting here. He went on to tell her all the British railway terms that were different. "My friend Rosie, another tank engine, told me this. She's US-built, like you. She used to work with my siblings." His voice cracked at that. He then continued, sorrow in his voice, "My older siblings told her all about me and she had a crush on me when she arrived."
"What happened that brought her here?" Erica asked. "Do you miss your siblings?"
"Diesels took over where I came from," said Thomas. "We call it The Other Railway and it's on the Mainland. I only miss my siblings if I think about it. I just met you, so I don't feel ready to tell the whole story yet. However, I can be your friend."
Erica smiled, dark eyes twinkling, and she whistled. "Friends", she said. I think he lost his siblings, she thought. My oldest brother knew an engine back home that arrived and was sad about dead siblings.
The new friends said good-bye and were driven to their sheds for the night.
A/N No flames or I'm taking this down. Reviews are fine other than that. Erica belongs to me. This was something I never did before, writing it split up. The beginning was a scene for an online buddy here.