A/N I wasn't bullied much, but I know it's common among those on the spectrum, which Erica being bullied reflects.
Thomas was puffing down the track heading back home after pulling a train and saw Diesel ahead, rolling along the track. Then he saw Erica on a siding and heard her sobbing and crying. He asked, "What happened to make you sad? It's okay to cry. Let it all out and you shall feel so much better. The first time in my life I ever cried was when someone to mean to me on the Mainland. I'd never known I could even do that before, but it made me feel better to cry and have Driver comfort me."
She sniffled and in a sad, sob filled voice said, "Diesel,". Her driver climbed from her cab with a hanky to dry her tears.
Thomas pressed his buffers against hers as her driver dabbed her streaming face and wiped her eyes dry of tears. Her friend said, "Erica, what did Diesel say about you? Whatever it was, he's just mean"
She sniffed loudly and with fresh tears in her eyes said, "He called me a weird, useless little waste of steam and said he wished he could shunt me to the scrapyard," as her driver continued to wipe away her tears.
Her driver promised, "I'm not letting you get scrapped yet. You got many years of life left. You're not useless."
Thomas said, "You're not weird, either. You're not like other engines in some ways, but that's fine. I don't think you're a waste of steam, sister. So, listen to your friend and not him."
Erica was happier now and managed to give her friend that cheeky smile of hers, no more tears left in her eyes. And the two engines went their ways.
Thomas went to his shed, cross with Diesel. I hate it when one of my friends cries how my "little sister" cried, he thought. I know she feels deeply from all those great tears and big sobs. She seems to be someone who can't control her emotions. He was so mean. I'd be hurt and in tears myself if someone was mean to me. I'm an engine with a sensitive heart, so I hated to hear what Diesel said about her in her quivering, sob filled voice. I could tell she felt better after crying and being comforted by her driver and me.
Erica was now headed to the shunting yard after having a drink to get some cars and take them to the Knapford junction. Stanley, Charlie and Rosie also worked at the yard and she was building friendships with them. Toby and Emily were other engines she was forming friendships with, along with Henry and Edward. I love Sodor, she thought and whistled happily. Except for that meanie Diesel and loud, rude Gordon. I'd like to meet the Great Western tank engines again. I've met all the other tank engines since arriving here. Edward would take the freight train to the coaling plant.
Erica met Edward at the junction and left the cars there for Edward to be coupled to them. The engines arranged to meet there again when their jobs were done.
"Hello, Erica," the old engine said when they met up again. "I was Thomas's best friend before Percy came here. We helped build NWR, Thomas and me. I mentored him back when he was a young engine."
"What was he like then?", Erica asked, referring to young Thomas. "I know he used to be cheeky to Gordon."
"A younger version of now. He knows when it's okay to be cheeky and when it's not, but he didn't in his younger years. I mentored him in that time, so he wasn't so cheeky to me, just every other engine."
"We're just like brother and sister, even if we're not the same kind of tank engine," she said. "I don't tease Gordon because he scares me. He's loud and rude. He's also a big, scary engine."
Edward gave the female tank engine a sympathetic smile because she looked unhappy talking about Gordon and said, "He's got a big heart under all that loud, arrogant way. Even if he's not the warmest, he's still a friend. I help him up that hill he once got stuck on when he gets Troublesome Trucks. He's more of a passenger engine, but sometimes his strength is needed to pull heavy trucks because the other engines available aren't strong enough. We're great friends."
Erica said, "I've got sensitive hearing, so I have a meltdown when he whistles and yells. I can't control my emotions". It made her unhappy to think of how Gordon upset her, so her driver patted her comfortingly.
Edward pressed his buffers against hers in a friendly hug. "Thomas formed an alliance with him awhile back. I shall let him tell you about how he and Gordon did that."
"Good-bye", Erica said. Her driver had said it was time for her to leave. "Driver says we need to get moving."
"Good-bye, my friend," he replied.
They went on their ways and eventually it was time for Erica to go to her shed for the night.
A/N Thomas talking about his first crying refers to my Sodor Tales chapter, Thomas: His Mainland Days. Edward talking about Gordon alludes to the classics where they and Henry all become friends. I decided Erica works at Knapford Yards in this part of my Thomasverse. It's kind of for plot convenience because of how much I have planned for her.