A/N: In response to Samantha, Tillie, and Darlena's reviews: You are very intuitive.

It was a dark and stormy night on the Island of Sodor. Michaela shivered as she pulled up next to Calumina at *Brendam Sheds.

The dark blue tender engine opened her eyes and smiled at her. "Oi, lassie… Whit are ye doin' here?"

Michaela sniffled as drips from the rain ran down her face. "K-Kennet says it's too dangerous for us to head back t-to the Little Western right now… We'll have to wait until morning to go back." She sneezed.

"Bless ye," said Calumina. "O' course ye can stay in here!"

Just then, lightning flashed in the skies above, and thunder echoed all around them.

Michaela squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered, and Kennet came around with a rag to dry off her face.

While her driver was drying her cheeks, Michaela opened her eyes again and began to sing in a shaky voice, in an attempt to keep calm.

"Th-there are times to be brave

And times to be strong

When y-you're lost and you're all alone

You might be somewhere

Strange and dark

But long to be s-safe at home."

She stopped singing and let out a high-pitched whine when another bolt of lightning flashed overhead, and the thunder boomed again.

"Losh sakes, Douggie. Looks like we're no' the only ones who didnae make it back tae Tidmouth Hault in time."

Michaela and Calumina looked over to see the Scottish twins joining them in the shed.

"Somethin' wrong, lassie?" Douglas asked with concern when he saw Michaela's anxious face.

She closed her eyes, and tears ran down her cheeks. "I-I wanna go back to my shed…"

"I'm sorry Michaela, but we can't," Kennet said softly.

An idea flew into Calumina's funnel as she watched her friend. "Ooh, ah ken how tae help ye feel better, lass! Ah used tae sing this song tae mah wee sisters tha' shared a shed wit' me back in bonnie Scotland."

"Och, ah remember!" said Donald. "Sometimes we'd come tae visit fer th' night during a goods run, an' ye'd be singin' a certain song tae our sisters."

"Aye, tha's th' yin." Calumina cleared her throat and began to sing.

**"A naoidhean bhig, cluinn mo ghuth

Mise ri d' thaobh, Ó mhaighdean bhàn

Ar rìbhinn òg, fàs a's faic

Do thìr, dìleas fhéin"

As they listened to Calumina sing, Kennet slowly began to trace his hand over Michaela's forehead, and her eyelids started to close. Although she couldn't understand the words, Michaela could feel the emotions and meanings behind them. Donald and Douglas smiled at each other and joined in the second verse.

"A ghrian a's a ghealach, stiùir sinn

Gu uair ar cliù 's ar glòir

Naoidhean bhig, ar rìbhinn òg

Mhaighdean uasal bhàn"

Michaela smiled sleepily at her Scottish friends. "That's... a lovely... song..." she murmured as she began to drift into a slumber.

"Sleep tight, Michaela," Calumina whispered.

Moments later, the iridescent engine was fast asleep.

The next day, the storm had passed over and the sun was shining again, but the heavy winds had broken tree branches and scattered debris around the island. Michaela and the twins had to be careful as they made their way back to the Little Western, but they finally arrived safely back at home and got right to work.

As Michaela was shunting at Arlesburgh Yards, she heard the sound of a car pulling up, and she looked over to see the Fat Controller driving her way.

"Can I help you, Sir Tubby Hatt—" Michaela began, but then her driver immediately corrected her.

"It's Sir Topham Hatt," Kennet frantically whispered.

"Oh yeah, S-Sir Topham Hatt?" she called out again with a deep blush on her face. "Uh, can I h-help you… sir?"

The Fat Controller slipped on a puddle as he climbed out of his car, and his aides quickly helped him to his feet before he could hit the ground.

"Oh, well... I guess you could, Michaela. I need you to be on the alert for any debris that the storm from last night may have thrown onto the tracks. On my way here alone, I almost crashed into multiple objects or branches that were on the road!"

"Then again, sir, you aren't the best driver on Sodor," Sam mumbled a little louder than he should have, which earned him an elbow in the stomach from Kennet.

If Sir Topham had heard Sam's remark, he didn't show any signs of acknowledging it. "There is a train of trucks here that needs to be taken down to Brendam Docks, so if you could do that, that would be wonderful. Now then… I need to make sure that the tracks on this side of the island are clear. I just wanted to make sure that the engines here are aware of the dangers from the aftermath of the storm."

"Alright." Michaela watched as Sir Topham Hatt almost slipped again on his way to his car, and she remembered how her journey on the way back to the Little Western had been. "Oh! Sir, I thought you might like to know that the rails have been rather slippery, too."

The Fat Controller sighed. "Oh, dear… The road has also been quite slippery as well. Hopefully none of us will get in any accidents, eh?"

He climbed back into his car and began to drive away, but as the car pulled out of the shunting yard, Michaela and her crew could see it slipping and sliding around on the road—even when it wasn't driving over any puddles.

"I told you," Sam said to Kennet, and the young driver just rolled his eyes.

When Michaela set out for Brendam Docks a short while later, the tracks were still wet enough to make her slide every few minutes.

"Gosh, I hope the rails will dry up faster," she commented to her driver and fireman.

Suddenly, Michaela ran over a small branch on the tracks and yelped in discomfort as she bounced over it and broke it.

Kennet leaned out of the cab and shook his head. "Wow, Sir Topham Hatt wasn't kidding when he said that there were branches everywhere."

Michaela's voice sounded slightly shaky. "Definitely," she sighed.

As the iridescent tender engine rounded a bend, she glanced up ahead and gasped when she saw an even larger branch on the tracks up ahead. This one was enormous!

Michaela's driver immediately put on her brakes, but the rails were still slippery, and she kept right on sliding towards the branch. Her crew jumped clear as she smashed into it and derailed, falling onto her side with a crash!

Luckily, no one was hurt, and the trucks she had been taking were still on the rails, but Michaela herself was lying in a heap and covered in mud from the wet ground.

"Michaela! Are you alright?" some of the Troublesome Trucks asked her with unexpected but genuine concern.

"I-I don't know…" She quickly glanced around, searching for her crew. "Kennet! Sam! Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine, Michaela," Kennet said as he walked around to her face. "The real question is, are you?"

Sam joined them. "I'm going to go phone for help. Kennet, make sure she's not badly hurt."

***So while her fireman went to call for the breakdown train, Michaela's driver felt her all over to see if she had been hurt.

"Ow!" Michaela whimpered in pain when Kennet touched her front wheels.

When Duck arrived with the breakdown train, Judy and Jerome, the cranes, immediately set to work and eventually had Michaela back on the rails. But when she tried to move forward, her front wheels suddenly made an awful grinding noise and wouldn't move an inch.

Sir Topham Hatt had come to inspect the accident, and he frowned and shook his head as he watched her. "It's almost like I jinxed you earlier when I said that hopefully neither of us would get in any accidents."

"What's a 'jinx'?" Michaela whispered to Sam.

"It's a Pokémon," he replied with a deadpan face.

"What's a Pokémon?"

Sam made a dismissive gesture. "Never mind."

The Fat Controller spoke again. "Michaela, you'll have to go to the Steamworks for repairs. If all goes well, you should be ready for work again tomorrow or the day after that."

A chill ran through her boiler. "...The Steamworks?"

"Yes, it's where engines go to get repaired here on the Island of Sodor."

Michaela glanced over at Kennet. "Can he come, too?"

Sir Topham Hatt was bewildered. "Erm… Well, I suppose he could visit if he has the time. But I'm not so sure he'd be allowed to stay with you the whole time."

Michaela's eyes widened and although she tried hard to remain calm, she still began to hyperventilate.

Kennet rubbed her buffers and spoke to her in a soothing voice. "Shh, it's okay. Just breathe in and out slowly. I'm here for you."

Just then, Oliver and Toad arrived on the scene. "You called for us, sir?"

The Fat Controller nodded. "Yes, I need you to take these Troublesome Trucks to Brendam Docks in place of Michaela."

Oliver looked over at the iridescent engine, who was now being lowered onto a flatbed by Judy and Jerome. "Oh, hello there. Are you going to be okay?"

She gave him a nervous smile. "I h-hope so…"

As Oliver and Toad were coupled up to the train, the Troublesome Trucks weren't too happy about this, as they preferred to be handled by Michaela the most out of the Little Western engines at this point.

"She wasn't even one of the engines who bumps us…" some of the trucks mumbled with disappointment.

But Michaela overheard their complaints and said to Oliver, "If you don't want them to pull anything on you, try singing to them. That's what I always do to keep them busy. Apparently, they can't resist a good sing-along."

"...She knows I can't really sing, right?" he whispered to Duck.

The pannier tank engine flinched. "Don't be so harsh on yourself!" he snapped.

Oliver wasn't sure how to react, so he began to puff away. But Toad overheard their conversation and said politely, "I like your singing voice, Mister Oliver…"

Sir Topham Hatt turned to Duck. "It's time for Michaela to go to the Steamworks. I have to attend to other matters now."

Michaela's eyes flicked back to her driver, and he gave her a reassuring smile. "Everything's going to be okay."

"When you think life's unfair

And you feel nobody cares

Don't be afraid to open the door

Then you'll find you're not alone anymore"

"That's very lovely, Michaela," said Duck as they made their way to the Steamworks.

Michaela blushed, but sang a little bit louder as she moved on to the next verse.

"Sometimes there's rainy days

You may need help along the way

Do not despair, you know we'll be there

That's What Friends are For"

When they arrived at the Steamworks, Michaela was reminded of her time in the factory where she had been built, and she hoped that the engines here—if there were any—would be much nicer than the steamies from the factory.

Thankfully, they were very kind indeed.

"Buenos días, my friend! Welcome to the Steamworks," said a dark red narrow gauge tank engine as Michaela was being unloaded inside the building.

"Boss, look! There's a rainbow engine here in the—"

Both engines flinched as a small yellow crane drove towards them and kept on going until he accidentally crashed into a wall.

The red tank engine sighed. "...That's Kevin, my assistant. He means well, but…"

There was another crash as the little crane turned around and hurried back towards them, but knocked over some paint cans in the process.

"He's… very clumsy." The engine looked back at her. "Anyway, my name is Victor, and I'll be looking after you while you're here."

The iridescent engine smiled back, despite her anxiety from being in a new place, surrounded by unfamiliar faces.

"I-I'm Michaela." She paused as something occurred to her. "...You're a small engine."

Victor chuckled. "You are quite small yourself, my friend. At least, for a tender engine."

Michaela was speechless.

Kevin burst out laughing as Victor puffed away. "He got you that time!"

Michaela wasn't amused, and she puffed out her cheeks with mild anger. "Be quiet."

Kevin gave her a cheeky but friendly smile, then he quickly drove away.

A few minutes later, the workmen had detached Michaela's tender, and they hoisted her up into the air so they could remove her damaged wheels.

Michaela enjoyed this despite everything, because she loved the feeling of being off the ground and high up above everything. Sometimes, she even dreamed of flying.

"Wheee!" She giggled and called out to Kevin, "Look! I'm flying!"

He waved at her with his crane arm from down below. "I'm glad you like that! Most engines that come here are either afraid of heights, or they just don't seem to care about it."

"I wonder why? I know that if I could actually fly, I'd be doing it every single day of my life!"

"Kevin!" Victor suddenly called out.

The yellow crane frowned a little. "Oh… We'll talk some more later. Boss needs me right now!"

But as he sped off, he accidentally knocked over some crates. The crashing noise echoed all around the Steamworks and overwhelmed Michaela, and she cried out from the pain.

Kevin came back a few moments later with a flatbed of crates hanging from his hook, and he looked up at her with concern. "You okay?"

"No…" Michaela moaned.

His pupils grew larger. "Did that sound hurt your ears?"

"No, I don't have ears!"

Kevin blinked.

She sighed. "It did…"

"If I had buffers, I'd give you a buffer press!" he called up to her. "That's how engines hug, right?"

Michaela couldn't help but smile at his words. "Yeah, it is."

When the workmen went to repair her a few minutes later, however, Michaela became anxious when they got close to her and began to take off her wheels.

Victor heard her whimpering this time, and he looked up at her. "Is everything alright, Michaela? You know, we can numb the pain if you really need it…"

"I-it's not the pain," she tearfully explained. "I'm sensitive to touch in general."

The dark red engine thought for a moment. "I know this must be difficult for you, and I'm sorry that it's overwhelming. But once we get you fixed up, you won't be in pain anymore, and you'll be able to get back to work faster. Alright?"

"...Alright," she replied after a moment.

So, as much as it made her uncomfortable to be touched by people that she didn't really know, the workers were eventually able to remove her wheels and replace them some time later.

Kennet came later that evening to say goodnight to Michaela and make sure that she was alright.

"It's so hard being here," she told him. "I know that everybody here is nice and all, but the really loud noises make my funnel ache, and I can't stand it much longer."

He gently ran a hand across her face. "I know, girl. It'll all be over tomorrow. They're making good progress, and Victor says you'll be able to leave soon. It's just one more night, and then they'll finish repairing you in the morning."

She sighed and gazed at the sunset outside the building. "...I really hope so."

The next day, Michaela did her best to remain calm while the workmen finished repairing her, but Kevin's clumsiness still sometimes caused her to yell out in pain.

"Sorry! I'm sorry!" he said as he sped towards her after one particularly loud crash.

"I-it's okay, Kevin… I know you're not trying to do it on purpose." Michaela's cheeks were covered in tears, though, and the little yellow crane felt bad for causing her any pain whatsoever.

"Good news, my friend!"

Michaela opened her eyes again at the sound of Victor's friendly voice.

He smiled at her. "We've finished polishing you, and you're all fixed up and ready to go!"

She gasped. "Wait… It's all over?"

"Yup!" Kevin's response was punctuated by a loud thump as he accidentally dropped something that he had been carrying when he came to a stop next to her.

Michaela winced, but then she immediately brightened up again when she saw—

"Kennet! Sam!"

Her driver briefly placed a hand on her cheek, then climbed up into her cab. "Ready to head back home?"

"I sure am!" Michaela looked back at Victor and Kevin. "Thank you so much for fixing me!"

"You're welcome!" replied Victor. "Safe travels on your way back!"

Kevin waved as Michaela pulled away from the Steamworks. "I would say 'come again soon', but that doesn't sound right!"

They both laughed, and Michaela whistled cheerfully back at him.

"Guys, look! Michaela's back!"

The Troublesome Trucks cheered happily as the iridescent engine pulled into Arlesburgh Yards.

She smiled and puffed up to some trucks, then pressed her buffers against theirs.

"Are you seriously hugging the Troublesome Trucks?" asked a weary Oliver as he joined them.

"What?" Michaela acted like it was a perfectly normal thing to do. "Yes, of course. They haven't seen me in a while."

Oliver closed his eyes and sighed. "Toad, I'm having a very strange dream."

"But Mister Oliver," came Toad's voice from somewhere nearby," this isn't a dream."

Michaela bit her lip. "Why don't you go and take a nap? I can take over again from here."

The Great Western tank engine didn't reply, but he did puff away to go rest elsewhere.

A couple of hours later, the yard was completely organized, and Michaela was refilling with coal while her crew had a snack break.

"Hey, hey, Michaela! Guess what!" one of the Troublesome Trucks said out of the blue.

"What?"

"Oliver taught us a new song about rainbows!"

"What?"

Another truck giggled. "And then Toad started singing about eating rainbows, and now I'm pretty sure that we've all driven Oliver insane."

Toad was still sitting nearby in the shunting yard, and he blushed when the Troublesome Trucks brought him up. "I was bored. And Mister Oliver wasn't driven crazy, he just needs some sleep."

Michaela sighed. "Now you've got me wondering what a rainbow tastes like..."

Kennet held up his packet of Skittles. "You want some? I don't think engines can actually digest food, but I'm willing to try it if you are."

Right at that moment, Sam walked around Michaela and saw Kennet holding a bag of candy out over his engine's outstretched tongue, about to pour it out.

Sam glared at Kennet sternly enough to make him pull the bag away and wilt underneath his gaze. "Really, Kennet. Were you seriously attempting to feed an engine Skittles?"

Kennet just chuckled nervously and avoided eye contact with him, quickly stuffing more Skittles in his mouth.

Just then, Michaela heard a pair of deep-toned whistles sound from close nearby, and she saw the Scottish twins pulling up next to her.

"Och, Michaela! Yer back from th'—"

Both boys were instantly blinded by the sun reflecting off of Michaela's polished iridescent livery.

"Aah! It burns us!" Donald cried.

"Sorry!" Michaela quickly backed into some shade.

"It's alright," said Douglas as he opened his eyes again. "We're just glad tha' yer back agin, lassie."

Michaela's cheeks turned pink, and she smiled at him.

Douglas's fireman made eye contact with Sam, and they shrugged at each other as the Scottish engine smiled back in the same way that Michaela had.

There was clearly something there that wasn't there before.

A/N: The next chapter will be sure to emphasize Michaela's relationship with Douglas, but that won't actually be the primary focus. Stay tuned for some Hurt/Comfort based around otherworldly themes in the next chapter of Iridescence! And as always, thanks so much for reading this!

*Brendam Sheds still exists here in this story. I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find any images or mentions of it after Season 5, so I decided to bring the sheds back.

**The Song Calumina sings in Scottish Gaelic is actually "Noble Maiden Fair" from the Pixar movie, Brave.

***I remember that when James had his first accident with the Troublesome Trucks, his driver and fireman felt him all over to see if he had been injured (at least in the Railway Series). I decided to make that canon here because it shows that, to some degree, the engines can feel pain.