"You are a silly engine!" Mr. Bobbie scolded Skarloey when the cavalcade eventually reached the sheds. "I warned you- twice- that you were going far too fast!" He tapped Skarloey's side, not unkindly. "It's a miracle the Foreman was so understanding when the issue was explained."

"You're right, Mr. Bobbie, sir," said Skarloey sheepishly. "I'm sorry for not listening to you. And Rheneas," he looked at his brother, shame and gratitude colouring his face as scarlet as their liveries. "Thank you for coming to rescue me. That... that means a lot."

But he could see Rheneas was still very cross with him. Fair enough- after all, Skarloey had insulted him; fallen out with him over cabs; and had gotten himself into a mess due to carelessness, which Rheneas had to aid him out of. He couldn't blame his brother for being angry with him.

Biting his lip, Skarloey looked down at his buffers... and suddenly laughed as he finally registered how muddy he was from the landslide. He had been too shocked and angry to pay much attention to his appearance before, but now he couldn't avoid the truth…

"Looks like I'm the stick in the mud after all, not you!" he laughed.

Rheneas, finally seeing the irony in the situation, began giggling as well. They laughed long, loud, and hard, causing the cleaners to speculate whether they'd lost the plot.

"Poor engines!" they murmured amongst themselves. They were certain the two little engines had heard, as they only laughed harder- but they didn't care. The pair were hard to offend these days, having spent the better part of two years arguing with each other, and peppering said arguments with barbaric insults and comebacks.

"Boys!" sighed Mr. Bobbie with exasperation, but as he looked at them, laughing without a care in the world, he smiled fondly.

After all, they were his boys.

...

Some time after the cleaners had gone, the two little engines started to calm down. "I needed that," Skarloey sighed, smiling sweetly at his brother.

"Likewise," Rheneas smiled back at his sibling. "That was quite the laugh we had."

"Couldn't agree more, my dear Rheneas." Smiled Skarloey. "Still, I am sorry I got you dragged out, Rheneas. I could've avoided the accident in the first place if I'd been more careful, but, as Mr. Bobbie said, I was going too fast to pay attention… And, I may have been a bit annoyed with you as well."

"A bit?" Rheneas raised an eyebrow in jest.

"Ok, maybe a bit more than a bit annoyed, but still. I let my feelings get the best of me and got myself stuck- not to mention stranding those poor dears in the freezing mud and rain, and making the quarrymen late for work, too."

"Some trouble you've caused." Rheneas chortled, and Skarloey smiled ruefully.

"I never intended for all that to happen, and yet, it did." He mumbled, embarrassed.

"Never mind," replied Rheneas warmly. "Even if I was cross with you about our fallout, I was just glad that you, Mr Bobbie and the workmen weren't hurt."

"Pooh, it was a silly landslide, Rheneas!" Scoffed Skarloey. "Nothing I couldn't handle!"

"One you still needed my help getting out of." Rheneas reminded him, and he burst out laughing again as Skarloey went tomato-red in the face.

"Yes, yes, you've made your point, you've saved my sorry bunker." Skarloey said sheepishly, before his expression morphed into an affectionate one. "I somehow think that this won't be the last time one of us will be saving the other."

"Probably not," Agreed Rheneas.

"I bloody well hope it is!" Mr. Bobbie exclaimed. "I'm not sure I want to have a heart attack every time you two venture onto the line."

"You are dramatic, Mr. Bobbie, sir." Rheneas replied, dryly. "But, in any case, Skarloey, we should have a truce to help each other out of a pickle, and"-

"I was hoping," Interrupted Skarloey, "for something a little more informal. We are brothers, after all, Rheneas, and I think merely our bonds of brotherhood and friendship should more than suffice for helping each other in the future."

Mr. Bobbie was surprised at the change in his engine- a year ago, Skarloey would often communicate in grunts and unintelligible sounds in relation to Rheneas, which annoyed the latter, as well as Mr. Bobbie. Now, he was proving to be as eloquent, or perhaps even more so, than Rheneas.

Or maybe he had always been like that and refused to admit it.

Rheneas, for his part, was speechless at Skarloey's heartfelt words. "'Loey, that's… that's really sweet of you to say." He blushed- he wasn't good at verbally expressing affection. He could comfort his brother whenever he was upset, but otherwise, expressing affection verbally was something Rheneas felt… odd doing.

Personally, he much preferred doing helpful, practical things that expressed love and care- like taking Skarloey's trains for him if he was tired or sick. (Of course, he was the only other engine on the line who could take them, but still, it counted!)

Fortunately, Skarloey was swift to catch on to his brother's struggle and decided to move on. "I'm glad you appreciate the sentiment, Rheneas." He said warmly. "With that said, are you willing for us to start over?"

Rheneas pondered for a moment, before reaching the conclusion he knew he would've reached anyway.

"Of course, Skarloey." He smiled broadly, to which Skarloey- his older brother, his friend- smiled back.