Haunted eyes glared at the shed window, focusing on the reflection of his new funnel, which to him, looked like a squished stovepipe.

He sniffed miserably, still recalling the moment his friends had laughed at him as he rolled into the yard with his new Geisel. Peter Sam felt lousy enough as it was- two very painful accidents occurring within a short period of time hardly made him feel lucky, after all- and now this indignity that was affixed to his smokebox made him feel very self-conscious, clumsy and all round inadequate.

"I don't want this stupid new funnel…" Peter Sam muttered miserably. "No matter how many people say it's special and will help me with my work- it's still horrible, and it makes me look horrid…" he sighed, looking at his grotesque new funnel in shame. His cheeks burned and his eyes watered.

It was ugly. He was ugly.

His driver once told him a story of an ugly man, with a strange name, was hidden away in Notre Dame because of his extreme deformities- and yet, despite this cruel injustice, he had grown to be a kind young man. Right now, Peter Sam felt empathetic to that man's plight- for he too was just a monster to be gawked at, a spectacle to receive jeers and unkind remarks, his tender heart left to be ripped apart by wolves.

He glanced outside longingly. He didn't want to stay here- he wanted to go out and enjoy the fresh air and the beautiful sights of the Skarloey Railway after spending as much time in the works; especially since it was his second time going in after his second major accident. But his reflection stopped him- as did the thought of being jeered at by his brother and their friends for his new 'funnel'.

"Come on, Peter Sam," Said his driver, reasonably. "We should get you going again, give your poor wheels a good stretch. After all, those accidents have left you stationary, so a nice run will do you some good."

"No." Peter Sam replied, sulkily. "The others will just laugh at me again." He wheeshed.

"Oh, come now!" Added the fireman. "They're your friends, Peter Sam- they won't laugh… well, ok, maybe they could have reacted better when you came back. But your friends adore you, Peter Sam- surely, they want to help you, rather than prolong your suffering?" he pointed out, reasonably. "If they knew how you really felt, they'd all help you."

Peter Sam just muttered something unintelligible under his breath, blinking away tears. "I really don't want to go out. Not now, not ever again." He huffed.

"Come on, old chap!" His fireman chided gently, patting his engine's cheek. "It just takes time, that's all…" He smiled fondly at his little engine. "After all, you've lived through two serious accidents."

"The icicle in the tunnel was far from fatal." Came the biting retort, causing the fireman to sigh. "Besides, I'm a monster here." Peter Sam countered stubbornly. "Have you not seen my funnel? I hate it! I just want my old one back."

"Why? Your new one's supposed to be far better…" his driver said. "Your brother got one… erm, Edward Thomas, that is. And he's doing ok." He said soothingly.

"Hmph!" Snorted Peter Sam indignantly. "I'm not him, though, Driver! And I know which brother you meant. Sir Handel wouldn't be laughing if he was in my wheels right now…"

His driver and fireman looked at one another, uncertain as to what to do… their poor engine was clearly suffering from self-esteem issues… and both men did feel some anger towards the other engines for making Peter Sam feel worse about his situation- even if it had been unintentional.

Suddenly, a new voice piped up from outside the shed.

"Hey, Peter Sam."

"What do you want, Rusty?" asked the little Kerr Stuart crossly.

"I came to apologize… and I also need to talk to you." The little diesel replied, hoping that Peter Sam would agree to talk to him.

"Fine… what is it?" Sighed Peter Sam snappishly.

"First, I want to say that I'm sorry I laughed at you before… I shouldn't have, and being the only diesel on the line, I get how terrifying it can be standing out from the others… so I should have been more empathetic." He paused. "I know it's different in your case, but we both have unique traits that help us stand out from the others…"

"I don't like my funnel though…" Grumbled Peter Sam. "I miss my old one!"

"Why?" Asked Rusty, gently. "Surely, to a steamie, a funnel is a funnel. You've still got four wheels and all your dials and levers and nuts and bolts in place, so surely that's something, right?"

Peter Sam knew Rusty had a point; but he also knew Rusty didn't understand that having a different funnel wasn't fun- not when everyone else laughed at how silly and hideous it looked.

"I… I guess you're right, Rusty," replied the No. 4. "I just… I just feel silly going around looking like this." He sniffed, fighting back tears. "It's an ugly piece of scrap metal that just gets me ridiculed." He looked over at Rusty pleadingly. "I just don't like the idea of looking different."

"Peter Sam, it's a reality for you, now," Rusty pointed out kindly. "I can see you're unhappy- but you're more upset about it because we laughed at you, rather than any actual fault of the funnel itself."

Silence.

"Hey, I was actually interested to see how your new funnel works." Added Rusty, quietly. "Mr. Hugh told me that you got your new funnel to help you climb up hills better, and I think it would be an interesting thing to see in action."

Another sniff. "You… you think so?"

"Of course." Smiled Rusty. "In fact, when he told me, I was impressed that something so simple as a new design could do so much, and I was most sorry I laughed at you. And I realised too you were likely feeling scared and alone- two accidents and a new funnel are nothing to laugh at. And I'm sorry I laughed. You're far more resilient than we give you credit for, Peter Sam."

Peter Sam had been about to argue that he most certainly did not feel very resilient right now, but he settled for a half-hearted mumble of "It's fine," And, despite his mood, he really did mean it; after all, what anger he had held towards the little diesel had dissipated after his kind words, and, truth be told, hearing this from Rusty had lifted Peter Sam's spirits a little.

"C'mon, buddy, how about a run? I can come with you if you like." Rusty offered.

"Where to?"

"The quarry. We could do with your help if you're free. After that, we can see about you taking passengers again. What do you say, buddy?"

"Say no more- I'm your engine!" Peter Sam peeped, and Rusty smiled at his friend's eagerness, relieved and heartened that he hadn't lost that in the second accident.

….

So, Peter Sam and Rusty set off towards the quarry, talking about anything and everything as they rolled along the rails.

"Hey, this is incredible!" Peter Sam's driver exclaimed suddenly from the cab, as they tackled a gradient with ease. Peter Sam was surprised.

"What's up, Driver?" he asked. He'd been so engrossed in his conversation with Rusty that he hadn't noticed anything different.

"You're running much more smoothly than before! Well, you were never a rough engine to begin with, Peter Sam, but…" he trailed off. "Well, what I mean to say is, you're going even more smoothly than you've ever done."

"He's right," remarked the Fireman. "You had trouble steaming anywhere steep, and I had to put in more effort to keep you going. But I'm not even needing to do that anymore!"

"There's a noticeable difference- you're tackling gradients you'd normally struggle with." His driver finished. "It's bloody amazing, let me tell you!"

"He's right," Added Rusty. "I noticed it, too. Even after I fixed the tracks, you always seemed to have issues with climbing hills- now you're… well, let's just say I couldn't keep up with you!"

"I never noticed…" Peter Sam admitted modestly. "I do feel a little different… but I almost never noticed I was even going uphill. Perhaps this new funnel isn't so bad, after all." He mused.

"Not at all." Replied Rusty. "I'm proud of you, Peter Sam. You've had two accidents as well as a major change to adapt to- and you've handled everything with courage."

Peter Sam grinned. "Thanks, Rusty. I'm glad you've got my back."

"Always." Replied Rusty. "I'm just happy you're accepting it, now. It'll take time, but you'll overcome it- because you're you, and you've always handled everything that's happened to you with grit and determination."

Peter Sam thought of Granpuff, and of Skarloey- the two old engines who had taught him what it meant to well and truly be brave; to soldier on even when the odds kept crashing down on him like a pile of bricks.

"Thank you, Rusty. But I couldn't truly be brave without Skarloey…" he trailed off, thinking of Granpuff, and steeled himself. "…without Skarloey showing me what it means to be brave."

A/N: This is a little headcanon when Peter Sam takes a little longer to adjust to his new funnel being more 'unique' in comparison to the others. Hope you all enjoyed!