A/N Donald as a baby engine, including meeting his twin, Douglas.
The workers at the factory in Scotland were working on an engine. They finished the engine and decided to give this one a name.
"Donald," one of the workers said after they finished painting the engine.
Donald blinked his eyes, wrinkled his nose, opened his mouth and breathed for the first time. He had a look that indicated he was friendly, in the moment, logical and charming on his face. Though he smiled briefly, his expression changed to indicate he needed something.
"Time to get you coal and water," a workman said to Donald. "You shall be shunted to the water column and coaling plant by another engine."
Donald liked the sound of getting coal and water. He was shunted to the places to get those things and was then in steam for the first time, eventually. "Donald," he said, because being in steam gave him the ability to speak for the first time.
Donald was put through his tests and deemed fit to work. He was given his first crew and went to work on the railway, pulling freight. He met his twin, Douglas.
One day, Donald was under extreme stress. Unable to bottle up his feelings anymore, they came pouring out his eyes. Donald asked his driver, "Are my eyes leaking?".
Donald's driver pulled out a soft cloth from his pocket and said, "It's called crying, Donald. It's water droplets leaking out of your eyes in response to emotion. There, there. Let it all out.", as he softly dried Donald's tears, gently rubbing his cheeks and wiping them from his eyes. He listened attentively to recognize Donald's values and cues and accepted him, letting him vent.
Donald went on crying. He trusted his driver and told him, "Keep wiping." and let his tears flow, sniffling as he cried into the cloth, letting his driver offer comfort.
He said, as he continued to wipe the tears away, "I accept your feelings, so cry to me. It can help you feel better. I'm here for you, so feel how you feel. No judgment from me, only caring and compassion. I want to cheer you up, when you're ready, maybe see if you can pull your favorite train.". He pressed the cloth to Donald's eyes, catching his streaming tears.
Donald's tears stopped, his emotions spent. His driver dried his engine's last tears away, wiping his cheeks and eyes until they were dry, then went back to the cab with the tear-wet cloth.
Time passed and Donald moved on from being a baby engine.
A/N I got the term baby engine from another fic and it refers to age only, as recent builds are young-minded.