Caitlin and Connor are having another of their races when Caitlin is forced to stop due to Emily being stuck on the tracks ahead of her, having broken down and needing repairs. When Emily asks Caitlin if she can shunt her over to the siding, Caitlin is hesitant due to her skirt, so she goes around Emily to finish her passenger runs.
She comes back later to couple up to Emily, tender-to-tender, and tow her to the Steamworks. However, when Connor appears, Caitlin decides to race him again, despite being slowed a little due to Emily and her being slightly heavier compared to Caitlin's passenger coaches. Luckily, Connor has to stop at a station to drop off passengers, and Caitlin and Emily overtake him. Later, Caitlin has dropped Emily off at the Steamworks and takes her leave, but after she does, Emily voices her amazement at Caitlin and her design and speed to Victor, but Victor assures her that it is only due to Caitlin's streamlining.
Emily then imagines herself as a streamlined engine, with an appearance like Caitlin's, but with her own emerald green, yellow, and gold paintwork, her name in black letters on nameplates on her sides, and looking pretty proud and happy as she rushes down the rails with her eight driving wheels pumping proudly.
She asks Victor afterwards if the engineers can give her a streamlined appearance and shape like Caitlin's, but Victor considers it a silly idea, assuring Emily she's a great engine as her old Stirling Single self. Despite the truth to his words, Emily feels disappointed in not being able to be streamlined like Caitlin.
After being mended, Emily is back to pulling freight cars as Caitlin meets up with her again. When Emily voices her disappointment in not being as good as Caitlin, Caitlin assures her she can do a lot of things that Caitlin herself can't. When Emily speaks to Thomas about it later, she still feels that Caitlin is better, and not even Marion trying to cheer her up is able to improve her mood. That night at Tidmouth Sheds, the rest of the Steam Team try to cheer Emily up, but their efforts are futile, and Emily goes sadly to sleep still convinced Caitlin is better than her.
Some time later, Emily makes a delivery to Ulfstead Castle, only to find Caitlin there undergoing a check-up by her driver as they heard a weird noise that they wanted to look into. When nothing can be found, Caitlin sees off Emily as she is turned around on the castle turntable and heads back down the mountain. However, as Emily descends down the slope from Ulfstead Castle, still demoralized about not being as good as Caitlin, she is brought out of her blue funk when she hears Caitlin calling and whistling for help as her brakes have failed and she's out of control. Emily braces herself as Caitlin rams her from behind, but upon realizing to her horror that if Caitlin derails on the slope coming down from Ulfstead Castle she could be seriously injured, Emily decides to use her own brakes to try and slow Caitlin down. As Emily puts every ounce of braking power into her own brake pads, she assures Caitlin she has her, and after several seconds of struggling to hold Caitlin back until they are safely down the mountain and on level ground, Emily is able to bring Caitlin to a safe stop. Caitlin calls Emily her hero, making Emily smile proudly.
That evening, Emily shunts Caitlin to the Steamworks to have her skirt mended, as it was badly dented and crumpled from ramming Emily by accident earlier when Caitlin's brakes failed. Caitlin confesses that her skirt was the reason she doesn't shunt and wishes she had buffers on her front end like Emily. Caitlin thanks Emily for her bravery, and both engines assure each other that they are glad to have the other for a good friend.
Tropes:
- Heroic BSoD: Emily has one after Victor kindly refuses to streamline her, believing her Stirling Single design makes her a great engine just as herself. Nothing the other engines try to make Emily come out of it works until Emily has to save Caitlin after her brakes fail.
- Imagine Spot: While at the Steamworks, Emily imagines herself as a streamlined engine.
