Danielle

**Danielle** is **Jungle Rusher 5** of Adventure Squad and Thomas's sister. She is a middle child in the machine division, being younger than Tim, but older than Thomas.

## Biography

As a member of Adventure Squad, Danielle worked with many allies to keep the world safe from Demon X: a danger to all dimensions and galaxies formed by all the dark emotions from pretty much everywhere. Due to a clever attack strategy, Demon X wiped out more than HALF of the Leonold machine division, including the parents of Thomas, Tim, and Danielle (the former 2 being her siblings in the family's machine division). Because of her dead relatives realizing the truth about Thomas, her little brother was constantly told to make the guardian of nature mechs to match their desired specifications, the reason being that the previous users want their mechs to match their chosen successor (an example being when Thomas was nagged by the previous user of galaxy rider 3 while preparing said mech for Emily).

During Thomas' earlier years, Danielle never gave Thomas any real compassion, even giving an insult that went too far and slashing his face with her own wheels. During the years of Adventure Squad, however, she began developing feelings for her little brother, but due to siding with the other machine division members, she kept her feelings hidden, but wasn't harsh to the point of letting Liza and Carson remain homeless, and the family soon induced them in Adventure Squad with Casey, who joined following his discovery a month after his siblings were inducted. After banishing Thomas from the family, it only took 1 day for them to realize the gravity of their actions. Attempts to talk to him were hampered by the former Leonold's spiteful shooting at them as a warning, with only Buzz, the Laverns and the human family members being spared. During a rescue, she was partnered with Thomas, who rarely talked to her during the entire mission. After raising her voice out of impatience, she ended up with words that gave her a lot of thought, and her mind was further stirred when she found out Vicki had vanished.

The last 500 years would mark the closure of their old railway, and to save their friends, they hid them in a cave. Upon hearing that Sir Topham Hatt was on the Island to choose an engine before the line closed, everyone unanimously agreed to have him purchase Thomas to give him a new lease on life. Sir Topham Hatt was given a briefing on the situation and agreed to keep the young Leonold's past a secret. After Thomas left, Danielle was prone to silently crying in her shed, and often admitted to Buzz about her feelings. After Abby arrived on Sodor, Thomas swiped some of her spare parts for his sister's reconstruction, which allowed them to perform a look-alike trick following Demon X's return.

During the return of Adventure Squad, Danielle was more remorseful and was more of a moody teenager. After Demon X's staged time repeat, she found herself inconsolably desiring her little brother's company and family approval, often found to be mute, reclusive and depressed out of guilt, finding it hard to forgive herself for her past sins. She later found it easier with time, and managed to form a sisterly relationship with Liza, who originally found her to be terrifying. After a undefined amount of time, her relationship with Thomas evolved to couple status, though they were drawn together by a sibling bond rather than romance.

## Personality

Of all the Leonolds, Danielle hated Thomas the most. She even went as far as calling him an accident that never should've happened. However, she ended up falling victim to his charm and developed feelings for him, as a result hearing those words again from a different point of view caused her to regret ever saying them.

Danielle is easily flustered, and to her, being seen unpainted is like being caught buck naked.
Like all Leonolds, she is a daredevil and is always ready to help. Despite being the second youngest machine division member, she is the most immature, a concept that frustrates her to no end. She does have a sweet side, and it comes out in her job as a medic, though Carson admits that she's better at physical wounds than mental heath issues.

Her disliking to Thomas vanished completely after Demon X drained Thomas, Tim, Liza and the minis to death levels, an experience she found horrifying. After being avoided by Liza after her past rudeness to Thomas and the fatal wounds both he and Tim had been inflicted, she felt alone, more than she had ever felt before. It wasn't until she made a friend out of Dino Runner Minus that she promised to be a better sister to Thomas. Her resolve strengthened after Demon X slaughtered Lady and the other Leonolds via hijacking the Siren Racers with Thomas' negative side.

After Thomas was back to full health, Danielle felt she wouldn't be forgiven, especially since she was very antagonistic to Thomas and his friends. After they did forgive her, she shed tears of joy, happy to be part of the family, but it changed her personality to what Thomas used to be in the early days of his life. Unlike Thomas, Danielle's reason was out of guilt for her little brother's loneliness. She also picks up Liza's timidness and shy nature, getting scared easily when she least expects it.

Danielle is fine with cold winds, but cannot stand freezing cold water, as it gets in her systems more easily.

Unlike Liza, she doesn't make a sound when deeply saddened.

After an undefined amount of time, Danielle's relationship with Thomas evolved to almost a couple status, Danielle often being much of a reclusive girlfriend. During her time with Liza, she felt like a failed parent after she found the other tank engine found her terrifying. After helping an injured Liza and falling into depression after getting stuck under rocks, the two managed to find themselves in mutual love, their relationship being similar to siblings and a mother and her child.

After finding peace, Danielle began working on healing mental wounds.

## Appearance

### Vehicle

Originally, Danielle was based on the LB&SCR Class E2 0-6-0T, particularly the second batch of locomotives built with extended side-tanks. These engines were built by Brighton Works between 1913-1916 to replace the ageing Stroudley E1 class and were primarily used for heavy shunting and short-distance freight trains in the London area and on the south coast. During their final working years, the E2 class worked as shunting engines at Southampton Docks, until they were replaced by the BR Class 07 diesel shunters. All of the E2s were scrapped, with none surviving into preservation.

Danielle had several major differences from the original E2 class. She was much shorter in length than her original basis, she had two extra windows on the sides of her cab and she had wheel splashers, something the E2 class lacked. Her footplate is dipped at the front, but oddly enough is not dipped at the back. Her original form was painted teal-green with white lining. She had the initials "LBSC" and the number 70 painted on the sides of her tanks and cab respectively in yellow with red lining and her wheel rims were white.

Her current body in Adventure Squad has Danielle completely redesigned. She is now a ambulnce that looks like a 3-car-mix-and-match. Her hood and cab section are more in the shape of a 2018 Nissan Frontier, the back end flows more in line with a work minivan (with less rear windows and more squared), and her rear doors are more like a pair from a type I ambulance. Her grill and bumper are shaped to resemble that of a hudson hornet. She is painted pink and gains details resembling the natural patterns of a sperm whale and white highlights in this form.

When she and the other look-alike family members went to Sodor, Danielle was painted like Abby to play a trick on Sir Topham Hatt. The look-alikes were later repainted and modified to tell them apart.

In Adventure Squad, Danielle can generate wind from anywhere on her body.

After her embarrassing off-road endeavors, Carson modified the land vehicle members for all-terrain travel. For Danielle, she received retractable tracks and skis based on a Yellowstone Park ambulance for deeper snow, while for water travel, she gained a retractable hull underneath her chassis and a series of thrusters and pumps to move her through the water. For off-road travel, Danielle gained an raiseable chassis that could swap out her street tires for larger ones with deeper treads for rough terrain.

### Mech

Jungle Rusher 5 is bright pink with gray highlights (which become white in hyper mode).

Jungle Rusher 5Jungle Rusher 5 (hyper mode)
## Behind the scenes

She uses clips of Ashleigh Ball as Dinotrux's Skya and Fontaine Nekton from the 2015 series known as The Deep.

## Notes

* Danielle is the only surviving leonold to use wind as a primary element element.
* She and Liza are the only vehicles to have ever shed any tears.
* Danielle reuses Abby's character model, which was originally identical to the new Dino Runner, but was eventually recolored pink and modified with two additions: a sailor's cap and a doctor's light. The later changes were made to avoid confusion.
* Carson admits that while she's good with physical wounds, her skills concerning mental health are trash.