LIGHTNING NEVER STRIKES TWICE

One day, the Flying Scotsman pulled into Barrow-in-Furness, a stop on his railtour. He braked into the station to let off his passengers before continuing onwards, but was surprised to find that the signal remained red. He scanned the platform to look for the stationmaster.

"Excuse me, sir? I was under the impression that I was signaled through for this express but it seems that the signal is red."

"We have to wait for the special to pass; just got a call from up the line." The stationmaster explained. Flying Scotsman raised an eyebrow.

"A special? How peculiar…" He replied. The stationmaster shrugged before returning to his work. Flying Scotsman began to wait patiently for the special to pass, but he didn't have to wait long before he heard a familiar whistle and gasped with delight.

"It can't be!" Chugging cheerfully down the line and coupled to only one Pullman coach was…

"Stepney! How are you, my friend?" Stepney the Bluebell Engine happily whistled at Flying Scotsman as he rolled through the station.

"Better than ever, Scott! Lovely to see you here; love the long run but it can get a bit lonely with just the one coach! All's well with you, I hope?" He called as he slowly rumbled through.

"Certainly, thank you for asking! We don't get you around here much; what's the occasion?" Flying Scotsman asked.

"Off to Sodor! I was due for a visit in a few weeks anyway, but there's a gap in the roster that needs filling and my controller thought it apt to send me early to help out!" Stepney explained. The larger engine chuckled as Stepney began to puff into the distance.

"I'm sure the Sudrians will love having you around!" He shouted as Stepney rounded the bend towards the Vicarstown Bridge.

"I'll be happy to be around; the Bluebell's lovely, but nowhere makes you feel quite as useful as the island! Cheers!" With a blast of his shrill whistle, Stepney was out of sight, leaving Flying Scotsman to whistle back.

The Fat Controller was waiting anxiously alongside Wellsworth Sheds, where a rather sickly-looking Molly was resting, when he heard Stepney's whistle and saw the Bluebell Engine brake gently into the platform.

"Hello again, sir!" He greeted cheerfully as the members of the Bluebell Society he had taken along with him stepped out of the coach. The Fat Controller walked over and shook a few of their hands before smiling at the tank engine.

"Welcome back, Stepney! I trust your journey went well?" He asked. Stepney beamed.

"Oh yes, sir! I love a good long run to stretch my wheels!" He replied cheerfully.

"I appreciate you coming earlier than expected; Molly has fallen ill, and all the other engines are so busy that I couldn't send anyone down here full time. I have more than sufficient faith that you'll keep running this yard to the high standard that Molly has set, and that you'll help heavy trains up Gordon's Hill to the best of your ability." The Fat Controller explained. The Bluebell Engine grinned.

"I won't let you down, sir!" Stepney replied.

"Splendid! Thank you again, Stepney, for coming in on such short notice." The Fat Controller tipped his hat and left to speak with the Bluebell Society members inside the station building. As Stepney moved his empty coach into the sidings, Molly gave him an apologetic look.

"Sorry to be a b-b-b-bother…there's s-s-something wrong with my smokebox, I'm all s-s-s-stuffed up." She stuttered, feeling anxious about imposing on the tank engine. Stepney just smiled.

"No bother at all! Sorry about the 'sick' business. Anything I need to know?" He asked. Molly pondered.

"Refill your s-s-sandboxes as soon as you're b-b-back in the y-y-yard. You d-d-d-don't want to end up s-s-stuck on the h-h-hill; b-b-believe me, I know." She replied. Stepney chuckled.

"Thank you! I'll keep that in mind…Molly, is it?"

"Y-y-yes!" Molly replied, caught off-guard by Stepney addressing her directly.

"So many new faces since I was last here…hope you feel alright again soon!" He grinned. Molly caught herself smiling from Stepney's contagious enthusiasm as he puffed away to begin shunting the trucks.

"D-d-don't worry, I w-w-won't be gone l-l-long!" She replied. The tank engine smirked.

"Take your time; not too often I get the chance for a real hard day's work!" He looked to a line of trucks in front of him, who were all giving him a confused look.

"Let's get a move on, shall we? Lots to do!" Before the baffled trucks could respond, Stepney rolled ahead and bumped into them, shunting them across the yard with spirit and finesse.

After Molly went away, Stepney worked hard in the yard. He shunted trucks and coaches for the other engines without fuss and found helping other engines up the hill just the kind of work he enjoyed. He even got used to all the new engines who had come to the island since the last time he was there!

"Molly? Are you here? I'd like a push up the hill, please!" Emily called as she rolled into Wellsworth with her stopping train. Stepney whistled.

"No Molly today, mate, but I'd be happy to take some of the load off your buffers! Name's Stepney!" The Bluebell Engine had already begun running around the back of the train before Emily even had time to respond.

"I'm Emily!"

"Well, nice to meet you, Emily! Let's find a time to chat while we're here; hopefully one that won't hold your passengers up!" He replied. Emily laughed to herself as she and Stepney began charging at Gordon's Hill.

The engines were very impressed with Stepney's work, and often said so. Stepney was pulling into Tidmouth with a small goods train at the end of one busy day when he saw the big engines talking to a rather un-amused looking Thomas and Percy in the sheds.

"You see, Thomas, we just think you could learn a few things about attitude from-Stepney! So nice of you to join us!" Gordon pivoted quickly when he realized the Bluebell engine was in earshot, reversing his trucks into the goods shed. Stepney grinned.

"Hello! How are we all doing this evening?" He greeted cheerfully.

"We were doing alright until the big engines decided it was time for a lecture…" Percy muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes.

"This isn't a lecture, you silly great caterpillar!" James snapped.

"We just think you could adjust your attitude to be a bit more like Stepney's, that's all! Chipper, friendly, helpful…he's an example!" Henry explained. Stepney blushed modestly.

"Ah, I'm just doing my job; Thomas and Percy do theirs just fine too." He replied. The two tank engines gave him a smile, but Gordon simply snorted.

"Oh please, don't be polite, Stepney; these two couldn't run to time with a clock on their running board…" He muttered.

"Oh, really?" Thomas snarked, but Stepney interrupted him.

"Well, Gordon, without my help up the hill, you wouldn't be running to time either, would you?" He was being quite literal, but Gordon took it as an insult and turned bright red as Thomas and Percy laughed. Even James and Henry couldn't help chuckling!

"Would love to stay and chat but I do have to get back to Wellsworth; trains to shunt, you know! Have a nice evening, all!" Stepney was uncoupled from his trucks, whistled, and continued along his way back to the station.

"Night, Stepney!" The engines called…all except Gordon, who simply grunted.

However, not everybody liked Stepney, as he found out when he was on his way out of the shunting yard. As he hummed a tune to himself, he suddenly heard a loud diesel horn blast and quickly braked to a halt as a long green diesel crossed the junction in front of him.

"Watch it!" The diesel snapped, pulling a long train of flatbeds with crates on them. Stepney winced as the long train passed him.

"Sorry! Must have not seen you coming!" He called apologetically. The diesel, however, ignored him, and continued on with his train, grumbling under his breath. As the diesel drew further away, Stepney noticed something.

"Say, you look familiar…excuse me? Have we met before?" The Bluebell engine called, but the diesel gave no reply.

"Hmm…odd. I could've sworn I'd seen that diesel before…" He muttered under his breath, but didn't pay it much mind as he continued on back to Wellsworth. If he had, he would have remembered an encounter from the end of his previous stay with the same large green diesel, along with a powerful air intake and an inspector's bowler hat…

Up at Ulfstead Castle, the engines were preparing for the Earl's next big event.

"What exactly are we preparing for, Millie?" Stephen asked as he pulled into the platform of the castle station, where Millie was currently having her train loaded up with velvet rope, banners, and several large posters.

"It's a mystery to me, Stephen. All I heard the Earl say is somezing about a 'famous visitor'; it seems like he's confident zat whatever he's planning will bring lots of people to ze castle." The little engine replied. Suddenly the two heard a horn, looked up, and saw a rather annoyed-looking Class 40 rolling into the castle with his train…which to be fair, was pretty usual.

"Hey, Class 40! What's gotten you looking so sour?" Millie called.

"Cheer up! Lovely weather today!" Stephen added. Class 40 simply grunted and rolled on past, leaving his train at the platform before rumbling off to the sheds without a word. The two engines shared a glance.

"Worse mood zan usual…" Millie muttered. Stephen chuckled.

"Something must be bothering him; I'll talk to him, don't worry." With that, he left his coaches at the platform and rumbled off to the sheds, leaving Millie behind.

Class 40 backed into the Ulfstead Castle sheds with a scowl on his face, harrumphing before grumbling to himself.

"Now I have to see him every time I go through Wellsworth…"

"See who?" Class 40 jumped before looking up to see that Hugo the Rail Zeppelin was nearby, eyeing him curiously. The diesel rolled his eyes.

"Drop it, Hugo." He looked back at the rail zeppelin, who continued to just give him the same curious look until Class 40 finally cracked.

"Fine! It's that Stepney!" He moaned.

"Oh, zat engine who's filling in for Molly? He's so nice!" Hugo replied cheerfully.

"I agree, Hugo; what do you have against Stepney, Class 40?" Both engines looked up to see Stephen rolling up to the sheds with a raised eyebrow. Class 40 scowled, realizing there was no way he was going to get out of this, and sighed.

"The first time I came to the island, Stepney played a part in my, erm…downfall, as it were. I had my hat…incident that put me out of action right before I was meant to pull a very important express, and then Duck and that annoyingly cheerful Bluebell Engine pulled the train in my place. I was so embarrassed that my service could be pulled by two tank engines that I left without a word. I will concede that I was…not the nicest engine at the time, but you can imagine that being constantly reminded of your own humiliation is not a very pleasant feeling." The diesel explained bluntly. To his surprise, Stephen laughed loudly.

"That's what's gotten your buffers in a twist? The hat thing again? Class 40, I completely understand that you don't like thinking about 'being humiliated' and all that but that was a once-in-a-lifetime event! So many things had to line up in a specific way for that to even occur; why, sucking hats into your air intake is so rare that one could call them lightning-"

"-and lightning never strikes twice!" Hugo butted in, an enormous grin on his face, before realizing he interrupted and blushing in embarrassment.

"Well, somebody's been listening to what I say!" Stephen chuckled at Hugo's eagerness, causing the rail zeppelin to crack a small smile before the older engine returned his attention to Class 40.

"Point is, Class 40, is that Stepney's a friendly chap and he's certainly got nothing against you; the only thing keeping this little 'grudge' of yours going is you." He explained. Class 40, however, didn't seem convinced, and simply rolled his eyes before rumbling out of the shed to take his next train.

"If you say so…" He muttered noncommittally. Stephen and Hugo could only share a concerned glance as the diesel oiled away, clearly still quite annoyed about the presence of his old rival.

Class 40's mood got even worse when he actually saw Stepney again. As he rumbled through Wellsworth to head down the branch line to the docks, he spotted the Bluebell Engine shunting trucks in the yard. Unfortunately for him, Stepney saw him too.

"Hey, D261! Long time no see!" He called cheerfully. Class 40, caught off-guard and unsure of how to reply, simply snorted, releasing a cloud of exhaust before continuing down the branch line. As he disappeared into the distance, Stepney frowned and looked at the engine he had been shunting with.

"That is him, right? Would be awkward if I was getting him confused with someone else…" He muttered. His shunting partner laughed.

"Nope, that's our Class 40 alright, Stepney." Duck replied, grinning. The confused Bluebell Engine raised an eyebrow.

"Why doesn't he want to talk? I know we weren't exactly on the best of terms before, but he's part of the family now! That usually mellows you Sodor types out." He said. Duck rolled his eyes.

"'Mellows us out'? Please, Gordon and James alone are proof of that being complete boiler sludge. Besides, I don't think Class 40 is upset with you, really."

"He isn't?"

"Oh not at all, he's just insecure. I think he's upset about being reminded of swallowing that hat. If there's one thing I've learned about that diesel as long as he's worked up at Ulfstead Castle, it's that he clams up whenever anyone mentions bowler hats. Besides, you're Stepney! You don't have a mean rivet in your frames! He'll come around to you eventually." Duck reassured. Stepney still had his doubts.

The following morning, at Ulfstead Castle, the Earl assigned his engines their jobs for the day. He approached Class 40 last.

"Class 40, I have a train of important supplies for our upcoming event coming into Barrow this afternoon; it would be ever so lovely if you could collect it and bring it here!" He said.

"Will do, sir." Class 40 replied dully. The Earl, however, raised his hand to stop the diesel from leaving.

"It's quite heavy, and I have some concerns about you making it over the hill in one go. So, I've called ahead, and there will be an engine meeting you at Maron to back you up and make sure you stay on time!" He explained. The diesel looked irritated.

"I've pulled heavy trains before, sir. I think I can manage just fine on my own."

"Too late! I've already made the arrangements! You'll have the help whether or not you need it!" The Earl laughed as he walked away, leaving Class 40 to roll his eyes exasperatedly.

"Fantastic." He muttered, and grumbled out of the shed to begin his day.

Class 40 collected his trucks, piled high with crates, from Barrow and rumbled back across the bridge to Sodor. As he passed through Vicarstown, he saw 'Arry and Bert talking in the platform, waiting to leave with a scrap train for the Ironworks.

"…that Stepney!" 'Arry croaked. Class 40 growled.

"Always with that engine! 'Stepney' this! 'Stepney' that! Can't I have a moment's peace with everyone singing the praises of that insufferable…UGH!" He snapped as he sped past, leaving the Ironworks twins surprised as the long train thundered past. Bert blinked in surprise.

"We was talking about how much we want to scrap 'im!" He muttered.

"Save it, Bert. That whiny 'Bowler' ain't worth your breath." 'Arry snickered.

"I HEARD THAT!" Came a voice in the distance. 'Arry and Bert just grumbled.

The journey was easy for the most part; the trucks were heavy, but Class 40 was quite strong and kept the train going at a quick pace. However, as he rolled through Kellsthorpe, his engine suddenly began making a loud grinding noise and the diesel began coughing furiously.

"Whoa, Class 40! What's gotten into you?" The driver asked, frantically checking his gauges to try and detect the problem. However, the diesel's coughing fit soon came to a stop as a cloud of exhaust belched from his engine before he continued on.

"I'm fine! I just…sucked a leaf into my air intake! It's out now!" He called.

"I think we should stop and I'll give you a look over." His driver replied. Class 40 paled.

"Stop!? I feel fine! I'm not going to stop and have Stepney take over my train again!" He snapped. His driver raised an eyebrow.

"What was that last bit?"

"…Nothing. Nothing at all. Come on; we'll be late if we stop." The diesel replied simply. His driver couldn't argue with that, so they continued on.

As Class 40 approached Maron, his patience was beginning to wear quite thin.

"I could easily do this myself! Now I'm bound to work with some blabbermouth steamer who absolutely adores-oh, bugger." Sitting in one of the station sidings as Class 40 rolled to a stop was Stepney, who gave him a friendly grin. The diesel seethed in fury; the tank engine seemed oblivious.

"Hey there, Class 40! Good to see you again!" Stepney greeted. Class 40's eye twitched.

"What are you doing here?" He hissed.

"My job right now is to help other engines over this hill, so that's what I'm doing! Just because it's a different side of the hill doesn't mean it isn't still my job to help out, right? Just let me run around the back, and then we'll get you on your way!" The Bluebell Engine whistled and sprung out of the siding to run around the train, leaving Class 40 to stew in his frustration.

"Thanks." He snarled. Stepney flinched at the harsh tone, but instead of pressing further, he simply buffered up behind the brake van and blew his whistle.

"Ready when you are!" He barked. Class 40 honked his horn in reply.

"Let's get this other with…" He muttered. Slowly, Class 40 and Stepney rumbled out of Maron, the trucks rattling behind them.

The two engines charged Gordon's Hill, smoke and steam pouring from Stepney's funnel complimenting the growl of Class 40's engine. However, from the back of the train, the Bluebell Engine noticed the load getting lighter on his buffers.

"Uh, Class 40? You don't have to worry about how much weight I can manage; I'm stronger than I look! Let me pick up some of the slack!" Stepney tried to puff ahead to catch up to the train. However, Class 40 didn't reply and simply sped up, widening the gap between Stepney and the train.

"I don't need that blasted tank engine! I can make it over the hill all on my-YIPE!" The diesel felt the full weight of the heavy train on his buffers and gasped in shock.

"Whoa, easy, old boy! You've got help for a reason!" The driver shouted. Class 40 looked back and saw Stepney beginning to catch up.

"Wait a minute! You'll leave me behind!" The Terrier called. The diesel growled and looked ahead again, growing red-in-the-face as he surged onwards up the hill. Then, it happened. Class 40 gasped as a loud "CRACK" echoed around him and smoke began to billow from his engine.

"No! NO! I'm almost there!" He wheezed, gradually sounding more and more feeble. The crest of the hill was just in sight, but Class 40 began slowing to a crawl. Finally, just as his wheels lightly crossed the top of the hill, his train began dragging him the other way

"I'm slipping! DASH IT ALL!" The diesel felt his weight shifting as he began to slide backwards down the hill, but was shocked when he heard a loud "BUMP" and felt himself beginning to go the right way again.

"Huh?" Looking back, he paled when he saw an enormous column of steam shooting into the air from the back of the train. Stepney was puffing hard, pouring sand onto the line and using every ounce of strength in his frames to keep the train going over the top of the hill.

"I've got it! I've got it!" Stepney chanted, wheel-turn by wheel-turn. Finally, the shocked Class 40 felt himself beginning to roll down the other side, gradually picking up speed and leaving Stepney far behind at the top of the hill.

"Oh yeah, don't mind me! Just (phew) catching my breath!" Stepney panted, red-in-the-face with exhaustion. As Class 40 used the momentum from the hill to drift along the line to Wellsworth, smoke still billowing from his engine, his face was still frozen in an expression of shock. He was so startled by the ordeal that he didn't notice BoCo watching from one of the station sidings at Wellsworth.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Class 40 didn't even look at him.

"No. Broke down." He replied. BoCo raised an eyebrow.

"I see…how did you manage to get to the station then?" At that moment, Stepney's whistle came from down the line and the exhausted tank engine limped into the station.

"I…made it! Sorry about your engine, Class 40, but we did it! You're over the hill now!" He stopped by the water tower and began having a long-earned drink.

"Ah." He sighed. BoCo looked between Stepney and Class 40 and grinned knowingly.

"Ah. I can see you two have put in a hard day's work. Well done, Stepney; I think it's only fair to Class 40 that I take the train onward and give you both a well-deserved rest, eh?" As BoCo rumbled out of the siding to buffer up to Class 40, the catatonic larger diesel's eye twitched with fury.

While BoCo took the train onwards and Stepney got a rest, Class 40 was moved into a siding until Den and Dart could be dispatched to pick him up. As they worked on his engine problems for the remainder of the day at the Dieselworks, Class 40 quickly found out that the two repair diesels found his situation very funny.

"Well, we should be able to sort this out quick enough; you're lucky that you only strained your cooling system and that it didn't fail outright, otherwise we might need to keep you here for a couple days." Den said deliberately as he inspected Class 40's undercarriage from the turntable, the larger diesel currently hanging from the hoist.

"What 'e means is, if you needed to get a bowler 'at out of your system again, we could've just given you a pepto bismol and saved the trouble of gettin' ya on the hoist!" Dart chortled. Den gave Dart a glare before snickering to himself. He looked up and noticed Class 40's death glare down at him and quickly subsided.

"It'll be a quick job; don't worry."

"'e means you'll only be stayin' overnight; keep your bonnet on because tomorrow you'll be right as rain!" Dart explained. Class 40 rolled his eyes as he began to be lowered back onto the turntable.

"Fabulous. I don't even get a break after being humiliated by that tank engine again."

"You've got tonight, Class 40." Den called, distracted as he shunted a wagon full of tools forward.

"Yeah, besides, we've got snacks if you get hungry." Dart replied casually. Class 40 only gave him an exasperated expression as the little shunter smirked.

"Plenty of bowler hats for you!" As Dart laughed, Class 40 looked right into where a camera would be if one was there.

"I crack myself up!" He couldn't wait to be out of the works and put this Stepney business behind him.

Stepney was still rather sore that evening, but he managed to finish his shunting for the day, albeit a bit slowly.

"Take it easy, old boy; you've done plenty of hard work for today!" The driver laughed. Stepney smiled with exhaustion as he reversed into the shed.

"Just…doing my best." He wheezed with a smile. His smile got even wider when he heard a familiar whistle and saw a yellow tender engine puffing down the line towards him.

"Molly! You're back!" He rasped. Molly grinned.

"G-g-good to see you, Stepney!" As she braked to a halt in front of him, Stepney saw a few people begin to climb down from her cab. One of which was a member of the Bluebell Society, another the Fat Controller, and finally a man with grey hair he thought looked familiar but couldn't place his name.

"Well done with rescuing Class 40's train today, Stepney! Your work in this yard has been excellent over the past few weeks; you should be very proud." The Fat Controller said. Stepney beamed.

"Thank you, sir!" He replied. The man with grey hair stepped forward.

"My name is Sir Robert Norramby, and I am the one working with your Bluebell Society on your special job!" He held out his hand as if to extend a handshake to Stepney. The Fat Controller briefly gave him a baffled look but decided to ignore it.

"Oh, yes! Sorry, I didn't recognize you, sir; only heard your voice on the phone!" Stepney replied. The Earl laughed.

"You're perfectly alright, Stepney! I just thought I'd stop by to extend an offer for you to sleep at Ulfstead Castle now that Molly is back; seeing as it is where your railtour services will be departing from!" He explained. Stepney's eyes went wide with wonder.

"A railtour!? Thank you so much, sir!"

"Of course; you handle yard work splendidly, but the Society has told me how much you enjoy a proper run! You'll start from the castle and head all the way down to Vicarstown; that should certainly be enough to 'stretch your wheels' I think!" The Earl chortled. Stepney felt very proud.

"Certainly enough, sir! Thank you, sir!" He barked eagerly. The Fat Controller stepped forward.

"I've called ahead to give you a clear path up to Ulfstead Castle. You'll have a warm berth waiting for you there, and then you can start on your trains tomorrow." He explained. Stepney whistled and began slowly puffing away towards the castle, Molly and the others watching him go.

"T-t-thanks for m-m-managing so well, S-S-Stepney!" She called. Stepney grinned, but winced as he felt a pain in one of his axles.

"Ooh, still a bit sore from today…no matter, all I need is a good night's rest! Say, didn't Duck say that Class 40 works at Ulfstead Castle?…I can talk to him there and get this whole thing sorted out! Yes! That's it!" Stepney continued puffing along towards the castle, trying to ignore the increasing pain in his axle as he followed the guiding moonlight.

Class 40 remained at the Dieselworks all night, and wasn't released from Den and Dart's care until the following morning. As he rumbled up the hill towards the castle, he still wasn't in a particularly chipper mood.

"Well, at least I won't have to deal with that Stepney any more now that he's out of the yard…I can finally get some peace and…quiet…" As Class 40 rolled over the drawbridge, he noticed that the castle's decor was very different than usual. For one, a large banner hung over the platform that read "WELCOME TO THE BLUEBELL SOCIETY", and the walls were plastered with pictures of…

"Stepney!?" Class 40 looked around in absolute horror at the inescapable stare of Stepney the Bluebell Engine, covering posters all over the castle. Quickly averting his gaze, the diesel made a beeline for the sheds.

"I just need a rest…just need a rest…" He muttered, but rounded the corner towards the sheds and slammed on his brakes in horror.

"…so, it turns out that they hit their cricket ball into one of my trucks! That old car looked so relieved when we finally stopped, I thought she could've fallen apart then and there!" Stepney finished his tale and the other engines burst out laughing, leaving Class 40 to gaze at the sight of Stepney the Bluebell Engine sitting in his berth, surrounded by his coworkers.

"What a great story, Stepney!" Millie snorted with laughter.

"You certainly have interesting tales to tell!" Glynn added. Stepney blushed modestly.

"Ah, that's nothing compared to anything else that's happened on this island; I feel barely involved compared to some of the trouble you lot get up to-oh, Class 40! Hey! Welcome back!" He called. Class 40's eye simply twitched before he instantly reversed away without a word, leaving the Ulfstead Castle engines rather confused. Stepney looked hurt.

"Was it something I said?" He looked to Stephen. The old engine sighed.

"Don't worry, Stepney, nothing to do with you; I'll check up on him." He whistled and left the sheds, leaving Stepney and the other engines behind. The Terrier cleared his throat to cut the tension, bringing attention back on him.

"So, um…anyway, another time I was back on the island delivering a giant dinosaur skeleton to the museum…" The engines were enraptured again as Stepney continued his tale.

Stephen found Class 40 sulking on a siding.

"Right, come on. We have a guest and you need to be a gracious host!" Stephen prodded jokingly. Class 40 just harrumphed and didn't reply. Stephen frowned.

"Stepney's a lovely chap, he won't bite! Just put this ridiculous grudge of yours aside and talk to him!"

"No." Class 40 replied quietly.

"Pardon?"

"NO. No way. Not in a million years. Not if my wheels fell off and I got turned into a bloody chicken coop! I'm staying right here until that smug steamer is out of the castle for good." The diesel snapped. Stephen frowned.

"Oh, come on, Class 40, you're being a child! The Earl is sure to have work for you to do-"

"You can bloody well tell him the same thing! I don't care how 'nice' you lot think he is, wherever he goes, my humiliation follows! I. Want. Stepney. Gone. I'm not leaving until he is, so buzz off, old man." He snarled in response. Stephen blinked in surprise, but quickly assumed a steely glare.

"Fine, if that's the way you want it. Go ahead and hide from Stepney all day; see where that gets you." He whistled and puffed away, leaving Class 40 to seethe on his own.

Regardless of Class 40's presence, people soon began to arrive at Ulfstead Castle, excited to board Stepney's railtour. As he sat in the platform at the castle station, Stepney began to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of people.

"Oh wow, we never get this many visitors on the Bluebell…" He marveled. He suddenly heard a whistle and saw Edward puffing into the castle with a line of coaches.

"Oh, hello, Edward!" He called. The blue engine smiled.

"Hello, Stepney. These passengers are very excited to get to ride your train; they came all the way from one of the ships at Brendam Docks!" He explained. Stepney grinned nervously and gulped.

"Long way to come!" He remarked as Edward pulled into the opposite platform and his passengers disembarked. As Stepney's coaches filled up, Stephen, Glynn, Millie, and Hugo watched with interest from the sidings.

"Where's Class 40?" Hugo asked Stephen worriedly. The Rocket grunted.

"He's working through some things. Let him have his space; Stepney needs somebody to see him off!" He replied. Back in the station, the Earl walked up to the front of the train to speak to Stepney.

"Lots of people here today, Stepney! Are you ready to leave soon?" He asked. Stepney looked back and winced nervously before quickly putting on a grin and looking back at the Earl.

"Of course, sir! Ready as I'll ever be!" He replied. The Earl flashed Stepney two thumbs up before turning around to board the train.

"Get in quickly please, ladies and gentlemen; we'll be starting off just as soon as you're boarded!" The chattering passengers quickly obliged and boarded the train as the Terrier built up steam.

"It's just a few coaches…shouldn't make you too sore…" Stepney muttered to himself. Finally, the guard's whistle blew and he began slowly puffing out of the station, accompanied by cheers, whistles, and honks from all present.

"Come on, Stepney!"

"WOOHOO!"

"Atta boy!"

"Good show, Stepney!" The tank engine struggled to get the heavy coaches moving, but soon felt himself finally getting a grip on the rails and let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally!" Then there was trouble; Stepney heard a loud "HISS" and gasped in alarm.

"Oh no! I've got a cramp!" The engines and people watching could only look on in horror as Stepney gradually lost all the steam he had built up before limping to a stop, not even having cleared the station. The Earl's engines shared horrified glances.

"Oh dear." Glynn remarked quietly. Stepney's driver stepped down from the cab and inspected his undercarriage.

"You've burst a valve, old boy. You're not going any further under your own power now." The Bluebell Engine winced as the Earl leapt down from one of the coaches.

"This is a disaster! Their tickets are bought and paid for; even if we refund them, there's bound to be people who insist they paid to ride a train pulled by Stepney! And what of the enthusiasts? They're sure to be upset that they can't get any proper pictures!" He walked over to join Stepney's driver inspecting the Terrier. Stepney looked miserable.

"I'm sorry, sir. I shouldn't have strained myself so hard…"

"Oh, tish tosh, Stepney; nobody's upset with you for working hard. I should've given you a bit more of a break before putting you on these services…still, we do have a problem." The Earl replied, scratching his chin.

"It's a pity Stephen and I aren't strong enough, otherwise one of us could push from behind!" Glynn suggested.

"I can push!" Hugo volunteered excitedly.

"Zey want an engine of ze past, Hugo, not ze future! Besides, you've got no buffers!" Millie gave the rail zeppelin a cheeky smirk.

"Where are Connor and Caitlin when you need them?" Glynn lamented. Stephen, however, was deep in thought.

"Do you have an idea, Stephen?" The Earl asked, walking over to the old engine. Stepney gave him a pleading look.

"Well, sir, I have an idea; I don't think he'll like it, but it's the only one I've got…"

"Is he gone yet?" Class 40 grunted from inside the shed. From the outside, Stephen and the Earl shared a nervous look.

"No, but-"

"Then bugger off, Stephen!"

"There's an emergency, Class 40! Stepney's broken down and we need you to push his railtour!" The Earl called. Class 40 was silent for a moment.

"…broken down?"

"Yes, and all the passengers are waiting! Come on, old sport! Give it a go!" Stephen shouted, attempting to hype the diesel up. Class 40 didn't reply. The Rocket rolled his eyes.

"You're not going to get humiliated by Stepney when you're the one rescuing him!" He added. Finally, the doors opened up and Class 40 rolled out of the shed, his face still frozen in a scowl. He saw Stephen and the Earl looking expectantly at him before rolling his eyes.

"Fine. I'll help." He grunted. The Earl clapped his hands.

"Marvelous! The train's waiting at the platform; you're really getting me out of a bind here!"

"You've got it, Class 40." Stephen encouraged with a smile. Class 40's glare softened before he rumbled on towards the station, determined to save the day no matter how much he didn't want to.

Stepney was surprised when he felt a bump on his buffers.

"Huh?" He looked to the back of the train and grinned in relief.

"Class 40! Am I glad to see you!" He beamed. The diesel grunted, having buffered up behind Stepney's last coach.

"Don't mention it. Now, we don't want to keep those enthusiasts waiting, do we? Are you ready?" Class 40 called.

"Ready as I'll ever be!" Stepney called eagerly. Class 40 honked his horn and gently began pushing Stepney and the coaches out of the station. People clapped and cheered as the engines whistled.

"Go Stepney!"

"You've got it, Stepney!"

"You show them!" Class 40 rolled his eyes at the cheers.

"I'm the one doing the real work!" He grumbled, but he didn't dwell further on it; he had a railtour to push. Stepney, however, was extremely thankful.

"You're a lifesaver, Class 40!" He tried to call back, but Class 40 was working so hard that he didn't hear. Stepney faltered for a moment before falling silent.

"I suppose I'll, umm, thank him later, then…" He muttered to himself.

All along the Main Line to Vicarstown, enthusiasts were gathered by the side of the line to take pictures of Stepney. The Bluebell Engine smiled at them as he rolled along the line, his coaches trundling along behind him.

"Hello!" He called at two clergymen standing on a bridge with their cameras, who waved back at him before snapping a picture. As they rolled under the bridge, Stepney frowned.

"Pity I can't whistle…that's how I always like to say hello to people as I pass!" He muttered to himself. Suddenly, he got an idea and looked back.

"Class 40, I don't suppose you can honk your horn the next time we see enthusiasts? I normally whistle hello, but I…haven't any steam." He asked awkwardly. Class 40 didn't reply, so Stepney sighed and looked sadly down. However, when they saw another group of enthusiasts, he tried to look cheerful again.

"Hello!" He called as their cameras flashed. However, he then heard something that filled him with delight.

HONK!

"Stepney's never had a horn before!" One of the enthusiasts remarked. Another one pointed at Class 40 at the back of the train as the train glided by. From the front of the train, Stepney beamed.

"There's a heart in there after all!" He chortled.

When they arrived at Vicarstown, the passengers disembarked and quickly flooded the platform, trying to get more pictures of Stepney.

"Well done, Stepney!"

"You managed the train impeccably well!" The enthusiasts called. Stepney blushed from all the attention. At one of the other platforms, Caitlin watched with interest.

"Surprised to see you still heading the train, Stepney; heard you were having some problems!" She remarked. Stepney suddenly felt rather guilty. He looked to the back of the train and saw Class 40 sulking, waiting for the Bluebell Engine to finish receiving all the attention. He frowned and made a decision.

"Ahem, excuse me, everyone!" The enthusiasts quieted down, as did the rest of the station. It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Stepney faltered for a moment before continuing.

"Thank you all so much for your kind words, but the truth is that I was just much of a passenger on this train as all of you! The real engine who deserves the credit for getting you all here is at the back of this train; if anyone deserves photographs and praise, it's Class 40!" The diesel blinked in surprise as the crowd shifted towards the back of the train, studying him curiously. However, as the enthusiasts began to hold up their cameras, he couldn't help cracking a smile.

"Oh, please, it's nothing really! Just another day's work for an efficient engine like me!"

"Who eats hats!" Rosie disguised her joke with a cough as she rolled past to collect Caitlin's coaches, causing Class 40 to scowl. However, he was soon getting so much attention that he forgot to be cross! As the crowd surrounded the diesel, Stepney smiled proudly.

After the passengers went home, Class 40 pushed Stepney to the Steamworks on his way home to the castle. Stepney was very grateful.

"Thanks for stepping in today, mate; I owe you one!" He gushed. Class 40 chuckled.

"Actually, I'd say we're even now."

"What do you mean?" Stepney raised an eyebrow. The diesel sighed.

"Look, I'm sorry for avoiding you like the plague while you've been here; that's way more about me than about you. You don't deserve me being rude to you at all…thanks for giving me the credit back there." He apologized quietly. Stepney was overjoyed.

"Of course! You did the work, you deserve the reward! I was just along for the ride if anything!" He chortled. Class 40 smirked.

"You're alright, Stepney." He said simply. The Bluebell Engine grinned.

"Yeah, you're not too bad yourself." He replied. The two engines smiled, finally having an understanding. Class 40 eventually cleared his throat.

"Next time make sure you can pull your own trains though…" He remarked teasingly. Stepney smirked.

"Hey! Watch it or you might end up with another hat down your airpipe! My driver's got a collection!" The two engines laughed as Class 40 pushed Stepney on to the Steamworks.

Later that night, Class 40 returned to his shed after dropping Stepney off to be repaired. Stephen opened a sleepy eye from his berth and was surprised to see the smile on the diesel's face.

"Enjoyed your railtour then?" He remarked as the diesel reversed into his berth. Class 40 snorted, but kept his smile. He looked both ways to see if anyone else was watching before speaking to Stephen in a low voice.

"Thanks for getting me out there today; you were right, Stepney was a perfectly nice engine and I was being silly." He said quietly. Stephen beamed.

"I told you!"

"Shh! That's all you'll hear about it from me; night, Stephen." Class 40 yawned and then went to sleep, exhausted from his long day of work. Stephen watched with amusement before looking at Millie on his other side.

"Psst! Millie!"

"What's up, Stephen?" She yawned, opening a sleepy eye.

"Something remarkable happened today! I was proven wrong!"

"…you've definitely been wrong before."

"Not about this though! First, steam-hater Class 40 becomes friends with an old engine like me, and then he puts his grudges aside again to befriend another old engine!"

"You didn't zink zat would 'appen?"

"I didn't think lightning could strike in the same place twice." Stephen finished simply. As the two engines looked at the sleeping Class 40 with a smile on his face, both engines could see that fact right in front of their faces.

THE END

Another story published after a long delay! Full disclosure, this story was a challenge for me to write, as I've always found Stepney a rather difficult character to wrap my head around. He's always been the grandfather of all the generic "nice" characters we'd come to see a lot of in the CGI seasons; incapable of carrying a story on his own because of all of the events in his stories just happen to him, not because of him. However, using him here, I've hopefully found a way to make him a little more active; he's still got his friendly, outgoing personality from the books, he's just also an engine who lets a lot of things slide and doesn't like making a fuss. He prefers group settings and is a bit of a follower, and can be indecisive a lot of the time. Stepney will be sticking around on Sodor for a while after this story throughout the remainder of Set 3, and I hope you all are looking forward to seeing more of this version of him! A character I've always loved writing is Class 40, and finally tying up his arc from over the past few sets with an episode reuniting him with the engine who humiliated him in the first place was a place I really wanted to take him. He's a bit stuck up and still has an edge, but his close friendship with Stephen keeps him grounded and I feel like he's finally come into his own here and worked past his insecurity, even if he's still not a particularly cheerful sort. As always, the CGI Stepney in the promo is by GoYourOwnWay196 on Twitter, who makes all of these renders!

And as always (again), what's next:

- Employee of the Month - Spamcan is hired by Deltic to work at Buffman Global when the workload gets busier, but quickly proves himself a careless, utterly horrible employee, which Deltic stubbornly refuses to admit since he fought so hard for him to the other engines to begin with.

- Dowager Hatt Moves In - Fed up with the arguing between his mother and his wife, the Fat Controller is utterly terrified when he sees Dowager Hatt riding from station to station with tons of suitcases, and quickly dispatches Bill and Ben to cause chaos across the railway in order to prevent his mother from trying to move in with him.

- Rocky & Regina - Rocky, lonely due to not having a companion like Judy has in Jerome, is delighted when he meets another crane named Regina and the two decide to work together. However, Regina requires constant validation and argues with and criticizes Rocky over every little thing, quickly bringing the rescue crane to the end of his rope.

- Old Habits Die Hard - Due to their infamous historical feud, Duck and Diesel quickly butt heads when Diesel comes to do Oliver's work while he is ill, causing Bulgy to swoop in and try to turn the two against each other to make the railways look bad and reap the benefits.

- Burnout - As a last-ditch effort to prevent his brother from being sent away, Norman tries to get Dennis to straighten out his lazy attitude while working in the Container Yard, which Dennis is not particularly eager to do.