Author's notes: Oh my word. This story is one of the most powerful stories I have ever read. While there is comedy scattered in the story, it was really necessary because they needed something to lighten the mood. I also found it a smart move that the Reverend waited until 18 books (In our case, I believe it's 21 books plus a special one) in to write this one. It gives us a much stronger impact because we know these characters so well, and it is heartbreaking to know that the scrapping is happening in reality.

(Mr. Holden sat down on his wooden chair near his desk at his home in Ffarquhar, trying to fight tears, as he typed the most heart touching letter to his best friends he could ever ask.)

Dear Rachel, Mike and James

The steam locomotive, the magnificent machine of transportation whose reign of supreme lasted longer than any king, queen or monarch in the industrial revolution from the pre grouping railways. From years bygone both standard and narrow gauge, from London to Scotland and Wales, from the London and North Eastern Railway from the Southern Railway, from the Great Western Railway, and from London Midland and Scottish Railway, and from any railway in great Britain. For over 150 years the elements produced from coal and water drove the wheels of the British nation that made the real modern world. The steam locomotives represented power, speed, prestige, and elegance. But in the 1950s and 1960s, things changed drastically forever. The other railway, also known as British railways, whom under the ownership of that unholy sinful devil Doctor Baron Lord Richard Beeching, was keen to keep up with the times. Displaced the power of steam engines in favour of the diesel engines and the electric engines, and the steam locomotives were condemned for the scrapyards, where many a locomotives both common and famous up and down the british isles, felt the painful cruel cut of the horrid Beeching axe and the burning Coup de grâce of the flaming gas axe. And it seems that the glorious age of steam locomotion has reached the end of the line. When the Fat Controller and Princess Celestia told us all about it, both the engines and the ponies were completely heart broken. Even though Percy is a kind-hearted little engine he took pretty hard like the others did, because many fine steam engines are cut up on the Other Railway (B.R.).

Percy's ideas, however, though natural for an engine, are a little muddled. He says that the regional officials of BR are the ones to blame for the steam engine holocaust. But that really is not the case. British Railways Officials are not cruel. They are sad to lose there faithful steam friends. And so are Thin Controller, Fat Controller, The Culdee Fell controller as well as Princesses Cadence, Luna and Celestia and Prince Shining Armor. However, like Rainbow Dash once told me, every cloud has a silver lining, which means that there is always something good even in the most darkest of hours. For thanks to many dedicated enthusiast across the british nation they weren't for the regional officials had made friends with a group dedicated preservationist who are willing to help save their steam engines. Needless to say the regional controllers are more than glad to help their steam engine friends to find and go to places like the Bluebell Railway at Sheffield Park in Sussex where they can be cared for, be useful and safe… One of these engines actually came to visit our railway.

Anyway, here's what happened.

Your best friend forever

William James Holden

1963

Bluebells of England

Narrator: One morning, Percy the small engine was very excited and so was Mr. Hawkins and Pinkie Pie. He couldn't wait to spread what he got at the junction.

Percy: Ooh the bluebells are coming yo ho yo ho!

Pinkie Pie: The bluebells are coming yo ho yo ho!

Douglas: If ye maun sing Percy, can't ye sing in tune. Any way our song is aboot' campbells

Big Macintosh: Eeeyup! And back home our song is about apples!

Percy: Our song is about bluebells.

Douglas: Then it's daft! Bluebells our flowers, and flowers can't come they grow.

Big Macintosh: Eeeyup! Just like apples.

Percy/Pinkie Pie: our song is not daft.

Douglas: It is then! Now dinna get me wrong Percy, and Pinkie pie. But I kin fine enough about bluebells. We have song down in Haney called the Blue bells of Scotland.

Mr. Hawkins: But The bluebells of England are different. They're engines. And one of them is coming here with his controller.

Percy: Didn't you here the Fat Controller and Princess Celestia telling us about it a few days ago.

Douglas: Nae! I think I was away.

Narrator: Percy and Pinkie's face fell to sadness.

Percy: Oh dear, well I can tell you me and Pinkie Pie couldn't understand it all. But engines on the other railway aren't safe now. Their controllers are cruel. They don't like our kind of engines anymore.

Pinkie Pie: They put them on cold damp sidings… to rust and corrode. And then.

Narrator: Percy and Pinkie Pie nearly burst into tears.

Percy/Pinkie Pie: They… They… They …c…c… cut them up for scrap.

Narrator: Pinkie Pie and Percy couldn't take it anymore and began to cry. Big Mac also burst into tears.

Mr. Hawkins: There there Percy, Pinkie and Big Mac.

Douglas: Aye, somber thought that is. Come to think of it now, if Donald and I had nae run away highland midlands region tae Sodor, we'd probably would have been cut up taee.

Narrator: Then Douglas went from somber to absolute fury an Rage.

Douglas: BUT IT'S ALL BE CAUSE YON DIESELS PULLING THE STRINGS OF YON CONTROLLERS OF BR! AS FARE AS I'M CONCERNED, THEY'RE ALL DEVILS AND SO ARE THEY'RE DESIGNERS!

Big Macintosh: (In tears) Eeeyup! We almost had similar fate happen to our families farm with those two no good apple swindlers Flim and Flam! Can you believe your apple tarts that they had the nerve to sell their intoxicating cider to Sodor?

Narrator: Percy and Pinkie Pie quickly calmed down to try and calm the red colt

Percy/Pinkie Pie: Whoa whoa whoa whoa please just calm down!

Pinkie Pie: Just remember what the main drivers, fat controller and Princess Celestia said. Not all diesels are bad.

Percy: Yeah, fair play Douglas and Big Macintosh. Some diesels are nice. Look at Rusty and Daisy and even that visiting diesel Rachel.

Mr. Hawkins: There right and Big Mac and I remember Twilight Sparkle and Applejack telling me about the time when you're younger sister and her friend were being blackmailed to do some sort of dirty work for that rude school bully. Don't worry, I won't go any further about that situation. But anyway, in a way the same thing is happening on the BR Network. The British railways regional controllers aren't the ones to blame. If anyone's to blame, it's the chairman of British Railway, Doctor Baron Lord Richard Beeching. Or as me, Miss Ravens, Mr. Roberts, and especial Mr. Holden call him, the real Devil of British railways. You guys need to remember that for he's the one pulling all the strings of the british railway regional Directors and is forcing them to do it because since he's the chairman of BR. He unfortunately has supreme power of the entire railway network.

Narrator: Big Macintosh was the first to calm down he now understood completely.

Big Macintosh: Eeeyup. You're right there Mr. Hawkins, and actually heard from my little cousin Babs Seed and little sister Applebloom that they're getting along with those two diesel too. They're both friendly and you're right, we shouldn't accuse before we know the facts. Ah also heard about Daisy. While she can be a bit prissy at times, she does mean well.

Douglas: Aye, but I would nae trust one me self. I've got plenty of time tae do that. But I can nae understand is yer blither about bluebells, I'm mean could you elaborate a bit?

Big Macintosh: Eeeyup. Please?

Narrator: Percy and Pinkie Pie brightened up at once. Percy was ready to answer that question and so was Mr. Hawkins.

Percy: Well, the bluebells are nice people whom want to save steam engines like us.

Pinkie Pie: That's right and they're doing a bang up job doing so.

Percy: They've made railway in England call the Bluebell Railway engines can escape there and be safe from scrapping.

Douglas: Och. you mean like me running away here with Donald?

Pinkie Pie: Exactly. Just like that.

Mr. Hawkins: Located at Sheffield Park in Sussex England is the Bluebell railway. It is a nonprofit preserved railway bent on the preservation of living history rail traffic in order to re-create or preserve railway scenes of bygone eras which heavily relies on volunteer labor from just about anyone whose willing to do the job, like the Talyllyn Railway where Skarloey and Rheneas's twins and Sir Handel's, Peter Sam's, Rusty's and Duncan's brothers work. Anyway, I got a chance to visit them when I was on holiday in the late summer of 1961, and they're making great progress. If an engine's old or ill, a volunteer fitter repairs them and makes them better again.

Percy: They can have their own livery colours, all the coal and water they need and the chance to pull plenty of trains.

Narrator: Douglas felt much better.

Douglas: (Sigh) Goodness. Now that's broad hearing.

Big Macintosh: Eeeyup.

Mr. Hawkins : That's right, anyway I learned from Mr. Bernard Holden, the bluebell railway's manager, that London Brighton and south coast Railway A1X terrier 0-6-0T Tank engine No.55 Stepney was the first engine to escape to that railway. I told Mr. Bernard Holden about our railways on Sodor and about the ponies from Equestria. He then telephoned the Fat Controller and they along with Princess Celestia have agreed to allow Stepney to come and visit us with his controller and 2 special guest at Vicarstown.

Douglas: Hold on wait… What aboot yon diesels? Mighten they catch him on they way?

Big Macintosh: Eeyeahh. Wouldn't BR Hunt him down?

Narrator: Mr. Hawkins, Percy and Pinkie Pie smiled.

Pinkie Pie: Well at first we thought so too. But Princess Celestia and the Fat Controller says there's no danger of that.

Mr. Hawkins: British railway's may rule the trains, but not Stepney. He's now property of the Bluebell Railway. That means Beeching can't lay his grubby little fingers on him.

Percy: Besides, Stepney's controller will look after him. And despite being an engine built 1875 during the Victorian age, Stepney's a match for any diesel on the mainland.

Narrator: Big Macintosh and Douglas were amazed and proud.

Big Macintosh: 1875? Wow. He's a tough engine for an old timer.

Douglas: And he's a brave engine for all that too.

Big Macintosh: Eeeyup.

Douglas: Fancy him fighting his way through all those diesels just to see us.

Percy: LOOK! The station's completely crowded.

Douglas: Silly. How can I look unless, I be a cork screw.

Big Macintosh: Eeeyup, that's too bad for you at least. (chuckling cheekily)

Douglas: (sarcastic) Oh ha ha ha ha very funny Big Mac.

Pinkie pie: Wow, that's more people and ponies than there were on cider season. But why have they all come?

Percy: Yeah. There's no train.

Narrator: But Percy and Pinkie were wrong. The signal dropped and from far away a whistle sounded. A gleam of yellow shone through the bridge gutters, Douglas and Big macintosh were excited.

Douglas: Here he comes!

Big Macintosh: Eeeyup!

Narrator: Percy and Douglas whistled a cheerful greeting. Stepney whistled a friendly hullo passengers and ponies Mr. Hawkins and Douglas's Driver cheered as Stepney with 2 restored Metropolitan Railway coaches and rolled proudly through the junction on the last stage of his long journey.

Well, that was very powerful. Next one is 'Stepney's Special'. Look out for that.