Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends Into the Thigh-Verse

Rolly's Nest

"What on earth are you doing?" Rolly asked, eyeing his stoker carefully.
"Ah! You see, old boy!" Heather proclaimed in reply. "I thought this shed needed a bit of colour! So, I decided to build this bird hut!"
She showed off her shoddy craft to the displeased green engine.
"I told her not to." His driver shook her head. "But Heather was insistent!"
"The sheds are plenty colourful as is!" Rolly grunted. "How many of us brightly coloured engines are there again!?"
His stoker took no notice, only displaying the abomination to the rest of the sheds.
"I think it's nice!" Donald's driver said, encouragingly. "Could use a bit of paint on the bottom though."
"Ahh, the bottom isn't important! No one's going to see it!"
"Hate to kill the mood." Ted interrupted. "But how are ya gonna get any birds inside when we always have the doors closed?"
"We can leave them open!" Rolly's stoker replied. The remaining engines eyed each other carefully. Waiting for the first one to speak up. Thankfully, Rolly did.
"That's the worst idea I've ever heard!" Rolly snapped! "I don't wanna track in some disgusting creature from the outside world!"
His stoker looked offended.
"But birds are important!" She insisted! "Besides, you lot could lighten up!"
Rolly's guard tried to quieten the ensuing argument.
"I think maybe it's best not to jump to anything." She said kindly. "We don't want to inconvenience the engines."
Heather sighed crossly. But didn't reply. By the time Rolly was ready, she had almost forgotten the ordeal. Rolly on the other hand, had not. The stoker stashed the bird box away on a barrel outside of the sheds, and they set off.

The bird box sat on the barrel for several days, the rain quickly chipped at it's paint, and by the time anyone had remembered it, it was really beginning to crumble.
"I told you we should've hung it up!" Heather grumbled. "But no one listens to me!"
"It looks awful!" The driver replied. "Might as well just start again!"
Rolly's stoker picked up the bird box, and was about to take it home, when there was trouble.
"A tree's fallen across the line!" Donald's driver called. "We need any available crew to come with us to clear the line!"
Quickly, Heather placed the box onto Rolly's front end, and joined Donald and the rescue crew. Rolly didn't mind, he'd seen far worse things on engines before. He closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

It was morning when he woke up. Donald the rescue team had returned hours ago, and everyone was sleeping soundly. Rolly blinked. He eyed the sheds, trying to find the source of the noise. What had woken him, at least in his head.
'What's going on?' He thought groggily. At last, after a minute or two, his eyes landed on the bird box.
"Who's pretending to be a fucking bird!?" Marytin snapped! Rolly jumped! He hadn't realised that someone else had been woken by the same sound. Now, he knew what it was.
"Chirping." Rolly thought, aloud. "There's chirping coming from my front end!"
"Good for you." Marytin snapped! "But make it!.."
He stopped. Eyeing the bird box.
"There's something in there!" He nearly bowled over with excitement! "There are baby birds in there!"
Rolly was not as pleased.
"Get em off me!" He wailed! "I'm not a bird!"
In no time, thanks to both engines, the sheds were in an uproar! Soon enough, the firelighters, and some of the crews had arrived.
"What's all this about!?" Harper snapped! "Can't ya keep the noise down!"
"There are birds in the bird box!" Ted cried! "Look!"
Donald's driver, and Rolly's stoker peered inside, and were astonished!
"You're right!" Donald's driver cried! "There must've been a nest in there already!"
"Good thing I didn't destroy it!" Rolly's stoker grinned.
Rolly grimaced.
"Get it out! GET IT OUT!" He winged. "I don't want birds shitting on my front!"
Quickly, the crews dashed the bird box outside. The mother bird quickly flew into the box, very happy to see it's chicks!
"Well, what do you think of that?" Heather smiled. "Turns out my bird box came in useful after all!"
Rolly didn't have the strength to reply.

The birds are still a common sight on the railway. They've made a home for themselves out of Heather's box. While they try to stay away from most of the engines, they sometimes are seen resting on Rolly's front end. And although he'd never admit it, Rolly has grown quite fond of them.