Once Thomas had been repaired following his dip in the sea, the Fat Controller came to see his no. 1 engine at the Sodor Steamworks.
"Are you feeling better, Thomas?" He asked him kindly.
"Yes sir, thank you." The blue tank engine replied. But in truth, he wasn't. He still felt a bit hurt by what had happened a few days earlier.
Victor looked concerned. "There's something bothering him, sir." He told him worriedly. "He's been very quiet since he came in here, and he's been pondering about something, but he wouldn't say what."
Sir Topham Hatt looked thoughtful. "Thank you, Victor. Now Thomas," He added, turning to the blue tank engine. I need you to tell me what's bothering you."
"Why should I?" Thomas puffed irascibly. "You'll just get cross with me again!"
This surprised the Fat Controller and Victor, not to mention the workmen and Kevin, who had gone silent at Thomas' outburst.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Thomas, but this attitude ends here, right now."
Victor shot a warning glare at his friend, who decided to take a deep breath.
"I'm sorry sir. I'm not meaning to be rude- I just have something that is bothering me." He said.
Of course, the Fat Controller was not pleased.
"Look, Thomas, I know you've... gotten into more scrapes than usual, but that doesn't give you the right to snap at anyone."
Kevin watched silently as Thomas closed his mouth and glared at the window. He had been in a strange mood all day, and the little crane felt like he had an answer to the problem.
"Well, maybe you should listen to him, sir." He suggested cheerfully. "Victor always listens to me whenever something like this happens."
Of course, this made the Fat Controller cross at first – but then he realised that Kevin had a point. Thomas had gone sour as soon as he had reprimanded him. Wait, he had a feeling where this was heading...
Placing a hand gently on Thomas' buffer, he looked at his tank engine.
"Thomas, I want the truth, please."
He said it in a firm voice, but it had a hint of gentleness and fatherly authority, and this made Thomas feel like he could open up to the Fat Controller, rather than being forced to.
"Why did you get angry for the dynamite incident?" He asked.
This threw Sir Topham Hatt off guard. There wasn't anything to it really- Thomas had just chased Ryan down the line with a whole train of explosives, and of course that had been condoned as dangerous railway behaviour.
"Well, because you were chasing Ryan down the line with it- and it was lit too. That was dangerous, Thomas."
"I knew that, sir. I just wanted to get it away from everyone so it didn't cause any damage and hurt anyone." Thomas spoke steadily. "I understand what it looked like, and even why you thought that, but it still hurts that I was scolded for trying to redeem myself after the Knapford Junction catastrophe."
The Fat Controller took a deep breath. He never realised how much this had hurt Thomas. But he wasn't finished yet.
"Also, I was the one who found the pirate ship, not Rocky." He added. "I was being careless and speeding along the lines, but I still found the ship. I tried to tell you, but you didn't listen."
Now the Fat Controller felt very guilty. He knew that Thomas had done wrong, and the tank engine was no longer attempting to deny this. But everything Thomas had told him was logical, and he knew that despite coming up with excuses and the occasional lie, that Thomas did have integrity and courage. He felt ashamed of himself for not taking the time to listen to Thomas' side of the story.
"Thomas, I know how I acted was not the best way to do things." He began. "I know that you did cause trouble, and I know that you know that."
"Yes, sir," Thomas replied quietly.
"But I also realise that I ended up making you feel unwanted, and I'm sorry. No matter what trouble you've caused, Thomas, you're a good engine, and don't deserve to be treated the way I treated you. I'm...I'm truly sorry."
At hearing those words, a small smile broke out on Thomas' face. "Apology accepted sir."
"Besides," The Fat Controller added. "I should have known that you had found the pirate ship. You always had a knack for finding new things."
Thomas laughed, thinking of Hiro the Japanese engine and the old town of Great Waterton. He felt a lot better now that things had been resolved.
The Fat Controller smiled, even letting out some soft chuckles. What he had told Thomas after Sailor John started sailing with the treasure was not wrong.
His engines meant a lot more to him than some old coins and jewels, and nothing could change that, no matter how much trouble they caused.