Under the hot sun, back on Ant Island, the ants resumed their harvesting business. This would be a lot more work though because they had to get even more food for the grasshoppers this time than what they had before, and where the heat was getting to them. One of the ants soon collapsed to the ground.
"Dr. Flora!" Princess Atta cried out in a panic.
"We've lost another one." Cherry said.
"This is insane." One ant named Thorny commented.
"Insane." Another ant named Cornelius added.
"There's just not enough food left on the island," Thorny said. "No way we could make double quota before Hopper comes."
"Well, we have to try Thorny," Princess Atta replied. "We don't have any choice."
"Yeah, I know." Thorny frowned.
Cherry decided to check on the others and saw Amber and Dot together.
"Hey, look who's playing look-out again," One ant boy glared up at the young ant princess. "Little Speck."
"Her name is Dot." Amber glared at the boy ant.
"Well, Spot and Ember, you guys still lookin' for Flik and those others?" The ant boy glared back.
"Forget it, you guys," The other ant boy added. "Those losers are never coming back."
Dot ignored the two and resumed looking through her telescope.
"Don't listen to them, Dot, tell me what you see." Amber told the young ant princess.
Dot soon saw Flik, Atticus, and Darla flying on a beetle. "It's Flik and your friends!" She then told Amber. "THEY DID IT! THEY DID IT!"
"What?!" The boy ants asked before rushing off to tell the rest of the colony.
"This is it!" Flik told the circus bugs. "This is Ant Island!"
"Hey, guys!" Amber smiled.
"Hey!" Flik, Atticus, and Darla smiled and waved back to Dot and Amber.
"They did it, they did it, they did it, yay!" Dot and Amber cheered happily. "They did it!"
The boy ants were soon impressed.
"At the rate these leaves are dropping, we're gonna need a miracle." Thorny said.
"That's right, we need a miracle." Cornelius added.
"I think it's coming." Cherry pointed to the sky.
Thorny and Cornelius soon saw what was coming.
"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" Cornelius panicked.
The ants of the colony soon scattered out of fright as they thought this was an invasion. The circus bugs soon landed and they all struck promotional poses.
"Ta-da!" Francis announced.
Unfortunately, there wasn't anyone to welcome them.
"Once again, our reputation precedes us." Manny sulked.
"Hey everybody, hey, we're back!" Flik told his hiding colony and they poked out to see him. "Hey guys! Hey! L-L-Look who's here with me."
"Anyone?" Darla asked. "Anyone at all?"
"FLIK! FLIK! FLIK, YOU'RE BACK!" Dot beamed as she rushed over to the older male ant's arms. "I knew you could do it."
"Darla." Amber smiled to her best friend as she joined Dot.
"Did we miss much?" Darla asked.
"Eh, let's just say it's a lot better now that you're back." Amber told her.
The circus bugs soon came out to meet Flik's ant colony, and where everyone was impressed.
"So, what are you supposed to be?" One of the young ants asked Slim.
"He's a stick, stupid," Another ant said. "You hit bugs with them."
"Well, that's an oversimplification." Slim chuckled to the young ants.
"He's right." Cherry smirked.
"Yeah, like this!" Francis added as he grabbed the stick bug.
"No, put me down!" Slim cried out before he was used as a weapon.
"Nice." Cherry smirked.
Tuck and Roll soon met Dr. Flora who looked amused and confused at the same time.
"Uh-oh, kids, he's kinda ticklish," Rosie warned the ant kids as they came near Dim. "Let's come on out, careful."
Only for the kids to not listen to her. Dim soon laughed and it scared away the ant kids as they should had listened to the black widow spider.
"Well, my boy, you came through," The Queen smiled proudly to Flik. "Aphie and I are very impressed."
"I think everyone is." Atticus said.
"You both did very good as well." The Queen smiled to Atticus and Darla.
"It was our pleasure to help, ma'am." Darla smiled back.
"Princess Atta!" Flik called out once he found the older ant princess and decided to introduce her to the 'warrior bugs' "Hey, hey guys, this is Princess Atta. She's the one who sent us to find you."
"It's true." Atticus smiled.
"Atta, Atta, do you see that really big bug over there?" Dot smiled up to her big sister.
"He looks absolutely ferocious." Mr. Soil commented.
"They're our ticket out of this mess." Thorny added.
"They came just in time." Dr. Flora said.
"And that's right." Cornelius added.
"So, Princess Atta, what do you think?" Flik smiled.
"No, no, no, no, wait," Princess Atta said nervously. "This was not supposed to happen."
'Sounds like she's having second thoughts.' Darla thought to herself.
Princess Atta whispered to The Ant Council.
"Mayday, mayday, we're losing the job." Slim whispered to Francis.
"We don't fight the grasshoppers." Princess Atta told the council.
"We don't, but they will." Thorny said.
"Bingo." Cornelius added.
Francis began to think of something until he got an idea. Darla and Atticus looked nervous for the circus bugs by the judgement from The Ant Council.
"Your Majesty, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages," Francis announced as he got onto Dim's back to get everybody's attention. "Our troupe here guarantees a performance like no other. Why, when your grasshopper friends get here, WE ARE GONNA KNOCK... THEM... DEAD!"
This then made the ants cheer in excitement and anticipation. Atticus and the others could already tell that was just an expression.
"Boy, these folks are sure hard up for entertainment." Slim said to Heimlich as they all waved to the ant colony.
Later on, there was soon going to be a show for the guests to welcome them into the colony.
"Wow, they sure know how to welcome warriors." Amber smiled.
"Great party." Darla agreed with her best friend.
Everyone was enjoying the party. There was even music from the ant colony.
"The children, and myself, have quickly put together a little presentation in honor of our guests," Mr. Soil said as the young ants approached him with a big leaf. "Dot, Reed, Daisy, Grub."
"Ooh, aren't they adorable?" Gypsy smiled to Manny. "Ooh, they're cute~"
Atticus had a feeling the younger ants would show a portrait of the future battle.
"The South Tunnel Elementary School second grade class would like to present you with this," The young female ant known as Daisy showed the visitors the leaf, which had a drawing. "A mural we have drawn of you bugs helping us fight the grasshoppers away."
This leaf was a drawing, but it wasn't one with the troupe performing to the grasshoppers. It was one with the troupe fighting off the grasshoppers, as if they were going through a rough battle. The troupe's happiness turned into shock.
"Oh, look at the beautiful colors of blood..." Rosie said, uneasily.
"We drew one of you dying because our teacher said it would be more dramatic." Dot smiled as she showed Heimlich who seemed to be cut in half which made the caterpillar rather sick to his stomach.
"That was interesting." Cherry said.
There soon seemed to be a play.
"I tell you a tale, of heroes so bold," Mr. Soil told the audience as he played a harp. "Who vanquished our grasshopper enemies of old."
The young ants soon came together to put on a show for their audience.
"Look, the last leaf has fallen." An ant kid pointed out as another one dressed like a leaf fell face-down to the ground.
"We are the grasshoppers, where's our food?!" A group of ants with masks commanded.
"Who will come to save us poor ants?!" One ant cried out distress.
"WE ARE THE WARRIORS, HERE TO DEFEND YOU!" A group of ants announced as the group who had come to their island to save them.
Slim shielded Heimlich's eyes while Manny comforted Gypsy.
One performance later...
"Die... Die... Die..." Dot told the audience before falling with the others.
Everyone else cheered for this only for Francis to suddenly faint.
"Thank you, thank you, oh, thank you." Mr. Soil smiled to the audience.
"Well, um, that was interesting." Darla gulped.
"They really think we can fight off those grasshoppers." Slim whispered nervously.
"Um, surprise?" Darla whispered back with a sheepish smile.
"I say we go." Francis suggested.
"No, please, don't." Amber whispered.
"Okay, honey, you're up." The Queen smiled to her older daughter.
"Oh..." Princess Atta blinked.
Flik took a blade of grass and made into like a megaphone.
"Thanks," Princess Atta told him before making an announcement. "First of all, I'd like to thank the warriors for helping us in our fight against the grasshoppers."
'I think now might be an good time to tell Flik.' Atticus thought to himself.
"Secondly, I would like to thank 'Flik' and his friends 'Atticus and Darla,' for their forthright thinking-" Princess Atta continued.
"Thank you, Your Highness," Flik said as he came to take over. "Oh, sure, we'd like to take credit for all this, but well, that wouldn't be right, because it was you, Princess Atta. You believed in us and you sent us on our quest."
Princess Atta smiled nervously to this. The circus bugs soon sent Rosie to Tell Flik.
"Now I know I've made a lot of mistakes in the past, and I hope that this will make up-" Flik continued.
The black widow spider whispered to the male ant.
"Not right now, Rosie, I'm making a speech," Flik told her before continuing. "Now I truly believe that these bugs are the answer to our-"
Rosie soon whispered a question to him.
"No, there's no circus around here," Flik whispered back to her before continuing his speech. "So, I-" He then suddenly stopped once he realized what the black widow spider had asked him and looked over to the circus bugs.
Francis juggled with some stones and did a finishing pose with his fellow circus bugs. Suddenly realizing that he got circus bugs instead of warriors, Flik felt time stand still around him and he began to panic internally.
"This is bad." Cherry whispered.
"Your Highness, the warriors have called for a secret meeting to plan for a circus-CIRCUMVENTING, the oncoming hordes, so that can trapeze-TRAP them with ease." Flik smiled nervously to the ant princess.
"Shouldn't I come too?" Princess Atta asked.
"No, no, classified in the DMZ, gotta go ASAP, you know strictly BYOB, bye." Flik smiled nervously before leaving.
"And we shall join them." Darla added, referring to herself, Atticus, Cherry, and Amber.
"BYOB...?" Princess Atta muttered suspiciously.
Flik soon rushed to where he could talk to the circus bugs in privacy.
Soon enough, they now reached a private place.
"Circus Bugs!" Flik said to the other insects. "How can you be circus bugs?!"
"Funny story." Darla smiled nervously.
"Wait, you knew about this?" Flik asked Darla.
"We both did." Atticus said.
"We didn't have anything to do with it though." Cherry replied, referring to both her and Amber since they were here while the others were gone.
"Are you kidding?!" Flik yelped. "Do you know what this is? This, my friends, is false advertising."
"What did you expect?! They got fired!" Darla defended.
"Did ya have to rub it in, kid?" Francis muttered.
"Well, sorry, but you know it's true." Darla replied.
They soon heard Princess Atta coming. Flik looked desperate as the circus bugs looked like that they wanted to leave, even trying to get squished by Dim's foot.
"Uh, Flik, the princess wants you." Cherry spoke up.
Flik soon stood up once the elder ant princess came toward him and the others.
"I really do think I should be part of this meeting, Flik." Princess Atta told him.
"Ah, Princess Atta, what a nice surprise." Flik smiled nervously.
"What brings you here?" Atticus added.
"I'd like to know what's going on here," Princess Atta replied. "I would like to speak with these so-called warriors."
"You can't, I mean, they're in the middle of a top secret meeting right now and they really should not be disturbed now," Flik told the princess nervously. "Right, guys?"
The circus bugs were then seen leaving. Seeing this caused the group, except Princess Atta, to panic.
"Could you just... Excuse me, please?" Flik smiled nervously before running after the circus bugs. "WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, PLEASE DON'T GO!"
"I'm not going anywhere!" Princess Atta said. "What is going on?" She soon got the grass blades out of the way to see no one.
Flik tried to beg the circus bugs not to leave, but they didn't seem interested in listening to him.
"Quick, he's losin' it." Francis told the other bugs.
"Please don't go!" Darla begged.
"You can't go!" Flik added. "We're desperate!"
"Really?" Slim deadpanned. "I couldn't tell!"
"Please, just help us give the ants confidence to fight the grasshoppers back!" Amber begged.
"Okay, you guys, it's time to put you down now," Slim told all of them before whispering to the others. "Please get them off me; they're cutting off circulation in my foot."
"I thought you guys would owe us one!" Darla glared. "Atticus didn't have to help you against that big fly, but he did!"
"Dang it... I hate to admit it, but she's right." Francis said.
"The colony really needs you guys," Cherry replied. "The least you can do is help out."
Flik soon went wide-eyed as he soon saw a nest with eggs and feathers and where he knew what that meant.
"Flik, are you okay?" Amber asked.
"RUN!" Flik panicked as he soon ran for his life.
"Boy, he runs fast for a little guy." Heimlich commented.
"Why did he suddenly want us to run?" Cherry asked.
Something soon landed right behind them all. Everyone then turned around to see what looked like, from this size, to be a giant bird.
"TWEET TWEET! TWEET TWEET!" Tuck and Roll panicked.
"That's right, small birds eat bugs!" Amber panicked.
"That's a small bird?" Darla asked with wide eyes.
Everyone soon ran away from the bird before it could eat them, and where the bird started chasing them.
Soon enough, the rest of the ant colony found out about the bird which panicked them all.
"FLIK!" Dot panicked as she held onto a dandelion petal.
"Dot!" The Queen panicked for her younger daughter.
The circus bugs soon saw Dot in trouble and saw that they had to help her, and where she started falling after the bird hit the flower's petal. Francis soon rushed to go and save Dot before it would be too late. Dot then landed in Francis's arms safely, but they fell near the crevice of the rock floor. Unfortunately for the ladybug, this broke one of his legs. The bird was right above the rock ground.
"I can't see!" The Queen cried out.
"Somebody do something!" Cornelius said.
The Council of Ants kept trying to keep an eye out for Dot, though they didn't have such luck. Princess Atta soon remembered the telescope that Flik had invented. The other circus bugs decided to help since there was trouble for both Dot and their ladybug friend.
"What do we do?!" Darla panicked.
"Yoo-hoo, Mr. Early Bird!" Heimlich called as Slim was balancing him up to distract the bird. "How about a nice tasty worm on a stick?"
"I'm going to snap, I'm going to snap!" Slim grunted.
The bird soon looked to the fat caterpillar and came toward him.
'She has taken the bait.' Cherry thought to herself.
Princess Atta watched all of this from the telescope.
"Let's go." Flik told the others before they soon got onto Dim to escape.
"FLIK, HELP!" Dot cried out.
They soon landed to get Dot and Francis. Rosie even used a web to help them all out.
"It's going to be okay, Dot." Flik soothed as he helped the little ant girl.
Tuck and Roll then went to help Francis, seeing a broken foot which needed a cast as soon as possible.
"I wonder how things are going with the bird?" Amber said.
"Ooh, Bye-Bye, Birdie~" Heimlich mocked as Slim slid through the cracks, but the caterpillar was too fat to slink through with him. "HELP, I'M STUCK! PULL ME DOWN! SCHNELL, SCHNELL, SCHNELL!"
"The caterpillar's using himself as live bait." Princess Atta told the others.
"How brave!" A member of the Council of Ants admired.
"Suck it in, man!" Slim begged Heimlich.
Heimlich soon took a deep breath and slipped in through the crack with him just in time before the bird could eat him. The bird soon got distracted by a certain butterfly.
"She's so pretty." Darla smiled up to Gypsy.
"She sure is." Amber smiled in agreement.
Gypsy soon used her charm and beauty to make the bird get away from the others. Of course, it worked.
Soon enough, the bird began to chase after Gypsy as a new prey.
"The coast is clear." Cherry said.
"This way." Atticus replied.
They were soon going over to a thorn bush which would eventually stop the bird from getting them. Francis soon woke up which wasn't a good thing. When he woke up, he soon yelped as he felt pain in his leg, and his wings closed, accidentally cutting Rosie's web. Tuck and Roll were still able to hold onto both the web and onto Francis. Flik held on as he still carried Dot in his arms. Unfortunately, his screams attracted the bird.
"Atticus, help!" Darla and Amber cried out.
"Yeah, you better, this is getting ugly." Cherry added with wide eyes.
Atticus soon flew and helped with getting them to the bush faster.
"The bird! The bird!" Princess Atta cried out. "Look out for the bird!"
"FLIK!" Dot added.
"Don't worry, I got this." Atticus told the others.
"Then fight off that bird!" Cherry told him.
"Won't have to." Atticus said as he pointed to the thorns.
The bird tried to get at them, grabbed onto the thorns, and soon flew away from the sharpness.
"Why didn't you fight it?!" Cherry asked. "The ants won't have to deal with it anymore!"
"I feel like it might come in handy for later." Atticus replied.
Cherry just looked annoyed.
Soon enough, there was a mysterious sound heard.
"What is that?" Rosie wondered.
"That, my friends, is the sound of applause." Manny replied.
They soon saw the ant colony had been applauding them.
"Applause..." Francis said weakly. "I'm in Heaven..."