A/N I don't own A Bug's Life or its characters; they are owned by Disney and Pixar. What I DO own are my OC, Kimberly, and any other characters that weren't in the movie.

RosesnWater: It's a writing mechanism, get over it! Just kidding XD Thanks :) Since dragonflies eat other insects, I thought they would be interesting villains.

Mocerela: Heck yeah, they are! If a guy suddenly yells stop, what are you gonna do? Keep going, or stop? I'd stop, but that's just me :)

darthcat: I thought it was too :3 They're slowly changing, yes, especially since she's young and still has a lot to learn.

Devilgirl123: We'll find out in this chapter ;)

The first thing Hopper saw was Kimberly. She was tied up with plant stems, pinning her arms and wings to her body; her legs were bound so she couldn't run. Standing behind her, and gripping her so she couldn't move, were two dragonflies, one being blue and black, and the other was blue and green. Kimberly struggled against her bounds regardless, eyes widening when she saw Hopper. "Where's Dot?!" She immediately cried.

"She's safe," Hopper answered. "Thumper took her to the anthill."

"Thank hea—" She was cut off when the dragonfly wearing an acorn cap on his head tied a leaf around her mouth, gagging her. All that came out were muffles and growls.

"Let her go!" Hopper snarled, stepping forward.

"I said 'stop'!" The deep voice from before exclaimed.

The one-eyed grasshopper finally acknowledged the fourth insect. It was a large, thin, black beetle. On its hardened wings was a light-green pattern that resembled a spooky face. The beetle's lower arms were held behind its back, its top hands were clasped in front, and it grinned sinisterly.

"Caesar!" Hopper shouted. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Well, if it isn't Hopper." Caesar said. "Isn't it a nice surprise, boys?"

"Sure is, Boss." The blue and green dragonfly nodded.

"What are you doing here?" Hopper scowled, clenching his fists. "Dragonflies aren't allowed here, and neither are you!"

"We heard you grasshoppers stopped coming to the island." Caesar explained. "Since you weren't protecting the ants anymore, we can have full-range of the island. And best of all, my dragonflies aren't afraid of grasshoppers anymore."

Hopper's antenna twitched as he heard Kimberly whimpering under her gag, and tried to loosen the stems tied around her. "Let Kimberly go! Now!"

"Ah, Kimberly, eh? Is that this delightful creature's name?" Caesar smiled oily. "I never thought you'd be interested in finding a mate, Hopper."

"Let her go, and leave this island!"

"And you actually care about these insects? My, how you've changed."

"I-I don't care about the ants! They're Kimberly's family, not mine!"

The beetle laughed at this. "A grasshopper having an ant as a family? Oh, that's rich!"

"Just let her go, and get out of here! Now!"

"Or what?"

"I'll kill your dragonflies, one by one, even if it takes the rest of my life." Hopper snarled, eyebrows furrowing deeply.

"Well, aren't you the most loyal grasshopper? But why do you care about the ants?" Caesar began slowly circling around Hopper, who watched him with a cynical eye. "After all, aren't they the ones who let your mother die, despite your pleas?"

"How do you know?!"

"I have my ways. But that's neither here nor there. You don't need to constantly watch over the ants, Hopper. They're none of your concern. Here's my deal: I'll let your mate—"

"She's not my mate." Not yet.

"I'll let Kimberly, then, go, and all you have to do is let my dragonflies have free range of the island."

Kimberly's eyes bugged out, and she frantically shook her head. Her screams were muffle by the gag. Glancing at her, Hopper narrowed his eyes, "Why should your dragonflies go about the island as much as they please?"

"They have to eat, you know. I only feed them the best, and the ants are the best. Besides, you don't owe them anything. They always hated you, and always will. In fact, they owe you! And anyway, what are they to you, hmm? Besides," Caesar stood by Kimberly, who scowled up at him. He crouched down by her, cupped her chin in one hand, and squeezed her cheeks with his fingers and thumbs. "Isn't Kimmy, your little darling—isn't she more important—"

"Don't touch her!" Hopper roared.

"Isn't she?!" Caesar yelled back, moving Kimberly's head so she was facing Hopper. She looked frightened, and her eyes pleaded for him to not take the deal and endanger the ants.

Hopper was starting to think otherwise though. At the moment, the ants, which always hated him, were the last thing on his mind; his top priority was Kimberly. "…You swear she won't be hurt?"

"On my life! I'm a bug of my word." The beetle nodded, releasing the female grasshopper's face and standing. "You just let my dragonflies come here whenever I let them, and Kimberly's completely safe." He held out a hand with a grin.

Hopper glanced down at it. Something was telling him not to take the deal, even though it concerned the ants' safety. He didn't know if it was Kimberly's pleading eyes, the memory of Dot's frightened face after he chased the cannibalistic dragonflies away from her, or his own conscience. Whatever it was, it was preventing him from shaking the beetle's hand.

Caesar scowled impatiently, "I don't have all day, Hopper! I'm feeling generous at the moment; I could very well keep Kimberly, and let the dragonflies come here. This is the best deal you'll get. Going once! Twice!"

Finally making a decision, ignoring Kimberly's muffled moans and frantic head shakes, Hopper exclaimed, "All right, fine!" He grabbed the beetle's hand firmly and shook it once.

"Pleasure doin' business with ya." Caesar grinned. Letting the grasshopper's hand go, he snapped his fingers. "Skimmer? Buzzer? We're going now. Tell the dragonflies in a few short weeks, they'll be having the feast of their life."

"A few weeks, Boss?" The cap-wearing dragonfly asked.

"Certainly, Skimmer. You know as much as I that a delicacy is worth waiting for. Again, Hopper, it was a pleasure doing business with you. Perhaps we'll meet again? But for now, ta-ta!" He flew away into the grass, with Skimmer and Buzzer right behind.

Letting the breath he didn't know he was holding go, Hopper sprung forward and began untying Kimberly. "Great Arthropoda, I was so worried!" He muttered.

As soon as he untied the gag and peeled it off of her face, Kimberly screamed, "How dare you!"

He jumped back, shaking his head. "What?"

"You just led the ants to the slaughterhouse! How could you?!"

"I saved your life—"

"Shut up! You know I care for the ants! And what do you do? You let that-that monster feed them to his pet monsters! You're coming with me!"

At the anthill, terror was in the air. Thumper had skidded to a stop and let Dot jump out of his arms. "Mom! Atta! Dragonflies! Dragonflies!"

"What?!" Atta and Phyllis exclaimed, gasping at the sight of Thumper.

"Dragonflies! Kimmy and I were playing in the clover forest, and two dragonflies caught me! Kimberly fought them and told me to run, but two others chased after me! Then Hopper scared them away, told Thumper to take me here and to not go to the forest, and went to Kimmy!"

The ant crowd gasped in horror. The dragonflies were back? That must have meant Caesar wasn't too far away either.

More buzzing sounded. Luckily, instead of dragonflies or Caesar, it was Molt, who was carrying a red ant, with burn scars on her face, antenna, and hand, by the arms. As they landed, the ant said in a slight French accent, "Never expected I'd get this big of a welcome."

The ants flinched at her scars, and at the sight of Molt. Atta asked, "Are you the Chanda Kimberly told us about?"

"The one and only, your highness." The fire ant answered, bowing. "And I assume you already know Molt?"

Atta nodded. "Why are you here?" Flik asked.

"Kimberly talked about this place, and since I knew she came here, Molt and I decided to visit."

"Why is Molt here?"

"The gang said Hopper came here." The grasshopper explained. "Plus, Chanda can't fly over the lake. Where are Hopper and Kimberly?"

"The dragonflies are back!" Dot exclaimed, jumping once.

Molt's eyes widened in shock. "What?! The dragonflies?! And Caesar?!"

"Dragonflies? Caesar? What are you talking about?" Chanda asked.

Atta explained the ants, dragonflies, and Caesar's history to the fire ant. Dot also repeated her own story of playing tag with Kimberly being chased by two dragonflies, and being saved by Hopper. "Saved by that one-eyed grasshopper?!" Chanda exclaimed.

"You don't like him?" Dot asked.

"Not at all…but Kimberly does, so I can only complain about him. Anyway, I'd show you my fire tricks, but I don't have the right equipment on me right now, and this doesn't seem like the best of times."

At that moment, there was shouting. Then, over the hill, Kimberly came walking, scowling darkly. To everyone's surprise, she was dragging Hopper along by his single antenna while he shouted, "Ow! Ow! Ow! Kim, I love you, but that's my only antenna!"

"I don't give a louse's ass!" She exclaimed, swinging him in front of her. She let his antenna go, and kicked him in the back, making him fall on his front. She turned to the ant colony, barely acknowledging Chanda and Molt. "Do you know what he just did?!"

"What happened?" Phyllis asked. "Is Caesar here?"

"He was, yes—"

"He and his dragonfly minions tied her up." Hopper interrupted, standing. "And the only way to save her—"

"He basically led the entire island to the slaughterhouse!" Kimberly finished, glaring at the one-eyed grasshopper. "He let Caesar's dragonflies have full range of the island!"

The insects all gasped in horror. "How could you?!" Atta exclaimed.

"How many times do I have to say it?! It was the only way to save Kimberly!"

"Vous idiot! You could have bargained with the bug!" Chanda snapped. "Told him to feed his dragonflies something else, and to stay away from the island!"

"I wasn't thinking straight! You try bargaining with a beetle who commands an army of cannibalistic dragonflies, while someone you love is tied up!"

"Hopper, I appreciate you saving me, but Chanda's right! You should have made a different deal! Or better yet, not agree at all—"

"You wanted to be imprisoned?!"

"If it'll keep the ants sa—"

Hopper groaned loudly, "Would you be happy if the ants were safe, and you were dead?! You have to think for yourself too!"

Dot hid behind Atta and Flik, frightened. All of the insects watched the shouting match between the two grasshoppers. "You know the ants are like my family!" Kimberly yelled. "You saved Dot from those dragonflies. But what do you do? You turn around and sentence her and her family to become dinner! I thought that you understood that I cared about the ants! 'Family comes first,' ring any bells?! I can't believe I thought you had changed! You-you-you're such a horrible, stupid, awful, no-good, brutish—"

"Shut up!" Hopper yelled, blindly swinging his arm out.

SMACK! Kimberly fell to the ground with a pained cry. All of the insects gasped in shock, eyes wide and jaws dropped.

Hopper blinked and twitched his antenna. When he saw Kimberly on the ground, rubbing her jaw, he realized what had happened: he smacked Kimberly across the face. He gasped softly in horror, eyes widening and jaw dropping. He took a step back and glanced at his hands, feeling sickened. He glanced at Molt, Chanda, and Thumper. The fire ant was both shocked and angry, and the one-eyed grasshopper's brother stared at him in complete shock and slight shame. Thumper was just as shocked and shamed, and was even growling at Hopper, something he hadn't done since he first found the scrawny grasshopper years ago.

Hopper turned back to Kimberly, who pushed herself to her knees, glaring darkly at him. "Kimberly…I-I'm so sor—"

"I hate you!" She snarled, standing to her feet.

Hopper could have sworn his heart stopped and fell to his stomach, falling apart in the process. He fell to his knees, eyes still wide. He had never felt so ashamed, angry at himself, and heartbroken. He felt sick.

Kimberly turned away and began storming back the way she came. "Kimberly!" Atta called out. "Where are you going?"

"To fix this mess." She answered, pausing and crouching down.

Realizing what she meant, the young queen exclaimed, "No, Kimberly! Don't!"

Not listening, Kimberly leapt into the air and flew away from the island, quickly disappearing. No one saw the tears falling from her face; she felt betrayed, hurt, and all-around horrible.

Once she disappeared, Atta began yelling at Hopper, "How could you?! First you practically sentence us to death, and then you hurt Kimberly?! How could you?!"

Molt ran to his brother when he didn't respond, and found him still wide-eyed, clutching his chest with his top hands, and breathing quickly. "I think he's having a panic attack!" The portly grasshopper exclaimed, gripping Hopper's shoulders so he didn't fall.

Thumper and Flik dashed forward to help. "Hopper, can you hear me? Hop, try to take deep breaths! Relax!"

The three insects could hear Hopper muttering something under his rapid breathing. Listening closely as they tried to calm him down, they heard, "I'msorryKimberly! I'msorryKimberly! I'msorryKimberly!"

A/N Now we meet the main villain of the story: Caesar! When creating Caesar, I knew I wanted him to be the type of beetle that birds avoid because of its bright patterns on its wings. Our pal Caesar is a mylabris pustulata, a type of blister beetle. Since it looks like it has a face on its back, I tweaked it a bit to really make it look like a face, and changed the color from red-orange to light green. The face looks similar to Nightmare Before Christmas's villain, Oogie Boogie; in fact, Caesar's voice actor is Ken Page, the voice of Oogie Boogie.

In writing Caesar in this chapter, I took inspiration from Oogie Boogie and Hades, especially in the deal-making. (BTW, I know the type of beetle Caesar is is only found in Asia, but I don't really care; if Pixar can be inaccurate in how many limbs ants have in ABL, I think I get a pass in having foreign insects [I only assume Ant Island and the surrounding locations are in the US])

I hate to say this, but it was kinda fun writing Kimberly and Hopper arguing (I know the thought of Kimberly dragging Hopper by his antenna, while he's groaning in pain, was funny XD) But at the same time, it was kinda sad; I worked up this great relationship, and it comes crashing down. I hope Hopper having a panic attack wasn't too OOC, but I feel that's how he would feel if not only the person he loved said they hated him, but also if he did something almost as horrible, if not more (he didn't mean to hit Kimberly, it was an accident, and as portrayed during his panic attack, he feels really bad about it)