Yes I am a terrible person but hopefully this is not a terrible update. A serious shoutout to all y'all who have consistently left reviews and private messaged me about this story because you are the ones who brought it back to life, forreal forreal. Love you from the bottom of my five-year-old heart.
- fbw
The beating was brutal, even by Thumper's standards. Hopper really couldn't blame him – the grasshopper had been waiting all day to get some action and here was his first opportunity to release all that pent-up energy. There had been his earlier pursuit of Dot, of course, but obviously that chase hadn't ended the way Thumper seemed to think it had. Hopper had seen the shock on his pet's face when the young princess came crawling out of the wreckage, which was part of the reason he had chosen her out of all the other sniveling little ants to use as a bartering tool.
That, and also deep down Hopper already had an inkling of an idea about who the mastermind behind the bird had been. The same meddling ant who had stuck up for the princess the first time Hopper had dangled her in front of his pet, the only one out of hundreds who had dared to step out of line and utter those three words that had changed everything.
Leave her alone.
That was moment that made Hopper realize it was time to crack down harder on the ants that had served him and his gang without question until that point. Before that moment the grasshoppers had begun to grow lazy, showing up to Ant Island once a year just long enough to enjoy a few seeds and admire the view before gathering up the remainder of the ants' offering and returning to their sombrero. They hadn't even bothered entering the Anthill for years.
In fact, the last time Hopper had seen Atta before then was when she was only a couple years older than Dot was now. She was a sharp-tongued, spindly thing, the leaf crown she wore both literally and figuratively too big for her head. She hadn't changed much since then, other than sprouting a few inches and growing into those long limbs of hers. Her tongue had somewhat dulled and she seemed more timid than before, which he figured was a result of the burden that came with leadership. Hopper would know, although his own experience had had the opposite effect on him.
On the other hand, Hopper hadn't even known the Queen had a second daughter until he saw her cowering behind her mother's legs the day his gang broke into the Anthill. She had been an easy target to pick on once Thumper came into the picture, practically delivering herself into his waiting hand. From what Hopper knew of the ants, he hadn't expected any of them to challenge him – even as their beloved princess sat whimpering in his palm while he carried her towards his frenzied pet.
It had almost been a pleasant surprise when one of them did, but it had also been a wakeup call to squash the rebellion before it began.
Which was exactly what he was doing now. Hopper enjoyed the gasps he heard from the crowd with each blow Flik received, the way they cringed at the sight of their fearless leader being pummeled to a pulp but did nothing to stop it. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Dot shielding her face with her hands, no doubt horrified by the punishment her hero was taking on her behalf. Hopper knew that if he let him, Thumper wouldn't hesitate to beat the ant to death.
However, that wasn't his intention.
He snapped his fingers and the brutality ceased as quickly as it had begun. Thumper turned to him, nostrils flaring, and his crazed eyes landed on the tiny ant in Hopper's hand. Hopper felt the girl tense with fear and lifted her up so one of her curled antennae was right next to his mouth.
"Still don't like Thumper?" he whispered. She flinched and he released his fingers from around her scalp, causing Thumper to bound forward excitedly.
Dot shrieked and scrambled backwards, but Hopper held his hand out to halt the grasshopper before he could come any closer to the princess. Thumper whined and sat back on his haunches, expressing his irritation with an indignant snort. Chuckling, Hopper stepped over Dot and towards the other ant that was sprawled upon the dirt several feet away, ready to deal with him now.
Suddenly he heard a small buzz and felt something whiz past his head. Hopper watched in astonishment as Dot landed beside the ant's battered frame and cradled his head in her arms, her pale blue eyes glittering with tears.
"I'm sorry, Flik," Hopper heard her murmur to the ant as she stroked the side of his bruised face. Flik looked up at her through swollen eyelids, one of them a ghastly shade of purple, and gave her a wobbly grin.
"It's okay, Princess," he replied, reaching up to clasp one of her hands in his own. Hopper's antennae twitched at the sound of ants and circus bugs speaking to one another in hushed tones, touched by the scene before them. Even the grasshoppers were exchanging skeptical looks with each other, amazed by the little bug's bravery in spite of the fact that Thumper stood snarling and stomping his feet only inches away from her.
It was time to put an end to both of their antics. "Oh, how sweet," Hopper exclaimed mockingly, clasping his own hands together and taking another step forward. The princess sprang to her feet, glaring at him with a surprising ferocity for someone her size.
"You leave him alone!" she ordered, pointing a trembling finger at him. Hopper froze. The other grasshoppers shifted uncomfortably. Atta and the Queen both gasped.
Leave him alone. Those three words ignited a rage within him that he hadn't known was there. One defiant ant alone was one too many.
Hopper rolled his eyes, careful to maintain a bored expression so the audience would know she was a nuisance, not a threat. "You're cute, sweetheart, but I'm done playing games now," he sighed, flicking his wrist for emphasis. Immediately a bulky, grayish-green grasshopper named Carlos flew forward and snatched Dot up from behind.
The princess protested and put up a valiant fight at first, and Carlos actually seemed to be struggling to keep her in his grasp. However, she quickly became subdued once he strategically placed himself only one grasshopper away from Thumper.
Hopper smirked and returned his full attention to Flik, advancing on him without interruption this time. "Where do you get the gall to do this to me?" he demanded, his tone now devoid of any humor.
Flik barely managed to lift his head to answer him. "You… you were gonna squish the Queen," he replied, loudly enough for everyone to hear.
The entire colony inhaled in unison. Hopper turned to see Atta's face grow pale and slack-jawed, her mother's expression an exact replica. Only the Queen's younger daughter and the circus bugs looked utterly unfazed by Flik's revelation.
"It's true," Dot piped up, but she was silenced by a sharp growl from Thumper.
Hopper rolled his eyes again. "I hate it when someone gives away the ending," he muttered, snapping his fingers for dramatic effect. Right on cue Thumper delivered another kick to Flik's side, sending the ant's limp body skidding even further across the soil.
"You piece of dirt," Hopper spat, then corrected himself. "No, I'm wrong. You're lower than dirt. You're an ant."
Flik blinked at the insult, his eyelids nearly black by now. This was the moment that mattered – the moment Hopper would remind both ants and circus bugs where their places were. He swiveled so he was facing the crowd, smiling inwardly at their round eyes and quivering knees.
"Let this be a lesson to all you ants," he announced, strolling alongside the mass of trembling blue and gray bodies. "Ideas are very dangerous things. You are mindless, soil-shoving losers…" He made sure to put extra emphasis on this last word. "…Put on this earth to serve us."
A glorious moment of silence followed. Hopper could see his words sinking into the bugs' thick skulls, their eyes lowering in defeat as they came to terms with their own inferiority. Perhaps this was all it took to jog their memories: a merciless public beating of the ant that had inspired their attempted revolution. He wouldn't even have to squish their queen. He and his boys could pack up what little of their pathetic offering remained and call it quits until next year, when the amount of food awaiting them would surely be the biggest yet.
Hopper was just about to give his gang the signal to leave when a hoarse voice from behind interrupted his plan.
"You're wrong, Hopper."
It can't be. He slowly turned to watch in disbelief as Flik struggled to stand. Although he grunted with pain throughout the process and nearly collapsed a couple of times, the ant finally made it to his feet. Once upright, Flik took a deep breath and fixed Hopper with an intense scowl.
"Ants are not meant to serve grasshoppers," he said simply.
Hoper felt his fists clench and his upper lip twitch with suppressed fury. He began striding towards the foolish ant, daring him to continue with his deadly gaze.
Flik accepted the challenge. "I've seen these ants do great things," he continued, clenching his own fists. "And year after year, they somehow manage to pick food for themselves and you."
Every word from Flik's mouth sent sharp bolts of anger through Hopper's spine, bringing every nerve in his body to life with rekindled rage. Behind him the makeshift bird continued to burn, its flames reflected in the ant's eyes. Hopper could feel the heat on his own skin growing with each step he took, though he knew it wasn't all from the fire.
"So… so who's the weaker species?" Flik demanded, his chest heaving with passion as well as the effort it took to speak with what were probably shattered ribs. "Ants don't serve grasshoppers! It's you who need us!"
Hopper could sense the waves of shock that resonated through the crowd with this claim. Then, he heard it: the mumbles, the whispers, the turning of a new leaf of thought as the ants began to process Flik's words, began to look around and realize for the first time just how many of them there were and just how few grasshoppers there were.
The seed had been planted. The idea had taken root.
It was too late to stop it. Hopper felt his jaw unhinge, suddenly lost for words. Flik noticed the change in his expression and pounced upon it.
"We're a lot stronger than you say we are," he declared. Then, with his voice soft and eyes narrowed, he asked a question that caught Hopper completely off guard. "And you know it, don't you?"
Not a question. A statement. A fact.
An accusation.
The anger reached its peak. Hopper drew his arm back and swung, his hand connecting with the side of Flik's skull. The ant dropped to the ground and stayed there, his feeble attempt to rise cut short by the pressure of Hopper's large foot against his head. Once he was sure Flik was down for good, Hopper lifted his leg high into the air.
"No!" Dot cried, wriggling in Carlos's arms. The grasshopper tightened his grip and clamped a hand over her mouth to quiet her. The rest of the insects were stunned into silence at what was about to happen.
A wicked grin spread across Hopper's face. This would show them. This would show all of them.
He brought his foot down.