Wow yeah so this is late and I have nothing to say except if you're reading this, thank you.

-fbw

Hopper

They were coming.

Hopper had known it was only matter of time, although the amount of time that had passed almost made him doubt the faithfulness of Dot's comrades. Perhaps the smaller princess was less of a priority than the one who wore the crown.

Then again, it was this princess who Flik had stepped out of line to defend. This was the princess who sparked the flame. No pun intended.

Hopper clenched his free fists. It was time to extinguish that flame, once and for all.

The sound of wings beating against the wind grew louder. These were rough conditions to fly in for any insect, not to mention ones who had just been engaged in a battle of sorts — if you could call it that. Mutiny was more like it.

Even still, Hopper felt it would only be fair to meet the rescue party halfway. Keeping his hold on Dot firm, he rose into the air and then descended past several branches until his eyes landed on specks of color emerging from the darkness below him. The troupe was led by Flik himself, carried by a battered-looking Atta. Seeing the princess in such a poor state after she had challenged Hopper before the colony and his own gang brought him a twisted sense of glee.

Following behind the front line was the blue beetle with the black widow and the two gibberish-speaking pill bugs perched atop his head. Even from a distance Hopper could see the latter still had the same matching, manic smiles they displayed during their circus act. Once a clown, always a clown.

Noticeably missing were the praying mantis and his moth companion, as well as the ladybug, the stick bug, and their fat caterpillar friend. Hopper's eyes narrowed and shifted from side to side as he settled on a gnarled branch slick with rainwater. After the stunts Flik and his friends had pulled tonight, he half expected them to materialize from thin air at any moment.

He wouldn't be caught off guard. Not again.

"Flik!"

Hopper flinched at the shrillness of Dot's scream. He was sure the troupe was too far away to hear it, but out of precaution he slid his upper hand over the girl's mouth. She hadn't spoken since her suggestion for him to return home, which gave Hopper time to strengthen his resolve. Dot's silence made it easier to imagine her weight in his hand as a pebble or a pawn instead of a young, innocent queen-to-be.

Several painfully slow minutes passed. Finally the rescue party was within inches of the branch where Hopper stood. He held up his upper right hand, signaling them to stop. Of course they didn't obey, not that Hopper had expected any differently after tonight's events.

He waited until they were almost at eye level and then raised the arm attached to Dot, his hand still muting her. This brought them to a screeching halt, their eyes filling with fear and fury. Atta look especially murderous.

For a few seconds there was silence between the parties, punctuated only by low rolls of thunder. The storm seemed to be quieting, waiting with the rest of them for what would come next. Hopper relished the power he felt in this moment, knowing that as long as Dot's safety hung in the balance, his opposition didn't dare to jeopardize it.

Finally he broke the pause with a heavy sigh. "Well, it took you long enough," he drawled, lowering Dot to his side and removing the hand from her mouth. "The princess and I were starting to wonder if you'd ever make it, weren't we?"

"Sorry, we got held up," Atta snapped. Hopper saw Flik place his hand on the crook of her elbow as if in warning. His mouth twitched in a smirk. Smart boy.

"Now that you're here, I assume you want the brat back," he continued. "Truth be told, I've grown kind of fond of the little runt. So it's only fair if we compromise a little, don't you think?"

"Yes." It was Flik who spoke. Atta lowered him onto the nearest branch, and Hopper noticed she was careful to hover within reach of him until his footing appeared to be steady. Thumper's thrashing had certainly taken its toll.

The other circus bugs did the same until they were all lined up along the branch facing him. The spider wore an especially fierce scowl that only softened when her eyes flitted to Dot. Hopper marveled at how protective these insects were of their ant friends. They had seemingly nothing to gain from allying with the colony. What was so special about Flik that made them willing to stand up to grasshoppers on his behalf?

"We're here to make a trade, Hopper," Flik said. Atta curled her fingers around his hand and squeezed it. Hopper suppressed a gag. "One princess for one rebellion leader. You can do whatever you want with me, as long as you let my friend Dot go."

Hopper tilted his head and stroked his chin. You always did say I had a flair for the dramatic, Ma. "Well, that certainly is an intriguing proposition," he murmured, waiting a beat to allow their anxiety to build. Then, with a shrug, he lifted the arm holding Dot so she dangled in the air between them. Atta reached out reflexively. "Why don't we see what your friend thinks of this arrangement?"

He could feel the girl shaking in his grasp, her hands balled into fists and her legs knotted at the ankles. Once again guilt washed over him, and once again he squashed it down. If he had learned anything about Atta's little sister tonight, it was not to underestimate her. And she gave exactly the answer he hoped she would.

"No, Flik!" Dot cried. "Don't go with him! I'll be okay!"

Flik's jaw dropped. Atta let go of his hand and latched onto his upper arm. "Dot, you don't know what you're saying," she said, her voice rising with panic. "I know you're worried about Flik, but you just have to trust him."

Hopper shrugged and withdrew his arm, transferring her to his lower hand. "You heard it from her, folks," he sneered, his wings whirring into motion behind him. "We'll come visit next spring."

Hopper relished the horrified gasps this elicited from the bugs before him. The beetle in particular looked ready to spring, which he had to admit was a little unnerving. Thankfully his spider companion whispered something to him that seemed to have a calming effect, although the expression on her face told a different story. The pill bugs were snarling and baring their teeth in Thumper-like fashion.

"Please, Hopper," Flik cried, and Hopper slowed his wings so he could hear the ant's pleas. "Take me. It's me you've wanted all along. Not her. I came up with the bird. I was the one who lost your food."

This last confession was new information, although Hopper could have guessed it from the start. What would have made Flik feel the need to stick up for Dot the first time? A guilty conscience, that's what. He couldn't watch an innocent child — his friend, as he called her — suffer the consequences for his blunder.

That, and the fact that he just kind of seemed like a bumbling idiot.

This was the moment. Flik, Atta, and the clowns were staring at him, waiting for his next move. He looked down at Dot and was surprised to see her looking back, her eyes shining with tearful terror. The spunk she had shown since he grabbed her from that water drop had almost made him forget she was still just a scared little kid. The look she was giving him made his chest twinge with guilt, a feeling he quickly shoved to the depths of his blackened soul.

She's just a pest, Hop. You've got a job to do.

Hopper allowed his wings to settle and willed his heart to harden for the next couple of minutes. He pictured all those tiny antlings tumbling from the beak of the fake bird they had helped pilot. He pictured Princess Atta's face centimeters from his, her eyes stone cold as she repeated his Circle of Life speech back to him and then uttered the word that incited an angry mob of grown ants to drive away his gang. He pictured the first time he laid eyes on Flik, right after that damn ant challenged his authority for the first time.

Leave her alone.

Hopper turned to the side and began walking along the branch as though going for a casual stroll. Six pairs of wary eyes followed him until he reached the trunk and pivoted to make his way back. As he passed in front of them, the words he had rehearsed in his mind since Dot fell into his hands tonight began to spill from his tongue.

"Oh, but I do want her, Flik. You see, this puny little ant…" Here he waved Dot in the air for show. "…now represents an entire generation of ants who, thanks to the stunt you just tried to pull, will grow up thinking they can defy me like you did and challenge the Circle of Life, if you will."

Hopper cast a pointed glance at Atta, whose lips tightened. He took one more step forward and then froze, letting a thunder-filled pause go by before slowly wheeling around to face the opposite branch again. The other bugs faded into his periphery as Hopper fixed his gaze on the one right in front of him.

His hands were clenched into fists, his chest heaving with fury. Even in the midst of his "ants don't serve grasshoppers" speech, Hopper hadn't seen this level of anger from Flik. Rain or not, the fire in his eyes could have set the entire tree ablaze.

Hopper smirked. He had him right where he wanted him.

"So now, I need to fix that and teach them a lesson they won't forget, starting with their future queen. What do you think would be most effective, huh, Flik? Shall I squish her on the spot, like I was going to do to her mother? Give her to Thumper as a playmate?"

The ant in question was trembling violently now, mirroring her older sister. Hopper knew Dot understood that the grasshopper who had spoken with her only moments before, the one who let his guard down and confessed those dark secrets about his parents, was not the same grasshopper speaking now. It was easy for him to take that mask on and off, to slip into the role of the villain when necessary. He had watched his father do it for years.

This was the grand finale, the part of the performance Hopper knew would send his audience over the edge. He clamped his hand over Dot's head and raised her into the air, holding her out so she dangled above the chasm between the branches. Then, using the thumb and forefinger of another hand, he gave those fragile, silvery wings of hers the slightest tug.

"How do you think the colony would feel about a royal ant who can't even fly?"