I apologize for the extremely long wait and the shortness of this chapter considering said wait and I thank each and every reader/reviewer from the bottom of my heart for sticking with this silly little story (especially the last reviewer - you really inspired me to update this. You and the audio version of A Bug's Life I listened to on Spotify the other night because I'm still mentally 5 years old). My goal for this story is for it to be the first "long" fic that I actually finish and reviews will really help encourage me in that process ;) Love you guys and hope you enjoy!

-FBW

Hundreds of eyes were on her as she dangled from Hopper's hand. She whimpered as he swung her about, displaying her for all the colony to see. She could see the anger in some of the circus bugs' eyes – Francis and Dim's, especially – but that anger was dulled by an even stronger emotion: fear.

"Whose idea was this?" Hopper roared. "Huh?"

His demand was answered by wide eyes and quivering knees. The ants may have been terrified, but Dot knew it would take much more than verbal interrogation for them to betray Flik. For that, she was proud. But where was her friend? Was he still in the bird? Did he make it out okay?

She tried to send him a telepathic message. Whatever happens, Flik, stay hidden. Who knew what Hopper would do if he found out who the mastermind behind the bird had been?

Apparently, he was determined to do just that. When no one offered a name, the grasshopper turned his attention to Atta. "Was it yours, Princess?" he sneered, stalking toward her like a spider cornering its prey.

Dot watched as Atta ushered the other Blueberries behind her. "Just get behind me girls, it'll be okay," she reassured them bravely as Hopper advanced. Her eyes met Dot's and they seemed to whisper the same comfort. It'll be okay.

It wasn't until Hopper was within an inch of her sister that he spoke again, in a low, eerily soothing voice that seemed to be meant only for Atta. "Who was it, sweetheart, huh?" he said, reached out a clawed finger to stroke the side of her face. She shuddered at his touch but stood her ground, lips pursed firmly. The Blueberries watched this exchange with frightened eyes.

"Come on Princess, you can tell me." Hopper implored her, in a voice that was almost a whisper now. "We come, we eat, we leave, right? Just give me the name and no one will get hurt. It's that simple."

Atta's eyes flickered to the tiny ant hanging at his side. Hopper noticed, and a grin of realization spread across his cruel face. "Oh, I see," he said, taking a step backward. Dot felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach as her sister's eyes widened with horror at her mistake.

"No! Put her down, Hopper. She had nothing to do with this," Atta pleaded, stretching out her arm as though reaching for Dot, but the damage was done.

"Trying to be a good big sister, I see," Hopper taunted as he continued backing away from her. He transferred Dot to his other upper hand and held her so she was centimeters from his face. Even though she knew he couldn't see her through it, it felt like that scarred gray eye was boring into her. She wrung her hands and tried to keep her bottom lip from trembling. Be brave for Flik.

"What's your name, sweetheart?" Hopper asked her, in a tone much different than the one he used with Atta. It was like the way her mother spoke to the other children in the colony – playful and endearing. When he spoke like that, she could almost pretend he wasn't the monster who had bullied her sister and planned to squish her mom.

Almost.

"D-dot," she replied in a small voice.

"Just Dot?" Hopper repeated, now taking on a more mocking tone. "Why, if you're Princess Atta's sister then that makes you a princess too, doesn't it?"

She nodded.

He brought her even closer to his face, so their noses were almost touching. "Do you know whose idea the bird was, Princess Dot?" he asked, and now his voice sounded the way it had when he spoke to Atta for the first time – low and menacing.

Despite her whimpering, Dot bit her lip and shook her head. She wouldn't tell on her friend. She wouldn't.

Hopper sighed. "Loyalty runs in the royal family, I suppose," he lamented. His hand still clutched firmly around her waist, Hopper spread his arms wide as he addressed the crowd before them.

"Ladies and gentlebugs, I present to you a predicament. Both Princess Atta and Princess Dot here claim they don't know the identity of the ant – or circus bug…" He emphasized these two words with disdain. "…who thought this whole bird thing would be a clever way to scare us off. Now, I need to know the identity of said bug, and I know someone who I think can help me with this predicament."

He snapped his fingers, and Dot heard a sound that had haunted her nightmares since the first time she heard it: Thumper's snarl.

The mad grasshopper lurched forward out of seemingly nowhere, his frayed leash the only thing separating Dot from those gleaming teeth. She screamed and twisted in Hopper's grasp as he began walking toward his pet, holding her out in front of him as though tempting him with a new toy. Thumper became even more frantic as they approached, salivating and straining at his leash.

In the background she could hear Atta begging Hopper to let Dot go and take her instead. She was even claiming to be the one who invented the bird, but it was too late for that. Hopper knew her well enough to know she would have confessed already if that had been the case. He was waiting for someone else to step forward and betray their fellow ant in order to save the little princess.

They were centimeters away from the beast: one more step and he could reach her himself. Dot couldn't hear the crowd's reaction as they watched the scene unfold before them, so loud was his growling. She couldn't hear anything until a new voice cut through the chaos, shocking everyone – even Thumper – into silence.

"Leave her alone, Hopper. The bird was my idea. I'm the one you want."

Flik stood beside the flaming wreckage of his bird, fists clenched and eyes narrowed. He was only inches from where Dot was suspended from Hopper's fingers. At first relief flooded her chest when she saw that her friend was okay, but then she heard a snap and Thumper pounced.