Here's the final chapter! It's a little on the short side, but I think a short, sweet ending would be best given how long-winded the rest of the story was. Hope you enjoy! :)

When It Rains
Chapter 12: Epilogue

A monument was built at Flik's grave in honor of his brave efforts to rid his people of tyranny, and the Blueberries had all left their spotted scarves around the memorial. As expected, the circus bugs left with P.T. to continue touring – a rather difficult task when they were all still mourning. The colony's collective grief was quite short-lived too; since most of the ants viewed Flik as little more than a pest – even in the wake of his sacrifice – life returned to normal fairly quickly.

While Atta missed him terribly, she found herself becoming so occupied by her newly-appointed duties as queen that she didn't have time to succumb to her emotions much. That didn't mean she wasn't still hurting, though – her crown simply hid her broken heart. She did her best to not allow her thoughts to wander to images of her ruling with Flik at her side, a future tragically ripped from them. Atta was in charge of an entire colony and she had to focus on what was actually happening rather than what could have happened. She had to be strong for her people more than ever before.

The one who had been affected the most by Flik's passing was Dot – she never quite got over his death, nor did she ever forgive her sister for what she'd done. Dot firmly believed that, had Atta not killed Flik – even if it was out of compassion – he'd still be alive. Atta did eventually explain to her sibling why she took Flik's life, but Dot still didn't seem to understand that between killing him and letting him live in his mutilated condition, the former was the more humane choice. For a while, Dot even made sure to tell everyone she could that their queen killed Flik in an attempt to make the colony hate Atta as much as Dot did, but nothing really came of it.

The young ant didn't seem to realize that what she was doing could have done far more than just getting everyone mad at Atta. Had they feared that their queen posed any threat to them, they may have revolted and overthrown her. Mass hysteria can be a very powerful force, even among insects. Had Atta killed an ant that more of her people actually cared about (at the risk of sounding insensitive) and for any reason other than mercy, they may very well have deemed her unfit to rule. Atta certainly wasn't happy with her sister's rumor spreading and wound up needing to make a public announcement to quell any doubtful whispers among the colony.

Dot was upset that her plan to ruin Atta's reign had failed, but all she knew was that her beloved friend was gone because of her sister and it hurt more than any pain the young princess could ever feel or imagine. She couldn't have Flik back and she couldn't avenge him and the young queen-ant-to-be felt terribly alone without her older companion to look up to or to guide her. While she had her family to care for her, Dot felt like Flik was the only one who ever genuinely understood her.

Several months after Flik's death, Dot – who had grown somewhat – visited Flik's grave one last time. She placed a small rock beside the grave in memory of the lesson he taught her. There was a whole world out there beyond the island that she wanted to see. Inspired by Flik's bravery when he first ventured to the city and with the telescope he'd given her in hand, Dot left Ant Island in search of something: meaning, adventure, comfort – she'd take whatever she could get. Dot could only hope that she'd be able to channel just a little bit of Flik's courage to help her find what she was looking for.

THE END

Author's notes: Okay, this is the end of the story for reals so I don't drag it out. I know how stories turn out when they should have ended several chapters (or stories) ago and I don't want to happen with this one.

Great big thanks to my wonderful readers who not only gave my story a chance and took time to leave such lovely comments, but also for encouraging me to continue the story beyond the original ending. The result was an additional eight chapters! I hope I haven't left any loose ends anywhere, but if I haven't explained any part of the story clearly or there's an inconsistency somewhere, please somebody let me know so I can fix it.

And to answer anyone who's wondering, I know the ending kind of hints at a possible sequel, but I don't intend to do one. Dot isn't a character I personally feel I can write very well, but if anyone else wants to take over and chronicle her adventures outside the island, please feel free to pick up where I've left off. :)

Also, to address some of the comments...

Sam Fraser: Actually, about two chapters into this story, I started having ideas for something very similar to what you described. I'm not sure I'm going to write it, but it's an idea that's been floating around in my mind for most of the time I've been writing this one as another alternate ending to the film. Thanks for the suggestion! I may consider writing it sometime if there's further reader interest in such a story. For the time being, I think I'm going to take a break from A Bug's Life fanfiction so I don't get too sick of it. :)

Guest (about picture chosen for this story's avatar): Thanks! That's actually a screen cap from the film (from the scene where Flik is pouting in the back of the circus wagon). I took it into Adobe Illustrator and live traced it with only three or four colors to create a grayscale image with very dark, dramatic shading.

Faith: Nope, Flik wasn't blown away. I know that was probably clearer in the succeeding chapters since he was still there, but in chapter 7, what I was describing was just the sight of his body becoming smaller and smaller and just disappearing from view as Dot and Atta got farther and farther away from him. I may go back and edit that chapter a little if that part was unclear.