Candyland?

[themanoftomorrow]

Heavy footfalls resounded through the halls of the Fortress of Solitude, the cavernous halls of the building magnifying the sound. They sped up as Superman felt something was just a bit off, and when he entered the main hall he stopped and stared. The gigantic memorial of Krypton, supported by statues of Jor-El and Lara, his long dead parents, had been replaced…

By a gigantic jawbreaker being held aloft by peanut brittle likenesses of his parents.

“What,” he all but shouted, looking around the room for intruders. And it was then that it hit him. It wasn’t just the memorial, it was the entire fortress. The ice caverns had mysteriously changed into translucent rock candy, the chairs were constructed entirely out of solid peppermint, and there were boxes upon boxes of sweets of all shapes and sizes all over the floor, stacked neatly into every open space.

“…What’s going on here?”

He had to be dreaming. There really couldn’t be any other explanation, but then again maybe Mr. Mxyzptlk was up to his old tricks…

Comments

[waterfell]

Of course, dreaming didn't mean there were no intruders. A girl in blue, who looked very much like she'd have been at home in the ice cavern version of the fortress, nibbled on a blueberry candy cane. She was perched on the arm of one of the peppermint chairs, as if she owned the place instead of Superman.

"Want some?" she offered, nudging a box with her booted foot.

[themanoftomorrow]

Superman whirled, his expression cool but curious. He'd definitely never seen someone like her before, but her outfit definitely didn't strike him as particularly heroic. There was just something in her demeanor that said she might have something to do with this. The petulant look in her eye spoke volumes.

Of course, just how she was involved wasn't necessarily as important as why she was here and why she'd chosen to reveal herself.

"Who are you, and how did you get in here?"

[waterfell]

"The soldier of Water and Wisdom, Mercury." As if to emphasize this point, she added, "Call me by Mercury."

As for how she got in, "The way was open, so I came!" More truthfully, she had found herself here to begin with, and thinking back, she couldn't quite recall how she got here. She brushed that worrisome thought away for the time being.

The foot that had nudged the box of sweets was soon converted into a footstool, since the offer hadn't been taken.

[themanoftomorrow]

Clark made no visible reaction to the woman's petulant attitude and instead walked over to a nearby chair and leaned against the peppermint, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well Mercury, it's funny you should say that, because I certainly didn't leave the door open. So unless you swam a few miles in sub-zero seawater, I'm not sure what you mean by open. Why don't you enlighten me, and tell me why you're here since I'll wager you know where you are and who I am."

[waterfell]

More facetious than petulant, but there was still always something behind the light, airy tone and the outrageous comments that glittered darkly.

"I'll repeat the swim if you want," she offered lightly, with a little grin.

Was that how she came? She was sure she could make it - the water wouldn't be an obstacle to her. The question, and the fact she couldn't answer it, made her want to try.

[themanoftomorrow]

"That doesn't answer the other question. Why are you here, Mercury?"

He wasn't amused and his tone was flat, masking his obvious discomfort that someone had just intruded on his home uninvited. It wasn't exactly public knowledge that the place even existed.

[waterfell]

"I wanted to visit for awhile!" she chirped. "Besides, your hospitality is delicious." The blueberry candy cane, and a particularly tall stack of candy crates, were given a pointed look.

"It's pretty rude not to invite me in now that I'm here, isn't it?" she observed.

[themanoftomorrow]

"Did you really? I'm not sure we've ever met, but coming here alone is pretty dangerous. Krypto doesn't really like strangers much."

Superman gestured to a seat, and nodded. It wasn't like she was particularly menacing, after all. She didn't really strike him as Justice League material, but it took a lot of darkness to really get him into a more than mild mood.

"You can sit, if you want. Are you behind the candy, or is it just coincidence that a strange young woman turns up in my home the same day it becomes a lot sweeter than I remember?"

[waterfell]

"A coincidence," she answered truthfully - though she had once been responsible for an outbreak of candy hair in Econtra. That had been accomplished by convincing a bored magician that it would be amusing, though, not by her own doing. And this time, she hadn't even done that much.

She also couldn't help a mild curiosity now. "What should be here normally?"

[braidstobows]

Most teenage girls would probably react to a literal cavern of sweets with more than a flat expression and a certain wariness. Most teenage girls are not Homura.

She turned sharply when Superman came in, and despite the obvious clue of the outfit, she treated him with a faint wariness as well. She was somewhere she didn't understand, and the overabundance of sweets... had associations in her mind. There'd been a witch's barrier like that.

Still, her note was cautionary rather than accusative. "This has the semblance of a rather sweet trap."

[themanoftomorrow]

Superman eyed the girl dubiously as well, his own expression interested and not particularly worried. She was a kid, after all. But something in her tone...that accusation made him raise a brow.

"It does. How'd you get into my home, miss?"

[braidstobows]

If this was his home, then this barrier was his doing, if it was a barrier. However, first of all, he was male; and a witch would have been born from a magical girl. Besides that, a witch capable of this rationality and conversation would be rare indeed.

"I walked," she answered him, which was not a particularly thorough explanation, but she had no better one. "I did not intend to intrude."

[themanoftomorrow]

"You walked? Young lady, do you know where you are at all?"

His tone was curious, but there was a hint of concern. If she was lost and ended up here...then that could mean a great many things. Dreams are so strange sometimes...

[braidstobows]

"I do not." This did not seem to trouble her. It only earned Clark a serious, thoughtful look. "I wonder if perhaps you would be able to tell me."

"Even for me, a place such as this is a rarity." Especially now that it increasingly seems to be real and not some warped dimension.

[themanoftomorrow]

"You're in my home, the Fortress of Solitude. And it's not really the sort of place you can just...walk into." He gestured to the ceiling, "and...it's usually ice, not rock candy."

He shakes his head and unfolds his arms, walking a little closer.

"Where do you usually live?"

[braidstobows]

This certainly seemed far out of the way, so Homura was more specific than she might have been another time. "I live in Mitakihara, in Japan."

"Since this is not the season for this type of cold yet, I believe we are somewhere else." For someone saying she essentially had no idea where she was, she was remarkably calm.

[themanoftomorrow]

"Yea, you're at the North Pole. Would you like a ride home?" Superman asked gently. Intruder or not, she was a teenage girl removed from home. He gave her his most congenial smiles and offered one large hand.

"And what's your name, miss?"

[rrbando_rambo]

Nearby a faint thump sounded, a small warning before a box among the others began to shuffle. Clark would see a wrapper being tossed from the package as Dale settled into a box piled high with chocolate, his very favorite thing. The chipmunk would hardly have noticed anyone peering in as he was embracing a chocolate bar tightly before he began to unwrap the silvery paper.

[themanoftomorrow]

Well the sound alone was enough to warrant him wandering over to investigate. He looked into the box and to his surprise found...a chipmunk in a shirt. Not the strangest thing he'd ever seen, but definitely not an everyday occurence.

"Hello there."

[rrbando_rambo]

When he found himself seized by a startled jump, he scrambled to keep hold on the chocolate bar. Seeing the superhero however left him looking dumbfounded.

"Y-you-you're.." Unable to form the words quite yet, he let his excitement get the best of him as he clambered up the rim of the package to say hello. He knew who this was!

"It's really- It's SUPERMAN!" Dale piped, with significant tail wagging to accompany it.

[themanoftomorrow]

Superman looked down at the little guy, recognition dawning as well. He knew Dale, from those old Donald Duck cartoons. He didn't recall the shirt, but those were some pretty classic cartoons. That drew a smile, and he offered a finger to shake.

"I am, and you're Dale, aren't you?"

[rrbando_rambo]

Dale reciprocated the handshake with glee. "Yeah!" He was at a loss for words for a moment, grinning from ear to ear and reeling from the fact that one of his greatest idols knew his name too.

"I was dreamin' that I was goin' to the supermarket to get some chocolate...then you showed up! Are you as confused as I am?"

[themanoftomorrow]

"Funny, I was dreaming that I was in the Fortress of Solitude, and for some reason," he paused and gestured around above Dale, "it was made entirely out of candy. I'm extremely confused, but it's not an awful dream all things considered."

[rrbando_rambo]

Dale had himself a good long peek at his surroundings. “Well, what do ya know?” He stood up to his full height on two legs and put his hands to his hips with approval.

“This is really somethin’! I wouldn’t be surprised if Santa an’ his elves worked here.” He hopped off the box rim he was standing on and came over to Clark’s side, returning his gaze upwards towards him.

“Not bad at all. Er…what did ya say this place was ‘gain?”

[themanoftomorrow]

Superman put out a hand to let Dale hop up if he wanted, before replying "The Fortress of Solitude. My home away from home."