[Third Person Pov]
Having shrunk down to such a tiny size, Danny turned to look at Robin and tilted his head in confusion, his brow furrowed as if bewildered by the sight before him. “That’s strange…” he muttered, mostly to himself, though his voice carried clearly in the now-giant corridor.
“What? What’s wrong?” Robin asked, glancing down at himself and then scanning their surroundings, trying to figure out what Danny was referring to.
“It seems that the drink was supposed to make us all shrink down, but for some reason it didn’t work on you,” Danny explained, holding up a hand as if measuring Robin’s unchanged height. “You’re still the same size.”
Robin didn’t hesitate. He delivered a swift punch to Danny’s arm, sending the half-ghost tumbling forward with a surprised yelp. Ember burst out laughing right beside them, clutching her sides as she doubled over.
“Just focus on the mission, you dumbass,” Robin grumbled, glaring at Danny with clear annoyance, though a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Robin turned his attention to the towering obstacle before them and let out a heavy, resigned sigh. He watched silently as Ember and Danny racked their brains for a solution on how to reach the distant doorknob high above.
“Maybe if you get on my shoulders, and Robin gets on yours—” Danny started to plan aloud, his expression turning unusually serious as he tried to visualize the human ladder.
Danny’s words forced Robin to break his silence earlier than intended. “Just don’t do anything stupid and follow my lead,” he said firmly, stepping forward and taking charge of the operation. He clearly didn’t have much faith in Danny’s improvised ideas.
“Danny, are your frost powers still available?” Robin asked. “If they are, I need you to launch your ice into the air—the higher the better. Ember, I need you to use your flames and reduce his ice to water.” He took a measured step back, already calculating the angles.
Danny didn’t even stop to question the plan. His deep trust in Robin meant he rarely needed long explanations. Without hesitation, he held the shrunken bag of candy firmly between his lips and focused on his hands. An arctic blue glow flared to life around his palms. A swirling storm of sharp icicle shards erupted outward, cutting through the air and shooting high above them toward the distant ceiling.
Ember’s hair ignited with fiery intensity as she followed up immediately, sending a blistering wave of scorching heat after Danny’s ice shards. The icicles detonated on impact, transforming into a thick cloud of fog that clung to the ceiling. Moments later, heavy droplets of rain began to fall all around them, pattering against the checkered floor.
“Okay, so what exactly are you planning?” Ember asked, sounding far less confident than Danny as she wiped water from her face.
“How familiar are you with the table from Alice in Wonderland?” Robin asked. He didn’t wait for an answer and quickly refreshed their memory. “To summarize the book: Alice drinks the potion to shrink and get through the door, then eats cookies to grow into a giant. She cries, and her tears create a sea. She then shrinks again and sails across that sea right through the keyhole.”
“…What?” Ember asked, blinking rapidly as she tried to process Robin’s condensed explanation.
“I remember the Disney movie briefly if that counts,” Danny added. Then realization dawned on him, his eyes lighting up. “You’re planning on skipping all the unnecessary steps and cutting straight to progression.”
“No! No! No! No! That’s so boring! That isn’t how the story is supposed to go!” the Doorknob shouted in angry protest, its voice echoing through the corridor.
“Sorry, man,” Danny said with a cheeky grin as he stepped forward confidently, “but we’re the ones with the power to decide how this story is supposed to go.”
The water droplets around them had grown significantly larger on their way down, splashing heavily against the floor thanks to the combined efforts of Danny’s ice and Ember’s flames. The artificial rain was quickly building into a miniature sea, swirling and rising around their tiny forms.
“Why don’t I speed up the process!” Danny said, staring intently at his glowing arctic-blue hands. He clenched his fists tightly and concentrated hard. The color deepened dramatically, shifting into a richer, more aquatic blue that pulsed with power.
“How…?” Robin asked, visibly surprised. He didn’t remember Danny ever being able to do something like that.
Sweat started dripping down Danny’s face from the intense effort as he explained, “When you overshadow five different royal Atlanteans and the Trident of Poseidon, you pick up a thing or two.”
With a powerful thrust, Danny shoved his hands upward. A massive geyser of water erupted from his palms, showering and drizzling heavily all around them. The room rapidly flooded, transforming the space into a surging ocean. The trio was soon swimming through the rising waves.
“S-ugh-Stop!” The Doorknob spluttered and gurgled as relentless waves crashed repeatedly against it.
All three of them were thoroughly soaked and fighting the currents when Robin barked out an order to Danny. “Make a platform for us to ride!”
Danny quickly formed a sturdy makeshift platform of ice beneath them. They all scrambled aboard as fast as they could. With focused energy, Danny then crafted glowing green constructs of paddles, handing one to each of his companions.
The three of them started navigating the roaring, rushing waters like seasoned marines. They rode the unsteady waves, paddling in sync as they aimed straight for the keyhole—which now served as the open mouth of the giant doorknob. They successfully made it through to the other side, exiting the room only to emerge into a literal ocean.
Chaotic waves churned violently around them. Thunder rumbled and lightning cracked across stormy clouds overhead, while fierce winds howled relentlessly. They had appeared right in the heart of the tempest.
“This isn’t what I signed up for when I decided to investigate a potential human trafficking operation!!” Danny shouted, struggling to be heard over the raging storm, his voice slightly muffled by the bag of candy still clamped between his teeth.
Towering waves repeatedly swallowed them whole before spitting them back out, leaving the group completely drenched and gasping for air.
“Welcome to Gotham!” Robin sneered, shooting Danny a look that screamed ‘newbie’ as another wave crashed over them.
Thankfully, they soon reached the shore. As they dragged themselves onto the wet sand, they were greeted by a bizarre sight: a humanoid Dodo bird dressed like a noble English gentleman stood atop a pillar of rocks. Various other birds and animals surrounded it, running around in frantic circles while singing cheerfully about drying themselves off.
“This place is so fucking weird…” Ember muttered, wringing water from her hair. She was already counting the minutes until they could escape and couldn’t stop wondering how she had let herself get dragged into this madness.
“Tell me about it—Wait, where’s Danny?” Robin asked suddenly, realizing the half-ghost was missing and causing a brief spike of panic.
Ember’s face fell into a deadpan expression as she motioned toward the group of singing animals. “He’s over there.”
Both Ember and Robin watched with neutral, straight faces as Danny—having the absolute time of his life—led a lively conga line. A whole assortment of Wonderland creatures had lined up behind him, grabbing onto each other’s shoulders. They mimicked Danny’s swaying hips and enthusiastic hand movements, shimmying and striking random salsa-like poses before repeating the energetic dance.
“…Is he high?” Robin questioned, his voice laced with genuine concern as he stared at the scene. “Were the lollipops actually laced with hallucinogens or something?”
Danny, meanwhile, was thriving. A bright, carefree smile stretched across his face as he salsa-danced joyfully with his new loyal friends of animals, completely lost in the ridiculous moment.