AN: Hello everyone! It's nice to be writing for a completely new fandom! This is also the first story I published in 2024, so I hope that things go well for this. I absolutely love Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I hope I can do this idea justice.

Now, in terms of which movie I'm going to be basing this story on… it'll be weird, as it's kind of a hybrid between the Gene Wilder movie and the Johnny Depp movie. You'll see what I mean as you read. Also, just to let you guys know, I haven't seen Wonka yet. So… yeah, this fic will have nothing to do with that movie at all.

Anyway, enough with the introduction; onto the Sweetest Dream!

Chapter 1 What's Out There

Hoisting a big bag of sugar over her shoulder, Fizzy grunted and walked across the Chocolate Room. The variety of bright colors that this room consisted of didn't matter to her, nor did the various noises caused by the other Oompa Loompas working and using machinery. She was doing her job, and as such, she couldn't let anything distract her. Every Oompa Loompa who worked in Wonka's factory took their job very seriously, all in the name of filling their starving bellies with chocolate. Just thinking about the candy bars she would get as pay once the job was done made her mouth water, and as such, she picked up the pace.

The closer she got to the Chocolate River, the more the effort she had to exert to carry this bag caught up with her. She gritted her, ignoring the sweat running down her back as well as the way her shoulder hurt. She wasn't going to stop, of course, but the temptation to do so grew stronger by the minute. She huffed and puffed, feeling her strength and stamina draining away from her. Come on, Fizzy, she thought in her head. You can get there. I know you can. Just a few… more… steps….

By some miracle, she managed to get to the river. Letting out a breath, she set the sugar bag down on the ground, pulled a pair of scissors out of her white overalls, and snipped an opening in the top of the bag. Wiping the sweat off her orange skin, she titled the bag and dumped all of its contents in the chocolate. She smiled as she did so, for on some level, it was one of the most satisfying aspects of the job. Watching chocolate be made into the sweet, sweet elixir of life that it was… oh, it made goosebumps cover her skin. It made her feel that much happier, that much more content. And to think; she had only become old enough to work in the factory two months ago! She had a long life ahead of her, a long, candy-filled life.

"Nice work, Fizzy!" Another Oompa Loompa named Gummy came up to her fellow coworker. "You're really good at carrying heavy loads." She laughed, a sparkle present in her blue eyes. "Let me tell you, when I first started working, it took me quite a while to get to the level where I could lift entire sugar bags."

Fizzy chuckled. "Yeah, I know." She giggled some more. "Your muscles have always been very… gummy!"

Gummy shook her head and gave her a sideways glance. "Funny." She walked over to the lollipop field, and Fizzy followed after her. "Although, I don't know if that's the right word to use." She plucked a particularly shiny red lollipop out of the ground. "From what I've heard, humans who live outside the factory like to compare weak muscles to wet noodles."

Fizzy blinked. "Huh. Weird." She started to pluck up some lollipops too, handing them over to some other Oompa Loompas who came over with some baskets. "The human world is really strange."

"Yeah, it is." Gummy frowned. "I mean, from what I've heard. Mr. Wonka hasn't really… well…" she twiddled her thumbs. "He's never really spoken highly of it."

"Makes sense." Fizzy stopped for a minute, thinking about Mr. Wonka. She had only ever seen him a few times, and as such, couldn't really say much about him. Which was ironic, considering that the Oompa Loompas owed everything to him. He saved them from Loompa Land's various predators. He built a new life for every single one of them almost effortlessly. Heck, many of the Oompa Loompas whom Fizzy had interacted with, including her parents, have said wonderful things about him. And yet… there was something about the fact that she rarely saw him. Surely, someone that great would be more attentive to his workers. Surely, someone that amazing would at least be more present in everyone's day-to-day life.

Well, whatever. Ultimately, it didn't matter. She couldn't worry about her boss, especially at a time when she had an important job to do. She continued plucking lollipops with Gummy, handing them off so they could be altered and enhanced by some other Oompa Loompas. She felt like she was going at a decent pace, as well as making good time. On some level, she was proud of herself. Again, she hadn't been working for very long. She never would've imagined she'd take to it so easily.

Once they finished with the lollipops, Gummy stopped and took a deep breath. "Okay," she said. She let out a sigh. "Now I need to go to the Nut Room…" she looked over at Fizzy. "Would you like to come with me?"

"Sure," Fizzy said. She thought about this for a second. "The Nut Room is the room with all the squirrels, right?" When Gummy nodded, she beamed. "Oh, sweet! I've always wanted to see the squirrels."

Gummy returned her smile, and together, they made their way to the glass elevator entrance in the corner of the Chocolate Room. Most of the walk was spent in silence, which allowed Fizzy an opportunity to draw into her own head. Gummy had said that Mr. Wonka didn't like to talk about the world outside the factory, but… why? What was so wrong with it? Surely, it wasn't as bad as the nightmare scape that was Loompa Land. Surely, there were some good things about it. After all, it was filled with people. People were pretty cool. Right? People could be pretty interesting and kind, right?

These thoughts swarmed around in Fizzy's head as she and Gummy entered the elevator. As it zipped away from the Chocolate Room, the two Oompa Loompas stayed relatively silent. The only real sound in the room was Gummy, as she was tapping her hand against her leg and humming a song. Fizzy listened to her do this, but she didn't say anything about it. She also didn't say anything as Gummy started singing actual lyrics, which she would readily admit was unusual. Oompa Loompas, after all, loved to sing and dance, and they loved to join each other in singing some of the wackiest songs ever. Fizzy did that all the time with her own parents and friends, but now? Now, she didn't really feel that way.

"Oompa Loompas sing, Oompa Loompas work," Gummy sang, a smile growing on her face the further into the song she got. "And none of us will or ever be, a super colossal jerk." She looked over at Fizzy. "Come on, Fizzy, sing along with me!"

Fizzy hesitated. On some level, she wasn't really in the mood to sing along… but then again, it'd probably look really odd to Gummy if she didn't sing at least a few verses. So, she smiled and started to sing.

"We work all day, work all night, make the chocolate smell so sweet…"

Gummy beamed. "We make sure that all the world has something good to eat…"

"We don't get thanks, but we don't need to feel like we are seen…"

"Because, for when the work is done, we're showered with cocoa beans!" Gummy laughed, and Fizzy joined in to. Once she recovered, she smiled at her friend. "You did good Fizzy. Almost too good." She looked outside the elevator as they passed by a room with a caramel volcano. "You probably have the prettiest voice out of any Oompa Loompa."

Fizzy's face grew warm. "Thanks." She pushed some of her green hair back over her ear. "My parents used to say the same thing. Said I could bring down the house if I develop my singing abilities."

"Well, they were right! You really could!" Gummy's eyes shimmered. "I think your singing even has the potential to make Mr. Wonka happy."

Fizzy snorted. "I don't know if I'll ever reach that level, but thanks." She patted Gummy on the shoulder. "That's really nice to hear."

Gummy nodded, and another silence befell the elevator. As they passed an Oompa Loompa village, which Gummy informed Fizzy indicated they were about halfway to the nut room, Fizzy drew back into her head. Once again, she wondered about the world outside the factory. The thought of it seemed so… tantalizing, in a way. It made her think, made her feel, and made her stretch out her imagination in ways that she hadn't done before. It ignited her curiosity, made her feel a bout of frustration. After all, the outside world was so close within reach, and yet, it almost seemed like she would never see it.

"Hey Gummy?" Gummy looked at her friend, who by this point was struggling over exactly how to word this question. "Do… do you wonder what it's like outside the factory?"

Gummy blinked. "Uh… maybe?" She looked a little uncertain, as well as a little uncomfortable. "I mean, it does pop up in my mind from time to time. But… honestly, I don't really think about it too much. I mean, everything I could ever want is right here. My friends, my job, and the greatest food that I could ever eat. My life is pretty good right here in the factory, you know?"

Fizzy hesitated. "Uh… yeah, I think I do know." She pulled on a loose thread in her overalls. "I mean, I like my life here in the factory too. But…"

"But?"

"But…" she shook her head. "I don't know. Something about the real world just… fascinates me, I guess you could say."

Gummy snorted. "Fascinates you, huh?" She chuckled. "Well, I suppose you're allowed to feel that way. I mean, none of us really know what the outside world is like, so I guess you're allowed to wonder about it from time to time." She looked Fizzy right in the eye. "But I think you should also remember that you have a life here. You have a great job and great friends. Why give that up? Why go out into a world that has no potential to be good when everything good happens here?"

Fizzy frowned. Were those words entirely Gummy's, or did some of Wonka's words influence hers? Because… well, something about that sentence seemed off. She wouldn't say it was outright wrong, but something about it definitely rubbed her the wrong way. She just couldn't put her finger on what…

"I guess you're right."

Gummy chuckled. "Of course I'm right; I'm always right!" Fizzy playfully elbowed her in the arm, causing her to laugh. "Yeah, I'm one hundred percent right one hundred percent of the time. That's what's so great about me."

Fizzy just shook her head. "Well, you keep believing that. Who knows; it might help you one day."

"Exactly." At that moment, the elevator stopped. "Oh good! We're here." She exited the door and gestured to Fizzy. "Come on; those squirrels aren't going to check themselves."

An excited feeling filled Fizzy; again, seeing squirrels for the first time sounded like an exciting prospect. But somehow, as she exited the elevator and followed after Gummy, something felt off within her. Maybe it was because of Gummy's words, maybe it was her own suspicions that Wonka's worldview was skewed. But somehow, things felt different from before. She just wished she could describe how…