Rick

"Alright you can open your eyes now Morty. Behold your magical land of whimsical nonsense"

"I wanted to be a dragon Rick. This isn't what you promised. Look at me what am I even supposed to be?" Morty stood on all fours covered in brown and cream fur. He had bright yellow fins all down his back and matching wings drooped either side in disappointment.

"I don't know Morty some kind of alien rodent with wings?" Rick tried to shrug his shoulders but ended up raising his wings instead.

"Wait how come you get to be a dragon?" Morty pointed one of his stubby webbed paws accusingly at Rick.

Rick scanned Morty with his bio scanners revealing the hidden title of Golden River Flight above him and Rick hid a smirk with a sigh.

"Ugh I don't have time for this. Look Morty we're here in this land of dragons and magical stuff you like so much just like you asked. Can you just be happy for once? I mean look at this" He gestured to the brightly coloured landscape with dragons flying overhead. "None of this is cannon Morty you can do whatever you like here without consequence. Just run along and find an arc or something"

Morty gazed around at the magical world bitterly and groaned "Fine! Meby I will" And he stomped away to explore.

Not five minutes later Morty returned looking confused. "What is this place? I- I feel like I'm just going in circles"

"Uuugh I should have known you'd be too stupid to work a map. Alright Morty you can come with me. I need to go to the market" Said Rick as he opened his wings lifting them up and down to test out his flight muscles.

Morty crouched down ready to jump on Rick's back but Rick swiftly moved out of the way letting Morty flop to the ground in a plume of snow. "What gives Rick?"

Rick craned his long neck down to Morty "Did you just try to ride me?"

"How else am I supposed to go with you?" Said Morty as he scrambled to his feet and reared up on his hind legs to try and meet Rick's height.

"Wings Morty, you have wings and I'm pretty certain you can fly with them too. Honestly how hard is it to notice your own anatomy-eyyyyyy" Burped Rick shooting a jet of flame from his maw. His eyes went wide and he snapped his jaw shut and tried to play it off.

"Ha guess I'm- I'm not the only one who's getting used to um... this stuff" Said Morty as he experimentally flapped his wings feeling the lift with each downwards stroke. He flapped faster and with every whoosh of air he felt his paws leave the ground. "Oh- Oh Rick I'm doing it I'm flying hahahaha!"

"No you're not you're barely hovering" Rick launched himself into the air with a strong leap and beat down with his wings. "This is flying" He said smugly. Each wingbeat made him more graceful as he coiled through the sky with the grace of a spiral dragon.

Mimicking Rick, Morty pounced into the air flapping desperately to gain any altitude but he struggled to stay off the ground. His little legs kicked the air in a panic as though he was trying to claw at the clouds to drag himself up. "Rick!" Panted Morty.

"It's like swimming" Encouraged Rick begrudgingly as he looped through the air. "Out and down and in and up! It's not manipulating the fabric of reality Morty. Flies can do it"

Morty tucked in his legs and tried to organize his limbs. "Out, down, in and out" He chanted as he heaved his wings. Sure enough he started to fly and Rick drew closer. Or at least that's what Morty thought until he looked down and saw the tiny trees sticking out of the snow below him.

"There you go!" Said Rick glancing down.

"I'm flying!" Exclaimed Morty staring down at the ground below.

"Yeah you are" Rick smiled a long toothy smile "Now lets go to the Trading post! Dragon Rick and his flying ferret grandson Aaaudventure!" Rick burped sending a streak of fire and smoke trailing though the air behind him.



Flickers of a civilization flashed through the gaps in the clouds below them as they drew near. Dragons danced through the air around them as they went about their lives carrying trinkets and treasure in their talons.

"Woah Rick there certinately are alot of dragons up here" Panted Morty as he strained his wings.

"Really Morty, you're surprised there are alot of dragons? In this world of dragons. Heading towards a dragon city. Made by dragons."

They spilled air from under their wings and drifted down. Rick landed with a couple of snaking bounces before coming to a stop. Morty tripped over his own legs and slid to a stop in a cloud of dirt.

"How are you so good at this Rick?" Asked morty patting the dirt from his fur.

"It's not hard Morty you just land on your legs and run with it. Keep up" He said swanning off towards Crim's cart.

Behind a makeshift stall of barrels and boards Crim sat excitedly drumming her counter "Why, hello there Rick!" She chirped looking him up and down. "Golly it has been a while since I've seen you around. What have you got for me today?" A tower of a hoard loomed behind her waving slightly in the breeze occasionally clanking as smaller trinkets fell within it.

"Um yeah I'm here to pick up something" Said Rick subtly checking nobody was paying too close attention to them.

"How does this dragon know you Rick?" Asked Morty with a suspicious squint.

"Shut up Morty I'm counting on one of the other Ricks leaving this here. It's where I would hide something so chances are it's here. Not that I need to explain all of this to you" Rick snapped in hushed tones. Morty didn't look convinced but he fell silent.

Crim glanced back lovingly at her hoard "I'm afraid I've become rather attached to that thing you left here. I've never seen anything like it before or since you dropped it off"

Rick tipped back his head and sighed "Raaaaaaaaah. What if we found something else to trade for it. It's what you do here right? Your whole character thing?"

Crim's ears perked up but she folded her arms on the table. "Would have to be something pretty special to replace that" Her eyes glazed over as she dreamed of all the things she could ask for before they flashed decidingly. She leaned her long neck over the counter and whispered to Rick "A dragon egg" Her voice giddy and on the edge of giggling.

Rick rolled his eyes "Fine. Deal. We'll find you a dragon egg. Come on Morty"

Morty dug in his heels "Wait Rick a dragon egg? How do we even get one of those? Aren't they basically someone's kids in this world?"

"Don't overthink it Morty. I know where they drop. Follow me" Rick instructed as he jolted into the air once again.

"Wait w-we're not going to address this obvious hoarding situation? I know they're dragons Rick but this still seems like a genuine mental health issue that she needs help with"

"I can't hear you over the sound of adventure Morty!" Bellowed Rick as he climbed further and further into the air.

Morty glanced back at Crim with a meaningful look and she smiled back cheerfully with a wave. Morty returned the wave before scrambling into the air to follow Rick who was already a blue dot in the sky.




With a squelch Rick landed in the mud that sputtered and bubbled around him as he pressed down on the trapped air below. Morty opened his eyes to find himself still clinging to Rick's tail mere centimeters from the ground. Rick looked behind him and with a flick of his tail removed his grandson who fell to the floor with a grunt.

"Alright Morty watch and learn. We get to go first" Rick bristled with excitement.

"Wh-what do you mean Rick? You want me to fight them?!" Whimpered Morty scraping the mud from his coat. "And why are they just standing there letting us hit them?"

"It doesn't matter Morty don't question it. Just hit them!" Encouraged Rick with a nudge.

"Rick I don't think they want to hurt us they're just stood there waiting" Said Morty watching the kelpies carefully.

Rick snorted and a lick of flame escaped his nose "Fine I'll go first if you just want to meditate on that" And the scales on his chest opened up and an arm holding a blaster emerged from it.

Pew .. pew .. pew

He shot the laser at them and one by one they faded away into nothing. As the last one fell with a horse cry it spawned loot. A couple of fish and a lock of seaweed lay in their place.

Morty cried out in protest "Wait how.. y-you can't do that that's not right. They were friendly! And I don't think they allow lasers in here" He looked around for anyone who could be watching.

Rick wasn't listening he was too busy collecting loot. The moment he picked it up more enemies emerged from the trees. Three crocodile like creatures lined up next to each other waving their barbed tails over their heads defensively. One of them hissed a warning.

"Oooh Venomous Troidae Morty. Why don't you go see if they want to make friends" Mocked Rick.

In a moment of bravery Morty took a defiant step forwards the largest one. It shakily raised its spines warningly and hissed louder showing off its long tusk-like teeth.

"Hey um... so... I was thinking" Started Morty fidgeting with his paws anxiously "Meby we don't have to fight. We're looking for an egg if you've seen one" Their cold reptilian eyes barely flickered to Morty as he spoke. Their main focus was on the dragon.

"Ow Morty such a shame" Said Rick in a mock hurt tone.

pew .. pew .. pew

His laser fired and they faded away replaced by delicious Marsh stalkers and a Toridae chew toy.

"You know Rick you can be really cold. I thought this was supposed to be my adventure"

"You know this would go a lot faster if you would just quit your whining at every monster we have to kill in here" Said Rick with anger creeping into his voice.

The surrounding trees filled with chirping insects fell deathly silent. As Rick picked up the last of the loot the earth seemed to bounce below them as something crashed through the trees towards them. In a cascade of brown water and filth it landed with a mighty THWOMP. Rick covered his eyes with his wings and Morty raised his paws in an attempt to shield them. When they wiped the mud splatter from their burning eyes they were in the shadow of a massive looming blob of slimey blue skin covered in mucous. Its fierce red eyes burned down on them like it was eyeing up an insect.

"What the-" Rick stared at the building sized monstrosity only to be overshadowed by Morty's panicked noises.

"Riiiiicckkk! What is that?!" Cried Morty clutching his face.

Rick fumbled for his bio scanners all the while being watched hungrily by the toad. "It's umm- A war toad!"

The beast licked one of its unblinking eyes and Morty shuddered. "Come on Rick it's time to head back. We'll find another way to find an egg"

Once again not listening to a word Rick had already aimed the blaster. Just as he was about to pull the trigger Morty pounced on the mechanical arm. "No!" He cried scrambling to stay on the arm that bowed and thrashed to stay upright "We can't fight it it'll kill us!"

Miss .. Miss .. Pew

The last shot landed. The Wartoad didn't flinch though. Instead it merely licked its eye and glowered at them. Through his bio scanners Rick could see the health bar of the beast was barely dented and his heart sank.

"We have to go" Rick announced. Morty opened his mouth ready to protest but found himself agreeing with Rick for once. They turned to run but they found themselves rooted to the ground. They had used their turn and now it was the wartoads.

In a blur of blue the wartoad pounced towards Rick. Rick sprang back in a flurry of wings narrowly missing being crushed under the weight of the beast. As he rolled he caught the claw of the creature along his side. He watched in horror as his health bar fell down and down but it stopped just short of him collapsing.

"Rick!" Morty cried out and the wartoad turned to look at him almost curiously.

Rick stood up shakily as his body repaired its self with carbon fiber scales but too slowly. Another hit and he would be dead. "Run!" Rick wheezed as he started to flee. The wartoad didn't chase him as he escaped. Instead it stood its ground looking victorious. Rick didn't look back though. He didn't see Morty still stood facing the beast. By the time he did it was too late.

"Morty?" Rick cried out breathlessly. "Morty!" He tried again but his words rang out through the swamp and nothing replied.