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For the past three months, Morty had his very own adventure pinned to every calendar within reach. It was a special occasion he worked extra hard to save up for, and he was extremely excited to go.
The Annual Intergalactic Space Carnival.
Rick told him that if he trashed five of his own adventures and earned enough money to pay for the trip, then they would go to the Space Carnival, and that is exactly what Morty did. He gave up five of his own adventures and did extra chores and errands to earn enough finances to pay for tickets for him and Rick.
Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned.
On the day they were supposed to leave to go to the carnival, Rick had spent the entire night prior getting blackout drunk. He was passed out in his room with a heavy liquor bottle clutched in his hand. His many alarms reminding him of their adventure were blasting, but he was too drunk to notice them.
Morty attempted to wake him up, but it only resulted in Rick drunkenly screaming and cussing at him. He told him how stupid and childish he was for wanting to go to a carnival, and that he was his last choice of a friend to do such a thing with in the first place.
And then he drank more and passed back out.
Infuriated and hurt, Morty decided out of pure spite to take the finances he had saved for Rick and go on the adventure by himself.
Screw Rick. He didn't need him. He would probably just ruin the adventure somehow anyway.
And so off to the carnival Morty went.
When he arrived, Morty was overwhelmed by the sheer mass and variety of different aliens, rides, food stands, and games there were. It was incredible. There was so much to do. He didn't know what to pick first.
He started by getting a feel for the place.
The general order of the park seemed to be lined from safest to most dangerous rides and games with the safest being upfront where all the food stands and merch was. The bigger, more dangerous rides were a ways back and for good reason. On the outskirts of the park there were arenas designated for sports and other challenging games.
For the first hour, Morty wandered around and rode a few small rides, played some fun games, and bought a snack and some refreshment. After winning a few prizes, he purchased a backpack to store them in along with other essentials.
It was a decent start to a partly disappointing adventure.
Out of curiosity, Morty decided to check out the sports section of the park, and that's where he saw an area meant specifically for Ricks' and Mortys'.
Curiosity struck him.
Apparently the entire arena was filled with all kinds of unique challenges meant for multiple versions of the smartest man in the universe and his grandchild. The best Rick and Morty to win the most competitions won.
Interest peaked, Morty went to the sign-up booth and asked for instructions.
The alien behind the booth asked, "Where's your Rick?"
Morty winced. "Uhh... He didn't come?"
"Sorry, kid. No Rick, no competition," The alien stated.
"W-well that's not very fair. M-my Ricks a drunk. He-he hates these kinda things. H-how am I supposed to convince him to come?" Morty protested.
The alien remained blunt and undeterred. "Not my problem. Either find a different Rick or go some place else, and hurry it up. You're holding up the line."
Frustrated by both his own Rick and the dumb rules of the competition, Morty stomped off and lingered near the edge of the arena. He looked around and watched as dozens of Ricks' and Mortys' either sat at the bleachers, wandered around, or did training and warm-up routines. There didn't seem to be anyone left on their own like he was.
It was a shame. It looked like a lot of fun.
Morty frowned as he watched a Rick high-five his Morty after he successfully ran a full lap around the tracks under so much time.
Another Rick comforted his Morty who was getting sick after a mukbang. He patted his back and offered him some medicine and a refreshing drink.
Somewhere else, a Morty brought his Rick a hat that he had won from a game. The Rick smiled and put the hat on without question, clearly proud and impressed with his grandson's skill and devotion. He patted his head and said something that made the both of them laugh.
Morty's eyes nearly watered as his chest ached from the loneliness and pain. Sometimes he wished his Rick was half as nice as some of the Ricks' here seemed to be. He wished that Rick would just give him a chance to have fun, open up, and be a decent grandpa. Was it so bad to want him and his grandpa to be happy and support each other?
"They wouldn't let you enter either, huh?" Someone from nearby asked.
Recognizing the voice, Morty turned and saw a Rick standing near the bleachers.
Unlike most of the other Ricks' who he was used to seeing, this Rick stuck out tremendously with his dark purple pants and jacket. He also wore a maroon sweater, sported a grey holster with a laser pistol resting inside, had one shoulder pad, and wore long, technical boots. His hair style was also different, sharper, shorter, and the slightest shade darker.
Honestly? He looked pretty cool.
Morty stared in awe at the unique Rick before answering, "N-no. I-uh... M-my Rick isn't here right now, so... I can't."
"Totally get it. My grandson isn't here either," The Rick said.
Morty's expression softened at that, and he found himself unconsciously sympathizing with the bizarre looking Rick. "It's not fair. They should let us in regardless."
The Rick smiled and walked towards him a few steps. "Well, they don't call it the 'Rick and Morty competition' for nothing, I bet. How about you and I team up?"
Shock hit Morty at that offer. "What?" He couldn't quite believe it. "Y-you wanna team up... With me?"
"Well sure. Why not? It could be fun. I think we should do it," The Rick answered as if it were a breeze.
It was here that Morty began to notice that this Rick didn't just stick out visually. He was also rather well spoken, and he didn't curse or use cruel undertones. It was kind of... Nice.
"Really?" Morty breathed and thought to himself whether or not this was a good idea. Wouldn't it be a bit like he was betraying his own Rick? But, then again, Rick technically did him dirty all the time. What harm was it gonna do to temporarily partner up with a different Rick for a while? It wasn't like Rick was sober or cared enough to be here to notice...
"Ok." Morty relaxed as he became confident with his decision. "Ok, deal. W-we'll team up."
"Great." The Rick gestured in the direction of the sign-up booth.
Morty gazed up at him as they began to walk side by side. "So-uh... Where's your Morty? Dead? I-I couldn't see any Morty wanting to miss this."
The Rick continued to smile calmly as they chatted. "I actually never knew my grandson. I'm just here because I haven't been out in a while. I thought it'd be fun to stretch my wings, if you know what I'm saying?"
Morty wondered why he called them "grandson" instead of just "Morty". "Yeah. I know what you mean. My Ricks always taking me on these stupid, crazy adventures th-that usually wind up with us getting nearly killed most of the time. It's nice to be able to just... Have fun- 'actual' fun."
Rick Prime chuckled a little. "Gotta appreciate him for living in the moment. Is that why he isn't here?"
Morty rolled his eyes whilst glaring at his Rick in his mind. "Probably. I don't know. He acts like half the crap he does isn't childish either..."
They made it to the booth.
"Entry to the competition, please." Rick Prime asked.
The alien looked at them with suspicion knowing that they literally just partnered up after being disqualified, but he didn't care enough to make a big deal about it. "Got a dimension name?"
Morty tensed.
"Prime," The Rick answered.
Morty gaped. Was that really his dimension name?
"Very well. Here's your tag. Don't lose it. Competition begins an hour after noon."
Rick Prime took the magnetic tag and held it up with a cheesy grin. Morty grinned back, brimming with anticipation to participate in the games.
But the competition didn't start until after noon, and that made Morty deflate a little bit.
"Oh, but, I... I-I guess we'll meet back here then?" Morty said and looked away.
He expected the Rick to agree and part ways with him. Based on the other Ricks' and Mortys' he's seen so far, it appeared that his Rick wasn't the only Rick not keen on carnival activities. Most Ricks' who had signed up for this competition were sitting in the bleachers getting drunk while their Mortys' wondered off to enjoy the carnival.
"Actually, I heard the TerrorTropoSlide is one of the baddest rides here. Wanna try it out, see if it holds up to it's name?" Rick Prime asked.
Morty's eyes widened in disbelief. This Rick wanted to go on one of the carnival rides with him? Was he serious?
Instead of asking questions, Morty decided to accept this rare opportunity. It might not be his Rick, but it was a Rick who was willing to hang out and fun with him, and he seemed to be a pretty cool guy.
"Sure! I-I'd like that," Morty responded with a bright smile.
"Awesome."
The two headed off into the large crowd of alien visitors. The ride that the Rick had mentioned was one of the tallest, most dangerous rides in the entire park, and so it was located further away. They had at least thirty minutes of ground to cover- not to mention the thousands of aliens and people they had to trek through.
On their way, Morty chatted about his favorite trips that he had taken with Summer. The Rick listened and commented a time or two. He even told his own stories about visiting alien competitions and such.
Somewhere along the way, Morty spotted a game booth with limited addition plushies secured to the prize wall. He gasped and halted in his tracks, excitement nearly causing him to bounce as he gestured to the cartoon themed booth.
"Oh my gosh, that's Maximum Velocitree. It-it's one of my favorite movies," Morty grinned. "Can we stop for a minute? I really wanna win one of those prizes."
"Uh, sure. Why not?" Rick Prime raised his brow at the mention of the unfamiliar franchise, but he still smiled at went along with his grandson's wishes. "I could go for some mind games."
"Mind games? Is that what they've got going on?" Morty snickered. "This'll be easy. Ricks ruined every single magic trick I've ever seen 'cause he always has to tell me the secrets behind them. We'll have a prize in literally no time- wait... What?"
A sign saying "Ricks and Mortys prohibited" hung directly in front of the booth.
Morty stopped and pouted at the unfairness. "Aw geez, seriously? That freakin' sucks."
"Haha, I guess they know all your antics, buddy," Rick Prime chuckled and gazed around at all the nearby booths. "Here. I have an idea."
Morty blinked and followed after the Rick. He wondered what his plan was and why he would be so generous to help him out with something his own Rick would degrade him for.
Rick Prime went up to a booth that had clothing as the primary prizes. The challenge itself to win said prizes involved using air pressure to hold a needle between the target lines on a tube. It sounded easy, but the nozzle to release the air pressure on the tank was rigged to be extra sensitive, and players only had so much time to meet their goal.
"I'd like to play for that hat," Rick Prime gestured to a random hat on the wall.
The alien agreed, took his payment, and explained the rules.
Morty watched as the Rick carefully fiddled with the nozzle after the time started. He didn't even look at the needle as air entered the tube and sent it flying upwards. Morty tensed when he saw it fly past the top target line, but he immediately relaxed as it fell back in the area it needed to be in.
"Wow." Morty breathed.
Five more seconds passed, and Rick Prime won the hat.
"That was awesome. You didn't even look at it," Morty praised and took the presented hat with a confused look. "Um... Thanks?"
"No problem. You think you can win that jacket up there?" Rick Prime rested a hand on his shoulder and pointed at a particular grey jacket hanging high up on the wall.
Morty nodded, "I think so."
"Great. Let's see it," Rick Prime paid for another attempt.
Morty gulped and nervously wandered up to the booth. Although he understood the rules and had witnessed the Rick win with ease, he still worried about making a mistake and getting yelled at and made fun of. Though this Rick had been cool so far, that didn't mean that he wasn't like every other Rick underneath the surface.
After explaining the rules, the alien started the time.
Sweating, Morty reached forward and grabbed the nozzle. Unlike the Rick, he had to watch his target. Just barely turning the nozzle, Morty gasped as air filled the tube and sent the needle flying upwards past the target lines. In his panic, he turned the nozzle backwards, but the needle fell all the way back down. He tried to up the air pressure again, but it sent the needle right back past the top target line.
And then it's secrets dawned on him.
Within a few seconds, the alien announced that he lost. Morty wasn't going to accept defeat though.
"Another play."
This time, Morty did the same as before, only this time he did not turn the air pressure off, and just like the Rick's attempt, the needle went flying upwards but soon gradually fell back down between the target lines. All he had to do was be patient and not panic.
Five seconds passed, and he won. The alien congratulated him and gave him his prize.
Grinning, Morty hugged the jacket and turned to see what the Rick's reaction was.
Rick Prime stood there with his arms crossed and a proud smirk on his face. "I knew you could do it."
Morty jolted at that compliment. His heart tingled and his smile wobbled. It was nice to be... Believed in.
"Now that you've got a disguise, let's go win you that prize," Rick Prime said and gestured to the booth with the Maximum Velocitree prizes.
Realization hit Morty. "That's what these are for? Oh, wow, smart thinking."
Putting on his prized hoodie and hat, Morty went to the booth by himself while Rick Prime stood nearby as not to raise suspicion. As anticipated, the alien did not suspect a thing. It didn't take long for him to beat the mind games and win two prizes; a Redwood plushie for himself and a small, plastic Tannenbaum figurine for the Rick.
When he handed it to him, Rick Prime examined it with a blank expression at first, but eventually he huffed and smiled a fond smile. "Thanks."
Morty smiled back, grateful and flattered that his gift had been accepted and appreciated.
He really was a cool Rick.
The two then resumed their journey towards the TerrorTropoSlide. They made a few stops along the way- the best being a pop-tart stand with over a hundred flavors to choose from.
Morty got to learn that, just like him, Rick Prime was a huge fan of pop-tarts unlike his own Rick who loathed the overly sweet, artificial snacks. They both tried dozens of samples, each talking about how other Ricks' had no idea what they were missing out on. It was nice to be able to so easily agree with someone who shared such similar ideas.
It took around a full hour to make it to the long line at the TerrorTropoSlide.
While they waited, Morty talked about some of the other places he liked to visit like Blips and Chitz, intergalactic resorts, and occasionally the Citadel. Rick Prime listened to his stories with a smile, and he never once tried to interrupt him or make rude, degrading jabs. Whenever he did speak, he mostly just mentioned a few neat places he had been, and he explained the science behind some of the biggest rides here at the carnival.
Their turn soon arrived to board the dangerous carnival ride.
An alien warned Morty that human children underneath the weight of a hundred and fifty pounds should advise against going on the ride, but he wasn't going to back down after coming so far.
Morty and Rick Prime sat it two separate sections of the train. It took around ten minutes for the alien to explain the warnings, rules, and conditions before launching them off.
The TerrorTropoSlide, Morty soon learned, was far longer and far more intense than even the Whirly Dirly. The special seats kept him from getting whiplash but the wind still hurt his eyes. Every fast drop had his tummy screaming in a mixture of delight and twisted horror. Every few moments the train would fly off it's tracks and glide through the air; a short break to prepare them for the next insane part. There were high drops, loops, tunnels, and zig-zags.
It was definitely worthy of it's title.
When the ride came to an end after six whole minutes, Morty struggled to regain his senses. His limbs felt like utter jello and he was having trouble catching his breath. His eyes stung and he was covered in goosebumps. It was such a shocking ride.
"Hey, kid, time to move," An alien hollered at him.
Morty nodded and trembled as he attempted to stand up. It felt like his head was detached from his body. For a second he feared vomiting. He really shouldn't have ate so many pop-tarts.
Gathering his backpack, Morty managed to take a few steps before his legs gave out. He gasped and tensed up in expectation of hitting the ground face first.
A set of arms reached out and caught him.
"You alright there, grandson?" Rick Prime asked.
Morty sighed in relief, gratitude and shock. He couldn't believe he was helping him. If this had been his Rick, he would be on his face getting laughed at and made fun of. But... This wasn't his Rick.
"Y-yeah. S-sorry." Morty held onto the Rick's arms as he struggled to steady himself. "I'm... I-I just need a few seconds."
"Here." Rick Prime leaned down and draped one of Morty's arms around his shoulder to help him walk somewhere clear of the carnival ride.
"Thank you," Morty breathed. "I think... That ride wr-really takes it out of you, huh?"
Rick Prime chuckled, "Yeah, some people, but hey, you're still conscious. Considering this was your first try, I'd say that's a pretty impressive feat."
Morty blushed at the compliment. It really was nice not to be seen as a pathetic, weak, useless pain in the neck. For once, he felt like an actual grandson- not just a useless, whiney apprentice. And it was nice.
In the forbidden, guilt-bladed areas of his imagination, Morty wondered what life would be like if this Rick were his real grandfather instead of C-137. Would he continue being as nice as he was now? Did he drink? Where was his original grandson and what was he like?
Those questions spurred a sudden surge of panic within Morty.
He gasped and quickly asked, "O-oh my gosh, the competition! What time is it? C-can we still make it?"
Assuring he could stand on his own, Rick Prime took a step back and tapped something on his laser pistol. "Oh damn. We really lost track of time. The competition starts in less than fifteen minutes."
Morty's face fell in horror. "But... We'll never make it in time."
"Says you, bro."
Rick Prime lifted his wrist and began to type something into the device hidden just beneath the sleeve of his purple jacket. Morty watched with great curiosity. "What're you doing?"
"Calling us a shortcut," Rick Prime smirked and gazed up at the sky. "You might wanna take a step back."
Morty backed up a few feet while gazing up at the sky. He shielded his eyes from the bright sun and waited. A few seconds later and two large drones came into sight and descended to the ground where they stood.
Rick Prime casually demonstrated how to climb onto the side of the drone closest to him. He put his feet in the rests and held onto the handles at the top.
"What're you waiting for? Get on."
Morty gazed towards the drone and questioned whether or not it was a wise decision to follow through with, but then he thought to himself that the leap of faith was worth it. He had been having nothing but fun this whole time. This Rick was cool. It was worth it to see what other kinds of fun lie in wait for them.
Adjusting his backpack, Morty walked up to the drone and mirrored the Rick's stance. He stood with his feet in the foot-rests and his hands tightly secured on the handles.
"Hold on tight," Rick Prime stated as both drones began lifting into the air.
Morty awed and gazed down at the shrinking world. Aliens from down below pointed at them and gawked. He could understand their feelings. This was bizarre, but it was also extremely fun.
The further into the air they got, the broader the view Morty was able to take in, and it was incredible. He got to see the carnival and all of it's glory. The sounds of laughter, chatter, and screams became a distant tune that the wind happily dampened. Aliens shrank down to the size of ants. Dozens of carnival rides were presented from a new perspective, and it was fascinating.
Let's not mention the view of the gorgeous rain forests sitting in the far distance.
Relaxing, Morty looked towards the competition grounds and knew that they would be arriving in no time. There was no need to worry. Everything was going to work out. This was nice. Peaceful.
Ahead of him, Rick Prime let go of one of the handles and turned around to check on him. He smiled and waved.
What a awesome grandpa.
Morty waved back.
They made it to the competition with enough time to spare Morty a bathroom break, and then they were lining up to wait for their name to be called.
There was too much commotion to tell what the first challenge was exactly, but it did appear to have several Ricks' in the bleachers laughing and cheering. The sight of Mortys' frowning or glaring caused a sinking feeling to take place inside Morty's gut.
"Hey?" Morty looked up at the Rick. "Do... Do you know who the judges are?"
"They're Ricks'." Rick Prime answered.
Morty visually tensed, but he tried to hide his anxiety with a nervous laugh. "Oh, ha, r-right. Th-that's cool..."
Rick Prime gave him a skeptical look but did not comment.
The time soon came for their dimension name to be called.
Rick Prime and Morty, as well as four other Ricks' and Mortys', walked up to the stand in front of the three judges.
"Right. Everyone-urrp- sh-shut the hell up. N-next match is starting." The host said through the microphone. "F-for your first challenge, each Rick will be judged based on who best insults their Morty."
Morty's eyes widened and he flinched- a similar reaction to the rest of the Mortys' on the stand with them. He should have known. A competition ran by Ricks' with Rick judges? Of course this was all about who could be the best nihilistic, selfish, big-headed jerk. It didn't have anything to do with the Mortys'. The Mortys' were just here as an accessory- a tool for the Ricks' to use to showcase their crappy attitudes.
The worst part was the thought of his new friend partaking in such cruelty. He had been such an awesome guy so far. He hadn't been rude or abusive towards him once. Now he literally had to be a jerk for the sake of winning the challenge.
Hesitantly, Morty looked at his partner who stood directly across from him on the Rick side of the stand.
Rick Prime stared back at him, but it was hard to tell what he was thinking through the apathetic expression on his face.
Dreading the phycological pain his friend was bound to cause him, Morty looked to the ground in sadness and fear. He didn't want to know what insults he had eagerly awaiting to hurl at him. It was going to hurt him, and he didn't want that, but there was no backing down now.
The whistle blew, and the first Rick began to literally scream at his Morty, bellowing insults, slurs, degrading remarks, and hateful speech. He had exactly one minute, and then it was off to the next.
Morty trembled slightly, but he fought with all his might to keep his emotions under control. Maybe if he didn't look, he wouldn't even know if Rick Prime was the one insulting him or not. He could clench his eyes shut and think about something else.
Three minutes passed, and it was Rick Prime's turn.
The whistle blew.
But only silence transpired.
At the sound of other Ricks' griping and shouting in protest at the boring match, Morty opened his eyes and gazed to the Rick across from him.
Rick Prime still had that emotionless look on his face, and he wasn't saying anything. The time to demonstrate his offensive potency was running out. Ricks' in the background kept shouting and protesting his lack of given entertainment.
At the last ten seconds, Rick Prime smirked and crossed his arms with an arrogant type of optimism that made Morty shrink.
"I don't have to insult my grandson to know that I'm the greatest Rick in the entire conceivable universe," He stated loud and proud.
Morty's heart skipped a beat.
"If you don't participate, you'll be disqualified."
"That's fine. The carnival is more fun anyways- definitely better than being around a bunch of lesser versions of myself. Come on, grandson, let's get out of here." Rick Prime summoned his two drones.
Morty barely had time to process his thoughts or feelings before he was rushing to climb onto the drone and taking off into the sky. The boos, insults and protests from the crowd faded into nothing more than incomprehensible background noise. Morty wasn't even sure if he heard a single word to begin with.
That Rick really was something else. He gave up on glory and the competition simply because he refused to insult him.
"I don't have to insult my grandson to know that I'm the greatest Rick in the entire conceivable universe."
That sentence hit Morty deep. It was something he had always needed to hear from his own Rick, but instead he was hearing it from a random Rick he barely knew, but it still made him happy all the same.
It made him feel... Valued.
The drones didn't fly very far before they descended to the ground.
Morty hopped off and slowly approached the admirable Rick.
"Wanna hit one of those anti-gravity rides next? We can see who's better at making a floating s'more or something." Rick Prime suggested.
Morty stopped at his side and said in a quiet voice, "Thank you."
"Hm?" Rick Prime blinked in confusion. "For what?"
"For what you did back there. You know... For not... Not insulting me." Morty admitted, "You're a really cool Rick."
Rick Prime was silent for a moment before saying with confidence. "Of course I'm a cool grandpa. I'm literally the best there is- hence why I don't need'a win insult or drinking games just to prove myself. And what a freakin' let down that was. I totally expected that the challenges would be more impressive. That was just down right disappointing."
He might be cool, but a Rick is still a Rick.
Morty smiled and agreed with him. "Y-yeah. It was really dumb."
"Welp, in any case, at least we still have the carnival." Rick Prime dismissed the drones and turned in the direction of the next funnest ride. "Come on, grandson."
Still overwhelmed with joy and giddiness, Morty hugged himself and grinned big before following after the amazing version of his grandpa. Behind him, he slowed down and said to himself, "I'm right where I'm supposed to be."
That day was one of the funnest and most memorable days Morty had ever experienced. He had never felt so happy and comfortable and free to be himself. Rick Prime was officially one of the greatest people he had ever met. Parting ways with him felt like giving up a piece of himself.
"I... I hope I can see you again." Morty fought not to cry as he said. "You... Y-you're really awesome and I... I-I'm really gonna miss you."
Rick Prime knelt down in front of him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'm gonna miss you, too, grandson." He smiled gently, "Maybe one day we can meet again."
Morty sniffed and wiped his eye. "I... I'd like that."
Just as he was about to shoot a portal, Morty stopped, thought for a moment, and then rushed forward to wrap his arms around Rick Prime's shoulders.
It was a scary, bold thing to do.
Which is why it felt so unbelievably redeeming and special when Rick Prime hugged him back.
A few tears slipped out of Morty's eyes as he whispered, "Thank you... Grandpa."
Rick Prime said back, "No problem, grandson. No problem."
And then they parted ways, each going to their own version of home through their own separate portals.