Due to Morty's inaction, Rick took over the adventure. He led him and his grandson out of the town into the light green rolling countryside. There was a snow white castle in the distance with perfectly molded fuschia spires that exuded authority over the land.
The scenery would have been more appealing if not for the jet black clouds in the sky and howling wind that blew Rick's lab coat into Morty's face, which he pawed at to block it. The omnious color of the atmosphere was reflected by The moat surrounding the castle, causing the water to look polluted. The air was also more humid and electric, the conditions speaking of an incoming storm.
"See that castle over there, Morty?" Rick said, pointing at the beautiful structure. "In the back's a garden with special flowers. They're reeeeal important to my reasearch, Morty." Rick had chosen a simple task for them. Sneak around the back, pick some flowers, and go. Easy.
Morty relaxed at the information provided by Rick. "Th-that's it?" he hesitantly asked. "O-Okay."
He agreed. A step in the right direction. When Rick thought this, he felt a small jolt of irritation. Why was he all of a suddenly hunting for his grandson's approval? He removed his flask from his lab coat and took a swig to douse the anger. "-uuurp!- Let's roll."
Rick and Morty trekked the short distance from their previous position to the moat. The wind, however, was blowing in the opposite direction, and even picked up strength on the way, interfering with their progress.
"This way Morty!" Rick shouted. He had to raise his voice to compete with the wind, which was growing in volume. He guided his grandson and himself to the right of the moat, eventually returning to his original direction to circle the colorless brick castle exterior to reach the garden in the back. The two had to cover their mouths with their arms and make incredibly labored steps to resist the gusts assaulting them.
They rounded the outer walls and an area enclosed by a picket fence the same white as the castle came into view. As they approached it, they observed a rainbow of flowers contained within the zone.
"Is this the garden?" Morty yelled, his yellow shirt billowing in the wind.
"Yep. Just -uuurp!- gotta," Rick contacted the short fence and carefully stepped over it. He, with great effort, turned around and gestured Morty to do the same.
Morty replicated his grandfather's actions and followed him into the castle garden.
The garden was a small patch of land with various flowers that contained hues of red, pink, blue, purple, and yellow that were all meticulously organized by color into their own squares.
Rick wasted no time and began swiftly disconnecting the buds of the flowers from their woody rose like stems and stuffing them into his lab coat. "Hurry Morty. Don't bother with the stems, just get as many as you can carry."
Morty nodded and started collecting the buds of the flowers tickling his ankles, which were the pink ones that resembled tulips and contained berry like growths in their centers.
When both of them couldn't carry any more flower buds, Rick tilted his head in the direction they came, not bothering to use words because of the wind.
Thunder boomed intimidatingly across the sky, signaling that the dormant storm was getting closer.
Right after the clap silenced, a shrill voice erupted, overpowering the roaring of the wind and sky. "What are doing to the flowers!?"
Morty turned around to face a gold blond haired girl who looked as old as Summer pointing a sleek black and purple accented rifle at his head, the tip almost touching his nose.
"Uh, um," Morty was at a loss for words. Rick noticed the interaction and faced the girl. He assumed she was a princess, taking into account her pink and flowing fairy tale attire.
"Look, we just want the flowers, we'll be out of your hair now." Rick yelled, taking out his portal gun to evidence his explanation.
Another clap of thunder resonated with the three on the ground. Lightning was even visible from their location. The princess hesitated before continuing. "I don't care! Those aren't yours! Do you have any idea what could happen if they get into the wrong hands?" She cocked her gun and took a more firm aim at Morty. "Give 'em up or you friend gets it!"
"R-Rick, j-just d-do-do it!" Morty stammered. The princess slowly stepped towards the non royal teen, who took steps back in response. This continued until Morty backed into the picket fence and almost fell over due to the short height.
Rick felt unaltered fear stab at his chest, making it feel tight. The sky also started to drizzle, adding to the cold panic Rick was already feeling. The physical sensation reminded him of when he was getting the mega seeds. But firm defiance to authority won out in Rick's head. "No way, you psycho bitch! It's not my fault your castle has shit security!"
Now it started fully raining, the wind whipping it in their faces and soaking all three of them. She lowered her gun and was about to leave when she halted in her tracks. She turned to face Morty with a predatory smile on her face. "If you won't give in, your friend here needs to come with me!"
She gripped Morty's forearm and tugged him along in her direction back to the castle. "You'll be taken back for questioning and some other," She faltered. "Well, let's call them 'extreme games'."
Morty struggled against her grip, but she cocked her rifle directly at his temples. "Don't even think about it!"
The two marched against the wind and rain, drenching them from head to toe.
Rick felt his temper almost boil over. He scolded himself for his own cockiness at not bringing a ray gun. Rick drove into his coat pockets and scattered the buds, the pigmented petals swirling around in the harsh whirlwind of the cold rain.
The princess looked back at Rick's actions. "Too late now, asshole!"
Rick felt hopeless. There was really nothing he could do, not like this. He had no weapons, and she has a rifle and leverage against him.
"Rick, you can't just let her take me!" Morty pleaded. A lightning bolt hit dangerously close to the garden, charring black the circle of grass where it struck.
There was nothing he could do. In the storm still partially blinded from the lightning and no equipment, Rick was outmatched. He reminded himself of the feeling of the portal gun in his palm, and with shaky hands, rose it to chest level and pressed the trigger to materialize the familiar green hole that would bring him home.
"What are you doing?" Morty shouted. "Are you gonna st-strand me here? Rick!"
Rick couldn't face his grandson. He dropped his trembling arms to his sides, the portal gun still held by his left hand.
"As a bonus," the princess began. "Let's make sure you never come back!"
She cocked her rifle and shot a powerful purple pulse of energy at Morty's grandfather.
"Rick!" Morty shrieked. He used his free arm to shield his eyes from the burst of white light that followed the attack.
When the illumination faded, Morty analyzed the remains. What he found made him weak to his knees and drained the color from his face.
In Rick's place was a small pool of blood, and sitting in the middle was his portal gun.