The King of Games

      He wanted to enjoy the game with others of course, but first he needed to check it out on his own. Slowly, he lifted the lid, surprised and delighted by the sudden music that filled his room. Steady drums danced in the air, along with the smell of grass and dirt.

     “How realistic! I need to send for whoever made this game!!! What a genius!!” King Roo was about to flip the box over to see if the name of the maker or company was anywhere, when suddenly he started to feel strange. His head pounded, his fur itched, and when he tried to call out for help, leaves fell out of his mouth. He wondered if this was some kind of incredible Faerie spell to make players feel like they were in a new world!

     The last thing he saw were the pictures on the board game seemingly dancing around before he fainted. In his dream, he saw thousands of different versions of himself, though he was the only one playing games.

     He awoke hours later, shocked to be covered in sweat and under a tree. Thankfully, his crown was still on his head, which concealed a tiny ray gun just in case something ever happened. A king could never be too careful during these difficult times! Although, he now felt silly for opening the game on his own, without having his advisors check it first. Who would have thought someone would send him such a strange and dangerous game?!

     He stood up while surveying the area and shivered. Although summer was just around the corner, he felt a strange chill pass through his body. As he looked up at the sky, he realised it was completely grey. Now that the shock had worn off, he noticed everything around him was actually grey – the trees, rivers, even his castle!

     Without wasting another second, he ran down the hill, passing Roo Island Properties and the Merry Go Round, before arriving at his castle.

     He pushed open the large wooden doors and called out, “Everyone, I apologise for my absence. What happened? We need to inform Fyor...” However, he could not finish his sentence, since standing before him was another King Roo, though grey and surrounded by equally sad-looking advisors.

     His grey copy looked up and smiled when they locked eyes.

     “The King of Games has arrived! The prophecy is real! There is still hope!” A low “Yay!” erupted from the advisors standing around the grey King Roo; yet although they were smiling, their eyes were nothing but a pool of grey sadness.

     King Roo wanted to say something, but there were too many questions running through his mind. He took a deep breath, found his lucky dice in his pocket, and turned it around a few times to calm his nerves and confusion.

     “Okay, so it seems like I am in some kind of alternate world? I've read about that in books before... What is the prophecy you speak of, and what has turned your world grey?” King Roo had seen so many strange things in his lifetime, so he had learned to accept things faster than most others. Take a deep breath, work through the problem, and move on with life – that was how he approached any issue. There was no need to dwell on things that were out of his control.

     It would be presumptuous of him to assume he was the original, though still, he thought of the Neopian before him as his grey version.

     The grey King Roo slowly walked forward and spoke. “Throughout space and time, there are many versions of us. One, however, the King of Games, is destined to free us from the grey prison that has tormented us for years. You hold the key, the Dice of Destiny! One roll to cure us all!” Again, another low and unenthusiastic cheer erupted from the group of Blumaroos before him, though he appreciated the effort they were putting in. He knew it was terribly hard to stay positive or even hold a conversation while grey.

     King Roo gave himself a moment to go over the words he had just heard in his head. “The Dice...of...Destiny. Yes, okay, I can accept that. Do you mean this dice?” He held up the lucky dice he always kept in his pocket, the one he had found as a child and always calmed his heart.

     Gasps filled the room as all eyes focused on his dice.

     “Yes! You must head to Roomanji, the game arena, now! Once you win, the curse will be lifted... most likely. You know, prophecies aren't so easy to understand. Anyways, let us go! We will be right behind you!”

     King Roo assumed he needed to head to where Dice-A-Roo tournaments were usually held, and sure enough, he found a foreboding dark hall there.

      Before he entered the building, grey King Roo shook his paw and gave him a hug. “We cannot follow you in there... Once you have won, I do not know what will happen. I hope we can meet again!” Soon he was surrounded by all the grey advisors as well, each one of them crying steadily.

     He took one last look at his new grey friends before walking through the dark grey doors. He expected to see a normal room inside; instead, it was a forest, full of varying shades of grey! A Blumaroo, similar to the one on the "Roomanji" game box, appeared out of nowhere and greeted him happily.

     “Welcome, chosen one! The fate of the world rests in your paws. A terrible curse has besieged the lands, and only the hero with the Dice of Destiny can reverse it! You have 1 hour to reach the Dice Altar. Remember to use the power of the dice! Good luck!”

     The Blumaroo bowed before disappearing into thin air. Within seconds, rocks began hurtling at him from all directions. He ran as fast as he could while dodging the rocks, avoiding most of them until he tripped and became tangled in a pile of vines. He tried to free himself, but the pain from the rocks was too much.

     The words, “Use the power of the dice,” echoed in his mind, and sure enough, his lucky dice started to glow the moment he pulled it from his pocket. The glowing golden light spread, becoming a shield that blocked the falling rocks.

     After escaping from the vines, King Roo made his way down the river, only to be attacked again by giant bubbles. He used his trusty ray gun and popped each one, thoroughly enjoying himself after a while, until water splashed on his paw and burned part of his fur off.

     As more and more bubbles appeared, he pulled out his lucky dice. This time it was glowing bright blue, and soon a layer of cool blue gel covered his entire body. The bubbles attacked, but he felt nothing at all. He was pleasantly cool and enjoyed popping the bubbles again. He made a mental note to construct a similar game back home. He continued to walk through the grey forest until he reached a large pyramid structure. He checked his watch and saw that he had... two minutes left!? He reprimanded himself for walking too leisurely and bolted up the steps.

     He climbed step after step, until finally he reached the top with only ten seconds to spare. Ten, nine, eight – he pulled his lucky dice out – seven, six, five, four – he extended his arm – three, two, one!

      The second he placed his lucky dice on top of the altar, a blinding flash of light spread all around him. He closed his eyes for just a moment, and when he opened them again, he was back in his chambers, sweating and alone on his floor.

     “Was I dreaming?” King Roo sat up and put the board game in his closet before getting into bed. He was physically and mentally exhausted and figured he could deal with everything tomorrow morning. He woke up the next day, refreshed and certain the events from yesterday were just a dream. That thought, however, soon changed when out of thin air, another King Roo appeared at the foot of his bed.

     “Hello friend! Thank you for freeing my Roo Island from the Grey Curse! Mind showing me around your world?”

     "Yes! Hmmm... Maybe there is some way you can help my world with our grey troubles! And of course, let's play some games together!" King Roo jumped out of bed and prepared for a new, exciting day!

     The End.