How to Score an Invite to the Annual Chocolate Ball

The first thing to do is to acknowledge the creation of chocolate. Chocolate is not something to be taken for granted. It is a... fruit! Yes, fellow Neopians, it is true. The fruit pods are harvested off the Cacao tree and the beans and pulp are removed and processed in a timely manner. All this, just to make wonderful chocolate treats, cakes and cookies, to be sold in the Chocolate Factory. And you thought Chocolate was bad for you!

Next you must remember to hang out frequently in the Chocolate Factory. Have yourself perceived as a chocolate connoisseur by the mysterious host of the ball. You can’t be invited if you aren’t seen and chocolate haters are unwelcome. Why would a hater want to come to the ball anyways? To truly enjoy the experience of the Chocolate Ball, you must be a chocolate enthusiast. Hang out in the Factory, buy all the chocolate that you see, get yourself a Chocolate avatar, and enjoy eating all the yummy chocolaty treats you can.

You also must be a nice Neopian. Invitations only go out to Neopians who are kind, who donate at the Money Tree, who are polite to the quest faeries, and to those who do not fear the meepits. Meepits don’t like chocolate anyway; they like Juppie Juice, so they are no threat to your invitation, unless they are hungry and feel like eating your invitation, so make sure the meepits are well fed.

Once that elusive invitation does appear, do not misplace it, put it down or let it out of your sight. If you need to put it down, hire some extra muscle to watch over your invitation for when you are not around. Darigan Minions or Yurble Janitors are a good choice. Competition to get invited to the Chocolate Ball is very fierce, and Neopians have been known to train their petpetpets to sneak in and steal an invitation for them if they have been snubbed. If you dare show up without an invite, even though the host knows you have been invited, you will be the laughing stock of Neopia.

The night of the ball, make sure to wear your Neopian best. The dress code is as strict as the Neopian Terms & Conditions, and wearing the wrong outfit would be considered an insult to the host. He has spent a lot of time designing decorations, concocting new treats and carving things out of chocolate. Potato sacks, purple edible gym socks and your sister’s frilly skirt will have to be left at home. Suits, gowns and formal attire from Prigpants & Swolthy are on the clothing menu. You may even find a chocolate statue of yourself inside the ballroom, carved as wearing the exact clothing you are wearing. How does the host know so much about you, and who wants to be remembered as the one who wore the eyrie sweater?

Speaking of menus, the food at the ball is rumoured to be one of a kind. New chocolate creations abound, and many are never seen outside of the walls of the factory again. The host seems to know if someone tries to sneak out a treat, as they mysteriously disappear. The treats, not the guests. *shifty eyes* Pure chocolate milk flows from drink fountains, so you will never be thirsty after dancing all night around the ballroom. With so much chocolate to eat and drink, you would think you would feel sick afterwards, but remember, chocolate is GOOD for you! No time for your tummy to turn on you.

Once the ball is over, you are expected to return to your normal, mundane life. Food does not taste the same without the extra touch of chocolate. Your neohome will look dingy and boring with no chocolate themed decorations, and even getting dressed in the morning in dull, casual clothes is monotonous. When you next take a trip to the Chocolate Factory, the chocolate there doesn’t seem as polished, smell as fresh or taste as good as the wonderful chocolate you sampled at the ball. It’s all unexciting now.

People will knock on your door, asking about the ball, but the best part of the ball is that you don’t need to talk about the ball outside of the ball. You even really shouldn’t talk about the ball after the ball, even to Neopians that you saw at the ball. If you want an invitation next year, it’s best to keep your mouth shut and nod secretively. The host knows when you let out his secrets, and you could be mysteriously dropped off of the list for next year. And you really, really don’t want that to happen. Once you’ve had a taste of the Chocolate Ball, you’ll want to go again and again.

Disclaimer: If you don’t get an invite to the Chocolate Ball, don’t write to me complaining. I have no say with the invite list. The mysterious host has secretive double agents everywhere and they know that you donated a lot of useless rotten left shoes this year to the Money Tree and turned down a lot of quests from the Earth Faerie, you don’t really have a desk in your neohome to hide under, and they saw you call Edna names behind her back when all you got were some bat cookies for doing her quests.

Have I ever been to the Chocolate Ball? I don’t think that’s up to me to answer. I can’t... errr... won’t say, either way. *wipes off chocolaty fingerprints from the keyboard*...