The Chocolate Ball

     The evening sun cast a pink shadow on the icy terrain of Terror Mountain. Alternai took a deep breath, straightened her Diamond Yooyuball Earrings. It was time to go. Months of ignoring her friends in favour of spending time with Neopians in the upper echelons of Neopia had left her feeling isolated and resentful. She made her way down to Neopia Central. Her old friends refused to even look her way when she strolled down the street.

     “But some things are worth the sacrifices you have to make,” Alternai muttered to herself in a feeble attempt to assuage her feelings of guilt.

     As she walked toward the Neopian Bazaar, a group of her old friends made their way toward the Money Tree. She heard the rumblings of disdain under their breath.

     “What a terrible friend…”

     “A complete traitor”

     “Walk past her like she’s nothing”

     Alternai bowed her head, but continued on to her destination. The Chocolate Factory seemed imposing against the rosy sky. Alternai took a moment to look at her invitation.

      The Chocolatier cordially invites

     Miss Alternai

     To the most prestigious

     Chocolate Ball

     A gaggle of gorgeous Ixis dressed in matching dresses pushed open the door. Not wanting to walk in alone, Alternai crept up behind them and sneaked into the building. It took all of her energy to keep her composure, resisting the urge to let her jaw drop at the sight of the interior of the Chocolate Factory.

     The shelves that stocked the yummy treats and sweets during the business day were all put away. They had been replaced by tables with ivory white tablecloths, topped with candelabras, and loaded with a variety of expensive hors d'oeuvres. The inside shimmered with the flickers of the candles, which intensified the beauty of the invitees, all dressed to the nines. A low hum of chat surrounded Alternai, and she caught snippets of the conversations.

     “The stock market has been excellent recently. I invested in…”

     “Oh, yes, I place bets on the Food Club and I must say I am enthralled by the amount of success I’ve been having...”

     “Oh, my dear friend Fyora was just telling me the other day…

     Alternai glanced around. She did not see any of her new friends yet, so she sidled up to an empty table. Her mouth watered as she took in the sight of the canapes on the table. There were small cubes of Borovan Layered Cake, slices of Plum, wedges of Chocolate Coated Holey Cheese, servings of Bangers and Mash, and little dishes filled with Purple Kau Yogurt. Each table also housed a sizable collection of chocolate treats. Alternai took a plate and portioned some food onto it.

     “Hey, Alternai!” she heard a voice call out. She turned around and saw a Royalboy Graarl and a Faerie Tuskaninny dressed in tuxedos accompanied by a little green Zafara in a witch’s cloak and hat.

     “Hello, you two,” Alternai greeted her friends, trying to not stare at the Zafara.

     “Let us introduce you to our friend, Edna” said the Graarl.

     “Pleasure,” said Edna, reaching out her hand.

     “The pleasure’s mine,” said Alternai, shaking Edna’s hand, “I’m Alternai”.

      “Edna, though you probably knew that,” said Edna with a distinctively witch-like cackle, “My oh my, this food is great...nothing on my concoctions though”

     Alternai forced an awkward smile. It was uncomfortable conversing with such a famous Neopian. She was unsure of what to do and say. Fortunately, the conversation was cut short by the purposeful sound of someone clearing their throat. The crowd fell silent and looked toward the noise.

     There he was, at the front of the room. The Chocolatier was a Kiko, as everybody knew, and was the renowned shopkeeper of the Chocolate Factory.

     “It is my pleasure to have you all over for the annual Chocolate Ball,” he announced, smiling fondly at the guests, “I hope you have all enjoyed the canapes and treats at your tables”

     The guests glanced at each other and smiled. Everyone nodded in assent.

     “Excellent!” exclaimed the Kiko, “But as you know, this event is not just an evening for us to enjoy delicacies only in taste...it is also an event that treats us to delicacies of the heart and soul. Without further ado, let the Chocolate Ball commence!”

     Directly on cue, a band struck up a tune. The tables were cleared away by Neopets dressed in tuxedos and black cocktail dresses. Neopets began to fill the dance floor, swaying slowly in time with the beat. Alternai’s friends went to the floor together to dance, and Edna was now caught up in a conversation with Chef Bonju about some suggestions she had for his recipes. Most everybody was now either casually conversing or dancing. The group of Ixis that Alternai had followed in earlier were now dancing together merrily. Alternai stared at them, feeling a deep pang in her chest. She had loved dancing with her old friends. She closed her eyes and shook her head as if to shake off the pain. When she opened her eyes, she noticed that the leader of the group of Ixis, an Eventide Ixi in a matching Eventide Dress, was now staring at her. The Ixi nudged one of her friends and they giggled. Alternai felt her face grow pink and she stared at a spot on the floor.

     The group of Ixis was now slowly migrating toward Alternai. Alternai stared resolutely at the spot on the floor.

     “Hey,” said the Eventide Ixi, “I’m Aurora. What’s your name?”

     “Alternai,” Alternai mumbled.

     “So, how did you get invited?” the Ixi asked.

     “I know some people,” said Alternai vaguely.

     “What people?” the Ixi pressed.

     Alternai gestured toward her friends on the dance floor.

     “Oh, Anders and Wilder?” Aurora asked.

     Alternai nodded.

     “Yes, I know they are quite close with Edna” said Aurora, “So, how do you know them? I know they volunteer at the Soup Kitchen. Are you a volunteer there, too?”

     “Something like that,” Alternai muttered.

     This conversation was getting uncomfortable. She shifted her legs. In reality, she had met Anders and Wilder on one of her trips to the Soup Kitchen to get food. They were the nicest volunteers there, and they had developed a friendship with Alternai after years of visits. She had told them that her deepest wish was to attend the Chocolate Ball, and they had presented her with the invitation as a gesture of friendship.

     “Oh wow, how kind of you,” the Ixi continued, “I love your dress...but I have to ask, don’t you think it’s a little last season?”

     “Um...yeah, it might be,” Alternai managed to stutter out, “I’m not that into fashion to be honest…”

     “Oh, we are,” stated Aurora, and the rest of the Ixis nodded, “Well, I am friends with the shopkeeper of Uni’s Clothing Shop. We should find you something there!”

     “Oh, yeah...maybe…” replied Alternai, then before she could stop her mouth, the words tumbled out, “I don’t know if I can afford it though…”

     The group of Ixis who had been dancing all stopped to stare at her.

     “What do you mean?” Aurora asked sharply.

     “Oh...um..uh...nothing, just I spent a lot on this outfit,” Alternai stammered, trying to make amends.

     “You call that an expensive outfit?” sneered one of the Ixis. The rest of the Ixis laughed. The Ixi continued taunting, “That’s just stuff I would donate to the Money Tree.”

     “So, you say you met Anders and Wilder at the Soup Kitchen? You volunteer there, right?” Aurora continued her interrogation of Alternai.

     “Um...uh…,” Alternai felt her face flushing. The Ixis were not exactly talking quietly and she could tell that a few people were starting to watch the situation unfold.

     “What’s that?” said an Orange Ixi in the group and snatched Alternai’s purse.

     “Hey!” Alternai exclaimed, “Give that ba--” but before she could finish her sentence, the Ixi dumped the contents of the purse on the floor. A few Neopoints clinked on the floor, and some paper fell out.

     “Aha!” said the Ixi in a carrying voice, “A ticket from the Soup Kitchen….you don’t volunteer there, you eat there!”

     More than half the room was now staring. A few of them had their jaws open in surprise at the scene unfolding in front of them.

     “I knew there was something off with that outfit,” said Aurora with a smirk. She and the other Ixis began moving back toward the center of the dance floor.

     “Oops,” said the Orange Ixi, and she pretended to stumble forward, spilling her glass of water all over Alternai.

     Alternai’s face was burning. She felt her eyes prickle. A few Neopets let out peals of derisive laughter as they passed her. She looked around and saw a small door a few feet away. She made her way over there quickly and went into the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. A sob was caught in her throat. She tried to press it down, but it escaped her. Tears were now flowing freely down her face. She was in some sort of stock room; the walls were lined with boxes filled with chocolate products. Moonlight was now streaming in through a small window. It cast an ethereal glow on the somewhat cramped room. Her heart twinged with the pain of missing her old friends. Anders and Wilder were incredibly kind, but they were a part of this world. They would not understand the way she felt.

     Suddenly, the door creaked open. Alternai quickly shifted herself to be hidden behind a stack of boxes. Someone was whistling a cheerful melody. Alternai stood on her tippy toes to look over the boxes to catch a glance of whoever was in stockroom. It was none other than the Chocolatier himself.

     “What a successful evening…” he chirped cheerily, grabbing a box from in front of where Alternai was standing. Alternai ducked down quickly, but the Kiko stared suspiciously at where her head had been.

     “Hello?” he called out cautiously, setting the box down on the floor. He made his way to the row where Alternai was hiding and squinted. Alternai attempted to crouch down to hide in the shadows, but it was no use. The Kiko had spotted her.

     “Egad!” he exclaimed, “What on Neopia are you doing back here? And why are you all wet?”

     New tears surfaced in Alternai’s eyes. She let them fall down her face and hit the floor with a salty splash.

     “I...I don’t belong her,” she said tearfully.

     “Nonsense! You were invited after all,” said the Kiko.

     “No, you don’t understand….” Alternai responded. And she told the Kiko the whole story, of her desire to go to the Chocolate Ball, how she worked hard to become friends with rich Neopians, abandoning her own friends in the process, and how she had been exposed by the group of Ixis as someone who did not belong in a place like this.

     As she told her story, the Kiko’s face darkened. He turned around and let out a long, deep sigh.

     “I never wanted it to be this way,” he admitted, “I said that I wanted this to be an event for everyone...but those Neopets in the upper fronds of society, they don’t like events that aren’t catered especially to them...and how will I ever turn a profit without their funding?”

     “My friends and I would all shop at the Chocolate Factory, but we just don’t feel welcome. A lot of Neopians have some extra Neopoints to spend on chocolate,” responded Alternai.

     “Would they really shop here, do you think?” asked the Kiko.

     “Yes…. I mean, some of the stuff is expensive, but we all do enjoy things like a White Chocolate Mynci every once in a while” Alternai responded.

     “Perhaps I’ve been catering to an exclusive crowd for too long…” muttered the Kiko, “Here’s a towel to dry yourself off”

     “Thanks,” whispered Alternai, taking the towel.

     “Now, don’t let those Neopets get you down. Aren’t you going to go back out there and dance?” asked the Kiko with a small smile, “I’m just about to put out some more sweets”. He jiggled the box in a jesting way.

     Alternai managed a small smile.

     “I don’t think I want to go back out there….I’d only embarrass myself. I don’t belong here.”

     “Nonsense!” exclaimed the Kiko, “Everyone belongs here. You’ve shown me that you don’t need Neopoints to have class. What’s your name?”

     Alternai wiped the few remaining tears from her eyes and let out a small laugh.

      “My name is Alternai….My clothes aren’t good enough for an event like this…” she stated hesitantly.

     The Kiko gave her a look that seemed to pierce right through her. The moonlight shone on her deep brown eyes. Her mane rippled slightly as the cool night air streamed in. Her outfit twinkled in tempo with the stars that dotted the sky. Alternai tilted her head questioningly at the Kiko, who had now been silent for several moments.

     “You look stunning, Alternai” he said plainly, as if it were an obvious truth.

     Alternai’s face grew pink. The Kiko maintained eye contact, unblushing.

     “Really?” she asked.

     “Without a doubt,” he replied.

     “So, what do you say?” inquired the Kiko, hoisting the box of chocolate up on his side. He held out his other hand toward Alternai, “Shall we dance?”

     Alternai was smiling widely now. She nodded and followed the Kiko out onto the dance floor. The Kiko waved at the band and they started up a slow, melodic tune. Alternai and the Chocolatier had now caught the eye of everyone at the ball as they slowly revolved around the other. The group of Ixis stared without shame, but seemed incapable of speech. Anders and Wilder smiled at Alternai as she passed them on the dance floor. Alternai danced until her paws ached, the Chocolatier smiling at her the whole night. Soon though, the sun began to press above the horizon, signalling the end of the Chocolate Ball.

     “Goodbye,” said Alternai at the door.

     “Goodbye, Alternai,” the Chocolatier responded, giving Alternai a light squeeze on the shoulder, “I hope I’ll see you again soon”.

     “You will. I promise,” said Alternai.

     Alternai kicked off her shoes and began the trek to her home in Terror Mountain. It was now well into the morning. On her way down the street, she spotted her old friends. She waved, but they ignored her pointedly. She jogged to catch up to them.

     “Hey! Hey!” she yelled, and they finally stopped. She took a moment to catch her breath.

     “What do you want?” one of them spat out angrily.

     “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have valued an event over our friendship” she replied.

     “You got that right,” said another one of her friends, and gestured to the rest of the group that they should continue walking.

     “Wait!” Alternai shouted. They stopped again.

     Alternai launched into a long apology, told them the story of what had happened at the Chocolate Ball, and ended with an explanation of the plans for the next year’s Chocolate Ball. Her friends stayed and listened, their expressions changing from anger and hurt, to sympathy and kindness, to excitement and joy.

     “We’re just glad you came back to us,” one of her friends said, and they all wrapped her in a big group hug. Alternai felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted off of her shoulders. She reciprocated the hug with a smile.

     ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     A year had passed and the 15th Day of the Month of Gathering was once again upon those in Neopia. Alternai looked at herself in the mirror. She was dressed as she normally would, in a flowy dress and comfortable shoes. She glanced down at her invitation to this year’s Chocolate Ball. It was different from last years in many ways. It had been delivered to her personally by the Chocolatier and it was penned in his loopy handwriting.

      To my dear friend Alternai

     I personally invite you to

     Neopia’s most inclusive event

     The Chocolate Ball

     Alternai met with all of her friends at the Rainbow Fountain. Anders and Wilder conversed casually with Alternai’s other friends. Everyone was grinning broadly.

     “Shall we go?” asked Alternai, and they locked arms and proceeded to the Neopian Bazaar.

     The Chocolate Factory stood resolutely against the evening sky. It glowed with an infectious, inviting energy. Alternai stepped over the threshold into the Chocolate Factory. Just like last year, there were tables filled with food. But it was not just the Neopians who resided in the upper crust of society--Neopians of all walks of life filled the building. Alternai caught the eye of the Chocolatier and waved. He beamed back at her and made his way to the front of the room.

      “Welcome to the Chocolate Ball,” the Kiko announced with a warm smile, “A place for all Neopians”.

      The End.