"Uh-oh, that can't be good," chided his skunk Moehog friend.

"Haha. Come on, hear me out. I mean, look at this map," the Lupe said, laying it before his friend. "You see this mountain range? The one behind the Haunted Woods and the Lost Desert? Don't you ever wonder what's beyond it?"

"Hmm," considered Tadao. "I guess I always figured that, if anything WAS beyond them, it'd be marked on the map, or we'd at least know about it."

"Maybe everyone is still so busy exploring this half of the world, that they haven't gone that way yet. Just think, it was only recently we discovered Jelly World, Meridell, even Krawk Island." suggested the Moehog. "But how on earth would we get to the other side? My hooves aren't made to go climbing over mountains."

"Look, look! To the west of Neopia Central there is a pass. Come on, pack your things. We're GOING!" shouted the Lupe eagerly.

"B-but..." stuttered the surprised Moehog.

"No 'buts'! Come on!" said Darien, pushing his friend towards his house. "Grab what you think you'll need, and meet me back here in 10 minutes!"

Tadao sighed. Oh well, I guess that's what you get for being friends with a Lupe.... He hurried into his home and quickly gathered some supplies for the journey, before meeting his friend outside once more.

"Ready?" asked the Lupe, his eyes sparkling with the eagerness of adventure.

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess..." said Tadao, taking up stride next to his friend as the headed west into the unknown...

As the day wore on, their earlier exuberance turned to exhaustion. They had been walking for more than a half hour in just about complete silence, minus the random whistling from Darien, before the Lupe spoke.

"Tadao," Darien began, "what do you think we'll find when we get past the mountain range?"

"Maybe a new land. You know, maybe a land made entirely of cheese... or some place where everything is backwards... or maybe... plushies?"

"Plushies!" Darien laughed out. "That's a good... one." Darien soon stopped his laughing when he noticed that Tadao had stopped. He also looked to what Tadao had noticed. The path they were walking on had suddenly become soft and cuddly. The ground even had little stitches in it.

They continued walking slowly, gazing around at what there was to be seen. The trees looked different, kinda brighter than normal, with little stitched on patches.

"Darien... is this land supposed to be this way?" Tadao said, sniffing at the grass which, even though it smelt like grass, looked like it was plush.

"Maybe it is... this is cool! We've seen a land made of nothing but jelly, and lands that have been in the air and in the water. But never have I seen a land made entirely of PLUSHIES!"

They both stopped in their tracks when they came across the city, which looked as if it was a giant plushie. Both seemed to notice an unknown creature walking walking towards them. It, too, was nothing but a plushie.

The button-eyed pet approached Darien and Tadao, spooking them when it spoke.

"Hello, welcome to Plushville. We've never had visitors like you before."

Tadao and Darien looked at each other and gulped.

"What are you two?" the creature spoke.

"W-we're Neopets. I'm a Lupe," Darien said, pointing to himself. "And he's a Moehog." Darien said, pointing at Todao. "What... are you?"

"Wow! We're known as Neopets, too! I'm a..."

...Blumaroo! But I guess you could already tell that."

Darien chuckled as he shook the Plushie's squishy hand. "Uh, I guess you DO kinda resemble one. Pleased to make your aquaintance. I'm Darien, and this is my friend, Tadao."

"I'm Springster, but you can call me Springy! Come on, I'll show you around. You must be tired after all that walking," said the excited Blumaroo.

The two non-plushie Neopets were glad to hear this, and eagerly followed Springy into Plushville. It was like walking into a baby pet's dream. Everything was plushie. The stores, street, houses. There were foods made with edible plush and there was even a fountain, but instead of water, it was blue thread! After all that walking, feeling a soft material under their feet was very comforting to the two travelers.

As they were taking in the sights, the other plushie Neopets caught notice of them. They whispered and exchanged glances, all in awe of the newcomers.

"What kind of plushies are they?"

"Ohmygosh! Are they from the outside?"

"I've never seen thread that looked like that before."

Darien and Tadao were a bit uncomfortable with everyone staring, but could understand why they felt like this.

Finally, Springy lead them to a plushie, but still official looking, building. "Wait here," he said. "I'm going to go talk to the mayor about your arrival. It's not everyday we get outsiders! I'm sure he'd love to meet you."

Darien and Tadao nodded as Springy bounced into the building. As they were waiting, Tadao noticed something from the corner of his eye. Slowly sneaking up to them was a tiny plushie Poogle. The young creature looked up at the Moehog with its blue button eyes.

Tadao felt his heart melt as he looked at the little Poogle. "Aww... hey there, little fella," he said, patting him on the head gently with his hoof.

"Have you come to help us?" asked the Poogle quietly.

"Help you?" Tadao exchanged glances with Darian.

Meanwhile, Springy had been watching the scene from the window in Mayor Cotton's office. "Are you sure they can be of any use to us?" asked the large Skeith.

"They look like adventurers, sir. They have to have experience."

The Skeith smiled slyly. "Excellent... let's go and have a word with these newcomers, shall we?"...

"Yes," Tadao admitted, "we are very tired."

"Please sit down then," the large orange Skeith suggested. "Anywhere." The two Neopets looked around them and saw that any place would make a fine bed for a... regular Neopet. They sat down.

"You see," said Springy. "we have lost something very dear and important to our people: the Seam of Life. It mends the weak and heals the sick. It fixes the broken and sews the torn. It's very important to us. We've been searching for weeks, and finally we've concluded that it must be in the Reject Lands. That's where all the reject plushies live. They have something against all plushies that aren't reject, therefore they have their own land in Plushville. They must have stolen the Golden Spool, which holds the Seam of Life. Without it, our people cannot live much longer. The rejects don't need the Seam of Life, but they know how important it is to us... please help Mayor Cotton, and us, get it back! Everyone here's too scared to go! Journeys are too tough for our soft exteriors."

Darian seemed to be thinking things over.

"May we have a few moments to discuss?" asked Tadao. Mayor Cotton nodded. The Moehog looked at the thinking Lupe.

"No." he said bluntly.

"But--" began Darian.

"No." finalized Tadao. "It's enough to bring me out here, but to save the plushie civilization? Don't you think that's just a BIT over our heads?"

"Tadao," gasped Darian. "These poor Neopets have been mourning over a crisis... and here we come, their heroes, and you're going to say 'no'?"

"That's right." snapped Tadao. They were silent for a while.

Finally Darian spoke: "Maybe you don't want to help these plushies, but I'm going to, with or without your help." The Moehog was silent as Darian walked off.

He looked at the looming mountains, then back at his leaving friend, and knew what he had to do.

"Hey Darian," sighed the Moehog, "Wait up..."

..."What?" Darien asked.

"I'm coming!" Tadao called. The Lupe smiled thankfully. The two Neopets walked up to the Skeith.

"Well?" the Skeith asked hopefully.

"We're going to the Reject Lands," Darien told him.

"Oh, thank you!" the Skeith cried, "You are the saviors of Plushville! Now hurry, the sun is setting! You must be on your way very soon. The Reject Lands are just through the pass by the mountains, alright?"

Darien nodded. "In what part of the Reject Lands might we find the Golden Spool?" he asked.

"There is the Reject Mountain, and inside it is a chamber which holds our precious spool. It is heavily guarded, so be careful! Now, be on your way, and may the blessings of Plushville be with you!"

So Darien and Tadao set off for the pass in between the mountains. An hour passed, and soon they had come to the mountains. "Well, this is it," Darien took a deep breath, and together he and the Moehog walked through the pass.

When they got to the other side, the duo gasped in awe. They were on a hill, and below them stood the Reject Lands. It was the most awful land they had ever seen.

It was like a wasteland, with dry, cracked earth and barely any trees or bushes. Houses stood, but they were not made of soft plush material. They were made of sharp, jagged wood. Their eyes widened even more when they saw the Neopets. They couldn't see them well, but they could just make out a few of them walking around their terrible land.

Darien saw a Plushie Blumaroo hopping about miserably. One of his ears was so long that it drooped down to his belly, and the other was so small it didn't reach past his head. His button eyes were hanging out sadly on springs. A plushie Uni had only one large, ripped wing in the middle of her back, and her neck was so heavy she had trouble lifting her head. A plushie Poogle had ripped himself on the sharp stones so much that his stuffing had leaked out everywhere and trailed with him as he walked. There was also a plushie Buzz, whose colour had leaked all over his poor, thin body in a terrible mess.

But as they looked over the Reject Lands, Darien and Tadao saw, on the other side, Reject Mountain towering over the land. It was dark and gloomy, with a thunderous cloud hiding its top. That was where they had to go.

"Oh my," Tadao murmured sadly.

"What an awful place," Darien sighed sorrowfully.

They saw that, to get to the Reject Lands, they had to travel through a little forest. They crept down the hill, not wanting to be seen, and started to make their way through it.

The trees were leafless. Their branches were long and bony, and their trunks were so dry that it looked like they hadn't been watered in years.

Darien felt uneasy, like someone was watching them.

"This is ridiculous," Tadao grumbled, "We're saving Plushville, but putting our own lives in danger! WHY did you have to say yes, Darien?"

But Darien was looking around, his eyes scanning the trees suspiciously.

"It feels like someone is watching us," he whispered.

"Oh no, the three button-eyed Draik Plushie is going to get us," Tadao said sarcastically.

But suddenly, a terrible yell filled the air, and something jumped out from the trees.

Darien screamed as he felt hands grip his back, and tried to fight off the creature.

"DARIEN!" Tadao howled. He picked up a stick and hit the creature off.

The two Neopets heard a sharp cry, and the attacker hit the floor. Darien grabbed the stick and raised it to hit the creature.

But suddenly it cried out, "NO! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"

Darien and Tadao focused on what lay in front of them. They gasped when they saw it was a...

"Y-you're a Gelert," Darien stated, shaking a little himself as he pushed away the stick.

"Uh-huh," the plushie replied, obviously agreeing with the strange creature's statement so it didn't get hurt.

Darien looked at Tadao, then back at the rejected plushie. "Don't worry, we won't hurt you," he said reassuringly.

The plushie looked hopeful. "Really?" it asked in a slightly squeaky voice. Both of the "normal" Neopets nodded, and so the Gelert got up, grinning at them.

"I'm glad to hear that. There have been so many attacks here that we're all afraid," explained the Gelert.

Tadao looked shocked. "Attacks? What attacks?"

"Well... the other plushies have been attacking us, because they think we have stolen their Golden Spool; they think that we'd steal it," the plushie said timidly, "but we could never do such a thing." The Gelert then said sadly, "There might be a lot of us, but we would never steal the Golden Spool."

Darien and Tadao looked at each other. "Hold on," Darien said, "this goes against what the other plushies said."

"Yeah, what are we going to do?" Tadao asked. Both Neopets looked confused at each other.

"Why would they accuse you of stealing it if you didn't?" Darien asked, curious as to why the others would lie.

"I don't know," answered the plushie Gelert. "None of us have any idea why they think we stole it. Why would we steal it, when we know that they would do anything possible to get it back?"

"But they said they couldn't come here, because they were too soft," stated Tadao.

"Well, they came all the same," stated the plushie, as if Tadao had said something nasty.

The Gelert plushie looked around a bit, then asked, "Are you the only two of your kind?"

"What do you mean?" asked Darien.

"Well, I've never seen anything like you two before. Not only that, but you're here!" the Gelert plushie looked as if it had just gotten a brilliant idea, until it looked sadly at them. "Of course, I'm sorry that I didn't understand before."

"Understand what?"

"Well, if you two are the only ones of your kind, then you must have been sent here like the rest of us... marked as rejects..."

..."No, we're not rejects!" Darien laughed, "We came here because Tadao and I didn't know what lay beyond our world. We found Plushville, and the Mayor asked us to come help retrieve the Golden Spool."

"Well, your not going to find it here, because we don't have it," the plushie Gelert said. "Plushville could have put it somewhere."

"I don't know about that. Do you know of anyone from any world who would steal it?" Tadao said.

The Gelert shook its head.

"We might as well go back to Plushville and talk to them about it," suggested Tadao.

His Lupe friend considered it for a moment. "Yes, but really, we're strangers to them... what if they don't believe us?"

"How could we convince them, though?" asked the Moehog.

"Hmm... maybe if we brought back someone representing the reject plushie community." Darien turned to the plushie Gelert, "Will you come with us?"

"Come with you, to Plushville?" asked the stunned Gelert. "Me? They would laugh at me... I'm torn up! Plus, why do you think they would believe me?" The plushie Gelert laughed.

"We're serious!" Darien exclaimed. "Unless you want more trouble with Plushville, we have to act quickly and find the true culprit in this."

The Gelert sat down and thought about it for a few moments. "Alright, I'll go. For the good of the Reject Lands."

"Great!" said Tadao smiling, "Let's head back."

The odd group of pets quickly headed to Plushville. As they entered the city limits, Darien and Tadao discovered why their Gelert friend had been hesitant to go...

Mothers gasped and quickly whisked their children away into their houses. A large group of plushies yelled abuse, and hurled heavy, plush stones at the poor Gelert.

A plushie Wocky cried out rudely, "We all know where you belong, One-Eye! In the Reject Bin!"

School children giggled and sneered as they passed by, and one even threw his school apple towards where Darien, Tadao and the Gelert walked.

"How could they be so cruel?" Tadao gasped.

"Are you alright?" Darien asked the reject plushie quietly.

"Yes, I'm fine," the Gelert replied, but he spoke in a choked whisper, and Darien could see he was trying hold back his tears.

They saw the Mayor's large building, and headed towards it.

As they walked up the road, nearly half the neighborhood gathered along the sidewalks. Darien's heart broke when they all started chanting, "Reject! Reject! Reject! Reject!"

He grasped one paw of the Gelert, and Tadao took the other.

"They say I'm an ugly reject!" the Gelert sobbed, "And I am!"

Darien suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. "Don't say that!" he thundered, "Don't you understand?"

He let go of the Gelert's paw and jumped up on a wall.

"Listen to me, all of you!" he roared to the crowd, "How dare you! How dare you treat a Neopet like this! Don't you see? Over the years, anger and hatred for reject plushies has boiled up inside of you! Every time you see one, you yell and sneer at it! But just remember one thing! You're not all perfect! Just because you're prettier than them, doesn't mean you're better!

In fact, reject plushies are just like you! They're plushies, but only they look different! Is it such a crime to be different from everyone else? Is that any reason to treat them like dirt! They're exactly the same as you! In fact, no! They're not the same as you! They're BETTER! Because even though they're less pretty, they're kind! You are mean and selfish, but reject plushies like my friend here have kind hearts and pure souls! Just you remember that! All of you disgust me! If anyone were to be called a reject, then that would be YOU!"

Darien became silent. The crowd looked shocked. Then he saw them all start to shuffle away, with a look on their faces... a look of shame and guilt!

"Thank you, Darien," the Gelert whispered.

"It had to be said," Darien smiled, "Come on, let's go!"

They came to Mayor Cotton's building. Suddenly the doors burst open, and the Mayor marched out with a dozen guard Neopets around him.

"What is this?" he spluttered, purple with rage, "A reject plushie in MY town? Guards, guards, get it out of here!"

"Wait!" Tadao cried, "He has something to say!"

"I don't want to listen to a stupid reject plushie!" the Mayor snarled, "Guards, what did I say? Get it out of here NOW!"

The guards jumped forward, but Darien shielded the Gelert Plushie and growled.

"He has something to say about the Golden Spool!" he told them.

Mayor Cotton sighed. "Very well," he grumbled, "Reject, talk!

So the Gelert explained everything about Darien and Tadao coming to the Reject Lands and meeting him. "And we don't understand why you keep attacking us, because we don't have your Golden Spool!" he finished after many minutes.

The Mayor was silent for a moment. Then he burst out laughing. "He's lying!" he bellowed, "Cease them!"

The guards grabbed the trio and handcuffed each of them.

"Throw them all into prison," the Mayor commanded.

"All he says is true!" Darien yelled.

"And once we have done that, sir?" a plushie Shoyru guard asked.

"I want my Golden Spool! Prepare the whole of my army, and invade the Reject Lands! Arrest every one of the reject plushies. Once you have done that, take them back here... and turn them all into materials for making toy plushies! Then we will retrieve my precious Spool!"

"No!" the Gelert wailed.

"You can't do this!" Tadao howled.

But they were dragged away. They were taken to a secret underground passageway. There they came to a damp cell and were locked inside.

"We have to do something!" the Gelert wept, as he paced around the dark, dingy chamber, "All of my friend are in the Reject Lands, and they are about to be turned into plushie materials!"

But no one could think of a plan. They sat in an awful silence. Nothing could be heard but the sobs of the poor Gelert. But just when all hope seemed lost, it was as if a light bulb had switched on inside Darien's mind! He had thought of an idea that would get them out and give them a chance to save the Reject Lands...

..."Wait a minute!" Darien cried. "This world is made of plushie, right?"

The others nodded, confused.

"So this cell must be made of plushie!" Darien said excitedly.

They ran up to the wall and felt it. It was plushie! It just looked like stone! "Tadao, do you think you could rip through this with your tusks?" Darien asked. The Moehog grinned and nodded his head. With just a few swipes he ripped through the plush, and the group found themselves behind the mayor's office.

"Hey, what's that?" Darien noticed a small golden thread sticking partially from a large drawer. The Gelert tugged on the string and gasped. Instantly, all his small rips and tears healed up. He was still a reject- that could never change, but any unnatural wounds disappeared without a trace. In shock, he jerked the drawer open.

"I-it's the Golden Spool! Why is it here?" he asked incredulously.

"The mayor. I bet this is his doing!" said Darien. "His hate for rejects is obvious. He must have taken the Spool himself, and blamed it on the Reject Lands."

The Gelert gasped in terror. "He's gonna wipe us out, and make US look like the bad guys!"

"That's terrible!" snorted Tadao.

"Come on! We have to save the rejects!" Darien yelled. "Tadao, you tell the citizens of Plushville what has happened, then hurry and meet us in the Reject Lands." The Moehog nodded and raced out the door.

The Lupe and Gelert ran all the way to Reject Land, and nearly couldn't breathe when they got there, partly because they had been running for so long, and partly because of what they saw.

The army of Plushville had started arresting everyone in sight. The two snuck behind the trees, over to the mountain, where Mayor Cotton was watching everything. He had two guards with him.

The Gelert slowly crept up beside one guard... then WHOOSH! the guard was gone. The reject came back a minute later wearing the guard's clothes. "Had to go to the bathroom," he mumbled to the mayor, careful to keep his face hidden.

Then, Darien did the same with the other guard. The mayor frowned, but didn't notice anything wrong.

Before anyone could see what had happened, the two pets pulled the mayor inside.

"Aarg! Somebody help me!" he yelled. But no one could hear him up on that mountain.

"Tell them to stop arresting Neopets and let them all go, or else!" Darien ordered...

"Quiet! We know what you did! You lied to the Neopets of Plushville, just to further your own agenda. You're the cause of all this trouble, all because you let your hatred turn you into a monster," Darien growled.

Darien motioned to the reject Gelert. "Now, we're going to expose your secret to everyone, plushies and rejects alike," the Gelert pulled the Golden Spool from behind his back and held it in front of the Skeith's startled face.

Darien and his friend walked out of the mountain, leaving Mayor Cotton groveling on the cold stone ground. Darien quickly surveyed the terrible scene that lay before him. Rejects were running and stumbling in the mud, desperate to escape the plushie army. The youngest ones cried out in fear as they were herded into cages and shoved to the ground.

Darien set his jaw firmly, then began to speak. His voice erupted from his mouth, silencing the noise of the chaos as all eyes fell on him.

"Stop this at once! Stop before you make a dreadful mistake that I know you will regret later. You've been decieved, all of you, and those who you are arresting and punishing now are innocent. The mayor of Plushville, Mayor Cotton, is the true culprit here. The Spool was never stolen, or missing; he was hiding it all along, just to make you hate these poor rejects as much as he does!" Darien held The Spool, and the precious Seam of Life, high above his head for all to see.

Mayor Cotton stumbled out of the cave in the mountain. "Lies! All lies!" he cried out shakily, "Who will you believe, your beloved mayor, or this outsider and his despicable reject friend?"

But no one was listening to the mayor; the army of Plushville was staring at Darien, completely stunned. Gasps and whispers were heard in the crowd.

A voice came from behind Darien. "Everything my friend says is true; we found The Spool hidden in the mayor's office."

Darien turned in surprise. "Tadao, you made it!"

"Yep, and I brought the plushies with me. I told them all what happened, and they're here to help. They were even willing to make the dangerous journey here, to make up for what they've done to the rejects."

Now the crowd had joined together, plushie and reject alike, and were advancing on the mayor. He was put into the chains originally meant for the rejects, and carried off to prison by the army.

"This is wonderful!" exclaimed the reject Gelert looking at Tadao and Darien, "Thank you for stopping the army!"

The rejects and the plushies celebrated together, happy that the conflict had been resolved. The plushies felt terrible for their previous prejudice against the rejects, and invited them to move into Plushville, far away from the Reject Lands.

"I can never tell you how much this means to us," the Gelert said as he clasped hands with his two new friends, "we're so grateful for what you have done for us. Years from now, we will still tell the story of the two outsiders who helped unite the rejects and the plushies. You're heroes!"

"Heroes, eh? I like the sound of that!" Darien replied with a chuckle.

"But now, we really should be getting back home to Neopia Central; I've had enough adventuring for now," Tadao said.

Darien and Tadao watched as the rejects and plushies began walking towards Plushville, and smiled. They waved at their friends one last time, then began to make their own long journey home.

The End