Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a beautiful spring morning. Once-ler stood underneath a blue sky, right next to a clear river, in a field scattered with numerous white daffodils, as a few small butterflies fluttered about. However, despite the peaceful atmosphere of the scene that surrounded him, Once-ler still could not help but feel uneasy. For standing right in front of him, just a few feet away, was none other than Greed-ler. Once-ler, despite his fear, found himself unable to move as the green-clad man smirked and gave him a knowing look.

“Yes Once-ler, the time has almost come...” Greed-ler mused as he bent over to pluck a single daffodil from the ground. Greed-ler studied the flower for a moment before he walked over and offered it to Once-ler. “...soon, everything will change...”

Unable to stop himself, Once-ler reached out and took the daffodil from Greed-ler's hand. As Once-ler gazed down at it, a small white butterfly landed in the yellow center of the flower. The insect remained there for a few moments before it flew away and disappeared into the distance.

“...including you!” Greed-ler sneered with a sinister grin as the sky suddenly turned hazy and gray before he suddenly vanished into a puff of smogulous smoke, which then wrapped itself around Once-ler, transforming him.

Afterwards, Once-ler frantically looked around the field, only to see that Greed-ler was gone, the butterflies had left, and that all the flowers in the field had shriveled up and died. Once-ler gazed back down at the daffodil in his hand and gasped in shock when he saw the now wilted flower crumbling away, and that he was wearing Greed-ler's green gloves. 

A sense of dread began to fill Once-ler as he turned towards the river to look at his reflection, only to see himself wearing Greed-ler's green suit and top hat as well. As Once-ler continued to stare at his reflection in disbelief, the water in the river turned black with schlop. Seeing this, Once-ler became full of fear and despair, and he fell down to his knees as he cried out into the empty field.

Once-ler gasped as he suddenly shot up in bed. As he took in his surroundings, he began to calm down as he realized he had yet another nightmare. With a sigh, Once-ler got up and walked over to his window, where he saw that the weather outside was just as beautiful as it had been in his dream, with a clear blue sky and a few butterflies fluttering about. But Once-ler feared that just like in that dream, things would soon change, and that this idyllic scene would someday turn into something out of a nightmare.

Once-ler sighed again as he looked over at his alarm clock. Since it was Sunday, he had allowed himself to sleep in a little since he didn't have to go to work, but there was another appointment that Once-ler did not want to be late for. So he quickly began to get ready, because today, Once-ler would be meeting his family at a restaurant in town for brunch. 

After Once-ler eventually sobered up after the incident at the party, he was finally able to tell his mother about all the great business deals he had made. Isabella was thrilled to hear the news and wanted to celebrate. Once-ler suggested going to out to brunch, which Isabella and the rest of the family readily agreed to.

After Once-ler had a small snack, got cleaned up, and got dressed, he walked over to his vanity table to grab his fedora, which sat next to his sketchbook and a truffula floral arrangement that he had picked up from the party. Once-ler picked up his hat and put it on his head, then he glanced down at the sketchbook. Once-ler picked up the sketchbook and turned to the page that featured the drawing of Greed-ler that bared his own name. As Once-ler looked down at the drawing, his mind became full of uncertainty and dread. He gazed  at the picture for another moment, then set the sketchbook down and began to exit the bedroom, but before Once-ler made it out the door, he heard a familiar voice echo inside his head.

“Since you're heading into town, you might as well bring some extra cash with you. It would be a good day to do some shopping.”

Once-ler hesitated for a moment, then decided that he ultimately agreed. So, Once-ler reached into a drawer of the vanity table, pulled out a hidden wad of cash, and stashed several extra bills into his wallet and pockets. Once-ler then grabbed his cell phone and keys and headed out.

But before Once-ler could meet his family for brunch, he had to go out and feed Melvin. Tomorrow was the first day of the factory's planned closure in preparation for the expansion.  Due to the factory being closed, all of the staff, including the stable-hand, were currently on leave. Even though the stable-hand normally came every day, even on weekends, Once-ler figured that since he would not have much work to do before and during the closure, he could take care of Melvin himself during this time and allow the stable-hand to have some additional time off. 

 Once-ler went down the stairs to the parlor room and exited the back door. He then made his way towards Melvin's barn, taking a glance at the super axe hacker that was parked nearby. After Once-ler entered the barn, he greeted his mule with a few pets, before he gave Melvin some fresh hay, food, and water. Afterwards, Once-ler left and closed the barn, only to turn around and see the Lorax standing just a few feet away.

“Are you still going to do it?” the Lorax asked him with a glare.

“Do what?” Once-ler asked back, irritated by the Lorax's presence.

“Use that crazy contraption of yours to chop down the trees,” the Lorax answered as he pointed to the super axe hacker.

“Yeah...I am.” Once-ler replied, trying but failing to sound confident, feeling guilty for breaking his promise and betraying his would-be friend, but also still wanting to bigger his business.

“You still really want to do this?” the Lorax asked again in anger and disbelief. Despite everything, the forest guardian still hoped that Once-ler would change his mind. 

Once-ler felt a sudden surge of anger well up within him, and his eyes glowered as he began to shout at the Lorax “I think the real question here is why you don't want me to do this? It can't hurt to chop down a few trees!” Once-ler snapped. “Seriously, something good finally happens to me, I'm actually becoming successful, and you just have to come along and rain on my parade! What's your problem? Why are you trying to ruin this for me?”

“You're the one who's going to ruin everything if you don't stop!” the Lorax shouted “Including your own life!” 

“You're the one who's ruining my life by coming over here all the time, and trying to make me feel bad about what I'm doing!” Once-ler yelled back “I already told you that I'm going to keep on biggering my business, so why don't you just give up and leave me alone!”

“No Beanpole, I won't give up!” the Lorax stated angrily, his eyes full of determination. “As long as there are trees still standing, I will never stop trying to protect this forest, and all the creatures that live in it...including you.”

As Once-ler heard the Lorax's words, the anger that had previously welled up within him dissipated just as quickly as it came, leaving Once-ler dumbstruck.

“Yeah that's right,” the Lorax continued “I'm not gonna give up on you, or stop hoping that you'll eventually come to your senses and stop all this biggering nonsense before you destroy everything and chop down every last tree in this valley.”

Once-ler stood there stunned another moment before he finally spoke. “Now come on, there is no way that is ever going to happen.” Once-ler told the forest guardian.

“I hope you're right, Beanpole. I hope you're right.” the Lorax replied solemnly.

Just then, Once-ler's cell phone rang, and he quickly pulled it out of his pocket to answer it.

“Son, where are you?” Isabella urgently asked him on the other end before Once-ler even had a chance to greet her. “You were supposed to be here several minutes ago! Is everything okay?”

“Yeah Mom, everything's fine. I'm heading right over.” Once-ler told her before he quickly hung up and put the phone away. 

Once-ler then looked back down at the Lorax, who gazed up at him with a sad expression.

“Look, I don't have time for this,” Once-ler muttered as he angrily stormed past the Lorax. 

As the clear sky overhead began to turn gray, the Lorax turned around and continued to gaze sadly at Once-ler as the latter walked away. 

Once-ler eventually made it to the restaurant, where he enjoyed a nice and relaxing brunch with his family, complete with delicious pancakes. For a moment, Once-ler was truly happy, and he had forgotten about both the Greed-ler and the Lorax.

“Thank you all so much for this.” Once-ler told his family with a smile as he placed money on the table to pay for everyone's food. “I really appreciate it.” 

“Oh, you're welcome Oncie,” his mother replied. “We're all very proud of you.”

Once-ler beamed with pride at his mother's words.

“That being said...” Isabella continued, her tone turning colder. “...there are a few things I want to talk to you about.”

Once-lers face fell, knowing where this conversation was going. Despite all that he had accomplished, Once-ler knew that his mother wasn't pleased about something.

“Have you been rehearsing for your television appearance?” his mother asked sternly.

“Yes Mom, I have,” Once-ler answered nervously. Admittedly, he hadn't been practicing as much lately since he had been busy preparing for the party and building the super axe hacker prototype, but he wasn't going to tell his mother that. 

“Have you decided what you're going to wear?” Isabella further inquired. “The outfit you wore to the party was a bit...lackluster, to be honest, and I don't want to make the same mistake whenever you go on TV. You want to make sure you wear something classy and stylish, but also memorable.”

“Right Mom, of course.” Once-ler told her as he tried to avoid her gaze.

“So, have you come up with something yet or not?” his mother asked again.

“Not yet...” Once-ler admitted.

“Once-ler!” Isabella scolded. “This is important! Now that you're becoming even more successful, you need to focus on your image!” At this point, several patrons at the restaurant began staring at the pair as they continued to argue.

“I know Mom, and I'll come up with something soon, I've just been really busy and haven't had time...” Once-ler began.

“I don't want to hear your excuses!” his mother shouted as she suddenly stood up. “You need to be staying on top of these things!”

“But I have been!” Once-ler protested as he also stood up. “I've been biggering my business, building the prototype for the super axe hacker, planning renovations for the penthouse, practicing for the TV segment, and preparing for the party, where I secured several business deals. I've been working really hard!” Once-ler continued before he turned to his brothers “Isn't that right guys?” he asked them desperately.

Brett and Chet looked down at their empty plates, refusing to say a word. Once-ler frowned in disappointment, realizing that he should have known better than to expect them to come to his defense.

“Not hard enough, apparently.” Isabella scoffed. “You're neglecting important issues, and you can't do that if you want to run a business. I thought you would have learned your lesson after that fiasco with the blackout, but apparently not. I just knew you would screw this up!”

“Mom, listen I...” Once-ler tried to protest again.  

“Yes, I was right all along,” his mother interrupted him, her tone cold as ice. “I always knew you would never amount to anything.” 

Once-ler stood there for a moment, completely stunned, until he turned around and stormed out of the restaurant, trying to fight back tears. Feeling hurt, betrayed, and angry, Once-ler continued to walk towards the center of town, as the sky turned grayer and a slight drizzle of rain started to fall. He simply could not believe what had just happened. Once-ler had hoped that after starting his business and becoming successful, he would never hear his mother say those words ever again. He had worked so hard to try to bigger his business and impress her, nearly sacrificing both his health and his sanity in the process, yet no matter how much he did, it just wasn't enough for her. 

Once-ler eventually made his way to the town square, not too far from the gazebo where he had first tried to sell his thneed. The street was lined with shops, including an upscale department store. As Once-ler walked past the department store window, a flash of green caught his eye. When Once-ler turned around to look at the display behind the glass, he gasped in shock.

There, displayed on a mannequin, was the green suit that Greed-ler wore. Consisting of a  green pinstriped jacket with sharp lapels, a white dress shirt, a black and green striped tie, dark gray pants, and finally, a large black top hat with a green band.   

As Once-ler continued to stare at the display, he could see Greed-ler appear behind him in the reflection of the window, but this time Once-ler did not flinch away.

“You've had a bad day Once-ler, so why don't you buy yourself something nice.” Greed-ler sneered as he leaned closer. “Come on, you know you want to. You always have. Don't you remember?”

Once-ler's eyes widened as he began to recall a memory from the past. He had been walking away from the gazebo, with Melvin following behind him, after a terrible day of trying to sell his thneed. Once-ler's clothes were covered in tomato stains, and he held his busted guitar, that had a mean little girl had smashed, in his hands. Dismayed by yet another failure, and also by the fact that his most prized possession was now broken, Once-ler struggled to hold back tears as he made his way through town to buy some supplies, including some masking tape, so that way he could fix his beloved guitar. 

As Once-ler went further into town, he walked past that same department store window. When he looked up and saw that same unforgettable green suit. Once-ler stopped and stared at it, wishing that one day he could become rich and successful enough to obtain it, and that desire had never left him.

“Yes Once-ler, we've been dreaming about owning that suit for oh so long, and now it can finally be ours.” Greed-ler whispered. “Thanks to all of my help, we have more than enough money. Now all we have to do is buy it and then we'll be one step closer to making all of our dreams come true.”

Greed-ler then disappeared, and Once-ler, now filled with determination, went inside the store. Once-ler made his way through the men's department, passing a thneed display along the way. He made a beeline towards the nearest register, which sat on top of a glass case filled with men's accessories.

“Hello,” Once-ler greeted the sales associate that stood behind the register. “I would like to buy the suit in the window, please.”

“Excuse me sir, could you repeat that?” the sales associate asked in confusion. The suit in the window was one of the store's most expensive pieces, and the man had a hard time believing that anyone could actually afford to buy it. 

“I said, I would like to buy the suit in the window, please.” Once-ler repeated as he set down a large amount of cash down on the counter. 

The sales associate stared down at the pile of cash in astonishment, before he quickly collected himself, realizing that the person he was dealing with must have been extremely wealthy. Even more so than the  store's typical customers. “Of course, sir I will get that for you right away.” 

The sales associate then went over to retrieve the suit. While Once-ler waited for the man to return, he looked at the accessories inside the glass case. There were two particular items that immediately caught his attention: a gold pocket watch and a pair of sparkly blue sunglasses. Just as he had with the suit, Once-ler knew that he had seen both items before. 

Once-ler recalled another memory of the day he had first seen the suit. After entering the store and seeing that it cost more money than he could ever imagine having in his life, Once-ler decided to look around the store in hopes of finding a replacement for his tomato stained shirt. Unfortunately for him,  everything he saw was too expensive. Still, Once-ler kept looking around the men's department and eventually went over to the same glass case, where he first saw that same pocket watch and pair of sunglasses.

“Is there anything I can help you with?” the sales associate had asked politely at first, before he cringed at Once-ler's appearance, wondering why someone who looked so disheveled was shopping at this store.

“No, thank you. I was just looking.” Once-ler replied sadly, knowing that he couldn't afford anything in the store back then. But now, things were different.

“Will you be needing anything else, sir?” the sale associate in the present asked as he returned with the suit, which he had now placed on clothes hangers.

“Yes, I would also like to purchase this pocket watch and this pair of sunglasses, please.” Once-ler informed the sales associate as he pointed to the items in the case. “And now that I think about it, I could also use a new pair of shoes. I'll be right back.” Once-ler told the sale associate.

Once-ler went over to the men's shoe department and selected a pair of expensive dress boots, then returned to the resister to buy all of his items before he finally left the department store. Afterwards, Once-ler went back home to his factory. With his new purchases in hand, Once-ler entered his penthouse through the parlor room, and headed up the stairs to his bedroom. As Once-ler ascended the stairs, he smiled as he imagined himself wearing his new outfit. 

When Once-ler finally reached the bedroom. He took all the items out of their packages. Once-ler set the shoes down by his bed. Then he placed the top hat, gold pocket watch, and blue sunglasses on his vanity table, right next to his sketchbook and the truffula floral arrangement. Once-ler wanted to take another look at the suit, still not able to believe that it was finally his after all this time, so Once-ler set the hanger down on a hook behind his bedroom door and removed the suit from the garment bag.

When Once-ler saw the pinstriped green jacket again, he gasped as he suddenly remembered who the suit really belonged to, the Greed-ler, his sinister alter-ego that had been tormenting him for months. As Once-ler began to recall his past encounters with Greed-ler, he became filled with fear and doubt again.

Once-ler's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his cell phone ringing. Startled, Once-ler pulled the phone out of his pocket, only to see that it was his mother who was calling. As Once-ler stared down at the name on the cell phone screen, he once again became angry as recalled the words she had said to him earlier that day.

“I always knew you would never amount to anything,” his mother's voice whispered inside his head.

As tears began to sting his eyes for the second time that day and the drizzle of rain outside turned into a downpour, Once-ler angrily turned his phone off. Then, with a scream of frustration, Once-ler turned around and threw the phone towards his gold gilded full-length mirror. Where it left a large crack in the glass upon impact before falling to the floor. Afterwards, Once-ler sat down on his bed with his head in his hands, trying not to cry. A moment later, Once-ler heard his radiophone faintly ringing from another room, but he ignored it, knowing who was at the other end.

“Oh Once-ler, I'm so sorry.” a familiar voice whispered, “Believe me, I know how much it hurts.”

Once-ler looked up, and he saw Greed-ler emerge from the broken mirror. “Leave me alone!” Once-ler told him angrily.

“But Once-ler you are alone,” Greed-ler replied with a smirk. “There's nobody else here except for you.”

Once-ler stared at Greed-ler, his fear growing as he understood the meaning of the green-clad man's words.

“I just want to help you Once-ler,” Greed-ler explained, interrupting the silence. “I want to stop this sort of thing from happening. You know that, don't you? That's one of the reasons you envisioned me. Because Mom is right, you ultimately don't have what it takes to run a business. That's where I come in.” Greed-ler sneered 

“Go away, I don't need you!” Once-ler shouted as he suddenly stood up to face Greed-ler.

“You're just lying to yourself Once-ler, and we both know it!” Greed-ler spat back. “You know deep down that you can't do this without me. You need me! How many times are you going to screw up before you finally accept the truth? Without me, you're nothing, and if keep on refusing me and messing things up, you'll be left with nothing!”

“N-no you're w-wrong...” Once-ler stammered. “I w-won't have n-nothing. I have a family...”

“A family that would have nothing to do with you if it wasn't for this business!” Greed-ler interrupted him.

“That's not true!” Once-ler tried to shout back, his voice wavering. “They care about me! They came out here to help me!”

“They came out here to help you make money!” Greed-ler yelled. “Without that, they would have absolutely no reason to care about you at all!”

“No...” Once-ler whispered as the tears in his eyes threatened to spill over.

“And they would all leave you behind forever the very moment this business went under,” Greed-ler sneered.

“No...that's not true.” Once-ler shook his head as he began to cry, still in denial. “That's not true...you're lying!” Once-ler suddenly shouted as tears ran down his face. “You're lying to me! That's not true!”

“I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.” Greed-ler stated as Once-ler sat back on the bed and sobbed. As rumbles of thunder could be heard outside, Once-ler continued crying as he tried to come to terms with what Greed-ler had told him.

“The truth hurts, doesn't it?” Greed-ler remarked, “But don't worry Once-ler, there's still a way to make all the pain go away. All you have to do is become someone worth caring about, someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.” Greed-ler sneered “You have to become me.” 

Once-ler stopped crying and looked back up at Greed-ler, enticed by his words but still feeling uncertain.

“Besides, you know that I'm the person you always wanted to be,” Greed-ler taunted “Someone rich, stylish, and successful who could finally earn the family's respect. You have been dreaming of me, of becoming me, for quite some time.” Greed-ler told Once-ler as he gestured towards the sketchbook.

Once-ler got up and walked towards the vanity table. He looked down at the sketchbook and saw the drawing of who he knew was really himself, wearing that green suit. Once-ler looked down at the picture for another moment, then took a few steps back, and turned towards the real suit jacket that still sat behind the door.

“Yes Once-ler, you've always known exactly what you wanted, and now is the time to finally make that dream a reality.”

As Greed-ler stepped back inside the mirror, Once-ler walked over to the green suit jacket. Cautiously, he reached out and touched it. As Once-ler felt the rich fabric under his fingers, the feeling of desire welled back up within him. Greed-ler was right. Once-ler knew that there was a part of himself that always wanted this, and now was his chance to finally make it happen, to become the person he always dreamed of being. 

Once-ler's brows furrowed in determination, then he took off the clothes he was wearing, before he grabbed the suit and began putting all of the pieces on. The dark gray pants, the white dress shirt, the sharp green jacket, and finally the tie. Then Once-ler walked over to his bed, sat down, and put his new dress boots on. Afterwards, Once-ler got up and walked towards the vanity table. He attached the gold pocket watch to his belt loop and put it inside his pocket, then Once-ler placed the large top hat on his head. 

Before putting on the blue sunglasses, Once-ler adjusted his tie in the mirror, then looked down at his sketchbook again, where he noticed a small detail in the drawing. Once-ler recalled how he had somehow wanted to include a truffula tuft into his signature look, so he had come up with the idea to use a truffula twig as a boutonniere. Once-ler looked back up and glanced over at the truffula floral arrangement. He reached out to pluck a small twig from the vase, then placed it on the lapel of his jacket, before he finally put on the sparkly blue sunglasses.

Once-ler gazed at his reflection in the vanity mirror for one more moment, before he stepped over to the full-length mirror to get a full look at his outfit. Whenever Once-ler saw his reflection in the broken  mirror, he jumped back in shock.

“Very nice, but aren't you forgetting something?” Once-ler's reflection whispered to him.

As Once-ler realized that the man in the mirror was correct, he turned around and walked over to his closet, where he had put his knitting bag away. Once-ler reached inside the bag and pulled out the green grovvulous gloves, before he went back over to the full-length mirror. After only a moment of hesitation, Once-ler slipped the gloves on over his jacket.

“There, perfect.” Greed-ler stated as he stepped outside the mirror. He circled around Once-ler, who stood there frozen in intimidation.

“It's amazing what a change of clothes can do to a person,” Greed-ler continued as he came back around to face Once-ler. “It can make you feel like a whole new man.” 

Then, with a glare and a sinister smirk, Greed-ler disappeared, and Once-ler felt a familiar surge of energy fill his body. It was the same sensation that he had felt at the party, and while working on his various plans. There were also other brief moments where he felt this way while speaking to colleagues and even confronting the Lorax. All times where he felt powerful but also not in control of himself, as though someone else had taken over entirely.

Trembling, Once-ler gasped and clutched his chest as he looked up at his reflection in the broken mirror. The glass was fractured and split, just like his state of mind. Despite his desires, Once-ler still feared losing control of himself. As lighting started to flash outside, that familiar surge of energy threatened to overtake him completely, and Once-ler heard conflicting voices echo through his mind.

“Hey, you broke your promise. You’re better than this. You gotta stop! This is bad!”

“You have to do what’s best for the company, and your momma.”

“How bad can it possibly be?”

“I thought you were better than this, but I guess I was wrong about you. You're not just greedy, you're heartless too.”

“Son, don't let me down,

“Business is business and business must grow.” 

 “I'm telling you, if you keep this up, the entire forest is going to become a wasteland!”

“I'm so proud of you.” 

“Who cares if a few trees are dying?”

“You're going to destroy everything, including yourself! You're crazy with greed!”

“You'll never amount to anything.”

“You can't escape me.”

Those voices continued to echo through Once-ler's mind as he continued to struggle, until one of them suddenly became louder than the rest.

“Once-ler?”

“Once-ler are you in here?”

Once-ler turned his head towards the bedroom door as his mother stepped inside.

“Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you! Why didn't you answer my calls?” Isabella scolded Once-ler before looking up at him. When she saw he son's appearance, her eyes widened in surprise.

“Mom...” Once-ler whispered, his mind still in a daze. He stood there completely frozen as she looked at him.

“Oh my goodness, Oncie you look amazing!” Isabella smiled  as she came over to hug her son.

“Do you really think so?” Once-ler asked her nervously.

“I sure do!” Isabella replied excitedly before she noticed the broken mirror. “What in the world happened?” she inquired.

“Don't worry about it. It can be easily replaced. I have plenty of money now.” Once-ler reassured her.

“You sure do!” his mother exclaimed, smiling again. “And now you also have yourself a snazzy new suit, and those gloves of yours look really nice too. Where did you get them?” she asked.

“I made them myself actually.” Once-ler replied with a blush.

“Really, Oncie? You did such an amazing job!” Isabella grinned and he held his gloved hand. “They compliment your suit perfectly!” Isabella continued to smile as she took a step backwards to look Once-ler over. “Honestly, the entire outfit looks great. I really like all of your other accessories too!”

“Do you really like it?” Once-ler asked further, still not quite able to believe everything he was hearing.

“Oh, I absolutely love it!” his mother told him. “Are you going to wear it for your TV appearance?”

“I guess I could...” Once-ler considered

“Well, I think you should! It looks perfect on you! It's both iconic and stylish. Don't you agree? ” she asked him.

“Yeah...I think you're right.” Once-ler answered back as he looked at his broken reflection.

“You look like a real businessman now, rich and successful. Oh Oncie, I'm so proud of you.” Isabella complimented her son before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you Mom.” Once-ler told her.

“Let's go and show it to the rest of the family.” Isabella suggested excitedly as she grabbed him by the arm.

“Yeah, sure,” Once-ler replied with a smile.

“You know, the color green really suits you.” Isabella remarked as she led  Once-ler out of the bedroom.