Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Prologue: Be Careful What You Wish For

Once-ler returned to his cottage after another day of trying and failing to sell his thneed. After walking through the door, Once-ler set the bag of groceries he had been carrying down on the counter and took off his guitar, placing it carefully on his couch. Once-ler then used his thneed to wipe off the remaining tomato stains from his face and clothes before he tossed his failed invention aside in frustration.

Once-ler was alone. The animals that had once gathered in the cottage had left a while ago, having sense decided that they were all much happier living outside under the truffula trees. Once-ler sighed as he walked over to the counter and began taking the groceries out of the bag. Although Once-ler had been quite annoyed when he woke up one morning only to find the Lorax and a bunch of animals all crowded in his cottage, he did still enjoy their presence as long as they respected his personal space. At that moment, Once-ler almost wished for the company of a few animal acquaintances or even the Lorax himself. But Once-ler knew that even if they were here with him, none of them could understand how he felt today and why.

With all the groceries set out on the counter, Once-ler could now begin baking. He put on his apron, grabbed a large bowl, and mixed several ingredients together. Including flour, milk, sugar, eggs, butter, baking powder, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. After the ingredients were sufficiently mixed, Once-ler grabbed a baking pan and poured the batter inside it before he stuck the pan in the oven. Once-ler then set the timer, removed his apron, grabbed his guitar, and sat down. While he waited for his treat to bake, Once-ler decided to play a song. He strummed a few notes on his guitar, then with a sigh, Once-ler began to sing:

Nobody needs a Thneed
A stupid thing no one will ever need
The Thneed is dumb
The Thneed is lame
Who's the idiot who came up with that name?
Oh, right, that was me

With another sigh, Once-ler continued to sing to himself.

Nobody needs a Thneed
A stupid thing no one will ever need
The Thneed is dumb
The Thneed is lame
Who's the idiot who came up with that name?

The timer went off. Once-ler got up and put his apron back on, along with some oven mitts. Then he pulled the pan out of the oven, and carefully removed his freshly baked cake from the pan, placing it on a large plate. While he waited for the cake to cool, Once-ler took off his oven mitts and went over to his desk to check his phone.

“No new messages. No missed calls,” the automated voice on the phone informed him.

Once-ler sighed again. Whenever he had first arrived in the Truffula Forest, Once-ler had called his family to check in and let them know where he was. Once-ler had not heard from his family since then. He had hoped that they would have tried to get in touch with him today. Or at least leave him a message to wish him well. Although Once-ler knew that this would not be the first time they had forgotten.

Feeling dejected, Once-ler went back over to the counter. He grabbed a tub of icing and frosted the cake. After he finished, Once-ler picked up a piping tube of green icing and wrote the words “Happy Birthday Once-ler” on top of the cake before he added some green birthday candles. Once-ler stepped back for a moment to admire his work. Then he grabbed his birthday cake and set it down on his small dining table.

Once-ler lit the birthday candles. After he carefully extinguished the match, Once-ler removed his apron, sat down, and closed his eyes as he began to think about what he wanted to wish for. More than anything, Once-ler wanted his thneed to become successful and make him rich. Then he could prove his family wrong when they said he wouldn't amount to anything, and they would finally be proud of him. 

Once-ler opened his eyes, and in the glow of the candlelight, a scene appeared before him. The other half of the cottage was now an opulent parlor room, where his family sat on luxurious couches. They were smiling and applauding a man dressed in a stylish green suit and large top hat, while he played a simple but catchy melody on a shiny red guitar. Once-ler stared at the vision in awe. The green-clad man bore such a great resemblance to him, but he was everything Once-ler wasn't and had hoped to be, rich, successful, respected, and admired. 

Suddenly, the green-suited man stopped playing the guitar and turned towards Once-ler. “Happy birthday, Once-ler...” the man spoke as he smiled and held out a green-gloved hand towards him “...I hope that someday all of our dreams will come true.”

As Once-ler continued to gaze at the scene, he slowly reached out his own hand out across the table towards the man in the vision. Completely transfixed by the image in front of him, Once-ler had failed to notice that one of the flames from the birthday candles had caught onto his sleeve, until he suddenly felt a sharp burning pain. With a yelp, Once-ler jerked his arm back and then quickly blew out the small flame from his clothes before he hastily blew out the rest of the birthday candles. 

After all the flames were extinguished, Once-ler caught his breath. He looked down at his injured arm before he gazed back up past the dining table. The vision had seemingly vanished along with the candle flames, but the desire to make that vision a reality still burned deeply within him. However, unbeknownst to Once-ler, pursuing that dream would ultimately wind up hurting him in the end.

Chapter 1: The Nightmare Begins

Sometime later, Once-ler's dreams had seemingly come true. Thneeds had somehow become an overnight success. And not long after that, Once-ler had decided to have a factory built, so that way thneeds could be produced more quickly. Now, As Once-ler strolled through the newly constructed building of his own design. he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. Once-ler could hardly believe that his thneeds had become so popular and that his idea for the factory he had designed to make them was now real. The factory even included an attached penthouse, allowing Once-ler to live where he worked. Living at the factory made things easier for him, as being the President of one of Greenville's most profitable companies, now known as Thneed Inc. kept him very busy. Although Once-ler felt stressed at times, he was thrilled by his newfound success and he hoped that his business would continue to grow.

However, Once-ler also felt conflicted. While he knew that it was necessary to break his promise to the Lorax, and chop down a few trees in order to bigger his business. Once-ler still sometimes felt guilty about it. He still had fond memories of his time spent in the Truffula Forest. It was one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen. Once-ler had enjoyed spending his days sitting and knitting in his little cottage, surrounded by colorful truffula trees. Once-ler had also enjoyed the company of Pipsqueak and the other animals that lived there, including the Lorax. While Once-ler at times found the Lorax to be slightly annoying, he had still been rather fond of him and even hoped that they could have been friends at one point, but now that Once-ler had broken his promise, that would no longer be possible.

Once-ler kept reminiscing as he continued to inspect the factory. He made his way over to the manufacturing area, where the thneeds were produced. When Once-ler stepped inside, he could smell the faint aroma of smogulous smoke. Most of the smoke flowed through valves and pipes that carried it outside of the factory, but some traces of the fumes remained inside. For this reason, employees who worked in this area would wear protective equipment. There were even rumors that inhaling too much of the smoke could cause hallucinations.

Once-ler thought his workers were exaggerating. He didn't really believe that the smoke produced from his factory could possibly be that harmful. Despite his doubts about their claims, Once-ler bought his employees the protective equipment anyway. It was a small price to pay to keep his employees from complaining. Once-ler never thought it necessary to wear it himself during his inspections though, since he was always just passing through.

After making his rounds around the manufacturing area, Once-ler quickly went back down to the main hallway that led to his office. For he needed to be at a meeting in just a few minutes. Earlier in the week, Once-ler's top executives had requested to meet with him in order to discuss a new business proposal. So, after Once-ler made it to his office, he stepped inside and grabbed an envelope containing some notes, that sat next to a pile of paperwork that he would need to complete later that evening.

Only a moment after Once-ler grabbed the envelope, He heard a gentle knock on the office door. “Come in.” he called out.

The door opened, and just as expected, his secretary was standing there. “Are you ready for the meeting Mr. Once-ler?” she asked.

“Yes, ma'am.” he replied.

The secretary nodded and without another word, she led him down to the meeting room, where Once-ler's executives and immediate family were already seated at the large rectangular table. Once-ler quickly took his place at the end of the table. Once-ler's mother Isabella, his second in command, sat to his right. While Once-ler's chief operating officer, next in command, sat to his left.

“So what did you want to discuss with me today?” Once-ler asked.

“Well Mr. Once-ler,” the chief operating officer began. “It seems as though thneed sales are exceeding expectations.” he reported.

“Excellent news,” Once-ler replied. He took a glance over at his mother, who smiled in approval.

“And we can likely anticipate a huge boost several months from now, after your TV appearance.” Once-ler's chief operating officer continued “Where you will be giving a product demonstration and also performing a song to further promote your thneeds.” The chief operating officer paused to look at the other executives before turning back to Once-ler. “So, in order to be prepared for this increase in sales, we all propose a large expansion to the factory.” he grabbed a handful of papers and handed them to Once-ler. “These are the dimensions we suggest. We are hoping that you will be able to design a bigger factory fitting these dimensions, just as you had designed the initial building.”

Once-ler looked over the papers carefully, his eyes widening at the suggested numbers.“It's over double the size of the current factory...” Once-ler remarked in surprise.

“Indeed it is, but we believe that this expansion to the factory is critical in order to help us meet consumer demand.” the chief operating officer explained.

Once-ler continued to stare down at the proposed dimensions, feeling even more conflicted than he had before. While Once-ler knew that his chief operating officer had apoint, and that the larger facilities would indeed allow the company to produce thneeds more quickly, he was also worried about the forest that surrounded the factory. Once-ler knew that if he decided to go along with this proposal, several acres of trees would have to be cut down to make space for the upgraded factory. And Once-ler was worried about what could happen to the forest and the animals that lived there if his company chopped down too many trees.

“So what do you think Mr. Once-ler?” the chief operating officer asked him.

Once-ler looked back up at everyone seated at the table. He hesitated for a moment, then finally gave his answer. “I will come up with a design for the new factory, but I may need to make some modifications on the proposed dimensions.” he told them. Deep down, Once-ler knew that his executives were right and that an expansion to the factory would be necessary, but Once-ler hoped that by modifying the plans, he could do so without causing too much harm to the forest.

Once-ler's mother quickly frowned, and his chief operating officer raised and eyebrow in confusion, before he quickly collected himself and spoke to Once-ler again. “Very well Mr. Once-ler, we will give you some time to look it over, and once you complete your design. We will have another meeting to discuss the plans further.”

“Sounds good to me.” Once-ler replied eager for the meeting to finally end.

“Alright then if that's the case, I think this brings this meeting to a close.” the chief operating officer stated as he got up from his seat. “Have a good evening Mr. Once-ler.”

“You too.” Once-ler replied as he hurried out the door and made a beeline for his office, but before Once-ler even made it halfway down the hall his mother caught up with him.

“Once-ler! I need to talk to you!” she hissed.

Once-ler winced as he stopped and turned around to face her, knowing that he was in trouble.

“Why didn't you agree to the proposal for the factory expansion?” Isabella demanded.

“But I did agree.” Once-ler tried to argue. I agreed to expand the factory, but I'm probably going to have to make a few modifications to the plans. ”

“Modifications?” Isabella grilled him.“What do you mean by modifications?”

“Well...I was just thinking that the proposed dimensions might be a bit too large.” Once-ler tried to explain. “We'd have to cut down a significant amount of trees to make space for the bigger building, and I'm worried about the forest. Don't get me wrong, I definitely want to keep biggering the business, but I don't want to be greedy. The animals need the trees too.” he protested.

“Now son, when it comes to running a business, there's nothing wrong with being a little greedy. If you want to stay successful, you have to be willing to take what you need in order to come out on top. It's all about the survival of the fittest you know?” Isabella argued “So you can't be worrying about some mangy critters. What you need to focus on is getting that layout done so that way the expanded factory is up and running by the time of your TV appearance. You know, for that evening talk show? Where you'll be doing a product demonstration and performing a song you wrote to promote the company. Just like the chief operating officer said. Remember?” she questioned him with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, mom I remember.” Once-ler answered.

“Like he also mentioned. We're hoping for a spike in sales after your segment airs.” his mother continued. “So that means you're going to need a bigger factory soon so that way you'll have enough thneeds to sell.”

“I know Mom,” Once-ler replied with a small sigh. “I'll take another look at the proposed layout after I finish up some paperwork tonight and see what I can come up with.”

“Hmm...alright then.” Isabella nodded, “But before you leave, I want to go over your schedule again,and make sure you're staying on top of everything.” she suggested.

“Sure Mom,” Once-ler told her with another wince, knowing he had no other choice. Once-ler loved his mother and wanted nothing more than to please her, but to his dismay she was often critical of him when she felt he didn't meet her expectations. Once-ler was certain that his mother, already angry at him for not immediately agreeing to the proposal, was using the excuse of going over his schedule in order to criticize him even further.

“Alright so first of all, have you gotten everything ready for your other meeting tomorrow morning?” Isabella grilled him again.

“Absolutely. I've got all the documents organized in a folder and ready to go.” Once-ler answered confidently. He would be meeting with a potential investor early the next morning, and he had made sure that everything was prepared ahead of time.

“Okay.” His mother nodded in acknowledgment before she asked the next question. “Next, We'll both be attending the charity gala this Saturday night at Greenville Grand hotel. You know, the one hosted by the organization that a portion of the thneed sales goes to? Anyways, this is your first major event since you started this business, so you need to make a good first impression. I know you've always been a bit awkward, especially in social situations, but it's important that you don't do anything to embarrass us while we're there. You got that?” Isabella asked him as she glared at him.

“Of course Mom,” Once-ler replied nervously. While his mother did have a point, her doubt in his abilities still stung.

“Good.” Isabella scoffed before she continued “And speaking of your television appearance how's your song coming along?”

“It's coming along okay...” Once-ler answered uncertainly.

“What do you mean by 'okay'?” His mother asked further, picking up on her son's lack of confidence.

“I have some lyrics in mind, but I'm having trouble finding the right rhythm.” Once-ler admitted.

“Well you had better find the right rhythm soon.” his mother scolded. “I know the performance is still a ways off, but you need to finish that song and start practicing as soon as possible.” Isabella told him. “We don't want you messing up and embarrassing us on national television now do we?”

“Don't worry Mom, that's not going to happen.” Once-ler tried to reassure here. “I promise I won't let you or the company down.”

“I most certainly hope you won't.” his mother replied with a doubting frown before she continued. “Well, apparently you have a lot of work to do, so I had better let you get back to your office. Have a good night Oncie.” she told him dismissively before turning to leave.

“Good night mom.” Once-ler called out to her as he headed to his office, dreading the amount of work that awaited him but also relieved to end the conversation.

When Once-ler reached the office, he sat down at his desk, and set the envelope with the notes and business proposal aside. Then, Once-ler began filling out his paperwork. While Once-ler worked, he kept thinking about his business. He wanted to be successful and make his Mom and his family proud of him, but he also didn't want to be consumed by greed and cause harm to the forest. He remembered what the Lorax had told him about greed:

“Greed, see, it's like a little pet, alright?
And the more and more and more that you go and feed it
The more hungry it'll get

But you know, you really can't blame greed
No, that's stupid
You see, it's gotta worm inside
Oh yeah, that's right
It's one that always needs to feed
And it is never satisfied
You get it?”

Once-ler continued to mull over their words as he worked on his paperwork throughout the night. Eventually, he fell asleep at his desk and did not wake up until the sun began to rise. When Once-ler lifted his head and saw the sun peeking through the window, he groaned. Then he looked down at the clock on his desk and saw that it was almost time for his early morning meeting. Once-ler knew that he would not have enough time to go back to his penthouse to get ready. He only had just enough time to straighten up his outfit, freshen up in the adjacent office bathroom, and grab a quick breakfast from the snacks he kept in his desk drawer.

After Once-ler left the bathroom and had something to eat, he stepped in front of the full-length mirror in his office to give himself a quick inspection. Once-ler admired his reflection for a moment. Even though he looked tired, Once-ler still thought he looked decent. He just had to make a few adjustments and then he'd be ready. Once-ler straightened up his fedora on his head, then smoothed out the wrinkles on his shirt and vest.

But when he looked back up at his reflection, something had changed. Instead of his signature gray striped jeans, white shirt, gray vest and fedora, the man in the mirror instead wore a sharp green suit, long green gloves, a large top hat, and sparkly blue sunglasses, along with a cocky look of determination on his face. Once-ler stared at the reflection in awe. He had often fantasized about wearing something similar and carrying himself with such confidence. Once-ler was sure he had seen the clothes and accessories his reflection wore somewhere before, although he could not recall exactly where.

Suddenly, even though Once-ler himself did not move, one of the gloved hands in the reflection reached forward. The hand touched the glass of the mirror and then phased through it. Once-ler gasped as he continued to stare at the mirror, his eyes wide with shock. The smell of smogulous smoke began to fill the room as the reflection continued to emerge from the mirror. Finally, a full figure of a man, strange but familiar somehow, stood in front of Once-ler.

“Who are you?” Once-ler asked.

“I'm the Once-ler.” the man replied.

“Y-you can't be t-the Once-ler. I'm t-the Once-ler!” Once-ler stammered.

“I am the Once-ler you want to be.” the mysterious man explained. “Don't you recognize me from your dreams and desires? I am everything you could be if you'd keep on biggering.”

“What are you talking about?” Once-ler asked.

“Deep down, you know you aren't satisfied. You still need more. We still need more.” The green-clad man replied with a smirk “So we must keep on biggering and biggering, and turning more truffula trees into thneeds. Which everyone, and I mean everyone, needs. As long as the customers are buying and the money's multiplying, who cares if a few trees are dying?”

“You don't sound like me at all.” Once-ler retorted, “You sound more like some sort of Greed-ler.”

“Hmm Greed-ler, I like it.” Greed-ler grinned wickedly. “And soon you'll learn to like it too. Just remember Once-ler, when it comes to running a business, there's nothing wrong with being a little greedy. If you want to stay successful, you have to be willing to take what you need in order to come out on top. It's all about the survival of the fittest you know?”

Once-ler gasped. There was no way anyone except for him could have known about the conversation he had with his mother. “This has to be a dream.” Once-ler shook his head.

“This is your dream.” Greed-ler held out a gloved hand towards Once-ler “Now make it your reality.”

Once-ler, still in shock, took a cautious step forward. He was still uncertain about what he wanted, but deep down, there was a part of Once-ler that desired to be just like Greed-ler.

Without thinking, Once-ler slowly lifted his own hand towards Greed-ler's, but before their hands made contact, there was a loud knock on Once-ler's office door. In that instant, the vision of Greed-ler vanished, along with the smell of smogulous smoke.

“Mr. Once-ler?” a voice rang out from behind the closed door.

Once-ler took a quick glance at himself in the mirror. His reflection had reverted back to normal.

“Y-yes c-come in,” Once-ler stammered. breaking out of his trance.

The door opened and Once-ler's secretary stepped inside. “Mr. Once-ler, it's time for your meeting.” she informed him.

“Thank you, ma'am,” Once-ler replied. He grabbed his folder full of documents and followed her down to the meeting room.

Once-ler tried to focus on the day ahead, and attempted to push the images of Greed-ler to the back of his mind, assuming that the whole encounter had just been a dream. But Once-ler did not yet know that his dream would soon turn into a nightmare, and that this nightmare was only just beginning.

Chapter Text

After a long work week, the evening of the charity gala had finally arrived, and Once-ler was getting ready inside his penthouse. Once-ler had just put on a silvery gray suit and was adjusting his tie in front of his bathroom mirror when the doorbell rang. Hearing this, Once-ler quickly left the penthouse, made his way downstairs to the lobby, and exited the factory.

Just a few feet away from the building, Once-ler's driver stood next to the door of a white limousine. As Once-ler approached the vehicle, the driver opened the door to let him inside, where Once-ler's mother, wearing a gold gown with cream colored opera gloves, was already waiting for him. As second in command of Once-ler's company, Isabella was invited to attend the gala as well, much to her delight. After Once-ler and his driver settled into their respective seats, the latter made his way towards Greenville Grand Hotel, where the gala was taking place.

Once-ler looked out the limousine window as they rode away from the factory, where he saw a several tree stumps scattered randomly across the forest. As Once-ler took in the sight, he felt slightly uneasy.

“Now son, remember what I told you.” Isabella suddenly spoke, interrupting Once-ler's thoughts. “This is an important event for the company, so make sure you don't embarrass yourself. ”

“Yes mom,” Once-ler replied nervously

A few minutes later, Once-ler's limousine pulled up to the front of the hotel's ballroom. After the vehicle came to a complete stop, Once-ler's driver got out and opened the passenger door. Once-ler exited the limo first, then extended his hand to help his mother step out of the vehicle. Together, mother and son then walked down the red carpet that led to the ballroom entrance.

“Isn't this incredible Oncie?” Isabella remarked, as the doorman checked their invitations. “Who would've ever thought someone like you would ever be invited to a fancy party such as this?”

“It's amazing? Isn't it?” Once-ler replied, oblivious to her veiled insult.

He was happy to see his mother being so pleased. Once-ler knew that she enjoyed being in a fancy hotel, surrounded by the richest and most influential people in town, which now included her very own son. The two continued to make their way towards the ballroom, where they, along with the other guests, faced the stage. They were all waiting for the President of the charity to begin a short introductory speech before the party officially started.

“Welcome to our annual gala. It has been another fantastic year for our organization, thanks to all of our top patrons....” the President of the charity began.

Once-ler smiled in anticipation as he waited for the President of the charity to mention him and Thneed inc. He glanced over at his mother, who was also smiling. Once-ler was both excited and nervous about being at the gala. Like his mother, he also enjoyed being surrounded by luxury and he was thrilled to have been invited to such a fancy event and recognized for his accomplishments.

That being said, he was not particularly fond of crowds and socializing. Rural living on a farm had kept the family somewhat isolated from others. Even among his own family, Once-ler was different, being more quiet and reserved. Growing up, while his rowdy brothers often ran around together outside, Once-ler would often knit, draw, or play guitar by himself. His family did not share his interests, and at times would ridicule him. They especially considered knitting to be “unmanly”. That was until the thneed became such a success.

“...and we would like to extend an extra special thanks to Mr. Once-ler, President of Thnned, inc., for being one of our top sponsors this year.” the President of the charity announced. “Due to a portion of his thneed sales going to our charity, we were able to double our amount of revenue compared to last year.”

The crowd gave a round of applause. Isabella's smile grew bigger. Then she gave Once-ler a congratulatory hug and whispered. “I'm so proud of you.”

“Thank you Mom,” Once-ler whispered back to her, as he forgot her earlier criticisms, and let the feeling of his mother's approval sink in. That was one of the main reasons he worked so hard so that his mother and the rest of the family would be proud of him. Once-ler was grateful for the success of the thneed. His invention's popularity was slowly earning him recognition and making him richer by the day. Allowing him to finally earn his family's respect.

“We would like to once again thank all of our sponsors. Please enjoy the party everyone,” The President of the charity concluded the speech and left the stage.

The guests were then free to mingle among themselves. Throughout the room, waiters carried trays of champagne and offered them to guests. Once-ler and his mother each took a glass of champagne, then turned to socialize with the other patrons. Isabella immediately recognized some local celebrities she admired and went over to talk to them. While Once-ler went off in the opposite direction.

Throughout the evening, Once-ler continued to make his way around the ballroom, talking to the other guests, but making sure to keep his conversations short and professional. Once-ler knew he could be awkward, and he was nervous about saying something embarrassing or accidentally revealing company secrets. Some of the patrons had asked Once-ler if he had any plans to further expand his business, and he made sure to keep his responses to those questions vague, not wanting any details to be revealed yet.

After talking for a while, Once-ler broke away from the crowd. He stood near a corner and took a sip of his champagne. Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, Once-ler noticed someone walking towards him from across the room. Once-ler's eyes widened in disbelief. The mysterious guest looked exactly like Greed-ler, the dark reflection Once-ler had seen in his mirror the other night. But hadn't that had been a dream? Once-ler wondered as Greed-ler continued to make his way towards him, grabbing a glass of champagne from one of the trays along the way.

“Why, Mr. Onceler. It's good to see you again.” Greed-ler greeted him. “You look great by the way, you've always had a great sense of style.” Greed-ler continued, gesturing at Once-ler's silvery gray suit. “Although I think the color green would suit you much better.”

“I'm sorry, but have we met before?” Once-ler asked, confused.

“Sure, but allow me to reintroduce myself.” Greed-ler smirked “I'm Mr. Once-ler, founder and President of Thneed inc., but you know me as Greed-ler.” he held out his hand for Once-ler to shake.

Confused by Greed-ler's introduction, but not wanting to be rude, Once-ler reached out his own hand to shake Greed-ler's. Once-ler glanced down and Greed-ler's gloved hand as he did so. He couldn't help but notice how the other man's gloves looked and felt so familiar to him, although he could not remember why.

“I would like to propose a toast...” Greed-ler raised his glass towards Once-ler “...to your future success.”

Once-ler raised his own glass towards Greed-ler. “Thank you. To my future success.”

“To our future success,” Greed-ler replied ominously as their glasses clinked together. Both men then each took a sip of their drinks.

Once-ler eyed Greed-ler quizzically “Wait, what do you mean by our future success?” Once-ler asked. “What company do you work for?” He figured that Greed-ler's introduction had to have been a joke and that the green-suited man must have worked for a prominent company in order to have been invited to the gala.

“Well, I was actually hoping that you and I could work together,” Greed-ler answered before taking another sip of his drink.

“What did you have in mind?” Once-ler further inquired. He was suspicious but also curious. Although Greed-ler seemed a bit odd, he also appeared to be very wealthy and Once-ler wondered if some type of collaboration with Greed-ler could be beneficial for Thneed inc.

“Well you see, I have a business proposition for you.” Greed-ler began to explain “I would like to propose a merger of sorts.” Greed-ler's tone turned darker, “You and me, together as one. One business, one mind, one body, one soul.”

Once-ler stepped back slightly. He was getting really nervous now and suddenly wasn't so sure that working with Greed-ler would be such a good idea. Once-ler's eyes turned towards the other party guests. He wondered if anybody else knew this man. Despite Greed-ler's slick personality and outfit, nobody else appeared to notice him.

Once-ler then decided to let Greed-ler down gently in hopes of getting out of this conversation. “I appreciate the offer Mr. Greed-ler, but Thneed inc. is an independently owned and family-run business. We are not interested in any mergers.” Once-ler told him, trying to sound as professional as possible.

Greed-ler glared at him. “Well then, if you are not interested in a merger, I guess I will just have to resort to an acquisition.”

Once-ler gasped, “You mean you're going to take me over?”

“Exactly.” Greed-ler answered ominously, “And whether that takeover will be a friendly or hostile one is up to you. Either way, I am determined to assist you in your company's biggering, and I won't stop until I get what I want. They don't call me the Greed-ler for nothing.”

“That's impossible. You can't...” Once-ler tried to protest.

“Oh, I can, and I will.” Greed-ler interrupted him with a sly grin. “And besides, despite your hesitation, you know deep down that you need my help. I am well aware that you have several projects in the works at your company. Including an expansion to your factory, along with an upcoming TV appearance, And if you want any of these plans of yours to be carried out successfully, you're most certainly going to need my influence.”

Once-ler gasped “Wait how did you know about....” he began

“Oh, I know everything...” Greed-ler interrupted him. “...including how you really feel and what you really want. Despite your current success, you are still not content, nor should you be. What you have now is simply not enough. You need to keep on biggering your business even more if you want to continue to be successful and make your family proud, and in order to do that...” Greed-ler's tone turned darker as he continued “...you will have to be just like me, you will have to become me. For I am the only person that can help you make all of your dreams come true, because I am the very person you ultimately dream of becoming.”

Once-ler continued to stare at Greed-ler in shock and confusion, unsure of what to say. Greed-ler's words unnerved him. While Once-ler and was tempted by Greed-ler's promises of success and wealth, he was also afraid of him. There was something about the green-clad man that seemed sinister.

“So what do you think Mr. Once-ler?” Greed-ler asked, extending out a green-gloved hand to shake and grinning wickedly. “Do you think we could make a deal? Are you re-considering my idea of a merger?”

Once-ler gulped nervously. “I'm still not sure...” Once-ler began. Trying and failing to maintain his professional persona. “...I'm going to need some time to think about-” Once-ler tried to continue until he suddenly saw his Mom come over. He quickly turned around to face her.

“Oncie, who are you talking to?” she asked.

“Hello Mom,” Once-ler greeted politely, faking a smile. Although he wanted to end the conversation with Greed-ler. Once-ler knew that it would be rude to not introduce the two.

“Mom this is Greed-” Once-ler began, but when he turned back around, Greed-ler was no longer there.

“Unbelievable Oncie,” Isabella sighed. “Are you so awkward that you're talking to yourself? Honestly, I don't know what to do with you sometimes,” she huffed and walked away, leaving Once-ler confused.

“She's not exactly wrong about that..” Greed-ler quipped as he suddenly reappeared, causing Once-ler to jump in fright.

“Anyway, I can see you're busy right now Mr. Once-ler. So I'll give you some time to think about my offer.” Greed-ler smirked. “I'm still very much interested in a merger or acquisition. You will be hearing back from me frequently. I look forward to doing business with you.”

Once-ler blinked, and then Greed-ler was gone. Once-ler stared at the place where Greed-ler once seemingly occupied, then took a suspicious glance at his champagne glass. He turned around and dumped the rest of the alcohol in the nearest potted plant. Clearly, he had more than enough to drink that evening.

Later that night, after the gala was over, Once-ler was back at his penthouse, getting ready to go to sleep. After Once-ler got dressed in his favorite bunny pajamas, he turned out the light in his room and settled down in his bed. Once-ler sighed contently as he closed his eyes and pulled the covers over himself. It had been several nights since Once-ler had actually slept in penthouse, instead of in his office, and he was looking forward to finally sleeping comfortably in his bed instead of dozing off at his desk. However, Once-ler's encounters with Greed-ler still lingered in the back of his mind, and soon Once-ler would find his dreams disturbed by the first of many nightmares about the sinister green-clad man.

When Once-ler opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in a cold and desolate area surrounded by dense fog. But the mist that swirled around him was no ordinary fog, for it carried the distinct and familiar odor of smogulous smoke. Confused, Once-ler cautiously looked around and tried to make sense of his surroundings, until he suddenly heard a voice speak to him.

“You seem to be lost Once-ler. Perhaps you should allow me to help you.”

“Who's there?” Once-ler called out fearfully.

“Why, it's me of course.” the voice replied.

Once-ler sharply looked ahead towards the sound of the voice, as the man who spoke slowly began to come into view. At first, all Once-ler could see was the man's green gloves and blue eyes, until finally the full figure of Greed-ler, bearing a sinister grin, emerged from the foggy haze. Once-ler gasped in shock.

“What's the matter Once-ler, you still don't recognize yourself? Greed-ler asked him with a sly grin.

“You!” Once-ler exclaimed

“Yes...you.” Greed-ler replied.

Once-ler stared back at him, unable to speak

“Clearly you're still confused,” Greed-ler remarked “but don't worry Once-ler, it won't be long before the truth will finally be revealed.”

As Greed-ler spoke, the fog began to dissipate, revealing a dismal scene. The two of them were standing in the middle of a decimated truffula forest, where they were surrounded by tree stumps. Meanwhile, the sky above them was hazy and gray with smogulous smoke. In the distance, a vague silhouette of thneed factory could be seen, although the building looked much bigger than the current one.

“What happened here? Who did this?” Once-ler asked as he looked around at the scene in shock and disbelief.

“We did it,” Greed-ler answered. “Both of us did, and this is only the beginning. Once you finally accept my help and align yourself with me, there's no telling what more we can do. Together, we'll be unstoppable! Greed-ler exclaimed before he let out a sinister laugh.

With a gasp, Once-ler shot up in bed. The sun had just begun to rise, letting light into the room, and allowing Once-ler to see that he was safe in his bed. However, this fact did not reassure him. As soon as he caught his breath, he quickly got out of bed to go look out of his bedroom window. When Once-ler saw the scene outside, he sighed with relief. Although it was obvious that a few trees had been cut down, the forest still looked beautiful and vibrant, filled with numerous colorful truffula trees. Feeling more reassured, Once-ler let out another another sigh as he returned to bed, still exhausted after a long work week. As he lied back down and closed his eyes, Once-ler tired to reassure himself that his mother was right and it wouldn't hurt to chop down a few trees. Honestly, how bad could it possibly be?

Chapter Text

Another work day at Thneed inc. was coming to a close. Most of the workers were heading home for the evening, but Once-ler still toiled away at his desk in his office. He was working on the blueprints for the factory expansion. Once-ler was trying to find a way to modify the layout. He hoped that he could come up with a slightly different floor plan that would still allow his company to keep on biggering, while also preserving some of the Truffula Forest.

Once-ler was so engrossed in his work that he did not hear his mother come into his office. At Isabella's insistence Once-ler had given her and the rest of his family members each a key that allowed all of them access to the entire factory, including Once-ler's private office and penthouse. Isabella liked to be able to check up on her son whenever she felt like it. And today Isabella decided to do just that, and see what Once-ler was up to before she went home.

“Hello Oncie,” Isabella greeted him in a sweet tone, before she crinkled her nose as she looked around the room. “Oh my goodness son, when are you finally going to upgrade this office? This place looks absolutely dreadful. Haven't you taken a look at the furniture catalog I gave you?” she complained.

“I took a glance at it, and I'll look at it again whenever I can, but right now I'm really busy working.” Once-ler answered.

“So, what exactly are you working on right now?” she asked.

“I'm trying to finalize the plans for the factory expansion,” he told her.

“Oh, let me have a look,” Isabella exclaimed as she walked over behind Once-ler's desk.

Once-ler cringed in anticipation, worried about what his mother would have to say. His fears were confirmed when Isabella looked at the blueprints and frowned. “You can't possibly be serious. There's no way this is going to be big enough. Why aren't you following the original dimensions?” she demanded angrily.

“I just thought we could make a few adjustments.” Once-ler tried to explain. “The factory is still going to be bigger, but I just thought about maybe lowering the dimensions of the building a bit in order to reduce the amount of truffula trees we'll have to cut down.”

“Now why in the world would you want to do that?” Isabella snapped “You need to chop those darn trees down anyway in order to turn the tufts into thneeds. So why don't you want to remove them in order to expand your factory?”

“I know we have to chop down some of the trees Mom, but I told you before, if we went with the original plan, a large amount of trees will have to be removed all at once, and I'm worried about the animals. I don't want to completely destroy their home.” Once-ler tried to reason with her.

“I can't believe this!” his mother yelled. “You've finally become successful and made something of yourself, and You're going to mess it all up just because you're still worried about some mangy critters!”

“I'm not going to mess it up!” Once-ler protested. “Don't worry. These plans aren't finalized yet. I'm still working on the layout. ” Once-ler tried to reassure her.

“You had better be.” Isabella hissed as she headed for the door. Then she turned around and glared at Once-ler. “Son, don't let me down,” Isabella stated coldly.

“I won't Mom,” he replied

Isabella slammed the door shut. Once-ler sighed and looked back down at his blueprints. His mother was right, the building wasn't big enough. Once-ler crumpled up the paper and threw it in his wastebasket. Then he pulled out another sheet and started over. Once-ler continued to work on the plans for some time, his brow furrowed in concentration. Unfortunately, he couldn't come up with a layout that felt right, and he kept on having to start over. As Once-ler kept working, his wastebasket became full of crumpled-up papers. He simply couldn't find a way to make the factory bigger without destroying a significant part of the Truffula Forest.

Once-ler let out another sigh in frustration as decided to take a break from his blueprints. He pulled out his guitar and began to play a few notes. Once-ler decided that now would be a good time to practice one of the potential songs that he had been working on for his TV appearance. He needed inspiration and music always made him feel better. So, Once-ler strummed his guitar and began to sing:

At first I didn't realize
I needed all this stuff
I had a little cottage
And that cottage was enough
A place where I could sit and knit
A place where I could sell my thneeds
But now I've had a little time
To reassess my needs
And I need a bigger office
I need a bigger chair
A bigger desk, a bigger staff
A bigger hat to wear

As Once-ler sang the office around him began to transform, the furniture became much more luxurious and the room itself grew larger.

Because I'm biggering (yes, biggering)
I'm figgering on biggering
And biggering is triggering
More biggering

Once-ler continued to sing as he got up from the chair, still playing his guitar and looked out at the much larger window. There, the scene outside also began to change. Once-ler could now see that the factory was much larger, and brand new conveyor belts transported truffula trufts throughout the building. But that was not the only thing that changed, for the sky was now much grayer due to the pollution the factory produced. And many trees were reduced to stumps. The scene caused Once-ler to pause for a moment. Until his brow suddenly furrowed in determination and he continued to play as he turned away from the window and walked back towards his office desk.

There is a principle of nature that most every creature knows
It's called survival of the fittest and this is how it goes
The animal that wins has got to claw and kick and punch
The animal that doesn't winds up someone else's lunch
A company's an animal that's trying to survive (survive)
It's struggling and fighting just to keep itself alive
I must keep biggering
I'm figgering on biggering
Though biggering is triggering more biggering
I won't stop biggering
I'm figgering on biggering
And biggering is triggering more biggering

Reassured by the lyrics of the song Once-ler's voice grew more passionate, as he reached the final verses.

With the customers all buying
And the money multiplying
And the PR people lying
And the lawyers all denying
Who cares if some things are dying?
I don't wanna hear your crying!
This is all so gratifying

As Once-ler sang the last line, he sank down into his chair in satisfaction, before the imaginary scene faded away. A moment later, Once-ler's eyes widened in realization. Sure, the song sounded awesome, and he felt good while playing it, but in retrospect the lyrics made him sound kind of...bad. Was this really how he felt? Was biggering all he cared about? Was he really this...greedy?

As the smell of smogulous smoke began to fill the room, Once-ler heard a voice. “Hey, cool song.”

Once-ler yelped and fell off his chair in surprise. When Once-ler got back up. He saw Greed-ler standing in front of him, holding a red guitar.

“What in the world are you doing here?” Once-ler asked

“I thought you could use some help,” Greed-ler replied with a smirk. “Don't get me wrong Once-ler, your song sounds epic, but the tone is a little bit dark, kind of like a villain song or something. It makes us sound kind of bad, and we're not bad, we're the good guys here. Right? Do you think we're bad?”

Once-ler hesitated to answer. He said nothing.

“Come on Once-ler, how bad can we possibly be?” Greed-ler asked Once-ler with a wink while playing a few notes on his red guitar. “That reminds me, what about that other song you were working on? You know, the one that you randomly came up with back when you still lived in the cottage? You played it for some of the animals and they were really into it. I'm sure all the potential customers would like it too.”

Once-ler gasped. What Greed-ler said was true. “How could you have possibly known about....?” he began

Greed-ler interrupted him, completely unfazed. “Yeah, I think we should go with that one, but I like some of the lyrics from the other song too. Maybe we can still add them on, but just make them a little more upbeat. Maybe something like this...”

Greed-ler played a few notes on the guitar, then began to sing some of the lyrics from the other song, altering the words slightly and changing the melody a bit.

Well there's a principle of nature (Principle of nature)
That almost every creature knows
Called survival of the fittest (Survival of the fittest)
And check it this is how it goes
The animal that eats gotta scratch
And fight and claw and bite and punch
And the animal that doesn't
Well the animal that doesn't
Winds up someone else's lu-lu-lu-lu-lunch

“Yeah, I like the sound of that!” Greed-ler exclaimed. “Now how about this?” Greed-ler began to strum his guitar again and sing another verse.

There's a principle in business (Principle in business)
That everybody knows is sound
It says the people with the money (People with the money)
Make this ever-loving world go 'round
So I'm biggering my company
I'm biggering my factory
I'm biggering my corporate sign
Everybody out there, take care of yours
And me? I'll take care of
Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine

“So what do you think so far?” Greed-ler asked

“I guess that could work” Once-ler answered as he pulled out his lyrics notebook and began taking notes. “But I'm still not sure. Doesn't this still make me sound a little bit bad? It still makes me sound kind of greedy don't you think?.”

Greed-ler laughed. “You say that like it's a bad thing and like I said before, we're not bad. We're just building an economy, a portion of proceeds goes to charity, all the customers are buying, the money's multiplying, the PR people are lying, and the lawyers are denying. Who cares if a few trees are dying? This is all so gratifying!” Greed-ler exclaimed “Yeah, that all sounds awesome! Write that all down!”

Once-ler nodded and as he wrote it all down. He had to admit that Greed-ler had some good points, but there were a few others he was unsure about. Once-ler continued write it all down anyway.

“Remember Once-ler, You're just doing what comes naturally. Just following your destiny. How bad can that possibly be? Yep, that's right, now just listen to this” Greed-ler strummed his guitar again and began to sing the chorus.

How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
I'm just doing what comes naturally
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
I'm just following my destiny
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
I'm just doing what comes naturally
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
How bad can I possibly be?

Once-ler stared at Greed-ler in shock as he continued to play. Those were indeed the exact same lyrics that Once-ler had come up with back when he lived in the cottage. Once-ler couldn't help but wonder how Greed-ler could have possibly known about the song, but he also couldn't help but admire Greed-ler's guitar skills, along with the guitar itself. Once-ler was envious. Although his old guitar was his most prized possession, he would have loved to have another one just like Greed-ler's. Just like with Greed-ler's suit, gloves, and other accessories, Once-ler felt as though he had seen the red guitar somewhere before, although he still could not remember exactly where.

Greed-ler finished singing, then he held out his red guitar towards Once-ler “Here, now you try it. Try it on this.” Greed-ler prompted.

“Are you sure?” Once-ler asked blinking in disbelief

“Yeah, someday you're gonna have one just like this. So, why not get a feel for it now?” Greed-ler insisted with a wink.

Once-ler had no idea what Greed-ler meant by that, but he did want to try playing Greed-ler's guitar. Once-ler carefully set his own guitar back in its case and took Greed-ler's. Then he began to sing the chorus:

How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
I'm just doing what comes naturally
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
I'm just following my destiny
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
I'm just doing what comes naturally
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
How bad can I possibly be?

After Once-ler finished the song he felt another surge of energy. He had to admit it was rather catchy.

“Yeah, I'm really feeling it now. I'm feeling inspired!” he exclaimed “I'll finish the song up later, with your suggestions, I'm sure it'll turn out great. I need to get back to working on these blueprints. I just can't seem to figure out a layout that works.” Once-ler told Greed-ler as he handed the guitar back to him. “Do you think you could give me your opinion?”

“Of course,” Greed-ler replied

Humming the new tune to himself, Once-ler got back to work on his blueprints, as Greed-ler watched. Once-ler drew furiously, causing him to break his pencil, He pulled out another and continued. Finally, after he was certain he had gotten it right, Once-ler stopped to examine his work.

At first, Once-ler smiled, then almost immediately he cringed. This was the most elaborate expansion layout yet. Once-ler's new plans had even gone beyond the original proposal, spreading out over even more land. Sure, his mother and his executives would be excited about the plans, but Once-ler knew that this layout was completely unreasonable.

Once-ler laughed nervously. “Oops, I think I got a little carried away.”

“What are you talking about? This layout is perfect. It's your best one yet.” Greed-ler insisted

Once-ler shook his head “No. This is way too much, but maybe I can alter it a bit,” he considered “I just need to remove a few sections.” Once-ler picked up an eraser, but before he could actually start erasing anything, Greed-ler grabbed Once-ler's wrist.

“Leave it.” Greed-ler snarled

“But it's way too big. If we go with this we'll have to chop down even more trees than we had originally planned. A huge part of the forest will be totally gone!” Once-ler protested

“That doesn't matter,” Greed-ler growled, tightening his grip on Once-ler's wrist. “The whole reason you went to the forest in the first place was so that way you could find the perfect material you needed to make your thneeds and start your business. You even told the Lorax that you were going to chop down as many trees as you needed. Didn't you? So what's the problem now?”

“I never thought I was ever going to need this many!” Once-ler cried. Although what Greed-ler said was true, Once-ler had also been enchanted by the forest and its inhabitants from the moment he laid eyes on the place and he never meant to cause any harm. “This is way too much. I know I have to keep biggering but I don't want to hurt anyone!”

Greed-ler squeezed Once-ler's wrist even tighter “You're the one that's going to be hurting if you don't start listening to me.”

Before Once-ler could reply, he heard a crash near his office window, and Greed-ler suddenly vanished.

Chapter Text

Once-ler turned his head towards the sound of the crash to see that it was none other than the Lorax who had caused it. The guardian of the forest had floated through Once-ler's office window, knocking down several objects off a nearby shelf in the process. Once-ler let out a groan. Every once in a while, the Lorax would show up at the factory to try and convince him to stop biggering. Once-ler gritted his teeth as the Lorax approached his desk, bracing himself for yet another lecture from the forest guardian.

“Hey Beanpole,” the Lorax greeted him.

 Once-ler scowled and crossed his arms in annoyance. “Get out. I'm not in the mood today,” he replied

The Lorax did not leave. He glanced over at Once-ler's wastebasket full of crumpled-up papers, then back to Once-ler. “Looks like all that biggering has got you stressed out.” The Lorax quipped “Normally I'd advise you to take a break to go outside to get some fresh air, but now thanks to you and your factory causing all that pollution, there isn't any!” he shouted while pointing to the window.

“Oh please, how bad can it possibly be?” Once-ler rolled his eyes and waved one of his hands dismissively. 

“It's going to get a lot worse if you don't stop with this biggering nonsense. If you keep on hackin' down all the trees the barbaloots won't have enough truffula fruits to eat. And if you keep on smoggin' up all the air and gluppin' up all the water, neither the swommee swans nor the humming fish will be able to sing or hum anymore because all that nasty stuff is getting into their lungs and gills. Don't you understand what you're doing? If you keep this up none of them are going to be able to live here anymore.” the Lorax explained to Once-ler with a sad look.

Once-ler cast his eyes downward in shame. The thought of all the animals having to leave the forest made him feel heartbroken. 

“So what exactly are you up to now?” the Lorax asked as he jumped up on Once-ler's desk. When he saw Once-ler's blueprints, he gasped. “Beanpole you can't possibly be serious about this are you?”

Out of nowhere, a strange surge of energy suddenly welled up within Once-ler “And what if I am?” he asked smugly. Once-ler's eyes widened in surprise at his tone and he gripped the sides of his chair. That wasn't how he felt just a moment ago. Why did he just say that? For a moment, it was like somebody else took over.

“This is completely ridiculous Beanpole!” the Lorax exclaimed. “I'm telling you, if you keep this up, The entire forest is going to become a wasteland! The sky's going to be covered in smogulous smoke, the water's going to be filled with schlopity schlop, and there won't be any trees left! ” the Lorax yelled. “I can't believe you would do this!” the Lorax grew even angrier  “How could you do this to the forest? How could you destroy the place you once loved so much? How could you be so greedy?”

Once-ler was taken aback, the Lorax had never been this harsh to him before. “I don't mean any harm. I truly don't, but my business has to get bigger.” he tried to explain “Don't worry, I'm going come up with a plan that allows me to keep running my company while preserving some of the land. I promise.” Once-ler tried to convince the Lorax, and himself. The Lorax's description of the decimated forest scared him.

“Well, hearing that is not exactly reassuring. I know how you are about keeping promises.” the Lorax snapped back

“Look, I'm sorry, I'm really trying I'm...” Once-ler tripped over his words as he tried to explain and justify his actions.

 The Lorax interrupted him.“You call this trying?” he shouted back while pointing to the blueprints.

“Don't worry. These plans aren't finalized yet. I'm still working on the layout,” Once-ler replied with a sigh

“You had better be.” the Lorax huffed

Once-ler was ashamed of himself, so he tried to deflect the blame “I was going to modify the plans and reduce some sections but then Greed-ler...”

“Greed-ler?” the Lorax shouted “Didn't I warn you about Greed? Let me tell you something kid, the Greed-ler is what you're going to become if you don't stop this.”

The Greed-ler is what you're going to become...Once-ler froze as The Lorax's words echoed through his mind.

“Hey Beanpole are you listening to me?” the Lorax asked.

“Huh? What did you say?” Once-ler asked as he snapped back to reality.

“I said that the Greed-ler is what you're going to become if you don't stop this.” the Lorax repeated

Once-ler stiffened at the Lorax's words as the forest guardian continued his lecture.
 
“I'm warning you, If you keep up this biggering nonsense, you'll destroy everything, including yourself. I mean to even consider this...” the Lorax gestured towards the blueprints “...I already feel like I don't even know you anymore.” The Lorax sadly made his way back over to the office window, then he turned around one more time to face Once-ler. “I'm really disappointed in you Beanpole,” he told him. With a sad look on his face, then the Lorax picked himself up by the seat of his pants and finally left. 

Once-ler sat there in shock for a moment, then he turned around, angrily picked up the blueprints, crumpled them up, and tossed them in the wastebasket. Once-ler groaned in frustration and buried his head in his hands. It was impossible! No matter what he tried, he just couldn't get it right, someone was always disappointed with what he did. He wished that everyone, his mother, the Lorax, and now Greed-ler, would stop getting on his case already.

Once-ler sighed and stood up from his desk.  He couldn't stand working on the expansion plans anymore. He was done with this thing and needed to take a break. Even though Once-ler felt like he had been working on the blueprints forever, it was still early in the evening. 

Once-ler pulled open a desk drawer and took out a large wad of cash. Although he was quickly becoming one of the richest men in Greenville, his modest upbringing had compelled Once-ler to save his earnings. However, Once-ler thought that perhaps he should treat himself out to a night on the town. He hadn't left the factory grounds since the charity gala and he had been working hard lately. Why shouldn't he indulge himself a little?

Once-ler stuffed the cash in his pockets and headed out. After treating himself to a lovely dinner at an expensive restaurant, he went over to the local nightclub. When Once-ler reached the end of the queue to get inside the club, the bouncer looked him over and raised an eyebrow. 

“Do you seriously think that you're cool enough to get in here?” the bouncer asked him.

Once-ler was disappointed but not surprised. Although almost everyone in town knew of his invention, the thneed, very few people knew about him, the man behind the thneed. Once-ler very rarely left the factory nowadays. So, unless someone was a Thneed Inc. employee, bought a thneed directly from him when he sold them at his cottage back in the day, or saw him at the charity ball, nobody would know who he really was. That would all likely change after Once-ler's TV appearance, which would be the first time he would formally present himself to the general public. But right now, as far as the bouncer was concerned, Once-ler was just some nobody who didn't look like he belonged in any type of nightclub.

Then suddenly, the smug, bold feeling that overtook Once-ler earlier reemerged. He decided that he was going to show this guy who he really was. With a glint in his eye, Once-ler pulled out a handful of cash and slyly handed it to the bouncer. “You should know that I'm actually one of the coolest and richest men in Greenville,” he told the bouncer with a confident smirk.

At that, the bouncer immediately let him inside without further protest. Once-ler laughed to himself, he couldn't believe he had actually said that. This time, the sudden feeling of boldness thrilled him instead of scaring him. 

Once-ler stepped inside the club and took in his surroundings. Although he was slightly intimidated by the crowd, he could not help but become energized by the atmosphere that surrounded him. While Once-ler usually preferred guitar music, the loud electronic music that played in the club had a hypnotic quality to it, and Once-ler found himself drawn to the dance floor. He worked his way over to the side of the club, next to a wall, slightly away from the crowd. Further away from everyone else, he began to feel more relaxed. 

As the beat kicked up, Once-ler began to dance, quickly finding his rhythm.  All of his remaining nervousness quickly faded away as Once-ler remembered how much he loved music and dancing. He began to recall the times he had danced, sang, and played his guitar with the animals in the Truffula Forest and how carefree he had felt. Once-ler channeled this feeling as he continued to dance along to the music. 

Once-ler turned around and saw a flash of green from the corner of his eye. It was none other than Greed-ler, who was also dancing by himself. Once-ler stared at him. Greed-ler's dancing was as slick as the green outfit he wore. Although Once-ler found himself intimidated by Greed-ler, Once-ler also couldn't help but admire and envy his style and he was sure Greed-ler would have no trouble getting into any kind of cool establishment. He radiated an air of coolness and confidence that Once-ler knew he himself lacked. Once-ler wondered why nobody else was dancing with the Greed-ler. 

As the song began to switch over, Greed-ler stopped dancing for a moment. He came over to Once-ler. 
“Oh hey Once-ler, I'm so glad you could make it.” he greeted him.

“Oh hey,” Once-ler replied.

“What do you say and come down here and try to see if you can out-dance me?” Greed-ler challenged him.

“I'm not sure...” Once-ler tried to answer as his insecurities began to come back to the surface.

Greed-ler interrupted Once-ler by grabbing his arm and aggressively pulling him to the dance floor. “C'mon It'll be fun.” Greed-ler insisted with a sinister smirk. “If you don't think you can outdo me, just try to match me. Just think of me as a mirror image of yourself.”

Once-ler nodded nervously in reply. As a new song started up, Greed-ler made the first move, then he gestured for Once-ler to copy him. Once-ler, to his surprise, was able to copy Greed-ler's moves perfectly. 

“C'mon show me what you've got.” Greed-ler taunted.

The pair continued the pattern, moving to the music until Once-ler was no longer copying Greed-ler but instead started moving along with him. The two were somehow able to anticipate the each others' moves and dance in perfect synchronization.
 
“That's it! Keep going!” Greed-ler shouted “Lose yourself to it! Lose yourself!”

As the bass began to drop, Once-ler was completely absorbed in the moment. Enraptured by the synthetic sounds that reverberated through the speakers and the neon lights, Once-ler could barely discern the difference between himself and Greed-ler anymore, It was as though they had almost become one person.

As the song began to draw to a close, Greed-ler, with a sinister smirk on his face, reached out to Once-ler, who was completely lost in the ambiance. However, before Greed-ler could touch him. Someone else approached Once-ler, and Greed-ler dissipated into the darkness.

“Hey!” someone shouted.

Once-ler broke out of his trance. He saw a girl standing in front of him.

“You've got some slick moves.” the girl told him. “What's a cute guy like you doing dancing by yourself? Why don't you come and dance with me?” she asked.

Once-ler looked around, but he saw no trace of Greed-ler. He looked back at the girl who awaited earnestly for an answer. Once-ler blushed nervously, flattered by her offer. “Sure,” he replied with a smile. 

The girl smiled back and took Once-ler's hand, leading him back to the dance floor. As she did so, Once-ler continued to scan the club for Greed-ler, but it was as though he had disappeared out of thin air. Almost as if he had never really been there at all.

Chapter Text

It was the end of another long day at Thneed inc. Only Once-ler himself remained working at the factory, as there were more things he still had to do. After Once-ler completed one last inspection of the manufacturing area, he made his way down hall to his office. When Once-ler went inside, he sat down in his chair, yawned, and then pulled out his to-do list. 

Once-ler was relieved to see that most of the tasks on the list had been completed, except for a few. Once-ler's song for his TV appearance was almost done. After taking Greed-ler's suggestions, Once-ler found that the song was coming along nicely. He was looking forward to finally completing the song and playing it. When Once-ler looked at the next item on the list, however, he cringed. It was the plans for the factory expansion. That particular task filled Once-ler with dread, causing him to procrastinate on finishing it. In fact, since he technically, threw out all his blueprints for the plans, he hadn't even really gotten started on them yet. The last task on the list was some paperwork that needed to be filled out. Nowadays there was almost always paperwork he needed to do.

Once-ler yawned again. He decided that he was too tired to work on either the song or the expansion plans, so he decided to just finish the paperwork and then retire to his penthouse. The other tasks could wait. As he worked on the paperwork, Once-ler began to nod off. Just as he had begun to fall asleep, he heard a voice.

“Good evening, Mr. Once-ler.”

Once-ler's head shot up, and he saw Greed-ler standing in front of him, as the smell of smogulous smoke began to fill the room. “What are you doing here?” Once-ler asked in annoyance. 

“I was wondering if you had reconsidered my proposal for a merger yet,” Greed-ler answered.

Once-ler winced. He didn't want to talk about any sort of merger right now. He was tired and just wanted to be done for the day. Once-ler took a deep breath and put on his professional persona as he stood up from his desk. “I've been very busy and haven't had time to think about your offer, but perhaps we can discuss it another time,” he told Greed-ler as he began to leave the office.

“I can see that you are still hesitant Mr. Once-ler, but perhaps you just need some persuasion,” Greed-ler replied, undeterred. Before Once-ler could exit the office, the room began to darken as more smogulous smoke began to circulate around the room. Greed-ler lifted his hand. “Allow me to show you something.” Greed-ler spoke as he snapped his fingers. 

The dark smoke suddenly surrounded them and for a moment,Once-ler couldn't see anything except for Greed-ler's green gloves and blue eyes. Then just as quickly as it had arrived, the smogulous smoke dissipated and Once-ler could see that they were no longer in his office. Instead, he turned around to see that they were in front of his family's old farmhouse.

“What? How?” Once-ler asked in surprise.

“Just watch,” Greed-ler instructed as he stood next to Once-ler. The pair then began to observe the scene in front of them.

It was a beautiful day. A young Once-ler was sitting by the side of the house, knitting. Meanwhile, a few feet away in the yard, his two brothers were tossing a football around. Suddenly, Brett got a sinister look on his face. He gave Chet a wink, then threw the football towards an unsuspecting Once-ler. The football hit the side of the house with a loud thud, missing Once-ler's head by only a few inches. Startled, Once-ler let out a surprised yelp and fell to the ground.

The twins both started laughing at him. “Burn!” they both yelled out in unison. Then Brett came back over to get the football and began to mock Once-ler. “Aw what's the matter Oncie, did I scare ya? You're such a sissy.”

“Cut it out Brett,” Once-ler replied in an irritated tone as he sat back up and brushed the dust off himself. 

“What's with all the commotion out here?” Uncle Ubb shouted as he came over to the boys. He had heard the thud against the side of the house and had come over to investigate.

“Brett and Chet were making fun of me,” Once-ler complained.

“Well, Once-ler...” Uncle Ubb looked down at him. “.I mean..just look at yourself....you're sitting there knitting. That's a bit unmanly don't you think? It's no wonder people make fun of you.”

Once-ler's mouth hung open in dismay as his brothers continued to laugh quietly behind him.

“That being said...” Uncle Ubb continued, “Brett, Chet, I know that Once-ler here is a little bit...odd but you should both still try to be nice to your brother OK?”

Brett began to snicker to himself before replying “Don't you mean that we should try to be nice to our sister?” at that, Brett and Chet both exploded into laughter and even Uncle Ubb began laughing along with them. While Once-ler, feeling completely humiliated, ran back inside the house.

Once-ler stiffened as he watched the memory play out in front of him. Then Greed-ler snapped his fingers again. Smogulous smoke briefly swirled around them, then once again dissipated, revealing a new scene. This time, an older Once-ler could be scene working in his old farmhouse bedroom. He had just finished knitting a prototype for a thneed, and was trying to turn his new creation into various shapes. But unfortunately the green fabric he had chosen wasn't flexible enough and none of them came out right.

“Darn it! I really thought I had it this time! It was supposed to look like that!” Once-ler grumbled as he looked down at sketchbook sat on top of his desk, which showed a drawing of what he wanted the thneed to look like, along with other sketches that showed various ideas of what the thneed could do.

Once-ler's mother suddenly opened the door and came inside the room. “Oncie, it's time for dinner,” she told him, before she saw what he held in his hands, and raised an eyebrow.“What the heck is that thing?” she asked Once-ler with a bewildered expression.

“It's my new invention...the thneed...or at least it was supposed to be...it didn't exactly turn out how I had hoped.” Once-ler told her as he blushed in embarrassment. 

“I can't say I'm surprised it didn't turn out right.” his mother scoffed. “It sounds like a completely ridiculous idea.”

“But it's not!” Once-ler insisted as he set the failed prototype down on the desk, grabbed his sketchbook, and handed it to her. “It will be an amazing product. That can do the job of a thousand. I just need to find the right material!” 

Isabella shook her head disapprovingly as she placed his sketchbook back down on the desk. “Oh Once-ler, I just don't know what to do with you.” she told him. “If you keep spending all your free time knitting, playing that guitar, and coming up with all these crazy ideas, you're never going to amount to anything.”

Both young and adult Once-ler stood frozen at her words until the adult Once-ler finally turned to Greed-ler.

“Why are you showing me this? How do you even know about this?” he asked him.

“I was there, Once-ler. I always have been.” Greed-ler replied as smoke once began to swirl around them. “I am the desire that has always existed deep down inside you. The desire to succeed and make something of yourself and so that way you can finally earn your family's respect.”

 Greed-ler snapped his fingers and the scene around them changed yet again. This time they were in a large, elegant dining room. Gathered around the table were Once-ler's family, with Greed-ler sitting at the head of the table.

“That's...!” Once-ler gasped.

“...You.” Greed-ler interrupted him as the scene continued to unfold.

“Oh Oncie, I'm so proud of you.” Isabella leaned forward to hug her son, who was clad in Greed-ler's green suit.

“I love this guy!” Uncle Ubb exclaimed.

“Yeah Once, you're the man!” Brett cheered.

“Way to go bro!” Chet added.

“Like what you see?” Greed-ler asked Once-ler with a grin.

Once-ler was too stunned to speak. This scene in front of him was everything he had ever dreamed of.

“This is truly the type of happiness that only money can buy.” Greed-ler continued. “Surely you cannot ever remember a time when you felt this happy?”

“Actually...” Once-ler whispered as he began to recall a memory of a time not too long ago.

To Greed-ler's surprise, the scene around them began to change again. This time they were back in the Truffula Forest where Once-ler was singing and dancing with the animals. 

Greed-ler stared at the image in confusion.“You can't possibly be serious right?” he asked Once-ler

“It was just so beautiful and peaceful there. I miss those days sometimes...and I also miss them.” Once-ler explained with a sigh as he gestured towards the forest creatures.

 “Now come on! You know living there wasn't always so great,” Greed-ler argued. He hadn't anticipated this, and now he had to try and sway Once-ler again. “Don't you remember what the Lorax  tried to do to you?” 

Greed-ler snapped his fingers yet again. This time, Once-ler could see his past self and Pipsqueak floating on his bed and heading towards the waterfall as the Lorax tried to rescue them. After the Lorax dropped a giant rock on the bed, both Once-ler and Pipsqueak found themselves flying through the air. Although Once-ler feared for his own safety, he still reached out to grab the little barbaloot as they both fell. Then, upon Once-ler's impact on the ground, the scene cut to black.

“Have you ever wondered what might have happened to you if Pipsqueak hadn't been there?” Greed-ler asked coldly as a bright light began to appear behind him.

“Um...I...” Once-ler bit his lip. This was something he did think about occasionally. Once-ler wanted to believe that the Lorax would have rescued him even if Pipsqueak hadn't been involved, although he would never know for sure. He had been unconscious for a large part of the incident, so the Lorax's intentions were not clear to him. Before Once-ler could answer Greed-ler, the scene in front of them was restored as the Once-ler of the past was revived by the Lorax.  

“Well?” Greed-ler asked him.

“The whole thing was a misunderstanding.” Once-ler insisted, although his voice wavered with doubt. “The Lorax didn't want to hurt me....” Once-ler watched as the Lorax apologized to his past self and explained his actions, just as Pipsqueak came over and began tugging on the leg of Once-ler's pajama pants. “...and I don't want to hurt any of them either.” Once-ler continued. 

 Once-ler then cringed when he saw his past self promise to the Lorax and the animals that he wouldn't chop down another tree. Recalling these scenes made Once-ler feel conflicted again. For a moment, he was so sure about what he wanted, but now feelings of uncertainty and guilt had crept back in.

Greed-ler could tell that he was losing his influence on Once-ler. Thinking quickly, he snapped his fingers again. Smogulous smoke surrounded the pair until they were transported back to Once-ler's office. Only it wasn't Once-ler's current office. This was a much bigger office, with a bigger desk and a bigger chair. Once-ler turned around to admire all of the features, then stopped when he saw his reflection in the full-length mirror. He was wearing the same green suit as Greed-ler, sans hat and glasses. 

Greed-ler took off his own hat and placed it on Once-ler's head. “This can all be yours if you join me, become me, and keep on biggering.”

Once-ler, still in awe, slowly moved forward, admiring the scene around him. He then made his way towards the large window and that was when he saw it, or rather what was left of it. Nearly all of the truffula trees were gone.  
 
Once-ler slowly moved backwards in astonishment. “How did this happen?” he asked.

“Isn't it obvious?” Greed-ler asked as he stepped in front of Once-ler “You had them chopped down and turned into thneeds. This is simply a sign of progress. I know it seems bad now, but you'll learn to like it.”

“No this really is bad! I can't let this happen!” Once-ler shook his head as he continued to move backwards. 

Greed-ler became angry. He grabbed Once-ler's green coat and sharply pulled him closer, causing the hat to fall off of Once-ler's head.  “You have no choice.” Greed-ler growled “By trying to fight me you'll only be delaying the inevitable. I am the hole deep down inside of you that can never be filled. That insatiable desire for more. You can't escape me! I'm going to take you over, and together we'll never stop biggering!” 

Greed-ler's words filled Once-ler with fear and rage. “No! The Lorax was right! You're going to destroy everything!” Once-ler shouted. He pushed Greed-ler away with a harsh shove, causing him to hit the wall. Greed-ler's sunglasses fell off his face and landed on the floor. He then looked back up at Once-ler, who froze when he saw Greed-ler's face, an exact replica of his own, staring back at him with a menacing smirk. 

“So now do you finally understand?” Greed-ler asked as he dissipated into smoke, then reappeared in Once-ler's mirror. “I'm you. I'm a reflection of your true desires.” Greed-ler sneered as his manic laugh filled the room.  

Once-ler stared at the reflection. The two looked exactly alike. There was no denying it now. This was him. This is who he was becoming. Once-ler staggered backwards, completely terrified. Then a small glint of light caught his eye. Turning towards the direction of the light, he saw his ax sitting in his closet. Once-ler quickly grabbed it and lunged forward towards the mirror. With one swing of the ax, he shattered it. Shards of glass hit the floor as Once-ler fell to his knees. Trembling, he looked back up at the remaining broken pieces in the mirror. Once-ler could not tell whether the distorted reflection was Greed-ler's or his own, or if there was even really a difference. 

Suddenly, the reflection spoke to him. “This isn't the end,” the ominous voice told Once-ler. “Emotions and desires that are buried alive never truly die, they just reemerge in uglier ways.”

Once-ler suddenly woke up. He was sprawled on the floor of his old office, wearing his striped jeans and gray waistcoat. His fedora had fallen off his head. Once-ler looked around in confusion. Had the whole thing just been a nightmare? He looked to his side and saw his ax lying next to him, along with a few shards of glass. Still confused, Once-ler then looked up towards the mirror, and his eyes widened in fear when he saw that it really was shattered. 

Chapter Text

Once-ler stood in what appeared to be a large, endless room. Surrounding him were piles of cash. Once-ler looked up, and he saw a winding, gilded, spiral staircase in front of him. On top of the staircase was Greed-ler, who was playing his guitar and singing, all while skillfully hopping down the stairs on one foot. Just below Greed-ler, Once-ler's family was also singing and dancing on the staircase. Once-ler stared at the scene in disbelief.
Greed-ler then gracefully jumped down from the staircase, landing in one of the piles of cash in front of Once-ler. Dollar bills fluttered around the room. Greed-ler stood up and held out a gloved hand towards Once-ler. “Come Once-ler, Come join us,” he whispered. 

Once-ler, captivated by the image in front of him, lifted his own hand towards Greed-ler's.

“Come. Join. Us.” Greed-ler repeated with a wicked grin

Once-ler changed his mind and pulled his hand back, staggering backwards in uncertainty. Although the scene in front of him looked alluring, Once-ler feared what would happen if he were to give in to the temptation.

Seeing this, Greed-ler laughed wickedly. Then, to Once-ler's shock, Greed-ler suddenly appeared to melt. Greed-ler slowly dissolved into a black ooze that was identical to the schloppity schlop that Once-ler's factory poured into the nearby river. Once-ler stepped backwards as the schlop formed a puddle in front of him, which then transformed into a large, gaping hole.

Once-ler continued to stagger backwards in fear until he felt someone standing directly behind him. Once-ler peered his eyes over his shoulder and saw Greed-ler again. Once-ler turned around in shock. As Greed-ler slowly approached him, Once-ler moved backwards in the other direction, until he almost fell inside the hole in the floor.

“I am the hole deep down inside of you that can never be filled.” Greed-ler sneered as he grabbed Once-ler by the vest and dangled him over the hole. “You can't escape me.” Greed-ler then let go, and Once-ler began to fall, screaming into a dark endless void.

Once-ler's head shot up from his office desk as he woke up, gasping. His eyes darted around the room and Once-ler realized that he had once again fallen asleep in his office. The visions of Greed-ler had only been another nightmare. Once-ler's eyes turned towards the clock on his desk. He had less than an hour until his meeting. The one where Once-ler would present the finalized plans for the factory expansion to his family and top executives.  
Once-ler looked down at his blueprints as he chewed on a breakfast bar from his desk drawer. He had been working on the plans all night. Although Once-ler wasn't completely satisfied with the layout, wishing it could still be bigger, he hoped the layout would still satisfy his family and top executives while also allowing him to conserve more of the Truffula Forest.  

After Once-ler finished eating, he made his way to the bathroom to freshen up. Once-ler stepped in front of the mirror above the sink, and gasped when he saw his reflection. Once-ler's face remained the same, but he was wearing Greed-ler's  iconic green suit and top hat. Once-ler blinked in surprise, and then the reflection reverted back to normal, with Once-ler now wearing his signature gray waistcoat and fedora. He shook his head. This had to have just been residual effects from the nightmare he just had.

After Once-ler finished up in the bathroom, he went over to his desk to grab his blueprints and other important files for the meeting. Just as he had done so, he heard a knock on the door. Once-ler went over the the door to open it, expecting his secretary. His eyes widened in horror when instead he saw Greed-ler.

“Good luck at your meeting today. You're gonna need it. You should've let me help you.” Greed-ler sneered.

“That's impossible!” Once-ler gasped. “How did you...?” Before he had the chance to process what he was seeing, Greed-ler disappeared as Once-ler's secretary stepped in the doorway. 

“Mr. Once-ler are you ready for the meeting?” 

“Yes ma'am” Once-ler replied, clutching his documents. 

Once-ler tried to push the images of Greed-ler away as he quickly followed her down to the meeting room. When they entered, everyone else was already seated. With everyone now present, the meeting began.

The chief operating officer turned to Once-ler. “I assume you have finalized the plans for the expansion Mr. Once-ler?” he asked him.

“Yes, I do,” Once-ler replied

He handed the blueprints to his chief operating officer, who studied them a moment before passing them to the person next to him, who also briefly studied them before handing them off to the next person. Once-ler's executives and family members continued to pass the blueprints around in complete silence, with blank expressions on their faces.

Once-ler gulped nervously as the blueprints reached his mother. Isabella studied the plans for a while, then, with a slight frown, she handed the blueprints back to Once-ler's chief operating officer, who then handed them back to Once-ler.

“Hmm, we were all expecting something a bit bigger Mr. Once-ler, but I suppose this layout will have to do. We cannot afford to put the project off much longer.” the chief operating officer explained. “In fact, there is also another immediate problem we need to address. “Chopping down one tree at a time by hand is too slow. Even with multiple workers, it would take us months to clear the land necessary for the expansion. So we need to find a much more quick and efficient way to remove the trees.” The chief operating officer explained as he once again turned to Once-ler. “Do you have a proposal for addressing this issue Mr. Once-ler?”

Once-ler's eyes widened in surprise. “I didn't anticipate that this would be a problem, but I will come up with a solution as soon as possible,” Once-ler answered honestly, while still trying to sound professional and buy himself some time.

The chief operating officer gave his boss a disapproving look. “That's very disappointing to hear Mr. Once-ler. We were all hoping that we would be able to move forward with the expansion plans today, but we cannot do so until we find a way to quickly clear the land,” he explained.

Once-ler looked up at the disappointed and concerned faces of his executives and family. He sat there frozen for a moment, unsure of what to say, until a strange surge of energy took over.

“Don't worry. I will have a solution ready in two days,” Once-ler told them assuredly, his eyes glowing with confidence.” “And I trust that you will be more than satisfied with what I come up with.”

The chief operating officer looked surprised, but pleased, by his Boss' sudden, confident claim. “Very well then, Mr. Once-ler.” he replied “We'll call this meeting to a close so that way you can get started. We will meet again to discuss your proposed solution in two days.”

“Yes sir, thank you.” Once-ler nodded in agreement. He got up and left the meeting room as the others left behind him. Once-ler's eyes widened in panic as he suddenly realized what he had just agreed to. He made a beeline to his office, knowing that he would have to start working on the new project right away. When Once-ler reached his office, he quickly set the blueprints down on his desk. Then he grabbed another blank sheet of paper and placed it next to the blueprints. As Once-ler looked down at his desk, he sighed. Once-ler had hoped that he would finally be able to take a break after submitting the expansion plans, but now had even more work to do. 

He planned to work on the new project for the rest of the day. With no time to eat a proper meal, Once-ler pulled out a thneed from his office fridge and placed it on his desk. Once-ler sat down, grabbed a handful of thneed, and shoved it in his mouth. He savored the familiar taste of bread without the crust as he began to brainstorm ideas. 

 How could he find a faster way to chop down the trees? Once-ler knew he would have to mechanize the process, just as he had to mechanize thneed production. Once-ler looked up and saw his ceiling fan spinning around in a slow and steady rhythm. That gave him an idea. What if he created a machine that had spinning blades? What if each of those blades had an axe attached to it? Once-ler began to sketch furiously on the blank sheet of paper.

As the sun began to set, Once-ler had come up with a new invention to address the problem. Once-ler called it the super axe hacker. It was a vehicle that had a long pole attached to it and affixed to the pole were multiple axes. The machine was capable of chopping down multiple trees in a short amount of time. As Once-ler continued to work, he started to become excited at the prospect of his invention coming to life, but when he reached over to draw another axe on the machine, he paused.

Once-ler noticed that his hands were suddenly green, as though he were wearing long green gloves, identical to the ones Greed-ler wore. The look and feel of the gloves was so strange, yet so familiar to Once-ler somehow. He then looked up to where his full-length mirror used to be. Once-ler stared at his shadow against the now bare wall and saw that his dark silhouette now appeared to be wearing a large top hat, just like Greed-ler's. Once-ler looked back down at his hands. Then back at the wall. Then back at his hands again. He blinked a few times, but nothing changed. 

Once-ler continued to stare down at his hands, trembling in fear. He wondered why was he still being plagued by these visions and nightmares. Deep down Once-ler knew exactly why. Greed-ler had not disappeared along with the mirror, nor had Once-ler's desire to become just like him. Despite his dramatic display of resistance, Once-ler knew that he had not truly gotten rid of his urge to keep on biggering, despite the potential consequences. He had merely tried to suppress it. 

Although he was working on the invention at his executive's and family's insistence, he was doing it for himself too. There was a part of Once-ler that still wanted to create the super axe hacker so that way he could expand his factory, produce more thneeds, and make even more money. Even if that meant chopping down the trees, filling the sky with smogulous smoke, and pouring schlopity schlop into the river. The desire for more still burned deep down inside Once-ler, and that desire would continue to emerge until it had completely taken over and cause him to destroy everything. Just as Greed-ler and the Lorax warned him it would.

Confused  and conflicted, Once-ler ran out of his office in a panic. As he made his way down the hallway, Once-ler noticed that the gloves had finally vanished. However, his shadow, still sporting that large top hat, continued to follow him. Once-ler ran faster, desperately trying to get away from the dark silhouette. Suddenly, Once-ler felt a sudden sharp force pull his back against the wall. Then a green gloved arm wrapped itself around Once-ler's arms and waist, holding him in place, while another reached over to cover Once-ler's mouth. The smell of smogulous smoke filled the hallway as the shadow stepped out from the wall, and the rest of Greed-ler emerged from behind Once-ler, gripping him tightly. 

“Where do you think you're going?” Greed-ler sneered with a menacing grin.

Once-ler peered his eyes behind him and widened them in horror when saw Greed-ler. Once-ler desperately tried to scream and squirm away, but Greed-ler kept a firm grip.

“Don't we still have work to do?” Greed-ler asked  Once-ler while continuing to hold him in place.  

Once-ler stopped squirming and helplessly stared back at Greed-ler with fearful eyes.

“You know, if you would have just agreed to my offer in the first place, you wouldn't be in this mess right now, but don't worry, I still want to help you.” Greed-ler continued to sneer at Once-ler. “What do say we go back to your office and finish things up...together.” 

Chapter Text

Before Once-ler could attempt to answer his question, Greed-ler, along with the smell of smogulous smoke, suddenly vanished as footsteps could be heard in the hallway. Once-ler stumbled slightly from the shock of the sudden release as his mother made her way down the hall. She was heading home for the night, always the last one to leave the factory each day aside from Once-ler himself. When Isabella saw her son, she scowled.

“Son, what are you doing out here? Don't you still have work to do?” Isabella scolded him “I was so embarrassed at the meeting today. I can't believe you were so unprepared.”

“I'm sorry,” Once-ler replied. Unable to meet her gaze in shame.

“Oncie, listen to me.” Isabella looked up at her son, her tone now more gentle. “You've been doing such a great job with the business so far, but don't lose your momentum now. You can't mess this up.”

Once-ler's expression brightened at her backhanded compliments. Yes, she was disappointed in him, but she also believed in him.“Don't worry, I'll get right back to work. I won't let you down.”

“Good to hear.” Isabella replied with a pleased look “Have a good night Oncie.” 

“You too, Mom.” Once-ler waved back at her as he quickly made his way back to his office. With a new sense of determination, Once-ler poured himself back into his work. 

Hours later, he finally put the finishing touches on his super axe hacker sketch. After Once-ler had finished, he stood up to admire his work. He was sure his executives and family would be pleased with his new invention. Someone else was also very pleased. As the smell of smogulous smoke filled the office, Greed-ler stepped out of the shadows and made his way over to stand beside Once-ler, who jumped when he saw him approach.

“This will be perfect.” Greed-ler smiled as he examined the sketch. He wrapped a congratulatory arm around Once-ler, who stiffened at the touch. “I can just picture it now. We'll use the super axe hacker to raze the land, and build the factory right on top of it.” 

Once-ler's eyes widened as a sudden realization came to him. He had been so caught up in the excitement of creating his new invention, that he had nearly forgotten what it was actually going to do.  The super axe hacker would cut down numerous trees at a rapid rate, causing significant damage to the forest. Suddenly, Once-ler wasn't so sure if making and using his invention was such a good idea.

Greed-ler became angry as he picked up on Once-ler's hesitation. Without warning, Greed-ler pinned Once-ler down over the desk. “Don't you dare back out now!” Greed-ler growled in Once-ler's ear. “Not when you've finally come up with something good.”

“This isn't good!” Once-ler protested, too shocked to move. “You're being way too greedy. You're crazy! You ought to be locked up somewhere.”
“You're the one who's crazy.” Greed-ler scoffed “Thinking about throwing away an opportunity to get mighty rich and finally make something of yourself.”

“But don't you care about what would happen to the forest? Aren't you ashamed?” Once-ler asked.

“No, because if we didn't do it then somebody else would.” Greed-ler replied “So why don't we do it ourselves, and relish in all the fame and fortune that comes with it? Besides, this isn't just about us. We have a business to run remember? Business is business and business must grow. Do you want to let everyone down? The customers?  The workers? Mom and the rest of the family? Yourself? If you don't want to mess this up, then you need to stop hesitating and let me take over.”

Before Once-ler could reply, another voice rang out through the office. 

“Beanpole!”

Greed-ler suddenly disappeared as the Lorax entered Once-ler's office. When the Lorax noticed Once-ler's peculiar position, he raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing? Are you trying to hide something from me?” the Lorax asked.

Once-ler, in shock, quickly righted himself and sat back down in his chair, unable to explain.

The Lorax hopped up on Once-ler's desk. When he looked down and saw the sketch of the super axe hacker, the Lorax's eyes widened in horror. “Why?” he asked in dismay

“I'm just trying to...” Once-ler tried to explain.

“...destroy everything. That's what you're trying to do!” the Lorax replied angrily.

Once-ler felt a surge of energy well up within him. With a wild gleam in his eyes, he stood up and began yelling. No! What I'm trying to do is run a business and that business must grow! So I'm going to keep right on biggering! And selling more thneeds, and I'm going to keep biggering my money, which everyone needs!” Once-ler continued to yell as he angrily pointed at the Lorax, until he noticed that the green gloves had appeared again. Seeing this, Once-ler stopped yelling and stood frozen in shock.

“What has gotten into you Beanpole?” the Lorax asked in dismay.

Once-ler continued to stand there silently. He knew that something had definitely gotten into him, but he didn't know how to describe it.

The Lorax answered for him “Greed. That's what's gotten into you.” 

Once-ler's eyes widened at the realization.

“I warned you about greed Beanpole.” the Lorax continued. “All that biggering's just going to keep triggering more biggering, and you'll never be satisfied until you destroy everything.”

“But I'm not trying to destroy everything and I'm not just being greedy.” Once-ler tried to protest as he sat back down in his chair. “What do you expect me to do? Shut down the factory? Fire all the workers? Disappoint my family?” he asked.

“I don't know the answer.” the Lorax admitted “But what I do know is that things can't keep going on like this.” the Lorax turned his attention to the dark clouds that began to form outside the window. “A storm is coming so I have to go for now, but try to think about what I said alright?” 

Unable to reply, Once-ler merely nodded as the Lorax floated away. With a sigh, Once-ler looked back down at the blueprints and sketches. Perhaps he could make a few more modifications. Once-ler picked up a pencil and eraser and began making some adjustments. He squirmed around in his chair uncomfortably as his eyes were briefly drawn to the furniture catalog his mother gave him earlier, that sat unopened at the end of his desk.

Once-ler knew that his mother had a point about upgrading his office, and he had been meaning to order some better furniture for a while now, including a bigger desk and a bigger and more comfortable chair. But he had only been able to look at the catalog briefly before he became overwhelmed with work. Once-ler was unsatisfied with what he currently owned, which mainly consisted of the furniture he had used back at the cottage, and he hoped he would be able to make some upgrades soon. Once-ler let out a frustrated sigh as he brought his attention back to his blueprints and sketch. He kept working on them throughout the night until he once again fell asleep at his desk.

Once-ler awoke suddenly to a loud clap of thunder and a flash of lightning. Aside from the light of the full moon and the lightning strike, his office was completely dark. The storm had caused to electricity to go out. Upon realizing this, Once-ler sighed and fumbled around his desk drawer for a flashlight. He assumed it was late, and he figured he might as well go back to his penthouse and get some rest. 

 When Once-ler reached the door the his penthouse, he searched his pockets and groaned when he realized that he had forgotten his keys. Once-ler turned around and made his way back to his office. When Once-ler walked inside, he aimed his flashlight towards the desk and saw Greed-ler sitting in his office chair.

“What are you doing here?” Once-ler asked in surprise

“I'm the Once-ler, and I'm in my office,” Greed-ler replied as though it were obvious.

“No this is my office.” Once-ler insisted “I'm the real Once-ler.” 

“You still don't understand,” Greed-ler stated ominously as he got up and circled around the desk. “Soon., very soon, I will be the real Once-ler. And you...” Greed-ler paused dramatically as he made his way closer to Once-ler “Well, soon you'll be nothing more than a memory of the man I used to be.” 

Greed-ler suddenly grabbed Once-ler's wrist, causing the latter to drop his flashlight. Another bolt of lightning illuminated the office, and Once-ler could see Greed-ler's wicked grin. Once-ler managed to break out of Greed-ler's grip and ran. He made his way down to the lobby of the factory and headed for the main entrance. Barely able to see in the darkness, Once-ler desperately tried to fumble with the door handle, but he could not find a way to open the door. 

A strong gust of wind shook the factory, and Once-ler could hear the sound of a door slamming shut. He turned his head upwards towards the sound just as another bolt of lightning lit up the lobby and Once-ler could see Greed-ler standing at the top of the stairs. 

“What was that you were saying about me being locked away somewhere?” Greed-ler asked him mockingly “On the contrary Once-ler, Soon you'll be the one who is locked away in the confines of my mind!” Greed-ler told him with a wicked laugh.

Once-ler's eyes widened in horror, then he turned and ran in another direction. Once-ler tried another door, but he could not manage to open it either. Once-ler continued to run throughout the factory, occasionally stumbling in the dark. He tried several more doors, but they all appeared to be locked. Once-ler then remembered the emergency exits. He knew those had to be able to open. He made his way over to the nearest one. But before Once-ler could reach the door, there was another flash of lightning and he could see Greed-ler standing in front of the exit, blocking his path. 

“You can't escape me.” Greed-ler sneered.

Once-ler turned around and ran to another emergency exit. As he ran closer to the door, he ran into something, or rather someone. Once-ler fell to the floor from the impact. He looked up as another bolt of lightning struck, and he could see Greed-ler towering over him. Once-ler crawled backwards in terror, then righted himself and continued running. Once-ler then made his way back up to his office, tripping up the stairs along the way. He hoped that if he could retrieve his keys, he could open one of the doors and escape. 

Once-ler reached his office but discovered that his office door was also closed and locked, leaving him unable to get inside. There was another flash of lightning, and Once-ler turned around to see Greed-ler standing in the hallway. Once-ler ran in the opposite direction. He ran to one of the open lounges and stopped to catch his breath. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and tried to call the police, but he struggled to get a signal.
 
Suddenly a nearby radio turned on and began to play a song. Once-ler gasped as he recognized the tune. It was a finalized version How Bad Can I Be. The song that Once-ler was working on for his TV appearance. But how could it possibly be playing on the radio? The song hadn't even been fully written yet, let alone recorded. Yet despite this, the song sounded exactly like how Once-ler had imagined it in his head.   

As the electricity began to return, the factory lights flickered on and off. In the brief moments of light, Once-ler could see Greed-ler standing in front of him. Once-ler turned around and ran while continuing to fumble with his phone. With some electricity being restored, he was finally able to contact the police.

“H-help me, please. I'm l-locked  inside T-thneed Factory.” Once-ler stammered as he continued to run. I c-can't get out T-there's n-no escape.  I...”  Once-ler suddenly screamed as he felt someone grab his wrist and twist his arm back, causing him to drop the phone. As the lights continued to flicker on and off, Once-ler turned his head to see Greed-ler standing behind him.

“Why do you keep running away from me?” Greed-ler asked, “We both want the same thing.”

Once-ler managed to slip away as the lights flickered off again. In desperation, he ran back down to the lobby and hid behind one of the large chairs. Once-ler hadn't been this terrified since the time he woke up in his bed and found himself in the river. He remained hidden behind the chair, trembling. The factory remained completely dark and silent until the sound of footsteps and the jingle of a pocket watch chain could be heard as Greed-ler slowly made his way down the stairs. The sounds grew louder as Greed-ler made his way over to Once-ler's hiding place. Once-ler tried to get up and run again, but Greed-ler managed to grab him by his vest and hoist him up. 

“Did you really think you could hide from me?” Greed-ler sneered.

Suddenly, the lobby doors burst open, and Greed-ler vanished. Two policemen quickly rushed into the lobby, pointing a flashlight and a gun at Once-ler.

“Freeze. Put your hands in the air!” they shouted. 

Once-ler obeyed.

“What are you doing in Thneed Factory this late at night?” One of the officers asked.

Once-ler's eyes widened. He realized that the police thought that he had broken into the factory.

“I live here.” Once-ler tried to explain “I'm the one who called. I locked myself inside.”

“You live in a factory?” the other officer questioned, not quite believing him.

“I live in the penthouse attached to the factory,” Once-ler explained. “I'm Mr. Once-ler, President of Thneed inc.”

“I'm going to have to see some identification.” One of the officers informed him.

“Yes, sir,” Once-ler replied as he pulled out his wallet, took out his I.D. and handed it to the officers. At that moment, the electricity came back on.

The officers examined his I.D. carefully, then looked back up at Once-ler. Who stared back at them nervously.

“The details check out.” one of the officers stated as he handed Once-ler's I.D. back to him. The other one lowered his gun. “Sorry about the misunderstanding, Mr. Onceler. So you said you were locked inside the factory?” 

“Yes sir,” Once-ler nodded “All of the doors are jammed shut. I can't get in or out.  I left the keys in my office, but it's also locked and I'm unable to get back inside.”

“Alright then,” the officer replied “How about we try to get into your office one more time and get those keys. If you still can't open the door, we'll find a way to help you out.”

“That would be great, thank you,” Once-ler replied as he led them up the stairs.

They reached the office, and Once-ler, now able to see clearly, tried to turn the doorknob a different way. To everyone's surprise, the door opened without issue. Once-ler stared at the door in bewilderment for a moment before he headed over to his desk and picked up his keys.

“I'm so sorry officers,” Once-ler apologized, embarrassed. “It was dark so I guess I couldn't see how to open the door and then I completely panicked and I thought...” his voice trailed off.
“I see.” one of the officers replied “So now that you have your keys, is everything good now?”

“Yes,” Once-ler replied.

“Alright then. Have a good night Mr. Once-ler. We'll have someone come to fix your lobby door in the morning.” the other officer replied as both turned to leave.

“Thank you so much officers,” Once-ler called out after them

After the officers left, Once-ler let out a sigh and leaned against his desk. Completely exhausted after trying to escape his factory, and his fate, Once-ler stumbled back to his penthouse. Where he collapsed on his bed and instantly fell asleep.

Chapter Text

It was another beautiful day in the Truffula Forest. Once-ler was outside, leaning against a truffula tree and knitting a thneed. Suddenly, the ground began to shake slightly and Once-ler heard the sounds of sharp thuds. When Once-ler looked up towards the direction of the sounds, he gasped in terror. A super axe hacker was headed straight for him at an alarming speed. Once-ler quickly got up and ran away from the machine, abandoning his thneed on the ground. 

Once-ler sprinted through the forest while trying to avoid falling trees and spinning blades, as the sky began to turn red. As Once-ler continued to race through the forest, he could see the animals, including Pipsqueak and the Lorax, also running away in fear. Once-ler continued to run as he turned to look at the threat behind them. His eyes widened in horror when he saw Greed-ler looming large against the crimson sky, smiling wickedly, and asking how bad it could possibly be.

Once-ler shot up in his bed, gasping and panting. He then realized he was in his bedroom inside his penthouse. For once, he had actually put on his pajamas and gone to bed instead of sleeping in his office. After calming down a bit, Once-ler tried to lie down and go back to sleep. He tossed and turned, unable to get the images of the nightmare out of his mind. From that angle, the super axe hacker did not seem like such an appealing idea. In fact, it looked rather terrifying. 

Once-ler felt guilty, but he wasn't sure what else he could do. He was supposed to present his new invention to his executives and family at a meeting later that morning. Once-ler remembered how the last meeting went. He didn't want to disappoint everyone again, but Once-ler didn't want to become that evil entity of destruction that he saw in his nightmare either. So greedy and powerful that he didn't care who or what he destroyed.   

Unable to settle down, Once-ler looked up at his alarm clock. He had woken up only two hours before he was supposed to. With a resigned sigh, Once-ler decided to just get out of bed and get a head start on the day. With a yawn, Once-ler went to the kitchen. Since he had some extra time, he decided to make himself some pancakes. Once-ler had been busy and hadn't cooked himself anything in a while. Lately, he had mainly lived on thneeds, bagels, breakfast bars, and marshmallows. 

Once-ler pulled out a skillet and began to prepare the pancakes. As he waited for the first pancake to cook, he tried to remind himself that inventing the super axe hacker and expanding his factory would be good for his business. Even though some fear and doubt still remained, Once-ler tried to reassure himself that he was doing this for the good of the company and his family. He tried not to focus on the potential consequences of what he was doing and instead tried to think about all the money he would soon make. Once-ler hoped that he'd finally be able to buy himself some new furniture, a new guitar and maybe a new outfit too.

As Once-ler continued to ruminate and cook his pancakes, he began to doze off in front of the stove. Once-ler realized that this was dangerous and he decided to forget about the pancakes and take a quick power nap on the couch. Once-ler turned the dial on the stove, but in his tired haze, he did not realize that he had turned the stove burner up instead of off. Once-ler made his way to the couch in the adjacent living room, lay down, and fell asleep immediately.

Once-ler woke up to a strong smell of smoke, and the sensation of heat all around him. He looked up and fell off the couch in shock when he saw that his living room and kitchen were covered in a thick gray haze. Somehow, Once-ler had started a fire in his kitchen. He crawled on the floor, looking for an exit. The smoke stung his eyes and made it more difficult to see. Once-ler tried to make his way to the front door of the penthouse, but it was blocked by the fire. Once-ler looked around in fear and confusion, trying to think of another exit. He gasped and coughed, quickly becoming overwhelmed by the fumes that surrounded him. The smoke also had an unusual odor, as though it contained traces of smogulous smoke.

“Once-ler!” a voice shouted.

Once-ler turned around to the sound of the voice, and saw Greed-ler in the dining room, standing in front of the door to the porch, which would provide a way for Once-ler to get outside and escape the fumes. Once-ler was relieved at the discovery. He had spent so little time in his penthouse that he had forgotten he had even had a porch. Once-ler crawled over to the dining room where Greed-ler stood.

“Well, what do you say?” Greed-ler taunted Once-ler as the latter approached him. “Are to going to come with me? Become me? Or are you going to let this business burn down to the ground with you in it? What do you say Once-ler?” Greed-ler held out a gloved hand to Once-ler as he glared down at him.

Once-ler paused for a moment and looked up at Greed-ler in fear. He could still clearly see Greed-ler's wicked grin even against the smokey haze that surrounded them. The same grin he sported in his nightmare when Greed-ler was destroying everything in his path without a care. Once-ler knew that if he went with Greed-ler, it would soon be him wearing that malicious grin and causing that destruction.

“Once-ler! Once-ler! Come with me! Become me! I'll save you!” Greed-ler called out. Still holding out his hand for Once-ler.

Once-ler looked around frantically. The smoke continued to rapidly spread around the penthouse. He knew he was running out of time to escape. With no other choice, Once-ler reached his hand out towards Greed-ler's  

“Once-ler! Once-ler!”

“Mr. Once-ler!” “Mr. Once-ler!”

Once-ler was suddenly shaken awake. When he opened his eyes, Once-ler saw his housekeeper crouched over him, looking concerned. Once-ler hoisted himself up and frantically looked around. There was no fire. The only smoke that could be seen was restricted to what was coming from the now-ruined skillet on the stove.

“The stove!” Once-ler shouted.

“I'll get it!” his housekeeper shouted back and she ran up to turn off the stove and place a lid over the skillet. It had not been the first time one of her employers had burnt his food and nearly burnt down his house in the process so she knew exactly what to do.

Once-ler got up and slowly followed her. He kept looking around in disbelief. The nightmare had seemed so real. Once-ler's body still felt hot, as though the imaginary fire hadn't left.

“Just make sure that the skillet is completely cooled off, Mr. Once-ler, and then you'll probably have to throw it away.” the housekeeper informed him.

“Right. Thank you.” Once-ler replied.

His housekeeper turned around to face him. “I apologize for barging in like this Mr. Once-ler. I know I wasn't supposed to come in here to clean until later in the day while you were at work...” She explained as she pulled out the spare keys Once-ler had given her. “...but as I was cleaning the hallway right outside here, I smelled smoke, so I became concerned and ran in to see what was going on.” 

“It's fine,” Once-ler reassured her. “Thank you so much, actually. The whole situation could have really turned into a disaster if you hadn't come in.” he shuddered as he remembered his nightmare.

“Are you alright Mr. Once-ler?” the housekeeper asked “I was really worried when I found you unconscious on the floor.”

“Oh yeah, I'm fine.” Once-ler tried to reassure her “I just uh...didn't sleep very well last night. I was trying to cook something, but then I got really tired and I guess I didn't turn off the burner properly before lying back down. Then I must have fallen off the couch or something.” His memories of the events were so hazy that he wasn't actually sure what had happened, but he thought that sounded about right.

His housekeeper nodded “Alright then, well if everything is okay here now. I'm going to get back to work. I'll see you later Mr. Once-ler. With a wave, she turned away to leave.

“Thanks again,” Once-ler called back out to her. He made a mental note to include a bonus in her payment, and then Once-ler looked up at the living room clock. He needed to start getting ready. Once-ler went over to the stove, grabbed the charred skillet, and tossed it in the trash. He had more skillets, but Once-ler didn't have time to make more pancakes. He decided that he'd just eat a thneed or a bagel before heading off to work. He had suddenly lost his appetite anyway.

Once-ler finished getting ready and made his way down the hallway to his office. He went inside and grabbed a folder that contained the finalized factory plans and the sketch for the super axe hacker. As Once-ler opened the folder and took another look at the plans and sketches, he sighed. 

Once-ler had tried to modify both plans a bit. He reduced the number of square feet the factory would take by a small margin. Then he reduced the number of axes on the super axe hacker from six to four. Once-ler knew that it wouldn't make that much of a difference and that the Lorax would still be upset with him, but it was the best he could up with in such a short amount of time. Once-ler promised himself he would find a way to conserve more of the forest and ease his own guilt later. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. His secretary had arrived to accompany him to his meeting.  

The meeting began as soon as Once-ler arrived. His executives and family were eager to see what he had come up with. Once-ler pulled the sketch out of the folder and handed it to his chief operating officer.

“I call it the super axe hacker. It will allow us to chop down trees four times as fast.” Once-ler explained as the sketch was passed around the room.

This time his executives and family members murmured to themselves excitedly and nodded in approval as the sketch was passed around the table. Once-ler was relieved that they appeared to like his new invention, yet for some reason, he still felt uneasy. The meeting room seemed unusually warm and stuffy today.

The sketch made its way back to the chief operating officer, who turned to Once-ler. “And you also still have those finalized factory plans?” he asked.

“Yes sir,” Once-ler replied passing him the folder with the blueprints. 

The chief operating officer studied them for a moment before placing them back in the folder. Once-ler hoped that he wouldn't notice the slight reduction he had made to the factory building.

“Alright, then Mr. Once-ler. ” the chief operating officer stated  “I'll start the process of getting these plans through the proper channels. Once that is done we'll have you sign off on it so that way we can get started. Good job on these plans Mr. Once-ler.” 

“T-thank y-you.” Once-ler stammered as he got up to leave. As he went back down the hallway to his office, he tugged on his shirt collar as he felt a flush of heat creep up his neck. When he got to his office, he grabbed a water bottle and sat down to begin his daily paperwork. 

As the day wore on, Once-ler began to feel extremely fatigued, and despite drinking water, he still felt hot and flushed. It had become harder for Once-ler to concentrate. He stared down at the paperwork, barely able to comprehend the words on the page. Once-ler wiped the sweat off his brow and gripped his pen tightly. The pressure from his grip and the heat of his body caused the pen to break, and ink began to leak all over his hand and sleeve. Once-ler didn't notice. 

Suddenly, Once-ler felt lightheaded and his vision began to blur and double. He clutched his forehead with his left hand, then attempted to look up and around the room. Once-ler felt like the walls of the office were closing in on him, making him feel suffocated, and Once-ler suddenly felt like he needed to get out of there. He stood up to leave but then immediately stumbled. Once-ler placed his hand on the desk to steady himself and then slowly exited the office. 

When Once-ler made it out to the hallway. He was greeted with the familiar scent of smogulous smoke and also an unusual sight. Adorned all over the walls of the hallway were the words “Mine, Mine, Mine, Mine, Mine,” written in thick, dripping, black ink that resembled schloppity schlop. A few feet away, Once-ler could see Greed-ler, who was painting another “Mine” on the wall with his finger. His gloved hand was covered in black ooze. Greed-ler grinned and turned towards Once-ler.

“You seem a little overwhelmed Once-ler,” Greed-ler taunted as he slowly made his way towards him. “So why don't you just let me take over from here?” 

“S-stay away from m-me.” Once-ler weakly stammered as he attempted to back away. He stumbled again and leaned his right hand against the ink-covered wall for support.

“Just let me take over. Give it all to me. Make it all mine.” Greed-ler continued to sneer as he drew closer. “It's only a matter of time. Soon everything-your company, your factory, your body, your mind, your soul, it will all be mine mine mine mine mine.”

Once-ler's vision became blurrier and he felt as though the hallway was swaying around him. Completely overwhelmed and exhausted, Once-ler collapsed on the floor as his vision faded to black. 

Chapter Text

When Once-ler woke up, he was lying on top of his bed, wearing his pajamas. His body felt hot and fatigued, and his mind was hazy. Once-ler was confused. Why was he in his bed? Was it still morning? Had he even woken up and left the penthouse that day? He recounted all of the events that had supposedly happened earlier, his housekeeper finding him, the meeting, the encounter with Greed-ler, and wondered if it had all been a dream. Then Once-ler heard a familiar voice behind him.

“So what exactly is wrong with him?” It was his mother Isabella who spoke.

“He has a fever that is making him delirious.” another woman's voice answered.

Once-ler wanted to turn around and see who the other person was, but he struggled to stay awake. As Once-ler faded in and out of consciousness, he heard snippets of their conversation.

His mother let out a heavy sigh. “He's always had a tendency of getting a fever anytime he was sick, even if all he had was the sniffles.” she grumbled “Do you know what exactly caused this one?”

“According to the test I performed, he does not appear to have any sort of viral infection.” the other woman explained “So it appears as though he has a psychogenic fever. It is a fever that is caused by stress, not a virus.”

“Seriously? I had no idea that was possible!” Isabella explaimed.

“It's rare, but can happen when a person is under an extreme amount of stress.” the mysterious women told her.

“So, if he doesn't have a virus, we just give him some fever reducing medicine and then he'll be cured right?” his mother asked.

“Unfortunately no.” the other woman answered. “Fever reducing medications do not work on psychosomatic fevers. So the only thing we can do is try to keep Once-ler comfortable until he recovers.”

Eventually, Once-ler was able to wake up and he rolled over to face the other side of the bed. Standing right next to him was a woman with curly brown hair and glasses. Once-ler thought that she looked somewhat familiar, but he could not recall where he had seen her before. The woman was talking to his mother, who stood at the end of Once-ler's bed. Standing behind his mother were his two brothers, who silently looked down at Once-ler with concerned looks on their faces.

“How long will it be until he's better and able to go back to work?” Isabella asked. Her tone was mixed with both annoyance and concern.

“He should hopefully start feeling better in a couple of hours. I'll watch over him this afternoon as you requested. His delirium will likely make him feel confused and frightened, so it's a good idea for him to be supervised until the fever goes down. However, he will still need to rest for a few more days at least in order to fully recover.” the mysterious woman answered.

Once-ler slowly sat up in his bed. The woman next to him noticed and turned around to greet him.

“Oh, hello Mr. Once-ler, I see that you're awake,” she remarked. “My name is Norma. I'm a nurse from Greenville Hospital, and I'm here to look after you while you recover from your illness,” she explained. “As I was just telling your mother and brothers, you appear to have developed a psychogenic fever due to stress, and you are also delirious. You are seeing and hearing things that aren't really there and have been experiencing some intense nightmares, but don't worry, I'm going to do my best to help you feel better.” She handed him a bottle of water “Would you like a drink? It is important to stay hydrated.”

“Yes. Thank you.” Once-ler replied. He took the bottle and slowly began to drink.

His mother sighed “Unbelievable Oncie, I can't believe you got yourself down sick,” she scolded him “You're awfully lucky that you were able to submit your finalized plans at the meeting this morning, and what if this had happened right before your TV appearance? You need to be taking better care of yourself.”

“If your son gets plenty of rest, He should be able to recover and get back to work in no time.” Norma tried to reassure her.

“I most certainly hope so,” Isabella replied with a scoff. She took one last lingering glance at Once-ler before leaving the room, with Brett and Chet following behind her. She turned around and waved at Norma as they left “Thank you so much for looking after Once-ler, Norma.”

“You're welcome,” Norma replied as Once-ler's mother and brothers left the penthouse.

Once-ler finished drinking the water and set the bottle down on the nightstand. Then look another look at Norma. “You look...familiar somehow. Have we met?” he asked her.

“I suppose in a way we have.” Norma told him with a smile “I bought a thneed from you back when you sold them in your small shop. I often use it as a shawl.”

“Oh...” Once-ler replied. His mind still felt cloudy and the memory was unclear, but he remembered seeing her.

“So how are you feeling right now Mr. Once-ler” Norma asked him.

“Not great and I'm still really confused...what exactly happened today?” Once-ler answered. While he now knew why he had felt so bad, he still wondered why he was in bed and wearing his pajamas.

“Your brothers found you passed out in the hallway,” Norma explained. “They couldn't wake you up and you were talking in your sleep. So they called your mother, who then called the hospital. It was determined that you had a fever and were delirious but otherwise fine, so your family opted not to have you admitted. Instead, I was assigned to look after you while you recover here at your penthouse. Your brothers then brought you back to your bedroom, and your mother changed your clothes and put you in your pajamas.” Norma continued. “She thought you would be more comfortable that way, since we figured you would be lying in bed for a while, and also for some reason the shirt you were wearing earlier was stained with ink. There was a large blob on your right sleeve and also your hand.”

Once-ler looked down at his hands. Sure enough, on his right hand was a faded ink stain. He wondered how it could have gotten there. Then he remembered the encounter with Greed-ler in the hallway when he was leaning against the wall. The words mine mine mine mine mine written on that same wall with similar looking black ooze. But that couldn't have possibly happened. Could it?

Norma just told him that he was seeing and hearing things that weren't there due to the fever, so that had to explain what he saw, but if so, where else had the ink come from? Once-ler could think of no other possible explanation, as he had absolutely no recollection of the broken pen. So, in his feverish haze, Once-ler began to consider the possibility that Greed-ler could truly be real and that he could really be after him. As Once-ler stared down at the stain on his hand, he became filled with fear, and his vision began to double and blur. He clutched his forehead with his other hand and groaned as a wave of heat surged through him.

“Mr. Once-ler?” Norma noticed his distress and began to take action. “Your fever appears to be spiking. Lie back down.” She instructed as she gently pushed on his shoulders to lay him back down on the bed Then she pulled out several cold compresses and placed them on Once-ler's forehead and behind his neck in an attempt to bring his fever down. “You're going to be alright Mr. Once-ler.” Norma tried to reassure him. “Your mother and the rest of your family are all taking care of your work for you right now, so the only thing you need to do is rest. Just try to relax. I'll be right here if you need anything.”

As fatigue and exhaustion settled in, Once-ler's eyes grew heavy and began to close. When he opened them, Once-ler found himself once again standing in the hallway, leaning against the wall that was covered in those same inky words, mine mine mine mine mine. The smell of smogulous smoke permeating the air.

“Let me take over. Just give everything to me.” Greed-ler taunted as he slowly moved closer.

Once-ler staggered backwards, trying to keep some distance between them. “I a-already d-did want you w-wanted. I s-submitted the p-plans.” He stammered “W-why are you s-still after m-me?” he asked.

“I'm not through with you yet. You and I still have a lot more biggering to do. I'm still not satisfied.” Greed-ler answered, “I still haven't gotten everything that I want from you, and if you continue to refuse to give it to me, then I suppose I'll just have to take it.”

Greed-ler then paused, flashed a wicked grin, and snapped his inky black fingers. Smogulous smoke swirled around the hallway as the black schlop from the words written on the wall began to expand and drip down to the floor. Once-ler tried to turn around and run, but he immediately stumbled and slipped in one of the newly formed puddles of schlop. Once-ler turned his head and saw the dark smoke and inky black ooze wrap around Greed-ler. Surrounding the latter in darkness until only his eyes and green gloves were visible.

Then, suddenly, those green gloves expanded and reached out for Once-ler, who tried to hoist himself up and run, but instead slipped and flopped back down in the schlop. One of Greed-ler's green-gloved hands grabbed hold of Once-ler's ankle, dragging him down the hallway through the schlop puddles that lay on the floor. Before Once-ler could scream, the other green-gloved hand clamped itself over his mouth. Once-ler desperately tried to grab onto the floor as the green-gloved arms kept dragging him towards the dark void of smoke and schlop that enveloped Greed-ler.

“It's inevitable Once-ler! This is your fate! I'm going to take over everything!” Greed-ler's voice echoed through the hallway.

Before Greed-ler could fully pull him into the darkness, Once-ler woke up in his bed, gasping and panting. He turned over and began to cry into his pillow.

“Mr. Once-ler!” Norma came over with new cold compresses and once again placed them on Once-ler's forehead and neck.

“Greed-ler's after me,” Once-ler murmured. “He's going to get me. He's going to take everything. Take over everything. He's going to destroy everything. He's never going to stop.”

“It's alright Mr. Once-ler.” Norma tried to reassure him, pressing a cold compress on his forehead and holding his hand. “It's just the fever talking. You are delirious right now. It was only a nightmare. Just a fever dream. Nobody is after you. Nobody is going to get you. I'm right here watching you. Just relax. Just rest. It was all just a dream.”

Once-ler began to calm down as he listened to her words. “Just a dream...Just a dream...” he repeated to himself as his eyes grew heavy and he began to drift off to sleep again.“Just a dream...” However, Once-ler began to recall a time when it wasn't just a dream. That one time he woke up in bed and discovered that he really was in danger.

Once-ler fell asleep again and began to relive the memory of the night he woke up and found himself in the river. His bed had flipped over and he was soaking wet. The river rapids propelled his bed forward, hitting several rocks along the way. After the bed reemerged from the rocks, he sighed with relief, only to discover, to his horror, that he was quickly approaching a waterfall. The scene played out almost exactly as before. Except this time, Pipsqueak was not with him and the Lorax and the other animals were not chasing after him and the bed.

Once-ler turned around and saw the Lorax and the other animals, including Pipsqueak, standing by the riverbank. Pipsqueak stood next to the Lorax and waved to Once-ler, who was relieved that Pipsqueak was safe. But Once-ler became worried when he saw the Lorax and the other animals just standing there staring at him instead of trying to help.

“Just do something!” Once-ler pleaded as he frantically tried to paddle away from the waterfall with his pillow.

Once-ler turned back around and saw that the Lorax hadn't moved. He continued to stare at Once-ler with a cold glare as the bed continued to approach the waterfall. Once-ler's eyes widened in horror when he realized that this time, help wasn't on the way, and Once-ler knew exactly why.

“No! Please help me! I'm sorry! ” Once-ler begged “I'll never chop down another tree. I promise!”

“You already broke your promise.” the Lorax replied coldly.

As the Lorax spoke, the Truffula Forest began to transform. The sky became thick with smogulous smoke, while the truffula trees were reduced to stumps. A super axe hacker was parked nearby. The water in the river below Once-ler turned black, as though it were filled with scholpity schlop.

Once-ler looked around frantically at the scene that surrounded him before he saw himself and his bed finally reach the edge of the waterfall, and Once-ler screamed as he began his descent.

Chapter Text

Once-ler shot up in bed and screamed as he woke up, still living the nightmare, unaware of his surroundings. Norma immediately came over to him.  

“No no no! The bed! No! The bed is in the river! The waterfall!”” Once-ler gasped.

“No. Mr. Once-ler. The bed is in your bedroom. In your penthouse. In your factory. There is no river. There is no waterfall. You are safe here. ” Norma spoke to him in simple sentences in order to ground Once-ler back to reality. 

As Norma spoke to him, Once-ler began to calm down as he looked around and discovered that the bed was indeed still in his bedroom.

“You still have a high fever and it's causing you to have nightmares.” Norma continued. I know you feel really bad right now, but eventually, you will feel better. You are safe here in your bedroom. I'm still here with you. Just relax. Just rest.”

Once-ler mumbled a weak “Thank you.” as he lay back down on the bed. Once-ler desperately did not want to fall asleep and have nightmares again, but he struggled to keep his eyes open. He had never felt more tired in his life. It was as though his body was trying to compensate for all the sleep he hadn't gotten over the past few weeks. Trying to stay awake made Once-ler feel like he was desperately trying and failing to keep his head above water.

And soon that was exactly where he was. When Once-ler fell asleep again, his nightmare had picked up right where it had left off. Somehow, Once-ler had survived his descent over the waterfall, and he was now flailing in the black water below, desperately trying to stay afloat. Once-ler tried to bring himself closer to the riverbank, but he began to sink under the current. Then suddenly, someone grabbed him from the water and brought him to shore. Once-ler lay there for a moment, coughing and gasping. Then he looked up and discovered that his rescuer was none other than Greed-ler.  

“There now, aren't you glad I came after you?” Greed-ler asked with a smirk.

“What? Why?” Once-ler asked in confusion.

“I told you before, you and I have a lot more biggering to do. So let's get going shall me?” Greed-ler picked Once-ler up and began to carry him away.

Once-ler looked around at the desecrated forest that surrounded them. “This is all your fault.” he whispered “You made me do this. You destroyed everything.”

“Who cares if a few things are dying?”Greed-ler hissed “Now shut up. I don't want to hear your crying. You may not understand it now, but trust me, after you become me, you are going to find this oh-so gratifying.”

“No.” Once-ler weakly protested “You're just a nightmare.”

“I'm not a nightmare. I'm your dream.” Greed-ler replied, “A dream that will soon become reality.”

Once-ler looked up and saw that they were in front of Thneed Factory, a newly expanded and enhanced version of Thneed Factory. The exact same factory that Once-ler had drawn on his latest blueprints.  Parked in front of the factory were a couple of super axe hackers. Once-ler's eyes widened in awe.

“Isn't it amazing?” Greed-ler asked 

Once-ler silently agreed that the factory and the super axe hackers did indeed look amazing, He was once again thrilled by the idea of his ideas coming to life, but he also grew fearful as he saw all of the destruction around them. A large number of trees had been cut down, leaving the area surrounding the factory nearly bare. The sky was filled with dark smog, and the river ran black with schlop. 

As Greed-ler carried Once-ler towards the factory, he began to hum a familiar tune. The song that Once-ler and Greed-ler had written together, How Bad Can I Be.  The same song that Once-ler would be performing for his TV appearance.

Greed-ler brought Once-ler up a set of stairs that led to Once-ler's new, bigger office. It was the same office that Greed-ler had shown him before, complete with rich green walls and velvety red curtains. Inside the office, Once-ler could see another version of Greed-ler-or perhaps himself, sitting in a much bigger, more luxurious, chair. Clad in a green suit and top hat, he was counting money. Sitting on the desk were numerous piles of cash.

“Like what you see?” Greed-ler asked before he returned to humming.

Once-ler still said nothing, but he had to admit to himself that he did indeed like what he saw. At least he did at first. Then, in a flash, the vision changed. The green-clad man had disappeared, along with the cash, and the chair. The desk was covered in debris, and the red curtains were torn. Once-ler gasped in shock.

They left the office and Greed-ler continued to carry Once-ler throughout the building. They soon entered the top floor of the manufacturing area of the factory. Once-ler could smell the familiar scent of smogulous smoke, although the smell was fainter than it used to be. This area of the factory was also much larger and more enhanced. Shiny, upgraded, metallic gears worked away, producing thneeds even more quickly and efficiently than before. Then once again, with another flash, the scene changed. The gears were rusted and no longer moved. Remnants of thneeds and broken parts were strewn about. Once-ler was horrified, but Greed-ler appeared not to notice the destruction around him.

They exited the manufacturing area and made their way down the hall. Then down the staircase that led to the lobby. Which was also, like everything else in the factory, expanded and updated. It had an even larger desk, more luxurious chairs, and brand-new wallpaper. There was another flash, and the image of perfection turned into one of ruin. The desk and chairs were gone, the wallpaper was peeling off, and the windows were busted open, leaving broken glass all over the floor. The place looked as though it had been looted and then abandoned for years. Once-ler wondered what could have happened, and why.

Greed-ler brought Once-ler to a new, unfamiliar door, which Greed-ler kicked open. Inside was a luxurious dining room. Surrounding the large table were elegantly dressed guests, who were proposing a toast to Once-ler, who sat at the end of the table. Then the image once again changed. The people disappeared. The chairs were turned over or missing, the table was covered in debris, curtains were torn, and more glass was strewn about.

“Where are we? What happened here?” Once-ler asked.

“We added some more rooms below the penthouse.” Greed-ler answered, “With the increased success of the thneed, we became very important, and we needed to expand our living quarters in order to receive guests.” Greed-ler stated, then he returned to humming again. 

Greed-ler did not answer Once-ler's second question, instead, he continued to carry Once-ler into the new parlor room. Where Once-ler, wearing Greed-ler's green suit, was entertaining guests by playing Greed-ler's red guitar. As Greed-ler carried him up a newly constructed marble staircase. The image flashed yet again. Once-ler and the guests were gone. The furniture was once again missing, and there were more torn curtains and broken glass. Greed-ler ascended up the stairs to more familiar surroundings. Although upgraded, Once-ler could still recognize the layout of his penthouse. As they passed each room, the scenes continued to switch from that of luxury to ruin. 

Once-ler wondered why he was seeing this. Did the images represent his own doubt and fears of what could happen? Was this some type of warning? Was this going to be what happened if he kept biggering? Or was this going to be what happened if he didn't? Was Greed-ler trying to save him from ruin, just as he had saved him from the river? Or would Greed-ler be the one to ruin him, just as the Lorax had forewarned?

Once-ler couldn't think, especially now. His body still felt so hot, his mind still so hazy. No matter what his fate wound up being, he couldn't keep fighting it anymore. He was too weak, too tired, and his vision began to blur and double again as he went limp in Greed-ler's arms.  

Greed-ler carried Once-ler to the upgraded master bedroom. The room was larger, with newly upgraded furniture including a large canopy bed, which was decorated in fancy, emerald green, sheets. As Greed-ler brought Once-ler closer to the bed. The scene changed, and the once luxurious bedroom was now ruined. Most of the furniture had once again gone missing. Except for the large bed, which was covered in dust, with the sheets now torn and ripped.

As Greed-ler placed Once-ler down on the bed, Once-ler found himself unable to move or speak. He helplessly stared up at Greed-ler with fearful eyes as the latter loomed over him.

“Just relax.” Greed-ler told Onceler “You'll feel better soon, and then we'll get right back to biggering. I know you're still hesitant, but don't worry.  Just let me take over and everything will be fine. Come on, Once-ler, how bad can it possibly be?” As Greed-ler spoke, the room surrounding them changed back to an image of luxury for another instant, then reverted to one of ruin.

Once-ler, confused and frightened, tried to scream, but all that came out were shallow gasps.

“My goodness, You're in even worse shape than I thought.” Greed-ler suddenly exclaimed with a concerned look on his face. His voice sounded distorted, as though it was blended with another. He reached out and gently shook Once-ler's shoulder, as though he was trying to wake him. “Mr. Onceler? Wake up Mr. Once-ler!” he called out, his voice still distorted.

“Wake up Mr. Once-ler!”

With a loud gasp, Once-ler woke up in his old room, in his old bed, to the sound of Norma's voice. He frantically looked around the room and then back up at Norma, who had one hand on his shoulder. Normally it was against protocol to wake up a sleeping patient, but here she made an exception, knowing that Once-ler must have felt terrified, trapped, and helpless in such a state.

“I couldn't move...I couldn't move... I couldn't...” Once-ler murmured.

“I know Mr. Once-ler. You appeared to be experiencing an episode of sleep paralysis.” She grabbed more cold compresses and placed them on him. “You still have a high fever. You are still seeing things that aren't there. I know that these images are scary, but they are not real. They are just nightmares. You are safe and resting in your penthouse until you feel better. You're going to be okay.”

Once-ler clung to her words as he continued to slip in and out of consciousness throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening. As his fever began to slowly go down, he no longer had nightmares, but instead faded in and out of a dreamless slumber. At one point, he woke up and saw Norma talking to his mother. 

“Unfortunately, Once-ler's condition has not improved as much as I hoped it would. He still has a fever and has been experiencing delirium, nightmares, and sleep paralysis throughout the day. He must have been under an enormous amount of stress in order to become this ill.” Norma informed Isabella, who cast Once-ler a concerned glance before he fell asleep again.

 Later, after nightfall, Once-ler briefly woke up and felt a presence next to him. It was neither Norma nor his mother, but the silhouette of a man, somehow familiar, obscured by shadows. Although fearful of the possibility that Greed-ler had returned for him again, Once-ler had no energy to resist. He took one glance at the silhouette before he quickly slipped back into unconsciousness, and he remained asleep for the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

Once-ler slowly blinked his eyes open as he awoke the next morning. As his mind slowly emerged from the fog of sleep, Once-ler gazed out his bedroom window. Outside, the sun was shining against the lush green hills that were lined with colorful truffula trees, while a clear blue stream ran through the forest. As Once-ler looked at the beautiful scene outside his window, he started to feel a sense of peace.

Once-ler's brief moment of tranquility was interrupted when he heard the sound of shuffling coming from behind him. Once-ler became filled with dread as he realized that the same presence from last night was still there watching him. Trembling, Once-ler slowly sat up in his bed and turned around.

Once-ler saw that it was indeed the same figure that he had seen briefly during the previous night. Still sitting in the chair next to the bed was a silhouette of a man. He somehow seemed familiar but was still unrecognizable, with his form being completely enveloped in the shadows. Fearing the worst, Once-ler gasped in terror and cowered on the bed, awaiting his fate, still too ill and weak to even consider running away. Seeing this, the figure got up from the chair and reached out towards Once-ler, who had shut his eyes in fear.

“Woah, chill Once-ler, it's just me.” the mysterious man told Once-ler as he stepped into the light and gently put his hand on Once-ler's shoulder.

Once-ler calmed down as he recognized the sound of the voice. He opened his eyes to see one of his brothers standing next to him with a concerned look on his face. “Brett, is that really you?” Once-ler asked in surprise.

“Aw man, you really must be sick. I'm actually Chet.” his brother answered.

“Oh, sorry Chet,” Once-ler apologized, a bit embarrassed at the mix-up. He had always been able to tell his brothers apart.

“Don't worry about it,” Chet told Once-ler as he removed his hand from his shoulder and reached for a water bottle on the nightstand, which he then handed to Once-ler. “You ought to have some water. You still look like you're in rough shape.”

“Thanks,” Once-ler replied as he grabbed the bottle, his hands still shaking slightly. He took a few slow sips.

“Are you feeling any better?” Chet asked him.

“I guess so...” Once-ler answered between sips “I finally managed to get some sleep, and I think the fever went down a bit...” Once-ler looked back up, and he saw that another identical figure was now standing next to Chet. “…except now I'm seeing double again.”

“Naw that's just me,” Brett answered.

Once-ler sighed with relief. “Oh, Hey Brett,” he greeted him.

“How are you doing? ” Brett asked in reply.

“Better I think, but what are you both doing here?” Once-ler asked them in confusion as he set the water bottle back down on the nightstand.

“Norma had to go home, but she said you were still pretty sick and having weird nightmares because you were delirious. So Brett and I took turns keeping an eye on you last night.” Chet answered.

“So that was one of you last night? Once-ler asked in disbelief “I thought you were...” his voice trailed off, not wanting to explain further. “...but why were you watching me? he asked. It was very unlike Brett and Chet to express so much concern over him.

“We were afraid to leave you alone when you were sick like that,” Brett answered.

“Yeah, you really scared us Once.” Chet continued “Brett and I came in after chopping down the trees and we just saw you lying there on the floor. We had no idea what happened.”

“We ran over to you, but you wouldn't wake up.” Brett added. “Then you started talking nonsense about somebody being after you and some weird stuff about greed. That fever of yours must have been really high. We were both really worried.”

“Really? You were actually worried about me?” Once-ler asked them in disbelief Once-ler couldn't believe that his brothers were admitting that they were actually scared, let alone for him. Growing up, the twins would often tease Once-ler when he got scared, and accuse him of being a whimp, a sissy, or worse. While they themselves would never admit to being afraid of anything, except for the one person all three of them were definitely scared of, their mother. If his brother really were as scared as they claimed to be, they must have thought that the situation was very serious.

“Well...yeah.” Chet answered, somewhat embarrassed “I mean you're our brother...and we care about you and stuff...you looked like you were in really bad shape....so of course we were worried.”

Once-ler's eyes widened in shock. He didn't even think his brothers liked him all that much. The twins were exactly alike, and always spent their time together, while Once-ler was usually the odd one out, with an emphasis on the odd. Once-ler was quite different from them, being less “manly” and his brothers would often tease him as a result.

“Yeah, and Mom's really worried about you too,” Brett added. “She just about went crazy when we called her to come over and she saw you like that.”

“She is?” Once-ler asked. From what he remembered, she had seemed rather annoyed with him yesterday, even blaming him for the situation, but he could also see the concern on her face too. That was just like his mother. One minute she would be cutting him down and telling him he wasn't good enough, while the next minute she would be hugging him and commending him for his hard work. While Once-ler hoped that his mother genuinely loved him deep down, the critical comments she often made towards him left Once-ler wondering how she really felt about him. Once-ler desperately wished he could finally win her approval for good.

“Yeah. She was totally freaking out.” Chet continued “She was worried about you and what would happen to the business without you there to run it. With you out sick, Mom had to suddenly take over and try to get all of your work done. She was really stressed out.”

Once-ler slowly nodded in understanding. He knew how important the business was to the whole family, especially his mother.

“Mom is gonna come in to check on you later this afternoon actually. But she just has to get some work done first, but then she took the rest of the day off.” Brett told Once-ler

Just as soon as Brett finished speaking, Isabella barged into the bedroom, carrying a tote bag. She pushed her way past Brett and Chet and made her way straight towards Once-ler.

“Oncie!” his mother exclaimed while grabbing his hand. She showed no traces of her earlier annoyance with Once-ler, and instead, she fussed over him. “Oh, Oncie! I was so worried about you. How are you feeling son?” She asked

“Still not great, but I'm feeling better,” Once-ler answered.

His mother continued to look at him for another moment with a look of concern, then she turned around to face Brett and Chet. “How'd he do last night?” she asked them.

“He slept through the night mostly.” Chet answered “No more strange nightmares or anything I don't think.”

“That's good. ” Isabella replied with a wave “Thanks for looking after your brother. I'll handle it from here.” she told them.

The twins nodded and turned to leave.

“Get better soon Once,” Brett called out behind him as he exited the bedroom.

“Yeah take it easy bro,” Chet added as he followed Brett out the door.

“Thanks, guys,” Once-ler answered back, truly touched by their unexpected actions.

“Now don't worry Oncie, I've got just the thing that will make you feel better. I have great news!” Isabella told him excitedly as she rummaged through her tote bag. She pulled out two clipboards with documents attached to them and a pen, then handed the items to Once-ler. “The plans for the factory expansion and the Super Axe Hacker passed through all the clearances. Now all you have to do is sign off on them.” Isabella waited in anticipation as Once-ler glanced down at the clipboards.

Without thinking, fueled by his mother's enthusiasm, Once-ler signed the documents. His hand still shook slightly, leaving his signatures slightly messy as a result. After Once-ler finished signing the second paper, he glanced back down at his hands. His eyes widened in shock when he saw that he appeared to be wearing Greed-ler's green gloves. Once-ler stared down at his hands in horror as his vision began to double and blur again.

“Exciting isn't it?” Once-ler's mother asked as she took the clipboards and pen and placed them back in her tote bag, at first oblivious to her son's distress.

Once-ler didn't answer her. Instead, with a groan, he clutched his forehead as his body grew fatigued and a wave of heat coursed through his body.

Isabella looked back up at her son in alarm. “Oncie, what's wrong?” she asked as she gently moved his hand off of his forehead, replacing it with her own. “You're burning up again. Lie back down.” Isabella stated worriedly as she gently guided him back down to a lying position. Then she began rummaging through her tote bag. Isabella pulled out a small lunchbox that contained several cold compresses. “Norma gave me some of these,” she explained as she placed them on Once-ler's forehead and neck in an attempt to bring his fever down.

Once-ler could barely hear her. He struggled to keep his eyes open as he suddenly became extremely tired. Isabella mistook this as a sign of relaxation, and she saw a window of opportunity as Once-ler appeared to doze off. Isabella was anxious to have the documents submitted and she figured her son would be fine by himself for just a few minutes while he slept.

“Hey son, are you falling asleep?” Isabella asked. “That's good. Listen, Oncie, if you can still hear me I just need to bring the papers down to the office real quick. I'll be right back up in a minute. Just try to get some rest now. ”

She gave Once-ler one last glance before turning around and quickly exiting the bedroom. As soon as she left, Once-ler's eyes closed and he slipped into unconsciousness. When he opened his eyes again, Once-ler could see large streaks of schlopity schlop dripping down next to the window. As the room slowly became filled with the familiar scent of smogulous smoke, the blobs of schlop started to come together and take shape. Eventually taking the form of Greed-ler.

“Congratulations Once-ler,” Greed-ler sneered as he stepped away from the wall, then slowly circled around Once-ler's bed. “We're well on our way now, but this is only the beginning. If we keep figgering on biggering, we can have even more.”

Once-ler helplessly stared back up at Greed-ler in horror as he once again realized that he was unable to move or speak. He was experiencing another episode of sleep paralysis.

“I know, it's all so exciting, isn't it? You're at a loss for words, completely stunned, aren't you?” Greed-ler asked him mockingly as he made his way to the other side of Once-ler's bed. “I know you're still nervous, and a bit unwell, but don't worry....” Greed-ler paused, then with a wicked grin, he reached forward and grabbed Once-ler's pajama shirt. “...once you start seeing things from my perspective, you're going to feel a lot better.”

As Greed-ler spoke, more smogulous smoke began to fill the room, while schloppity schlop began to ooze from Greed-ler's gloved hands. Some of the schlop flowed and dissolved over Once-ler's body, causing patches of green to appear on his pajamas. While the rest of the schlop continued to drip down on the bed and onto the floor. Once-ler desperately tried to move or scream, but his limbs remained locked in place and the only sounds he could make were shallow gasps. The schlopity schlop continued to drip down over and under Once-ler, leaving him lying in a puddle of the black ooze. Meanwhile, the room became completely enveloped in schmogulous smoke. For an instant, the smoke even obscured Greed-ler, leaving only his green gloves and eyes visible.

Then a moment later, the smoke began to fade, revealing the now luxurious bedroom that surrounded them. The same one that Once-ler had seen in his dream the night before. The last of the schlopity scholp oozed out from Greed-ler's hands and dripped down on Once-ler, transforming his pajamas into a replica of Greed-ler's signature green suit.

“Make it all mine, and this can all be yours,” Greed-ler whispered menacingly.

Although Once-ler still could not move, he could somehow still see all around the bedroom. The room featured several new items, such as a large flat-screen television, a full-length mirror with a gold frame, several guitars, and a vanity table with gold accents. Placed on the vanity table was another large top hat and a pair of sparkly blue sunglasses, identical to Greed-ler's.

Already existing features in the bedroom had been replaced and upgraded. The bed that Once-ler was lying on was much larger, with emerald green sheets that matched the suit he was now wearing. Next to the bed was a new velvet armchair, which resembled a throne, colored in gold and emerald green. Once-ler could see from the open door that the adjacent bathroom was also upgraded and expanded, as was the closet, which was now a walk-in closet that was full of stylish clothes. Everything looked amazing, except for one thing.

When Once-ler looked out the bedroom window, now framed in gold, he was horrified by what he saw. The once lush and beautiful forest he had seen out the window that morning was now completely desecrated. All that remained of the truffula trees were stumps, the water that flowed through the river was now black, and the sky was filled with a smoky haze.

“Just submit to me. Become me. And soon all of this will be your reality.” Greed-ler stated ominously.

Once-ler knew that it was true. If he submitted to temptation and became Greed-ler, then everything that surrounded them would soon be real, including the desolate scene outside the window. While Once-ler still feared being the one to cause the destruction outside, he also desperately craved to have the luxury and riches that surrounded him inside, Despite Once-ler's fears, it was becoming harder and harder for him to resist.

As Once-ler's resolve began to fade, so did Greed-ler's form. Greed-ler started to become more and more transparent as he began to merge with Once-ler, and the two slowly started to become one. Once-ler lay there defenselessly as Greed-ler began to take over until Once-ler was suddenly shocked awake by a harsh shaking of his shoulder and a shrill scream.

“What in the world has gotten into you Oncie? Wake up!” cried Isabella in a panicked voice.

Once-ler gasped, then he looked up at his mother, his eyes were half-lidded and his mind was in a haze.“Mom is that you?” he asked weakly.

Isabella stared down at Once-ler with a horrified expression on her face.“Brett and Chet said you were fine all night, and then I leave for just a few minutes and I come in to see you like this!” she exclaimed
“You looked like you were possessed!”

Once-ler shuddered at her words.

“You've got to get a hold of yourself Oncie. You're scaring me. You've got yourself so darned sick that you can't even recognize your own Mama!” She continued ranting in exasperation as she placed fresh cold compresses on his head and neck. “What are you so stressed out about anyway?” she asked in a more annoyed but still concerned tone.

“I'm just...I'm just so confused,” he whispered. It was the truth. Once-ler's inner turmoil was eating away at him, affecting him mentally and physically.

“Oh, now I know what this is about,” Isabella interjected. “That darn Lorax is still coming around and pestering you. He keeps telling you that what you're doing is bad and getting you all worried, isn't he? Well, let me tell you something Oncie, that Lorax is wrong! You've got yourself a good thing going here with this business. I can't believe all the money we're making already, and as the business keeps getting bigger, we're gonna make even more. We've sold almost half a million thneeds already! I never would have imagined you'd wind up being so successful, and I'm so proud of you.”

“Really?” Once-ler asked her in disbelief

“I sure am.” Isabella nodded, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. “Now how about I go make you some soup? I'll even add some thneed for zest.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Once-ler replied absentmindedly, letting his mother's compliment sink in. It wasn't the first time Isabella had expressed her pride in him since he had started the business, but Once-ler never got tired of hearing her praise. He lived for it.

With a smile, Isabella got up to exit the bedroom. She made sure the door was wide open, so that way she could keep still an eye on her son while she made the soup. She was afraid to leave him completely alone after his incident earlier. “I'll just be right here in the kitchen.” his mother reassured him as she left the room. “Just holler if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Mom,” Once-ler replied. As he continued to reflect on his mother's words, Once-ler's stress began to melt away. As his fever started to break, he drifted off into a peaceful slumber with a small smile on his face.

Chapter Text

Once-ler eventually recovered from his illness and returned to work. It was his first day back, and he had just begun his morning inspection of the factory. No other employees aside from Once-ler were working in the building at the moment, so it was his job to open up the factory and get it up and running before everyone else arrived.  

Once-ler walked over to the control panel to activate the machines in the manufacturing area. This would ensure that they were all ready and operational by the time the employees of that department came in for their shifts. Afterwards, Once-ler continued his inspection of the factory, turning on the lights and unlocking doors as he went. After he finished unlocking and inspecting the lobby and offices, Once-ler then made his way over to the manufacturing area to check on that part of the factory. He needed to make sure that all of the machines had turned on correctly and that none of them were experiencing any problems.

When Once-ler opened the doors to the manufacturing area, he was once again greeted with the all too familiar smell of smogulous smoke. The scent of the fumes was stronger than it usually was, but having since gotten used the the odor, Once-ler paid it no mind at first. Then, suddenly, Once-ler heard a loud popping sound. He turned his head to see a large plume of smoke leaking from a pipe attached to one of the machines. As more smoke began to pour into the factory, Once-ler began to cough and his eyes began to sting. He knew that this was dangerous and that he needed to escape the factory, but before Once-ler even had a chance to turn around, he heard a voice.

 “I warned you what could happen if you didn't listen to me.” 

Greed-ler then emerged from the cloud of smoke, His green gloves and suit practically glowing against the darkness. Through the fumes, Once-ler could just barely see the crazed expression on Greed-ler's face as he moved closer to him.

“You're just going to keep hurting yourself and hurting your business, our business, by trying to resist me! Greed-ler growled before throwing a punch at Once-ler.

Once-ler staggered backwards at the impact, then quickly steadied himself and tried to punch Greed-ler back, but he before he could do so, Greed-ler dissipated into smoke and reemerged behind Once-ler, hitting him again and knocking him forward. Before Once-ler could recover from the blow, Greed-ler reappeared in front of Once-ler and punched him again. Once-ler backed up and attempted another punch, but Greed-ler dissipated into smoke yet again. Then he materialized next to Once-ler and dealt him another blow. 

Once-ler kept trying and failing to hit Greed-ler, while the latter kept disappearing and then reappearing randomly, hitting Once-ler from multiple directions. Until finally, Greed-ler dealt Once-ler one last blow to the back, letting him fall forward and land on the floor. Before Once-ler could hoist himself up, Greed-ler crouched down next to him and picked Once-ler up by the back of his vest. 

“It's pointless to try and fight me, you'll never win.” Greed-ler sneered at Once-ler as he held him up, before he roughly tossed him backwards, causing Once-ler to hit another one of the machines. 

“Why? Why do you keep coming after me?” Once-ler asked in desperation as he slowly got up. “Why won't you stop?”

“You want to know why I won't stop?” Greed-ler asked menacingly as he walked over to Once-ler. “Do you want to know why I'm never ever ever ever going to stop?” Greed-ler continued as he grabbed Once-ler by the front of his vest, and shoved him up against the other machine. “Because I am the dream that keeps you up at night. The desire that haunts every dark corner of your mind. I will never rest, and neither will you, until I become you.”

Terrified and aching from the fight. Once-ler couldn't move, and he stared back helplessly at Greed-ler.  

“You could have saved yourself from a lot of pain if you had just accepted who you really are deep down inside! If you had just accepted the fact that you're me!” Greed-ler sneered as smogulous smoke flowed around them, obscuring Greed-ler's features for a moment, leaving only his gloves and eyes visible.

Suddenly, a small explosion shook the factory, and Greed-ler disappeared. Causing Once-ler to fall down to the floor as even more smogulous smoke began to pour into the room. Once-ler then looked up towards the leaking machine, and saw that the pipe on it had now burst. Schlopity schlop had also started seeping out from below the broken machine, forming a large puddle on the floor. 

Aware of the danger he was in, Once-ler got up and headed towards the nearest emergency exit. But before he made it out, Once-ler slipped in the schlop puddle and fell on the floor. After a brief moment, Once-ler hoisted himself back up and eventually made it out. 

After he exited the building, Once-ler stumbled a few more feet behind the factory before he fell down to his knees on the grickle grass. Finally free of the cloud of smoke, he gasped as he inhaled the fresher air. Once-ler then reached down into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone and call emergency services but discovered that his phone was missing. He figured that he must have lost it in the factory when he slipped on the schlop puddle.

Once-ler suddenly felt as though he had been kicked, causing him to tumble to the ground. When Once-ler looked up. He saw Greed-ler towering over him, looking enraged.

“Look at what you've allowed to happen!” Greed-ler yelled as Once-ler cowered beneath him. “This is all your fault!”

“How is it my fault?” Once-ler asked weakly “I haven't been at work for days due to the fever.”

“Exactly!” Greed-ler snapped  “That never would have happened either if you had just accepted me a long time ago. But instead, you chose to resist me, and let all your doubts take hold of you until your mind and body couldn't take it anymore. Now you're falling apart, and soon the business will be too! You should have let me take over. I would never allow something like this to happen.This is all going to be a disaster!"

Once-ler's mind started to race. He knew the situation in the factory was very bad. It wasn't a simple leak that could easily be patched up, One of the critical machines had severely malfunctioned, and the factory would not be able to run until it was repaired. There was also the matter of the vast amount of smoke that had filled the manufacturing area, and the schlop puddle on the floor. Once-ler knew that no employees would be allowed to work in the building until it was all cleared out and cleaned up. That all could only mean one thing...   

“They'll probably have to shut down the factory!” Greed-ler continued to shout. “What do you think Mom and the rest of the family are going to say?”

At Greed-ler's words, Once-ler recoiled and let out a choked sob. He knew that his family, especially his mother, would be furious whenever they discovered what had happened. Once-ler couldn't cope with the thought that he had let his family and company down by allowing such a thing to happen under his watch. Especially after his mother just told him a few days ago that she was proud of him. 

Overwhelmed with emotions, Once-ler got up and ran. Desperate to get away from the factory, and away from the thoughts that tormented him. Instinctively, Once-ler ran back into the Truffula Forest, a place where he had once found solace. To a part of the forest that was still untouched by axes and pollution. Where the truffulla trees were still standing, the grass was still green, the river was still wet, and the sky was still clean. 

Eventually, Once-ler stopped to catch his breath, and he knelt down next to a shallow part of the river. Once-ler leaned forward and gazed at his reflection in the clear water. He saw how dirty he looked. His face seemed to be covered in ash. Once-ler removed his hat. Then he reached his hands into the water and proceeded to wash his face. As Once-ler felt the cool water flow over his skin, he began to calm down. Until he leaned over the river to look at his reflection again and saw Greed-ler staring back at him.

With one swift motion, Green gloves emerged from the water and grabbed Once-ler, who screamed and shut his eyes as he was pulled into the river. When Once-ler opened his eyes again, he saw Greed-ler below him. The green-clad man gripped Once-ler by the shoulders and looked up at him with a crazed expression as they both sank down deeper and deeper into the depths of the water.

“Make your choice Once-ler!” Greed-ler taunted, his voice perfectly clear despite being underwater. 

“Sink or swim. Do or die. Are you going to become me and keep yourself and our business afloat? Or are you going to keep resisting me and let everything fall deeper and deeper into ruin?” As Greed-ler spoke, the water began to turn black, as though it was becoming filled with schlopity schlop. The inky blackness obscured Greed-ler until only his gloves and eyes could be seen. 

Unable to answer, Once-ler began to panic and he flailed around desperately in the water until he heard a familiar voice.

“Beanpole! Beanpole!” the voice shouted.

At the sound of the voice, The illusion began to dissolve away. Greed-ler was gone, and Once-ler was left flailing and gasping in the clear and shallow river. 

“Beanpole get up!” the Lorax shouted in exasperation 

Once-ler stopped flailing and gasping as he returned to reality. He hoisted himself up and looked down at the river below him. To Once-ler's surprise, the water was only a few inches deep. He had never gone underwater and was never in danger of drowning. Both relieved and terrified, Once-ler's eyes widened as he turned around to face the Lorax, who had since been joined by a crowd of other forest animals, who all stared at Once-ler with looks of confusion and pity.

“Beanpole!” the Lorax exclaimed. “Why are you out here and what the heck are you doing?" He asked in alarm.

“I...um...I was just...I...” Once-ler stammered as he put his hat back on, and searched his mind for a possible explanation. 

Just then, Pipsqueak, having recognized his old friend, tried to run up to Once-ler, but the Lorax stopped him and shook his head at the little barbaloot, warning him to stay away. 

“Are you alright Beanpole? Do you still have that nasty fever of yours?” the Lorax inquired with genuine concern. Although the Lorax most certainly did not agree with Once-ler's actions, he did not want anything bad to happen to him and truly was worried about Once-ler. 

“How did you know I had a fever?” Once-ler asked in confusion.

“Well, I came over to see you and try to talk some sense into you as I usually do.” the Lorax began to explain. “I eventually found you lying in your bedroom and overheard your mother and brothers talking about you having a fever. I tried to visit you to see how you were doing a few times, but either your mother or one of your brothers chased me away. ” 

“You came over to check on me?” Once-ler asked in disbelief. He had no recollection of the Lorax trying to visit him, but he figured that he was likely either asleep or too disoriented to notice at the time. Once-ler knew, however, that the Lorax was likely telling the truth, for there was no way the forest guardian could have known about his illness otherwise.

“Of course I did.” the Lorax replied “I promised that I'd keep an eye on you didn't I? And unlike you, I actually keep my promises.”

Once-ler cast his eyes downward in shame as he remembered the promise he had made and broken. 

“I'm getting really worried about you Beanpole.” the Lorax stated as he considered the Once-ler's disheveled appearance and unusual behavior. “You still look like you're in pretty bad shape, and you're acting even stranger than usual. I think all that biggering is really getting to you.”

“Sure I'm a little stressed out but...” Once-ler tried to reason

“Just look at yourself Beanpole!” the Lorax interrupted “Can't you see that all this biggering is causing you to not only destroy the environment, but also yourself? You're completely losing your mind!”

“No! That's not true!” Once-ler tried to protest.

“Then why are you out here flailing around and screaming in the river like some kind of maniac?” the Lorax asked 

“I was...I was just...I...” Once-ler stammered, still unable to come up with an explanation for his actions.

“I'll tell you why...” the Lorax answered for him “...it's because you really are crazy You are crazy with greed.”

As soon as the Lorax said the word “greed”, Once-ler's mind became filled with images of all of his encounters with Greed-ler.

“No. No. Nonononono.” Once-ler murmured as he became overwhelmed with fear. He took one last panicked glance at the Lorax before he got up to run back towards the factory. 

“Wait, Beanpole!” the Lorax shouted, but Once-ler kept running. Desperate to get away from the Truffula Forest and away from the thoughts that still tormented him.

Once-ler eventually stopped to catch his breath when he found himself just a few yards away from the factory, panting as he hugged a truffula tree for support. After his breathing began to steady, Once-ler looked up towards the factory. His family and other employees had probably arrived and had found out about the incident by now. Once-ler knew he should go back to the factory and check up on things, but he still could not bear the thought of facing everyone.

Once-ler then turned his attention over towards a smaller structure that sat behind the factory, near where his penthouse was located. It was the barn where Melvin lived. Once-ler had the barn built near the factory so that way Melvin could stay with him, but Once-ler did not have a lot of time to spend with the mule. So he had hired a stable hand to come to the factory and take care of Melvin every day. Ensured that Melvin was well looked after while he was busy running his business, Once-ler had not actually taken the time to see Melvin in quite a while.

 Once-ler picked up a few truffula fruits that had fallen from the tree above him and headed towards the barn. Once-ler was curious to see how Melvin was doing and was still not ready to face his family and employees yet. Besides, he figured that he needed to go check up on Melvin anyway. He couldn't leave him trapped in the barn if there was an emergency at the factory. If the building needed to be evacuated or closed, Once-ler had to make sure that Melvin was safe and taken care of.

At that moment, Melvin had been lazily grazing on the hay that filled his barn. He pricked his ears and lifted his head in surprise when the doors of his barn suddenly opened.

“Hey Melvin!” Once-ler greeted as he walked over to the mule.

At the sight of his owner, and the truffula fruits he was holding. Melvin let out a happy neigh and excitedly trotted over to Once-ler. Although Melvin occasionally found some of Once-ler's antics to be strange, such as his penchant for dancing and singing silly songs, he still cared about his owner and had missed him. Once-ler had missed Melvin also, and he became filled with joy at seeing his mule again. When the two finally reached each other, Melvin pressed his muzzle into Once-ler's chest while the latter petted his head.

“I brought you some treats.” Once-ler smiled as he handed Melvin the truffula fruits. Melvin gobbled them up happily.

“How have you been Melvin?” Once-ler asked him “I'm sorry I haven't been around to see you much...I got really busy with the business and all.” Once-ler sighed, feeling a twinge of guilt. “Has the stable hand I hired been taking good care of you?” he asked.

Melvin nodded enthusiastically in reply.

“That's good,” Once-ler remarked as he looked around the barn. Melvin did indeed appear to be well taken care of. Melvin himself was well groomed, and his barn was full of clean hay. Once-ler stepped over to Melvin's feed bowls and saw that they were full of fresh food and water. In fact, the food, water, and hay seemed so fresh that it looked like it had been put out just that morning. Once-ler was pleased, but also slightly confused. Due to the incident at the factory, it was likely that most of the employees, including the stable hand, would have been told not to report to work. 

Once-ler sighed as thought about what had happened at the factory. He knew he needed to go back and deal with the situation. Once-ler gave Melvin a few more pets, then steeled himself, and turned to face the factory.

“Come on Melvin,” Once-ler instructed as he began to exit the barn. Melvin followed. They walked a few feet before Once-ler realized he had forgotten something.

“Stay here Melvin. I'll be right back. I'd better go get your harness.” Once-ler didn't want Melvin to get scared and run off, especially with all the commotion that was likely happening at the factory. Once-ler quickly went back to the barn and grabbed the harness, but when he turned to leave, Once-ler saw Greed-ler standing by the barn doors. 

“You coward!” Greed-ler shouted as he made his way towards Once-ler, and the stench of smogulous smoke began to fill the barn. “Trying to hide away while everything falls apart around you? You're pathetic!” Greed-ler continued before he shoved Once-ler against the back of the barn, causing the latter to drop Melvin's harness and fall to the floor.

Hearing the sudden sound, Melvin looked up in alarm and saw Once-ler crumpled up on the ground. He could not see what had hurt his owner, but Melvin knew that Once-ler was in distress and needed help. So he quickly turned and ran back towards the factory.

With a groan, Onceler slowly hoisted himself up as Greed-ler came even closer. “And you're still trying to hide away from me too. Even though I'm the one that could save you from this.” Greed-ler taunted as he threw a punch at Once-ler. 

While this was happening, Once-ler's family, along with his chief operating officer, and the head of the manufacturing department were all standing outside the factory, wondering where Once-ler was.

“We've looked through the whole factory, including in the penthouse...” Chet stated while casting a glance at Brett, who had been searching the building with him. “...we can't find Once-ler anywhere.”

The head of the manufacturing department nodded with concern. “I found his cell phone on the floor of the manufacturing area, but I couldn't find any other trace of him,” he reported.

“This is concerning...” the chief operating officer further added “...especially considering Mr. Once-ler's recent illness. I do hope he's alright...”

Suddenly, the group was interrupted by the arrival of the Lorax. Who had come floating to the factory by the seat of his pants. He too was concerned about Once-ler and had gone looking for him.

“You!” Once-ler's mother angrily shouted as soon as the Lorax landed. “Did you do something to my son? Where is he?”

“I don't know.” the Lorax replied shaking his head “I was hoping you all could tell me. I'm really worried about him.” While the Lorax was not fond of Once-ler's family, he had hoped Once-ler would be with them or that they would at least know where Once-ler was.

The group was further interrupted by the arrival of Melvin. Who had made his way to the front of the factory and was now neighing and trotting frantically, trying to get everyone to follow him back to the barn.

“Melvin?” Brett asked the mule in confusion “What are you doing out here? Who let you out of your barn?” 

“He knows where Beanpole is!” the Lorax exclaimed. Being the forest guardian, he was able to understand what the mule was trying to tell everyone. “C'mon, I think we better follow him. I think Beanpole is in trouble!” The Lorax turned to follow Melvin as he ran back to the barn, with the rest of the group following behind them.

Chapter Text

Meanwhile, Greed-ler was still attacking Once-ler. “You're just making things even more difficult for yourself.” Greed-ler spat as he hit Once-ler again before disappearing and reappearing to attack him from another angle. “Can't you see how much it hurts to resist?” Greed-ler asked mockingly as he dealt Once-ler yet another blow.

Once-ler, exhausted, fell to the barn floor, his hat toppling off his head.

Greed-ler crouched down in front of Once-ler, grabbed him by the front of his vest, and glared down at him. “Why?” Greed-ler asked him. “Why do you continue to try and fight me when you know that doing so will just bring you more agony? Why do you keep resisting me when you know I am the only one who can save you from this nightmare?”

“You...” Once-ler gasped. Even though Once-ler desperately wanted the pain to stop, and he was tempted to just give in, there was a part of him that was still afraid of becoming the vision of greed that he saw in front of him. Of becoming the person who would be willing to hurt anyone, even himself, in order to get what he wanted.“...you're the nightmare!” Once-ler shouted as a rush of adrenaline suddenly surged through him. He grabbed Greed-ler by the lapels of his coat and pinned him down, knocking off the man's top hat and glasses.

Once-ler's victory would be short-lived, however, as Greed-ler, full of rage, quickly regained the upper hand, and pinned Once-ler back down to the barn floor.

“You are only lying to yourself!” Greed-ler growled, “Deep down you know what you really want, but the Lorax keeps getting inside your head and driving you crazy!”

Once-ler looked into Greed-ler's blue eyes, completely identical to his own, except in expression.
While Greed-ler's eyes burned with malice, Once-ler's eyes were filled with dread. “N-no, it's y-you.” Once-ler whispered, his voice cracking, “Y-you're the one t-that's inside my h-head, and d-driving me c-crazy.”

“That's only because you try to keep me trapped inside your mind and won't let me out.” Greed-ler sneered. “You just keep prolonging your agony by trying to delay the inevitable. I've told you this before, but you still refuse to listen. It's pointless to fight me, and both you and our business are going to suffer if you continue to try.” Greed-ler then paused as his expression changed from a scowl to a sinister smirk. “But it's still not too late Once-ler, you can still make all the pain go away. You can still wake up from this nightmare and make all of your dreams, our dreams, come true. All you have to do is give up and finally let me take control. ”

Once-ler said nothing. Unable to fight back, but also unable to give in. He lay there helplessly, paralyzed with fear.

“Still hesitant huh?” Greed-ler asked as he prepared to throw Once-ler one final punch. “Then I guess I'll just have to knock some sense into you.”

Once-ler winced and braced himself for the finishing blow, but it never came. Instead, Once-ler suddenly heard a shrill scream and Greed-ler instantly vanished.

“Oncie! What are you doing out here?” Isabella shrieked in alarm.

Once-ler slowly sat up. He saw his family, his chief operating officer, the head of the manufacturing department, the Lorax, and Melvin all staring back at him with looks of bewilderment and worry. Once-ler looked down at himself. He was a mess. His clothes were covered with random bits of hay, along with grass and mud stains. Embarrassed, Once-ler quickly picked up his hat and put it on in a vain attempt to preserve a shred of his dignity.

“Are you alright Bro? Do you still have a fever?” Brett asked as he came over and crouched down next to Once-ler and placed his hand on his brother's forehead. Chet followed right behind him and came over to Once-ler's other side. Both twins had concerned looks on their faces. They, along with everyone else, wondered why Once-ler was out here and why he looked so awful.

“No, I'm fine...I'm just out here because...” Once-ler nervously began to explain before taking a deep breath to calm himself. Although he was still afraid of everyone's reaction, Once-ler knew that he had to tell them about the earlier incident. “...I ran out of the factory after I saw that one of the machines malfunctioned...I knew that the situation was really bad...I figured we would probably have to evacuate...so I came out here to get Melvin and I...um ” he struggled to explain. Once-ler also purposefully left out some details. He did not want his family and employees to know that he had initially ran away from the factory.

“Wait? What do you mean one of the machines malfunctioned?” The head of the manufacturing department asked him in confusion.

Once-ler took another deep breath and then tried to explain himself more clearly. “One of the pipes burst on the machine. There was smogulous smoke everywhere and then the machine started leaking schlopity schlop. Whenever I saw it I knew I had to escape the factory, but I lost my phone on the way out and couldn't contact anyone. But surely you saw the incident when you came in and reported it right?” Once-ler asked.

The head of the manufacturing department cast the group a concerned look before addressing his boss. “Mr. Once-ler, While I did indeed find your cell phone on the floor of the manufacturing area...” he explained as he handed the device back to Once-ler “...I do not know what you are talking about regarding the malfunctioning machine. I double-checked all the machines before we began operations for the day, just as I always do, and none of them appeared to be experiencing any sort of issue. Everything in the factory, including all of the machines are operating normally.”

Once-ler looked back at him in disbelief. “But I know saw it! I told you...the pipe burst and then there was smoke and the schlop everywhere!” Once-ler exclaimed as he got up, stumbling slightly. His brothers stood behind him and steadied him. “I'll...I'll show you,” Once-ler stated as he pushed past the group and headed back to the factory. Brett and Chet remained right behind Once-ler, while the rest of the group followed behind them.

Once-ler stepped inside the back door that led to the manufacturing area. The room was full of employees, wearing respirators, who were working away at the machines and producing thneeds as though nothing was wrong. Once-ler made a beeline towards the machine that had seemingly malfunctioned, and when he finally saw it, his eyes widened in shock. There was no puddle of schlop on the floor, there was no more smoke than usual in the factory, and there was no leak in the pipes. The machine was undamaged and functioning perfectly.

Once-ler turned around to face the head of the manufacturing department. “You couldn't have possibly fixed the machine that quickly, could you?” he questioned his employee.

“It was never broken, Mr. Once-ler. None of the machines were.” the head of the manufacturing department answered. “As I said before, there was no leak, there was no excess smoke, and there was no puddle of schlop.”

“What? That's impossible!” Once-ler shouted “I was so sure of it! I heard the machine explode and the smoke...the smoke was everywhere! I could see it! I could smell it! It stung my eyes! And the schlop...I slipped and fell in it! I know I did! That's how I lost my phone!”

As Once-ler continued to shout, employees looked up from their work and stared at their boss. All of them were bewildered by Once-ler's strange behavior, and they also wondered what the Lorax and a mule were doing inside the factory.

“Oncie, I think we ought to have you go back outside and get some fresh air.” His mother suggested gently but firmly, both concerned for her son and embarrassed by the scene he was making.

Both of his brothers each grabbed one of Once-ler's shoulders and gently escorted him out of the factory.

“I was s-so sure I s-saw it...at l-least that p-part, anyway.” Once-ler stammered.

The rest of his family, his chief operating officer, the head of the manufacturing department, the Lorax, and Melvin all came back out of the factory. They all continued to stare at Once-ler with looks of concern and confusion.

“Oncie...are you still ill? Do you need me to call Norma back?” Isabella asked. She was becoming more and more concerned about her son's strange behavior and how it would affect the reputation of the business.

“No! I shouldn't be!” Once-ler protested “I took my temperature this morning and it was totally normal! No fever at all!”

“Regardless, Mr. Once-ler...” his chief operating officer interjected “...I think you should take a few more days off to rest. You still seem rather unwell.”

“I'll tell you what's wrong with him!” the Lorax interrupted, hopping up on a tree stump. “He's just plain crazy...he's crazy with greed!”

Everyone turned to stare at the forest guardian in surprise, too stunned to speak, until Isabella, with a scowl on her face, angrily walked over towards the Lorax. “You're the one that's driving him crazy by coming over here all the time and messing with his head!” she exclaimed.

“He's messing with his own head!” the Lorax retorted

“No, she's right!” Once-ler unexpectedly snapped, with a crazed expression on his face. “You keep coming over here all the time, telling me how bad it's all going to be if I keep on biggering and making me question myself! I just can't get rid of you! It's like you're some kind of....” Once-ler's eyes widened as he seemingly came to a realization, before he suddenly broke out into a fit of manic laughter.

Once-ler's family, his chief operating officer, the head of the manufacturing department, the Lorax, and Melvin all stared back at him in growing concern and shock as he continued laughing, wondering if Once-ler had truly lost his mind. Until one of his brothers finally stepped forward.

“Once-ler what's wrong? Are you feeling okay?” Chet asked him worriedly.

“Oh yeah, I feel great!” Once-ler shouted, his expression still crazed. “And do you want to know why? It's because I finally figured out what's going on! That darn Lorax cursed me!”

Everyone in the crowd except for the Lorax gasped in surprise.

“I should have known something like that was going on,” Isabella angrily murmured.

“Yeah that's right, he told me would!” Once-ler gasped, “He said that all of the forces of nature would be unleashed upon me if I didn't leave the forest! Now I know why I keep having these nightmares and seeing things that aren't there! It's all his fault!” Once-ler continued to yell as he pointed an accusing finger at the Lorax.

“No Beanpole, you're wrong,” the Lorax stated simply and calmly. “There is no curse. I made that up to try and scare you away. My powers don't actually work that way.”

Once-ler's expression instantly changed from crazed to worried.

“You're bringing all of this on yourself,” the Lorax continued to explain. “Because you can't control your own greed, but you also can't deal with the guilt and the fear over what you are doing. All of these feelings are manifesting themselves in terrifying ways and tearing you apart inside.”

Once-ler became filled with a sense of dread as he realized that the Forest Guardian was right. All of the hallucinations and nightmares that he had been having, along with Greed-ler himself, those had all really had been products of his own mind. Fueled by his feelings of greed, guilt, and fear. Both the fear of doing too much and causing immense destruction, and the fear of not doing enough and failing his business.

“Like I said before Beanpole...” the Lorax continued “...if you keep this up and don't stop all of this biggering nonsense, you're going to wind up destroying everything, including yourself.”

As Once-ler heard the Lorax's words, he groaned as he began to sway before he passed out. Brett and Chet noticed and caught Once-ler before he hit the ground.

Oncie!” his mother shrieked in alarm as she went over to Once-ler. She looked down at him briefly, then looked up at her other sons. “Take your brother back to his penthouse,” she ordered.

The twins immediately obeyed. Brett picked up Once-ler and carried him off, while Chet picked up the fedora that had fallen off of Once-ler's head and followed his brothers inside the factory.

After her sons all left, Isabella got up, turned back to the Lorax, and gave him a cold glare. “Stay away from my son,” she whispered angrily.

“I'll stay away from your son if he stays away from my trees,” the Lorax snapped back.

“Now you listen here mister,” Isabella sneered. “All you ever do is come over here and tell him that what he's doing is bad bad bad. But I'm telling you right now, my son has his rights, and he's going to keep right on biggering and biggering his business, and you are not going to stop him.”

Before the Forest Guardian could reply, Aunt Grizelda came over, picked the Lorax up by the scruff, and tossed him back into the Truffula Forest.

Meanwhile, Brett and Chet brought an unconscious Once-ler back to his penthouse. As Brett laid Once-ler down on the couch. Chet set Once-ler's fedora down on the coffee table, then went over to Once-ler's bedroom and grabbed the forehead thermometer from the nightstand. When Chet returned to the living room, he held the device to Once-ler's head and took a few readings.

“He doesn't have a fever,” Chet stated as he looked down at the thermometer.

“Then what do you think is wrong with him?” Brett asked in concern.

“I dunno,” Chet replied. “Maybe he is just plain crazy.”

“Wake up Once-ler!” Brett pleaded with concern as he gently shook Once-ler's shoulder.

Once-ler remained asleep, his mind trapped in an entirely different reality. One where he was standing face to face with Greed-ler in an endless void of darkness.

“Why did you show me that?” Once-ler asked him in confusion “Why did you make me think the machine malfunctioned?”

“Consider it a warning...” Greed-ler stated ominously. As he spoke, silver cracks started to become visible in the black void that surrounded them. “...a warning of what could happen if you continue to resist me. I'm telling you right now Once-ler, if you don't wish for such a nightmare to come to pass, then you had better wake up and make me your reality.”

Once-ler around frantically as more cracks continued to appear.

“Wake up Once-ler! Wake up!” Greed-ler whispered as more silver cracks became visible in the darkness. Then suddenly, the entire vision became unstable and shattered like glass.

“Wake up Once-ler! Wake up!” Another voice spoke as Once-ler suddenly shot up with a gasp. In reality, the voice had belonged to Brett, and Once-ler had finally woken up on his living room couch.

“Once-ler what's wrong? Did you have another nightmare?” Brett asked in a worried tone.

“A warning...” Once-ler whispered as he moved from a laying to a sitting position and clutched his forehead.

The twins gave each other confused looks before turning their attention back to Once-ler.

“Just try to calm down, Bro. We brought you back to your penthouse so that way you can get some rest.” Chet explained.

“Thank you,” Once-ler whispered.

“We're all really worried about you.” Brett told Once-ler, “You look terrible and you've been acting really strange.”

“You need to stop listening to that darn Lorax.” Chet added, “He's telling you all this stuff and driving you insane!”

“Yeah Once, that mangy critter is driving you crazy. I can't believe he made you freak out like that!” Brett continued.

Chet nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Mom's gonna be so mad at you for embarrassing yourself in front of everyone.”

Once-ler eyes widened. He knew Chet was probably right. Isabella was always lecturing Once-ler about not embarrassing himself and upholding the company's reputation. He knew that his mother would be quite upset with him over the way he had acted and that it would probably take a lot of time and a lot of work before he found himself in her good graces again.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front door to the penthouse opening. Sure enough, it was Isabella who had entered. Once-ler sat on the couch, frozen in fear, as he braced himself to face her anger. Brett and Chet also stood there silently as they all awaited her reaction.

“Oh, Oncie, you're awake!” Isabella exclaimed as she hurried over to the couch and grabbed Once-ler's hand. “Are you alright? I was so scared.” So far, she looked more concerned than angry, but Once-ler knew he wasn't off the hook.

“I'm going to be fine Mom. I'm sorry I scared you...” Once-ler answered, averting her gaze “I guess I thought I was better than I actually was.” he added, hoping that reminding his mother of his recent illness would make her go easier on him.

“Oncie...look at me,” Isabella whispered.

Once-ler immediately but reluctantly obeyed.

“Oh my word, Oncie, you look absolutely dreadful.” Isabella remarked “That darn Lorax must have really done a number on you. You poor thing. He's getting you so worked up and stressed out, making you sick and making you do and say crazy things.”

“Y-yeah,” Once-ler stammered in reply. He was still nervous but also cautiously optimistic. It appeared as though his mother mainly blamed the Lorax and his recent illness for his strange behavior. Perhaps he wouldn't be in so much trouble after all.

“Now listen to me Oncie...” Isabella began, her tone still reflecting concern but also becoming more serious. “...you have to stop letting that Lorax get to you. He's driving you crazy, and we can't be having that. We've been able to handle things at the company for now, but we need you to pull yourself together so that way you can return to work. Otherwise we're going to start to fall behind on things and the business is going to suffer, and we most certainly don't want that to happen now do we?”

“No Mom, of course not, I promise that as soon as I'm fully recovered, I'll get right back to work and I won't let something like this happen again,” Once-ler promised. He knew he was being let off easy this time because he had been ill, but he knew he couldn't mess up again.

“Alright then,” Isabella replied, satisfied with his answer. “I have to go back to the factory and take care of things, but I'll come over later to check on you. Now, you had better go get some rest. How about you get yourself out of those dirty clothes and go take a nap?”

“Yes Mom,” Once-ler answered obediently as he slowly got up to head towards his bedroom. “Thank you all for helping me. I really appreciate it” Once-ler told his mom and brothers before stepping inside the bedroom and closing the door.

As soon as Once-ler left, Isabella turned to the twins and gave them a stern look. “Continue to keep an eye on your brother,” she whispered. “Make sure that he keeps his head on straight and also make sure that darn Lorax stays far away from him.”

Both twins nodded silently in agreement.

“Good,” Isabella remarked with a satisfied smile on her face as she left the penthouse. She was confident that all her sons would do everything they could to avoid disappointing her.

Chapter Text

After Once-ler took some more time off to rest and make sure that he fully recovered, he once again came back to work. The first few days since his return had been going well and he had not been bothered by either the Lorax or Greed-ler. As a result, Once-ler could work in peace and got several tasks done. He had ordered the parts that he needed to build the super axe hacker prototype and he had also finally finished writing the song he would perform for his TV appearance. 

Once-ler was also making steady progress on completing the paperwork that had piled up while he was away. While his mother had some authority to sign certain documents for him, and she had taken care of what she could during his absence, there were certain papers that could only be signed off by Once-ler himself. He had been in his office working on these documents one day when suddenly the lights  flickered and then went out. 

Once-ler's eyes widened in surprise. It was still daylight out, so he could still see, but the sudden loss of power still startled him. Once-ler was also worried. He knew that without electricity, the factory could not operate. Once-ler looked out his window to see if perhaps a storm or some strong winds had knocked out the power, but the only thing he saw was the smoggy sky. He turned back around when he heard the office door opening.

“Hey Once-ler, the power is out.” Chet spoke as he entered the office, with Brett following behind him. Both twins had been standing outside of Once-ler's office door. Ever since Once-ler had returned to work after his illness, his brothers had been keeping a closer eye on him during the workday.

“Yeah, I know,” Once-ler replied  as he dug through his desk to retrieve a flashlight. “I had better check the electrical panel and see what's going on.” Once-ler then left the office and made his way down the hall to the electrical panel as his brothers followed close behind him.When Once-ler reached the electrical panel and opened it, his eyes widened with shock. Nearly all the wires inside were burnt. “Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing?” he asked his brothers. Once-ler dreaded to hear their answer. Either his mind was playing tricks on him again or this was actually happening. At the moment, Once-ler wasn't sure which scenario would be worse.

“Oh, I see it all right...” Chet began to answer 

“...and it looks pretty bad,” Brett finished for him

Once-ler stared at the electrical panel in shock and dismay. Unable to process what he was seeing. 

“Once-ler, you have to do something.” Chet insisted.
“Right,” Once-ler replied with a grimace. He knew that what Chet said was true. If this really was happening, there were protocols that Once-ler needed to follow as the company president.  He quickly went back to his office, picked up the corded radiophone that sat on his desk, and called the electric company. 

“Greenville Electric Company, how may I help you?” the voice on the other end of the line asked.

“Hello, my name is Mr. Once-ler, President of Thneed inc. and I'm calling to report a complete power outage at my factory. The wires in the electrical panel are completely fried and I need someone to come over to fix it and restore the power as soon as possible, please.” Once-ler informed the person on the other end. Although Once-ler was upset about the situation, he still tried to make sure he sounded professional and polite.

“I understand, sir. We'll send someone out to look at the problem right away.” the voice informed him.

“Thank you very much. I really appreciate your help,” Once-ler replied before he hung up the phone. As soon as he set the radiophone back down on the receiver, the phone immediately rang and Once-ler quickly scrambled to pick it back up. “Hello?” he asked nervously.

“Mr. Once-ler, this is the head of the manufacturing department.” The voice from the telephone informed him, “I'm calling to report that the power has been out for several minutes now.”

“I'm aware of the problem. I just got off the phone with the electric company. Somebody is coming over to fix it.”  Once-ler told him.

“What do you want us to do in the meantime, Mr. Once-ler?” the head of the manufacturing department asked. “We can't get any work done. None of the machines will work without electricity.”

Once-ler hesitated a moment before he could answer. “We probably won't be able to resume operations today...” Once-ler began. “...so tell the employees to grab their things and gather in the parking lot. After we make sure that everyone is accounted for...we will have to let everyone go home early.” Once-ler informed him with a sigh.

“Understood sir,” the head of the manufacturing department replied before hanging up. 

After Once-ler hung up his own radiophone, he looked up to see Brett and Chet staring at him.

“What do you need us to do, Once-ler?” Brett asked.

“We need to search the factory for the other employees and make sure everyone gets out safely. Have everyone meet in the parking lot.” Once-ler ordered. He knew that he needed to put his own feelings aside for the moment and do what needed to be done. The safety of his employees was top priority. “Also, if you see someone arrive from the electric company, be sure to let them into the factory so that way they can look at the electrical panel. Then meet me in the lobby.”

Brett and Chet both nodded and then left the office. 

Once-ler also exited the office and headed in the opposite direction. After he thoroughly looked around the factory and made sure all the employees had left the building, Once-ler made his way down to the lobby where he saw his brothers and the electrician waiting for him.

“Hello, Mr. Once-ler, I'm from Greenville Electric Company,”  the electrician greeted him. “I just finished looking at your electrical panel and I'm afraid I have some bad news.”

Once-ler's face fell. 

“It looks like the building was using too much power and the circuits became overloaded and fried. It won't be a simple fix,” the electrician explained. “You'll need to have another electrical panel installed, and we'll also have to check for any faulty wiring.”

“How long do you think it will take to restore the power?” Once-ler asked nervously.

“We will try to get power restored to your factory as soon as possible Mr. Once-ler, but depending on how severe the problem is, it could take up to a few days to fix,” the electrician answered.

Once-ler stood there frozen in shock for a moment before Chet approached him. 

“Once-ler, you're gonna have to go out and tell everybody what's going on,” his brother told him.

Once-ler nodded in agreement as he became filled with dread over what he now had to do. Once-ler thanked the electrician one more time before he went back down the lobby and then out to the parking lot with his brothers following behind him. When the group finally reached the parking lot, Once-ler saw the crowd of his confused employees and other family members. Once-ler immediately walked over to the head of the manufacturing department.   

“Is everyone here?” Once-ler asked him.

“Yes, sir,” the man replied.

“Thank you.” Once-ler told his employee as he stepped back to address the crowd. Once-ler took a deep breath to prepare himself and then began to speak. “Attention everyone!” Once-ler called out to the crowd, who all looked up at him. “I regret to inform all of you that because of a power outage....the factory will be closed until further notice.” Once-ler began, still trying to sound as professional as possible despite his distress. “You will all be notified when you can return to work after the power is restored. Thank you all for your time and hard work, and please drive home safely.”

The employees, now knowing that the factory was closed, and that there was no more work to be done, quickly went to their cars and drove away. As the employees were leaving, Isabella approached Once-ler. He winced when he saw the expression on his mother's face. Once-ler could tell from the look in her eyes that she was absolutely furious. 

While the whole situation had been agonizing. This is the moment he had truly been dreading. Once-ler had promised his mother that he would get back to work, pull himself together, and prevent any further incidents. Once-ler knew that he had let her down. Without an illness or the Lorax to blame this time,  Once-ler knew that he would now have to face her unhindered wrath for his incompetence.   

“Son, what happened? Why is the power out?” Isabella asked him, her voice barely containing her anger.
“The circuits in the electrical panel became overloaded and fried.” Once-ler explained.

“How could you let something that like that happen? You're supposed to be keeping an eye on these things!” Isabella scolded him.

“Everything seemed fine! I didn't think that there was a problem!” Once-ler insisted 

“How long will it be until the power comes back on?” his mother asked him as she gave Once-ler a stern glare.

“The electrician told me it could be up to a few days before the problem is fixed depending on how bad it is.” Once-ler cringed as he answered her, knowing how angry she would get after hearing the news.

“A few days! Do you know how many thneeds we could have produced in a few days? This is going to be a disaster!” Isabella shrieked. Once-ler shrank back as his mother continued to yell at him. “We're going to fall behind on production!” she shouted “We already have the planned closure coming up because of the factory expansion. And we needed to use all the time we had before then to produce as many thneeds as possible!”

“I know Mom, I'm sorry.” Once-ler tried to apologize. “I had no idea that the factory was using too much power, and that everything was going to shut down!”

“If you knew that the factory needed to use more power, then why didn't you upgrade the electrical equipment?  You could have prevented this from happening, you know.” Isabella continued to lecture her son. “But instead of focusing on biggering your business, you were listening to that darn Lorax and now look at what happened. I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I am with you Once-ler.” 

Isabella's words left Once-ler frozen in shame, and he found himself unable to speak.

“I sure do hope that your business can recover from this.” Isabella told her son coldly before she turned her back on him. “If you do somehow manage to get your act together, and get things up and running again, be sure to call me.” She then turned to the rest of the family. “Alright, let's head home, there's no reason for us to stay here anymore.”

With that, Once-ler's family turned away from him and got in their cars. The cars that Once-ler had bought for them as soon as his business took off, and they all drove away. Leaving him alone in front of the dark, empty factory. That was until the Lorax floated down from a nearby truffula tree he had been hiding in. He had heard the entire conversation. 

“It seems like even your business can't keep up with all your biggering.” the Lorax stated

“What are you talking about?” Once-ler asked. Both annoyed and curious as to what the Lorax meant.

“Think about it Beanpole, your factory took up too much electricity, and then the whole place shut down.” the Lorax explained “It just goes to show you that resources aren't infinite. You can't just keep taking and using them forever. Eventually you're going to run out. I just hope you realize that before its really too late and everything is truly gone.” the Lorax sighed as he turned back around, gave Once-ler one last solemn glance, and then floated up into the smoggy sky by the seat of his pants.

Dismayed, Once-ler stood in front of the factory for some time, unsure of what to do next, before he finally decided to see Melvin. Once-ler knew that the stable hand would not be coming to check on Melvin this evening because of the power outage. So he would have to feed Melvin himself. Once-ler headed towards the barn. After the day he had, Once-ler thought it might be nice to spend some time with his mule. But when he finally reached the barn and looked inside, Once-ler saw Melvin sleeping contently in the corner. Not wanting to wake him up, Once-ler quietly filled up Melvin's food and water bowls and then left. 

With a resigned sigh, Once-ler went back to his office to continue working on his paperwork as the sun eventually set and gave way to a moonless night. With his office completely dark, Once-ler continued to work by flashlight. When Once-ler finally finished, he stood up and yawned. With none of the clocks working, Once-ler did not know how late it was. He grabbed his flashlight, double checked to make sure he had his keys with him, and then went back to his penthouse. 

Feeling drained from the day's ordeal, Once-ler went to bed, a part of him hoping that he would wake up tomorrow and discover that the entire situation had only been a nightmare. But even though his body was exhausted, his mind continued to race, and Once-ler heard the echoes of familiar voice. A voice that was nearly identical to his own, but with a sinister edge.

“I warned you what could happen if you didn't listen to me. You could have saved yourself from a lot of pain if you had just accepted who you really are deep down inside! If you had just accepted the fact that you're me! Now you're falling apart, and soon the business will be too! You're falling apart...falling apart...falling apart.”

Once-ler tossed, turned, and closed his eyes in a desperate attempt to fall asleep and escape the haunting voice. When he opened his eyes again, Once-ler found himself standing in front of the remains of the bigger factory that he had once envisioned. The darkness of the night was now replaced by a sunset, providing a clear view of the desolate scene. Rusted super axe hackers were parked near the factory building that had almost completely fallen apart. As Once-ler gazed at the vision in front of him, his heart became filled with fear and worry. 

Greed-ler then emerged from behind the ruins and walked over to Once-ler, who stared back at the green-clad man in confusion.     

“This is all your fault!” Greed-ler shouted

He then slapped Once-ler in the face so hard that the latter's body spun in the opposite direction. When Once-ler recovered from the blow and opened his eyes again, he saw another terrible sight. Every single tree in the truffula forest was gone. All that remained were stumps that sat under the smoggy sky.  Once-ler's eyes widened in horror as he looked out towards the remains of the forest, then he turned back around to look at the ruined factory. Once-ler kept looking side to side at each scene in disbelief, becoming even more confused and fearful.

“What happened here?” Once-ler shouted in panic. 

He received no answer. Instead, the ground began to split beneath him, forming a dark chasm below.  As the earth continued to separate, Once-ler fell forward into the gaping hole. He clung onto the rocks and dirt on the side of the chasm in order to avoid plunging into the deep abyss. After the earth stilled again, Once-ler tried to climb out of the chasm and escape, but the earth under his fingers and shoes began to give way and he started to slip. 

Terrified, Once-ler desperately clawed his hands into the dirt to keep from falling further. He then looked up and saw Greed-ler approach him. With the same green-gloved hand that he had slapped him with earlier, Greed-ler reached down into the chasm to save Once-ler. 

“There is only one way out of here.” Greed-ler stated ominously as he offered his hand to Once-ler.

With no other choice, Once-ler lifted his left hand from the side of the chasm and grabbed Greed-ler's. But when their hands made contact, Once-ler felt a sharp shock surge through his palm, and he quickly pulled away. When Once-ler looked down at his left hand, he saw that he now appeared to be wearing a long green glove identical to the one Greed-ler wore. 

Once-ler felt himself start to slip again, and he dug both of his hands into the dirt, more fearful than ever. The meaning behind Greed-ler's words was clear. The only way Once-ler could escape the dark abyss below was if he became Greed-ler. However, Once-ler still feared the possibility that if he truly did become Greed-ler, he would cause the destruction of himself and possibly the world around him. 

Before Once-ler could make a decision, the earth crumbled beneath him. Once-ler reached out to Greed-ler and screamed as he fell into the darkness. Moments later, Once-ler felt his body hit the hard surface below him, although the impact was less intense than he had expected. Gasping and panting, Once-ler opened his eyes and flailed on the ground in panic, unable to make any sense of his surroundings in the complete blackness that surrounded him.

That was until he began to smell the familiar scent of smogulous smoke. Once-ler looked up in fear as the lights flickered on and off, revealing Greed-ler, who was standing in front of the doorway in Once-ler's bedroom, blocking the only exit.

 “It seems as though you did not heed my earlier warning...” Greed-ler sneered as he approached Once-ler, who cowered on the bedroom floor. “...and now you have gotten yourself into an unfortunate situation.” The lights in the room continued to flicker on and off as Greed-ler came closer. “But there's still time Once-ler. You can still bring yourself back from the brink and revive this business. All you have to do is embrace the power within and let me take control.” 

As Greed-ler spoke, the electricity in the factory surged. The lights suddenly became brighter for a moment before they burned and went out, and the room became dark again. Until Once-ler turned to see Greed-ler crouched down next to him with green sparks of electricity circling around his gloves. 

“Don't worry Once-ler...” Greed-ler whispered, his wicked grin just barely visible against the light of the sparks. “...soon this dreadful incident will be nothing more than a memory...and so will you.” With that, Greed-ler grabbed Once-ler's shirt and a jolt of electricity surged through the latter's chest. The sensation felt identical to another one that Once-ler felt not too long ago, back when the Lorax had saved him after he had nearly fallen over the waterfall. 

Once-ler woke up, blinded by a bright light. He slowly sat up and shielded his eyes, trying to figure out what happened and where he was. After his eyes adjusted, Once-ler could see that it was now daytime, and that he was in his room, lying on the floor next to his bed. He concluded that he must have fallen off of it during the night. With a sigh, Once-ler slowly got and left the bedroom, only to see his mother come in through the front door of the penthouse.
 
“Oh Oncie,  there you are! Thank goodness! I was starting to get worried when you didn't return my calls.” Isabella exclaimed when she saw her son, showing none of the anger that she had possessed the previous day. Instead, she smiled at him and suddenly pulled him into a hug. “Oh, Oncie, I'm so proud of you!”

Once-ler's eyes widened in shock and confusion. He knew that there was no way this could possibly be  real after what happened yesterday. Once-ler was becoming scared. He wondered why he was experiencing this. Was he still dreaming? Was he losing touch with reality? Was he crazy?

Isabella pulled away and saw the expression on her son's face. “Oncie, are you alright?” she asked him with concern. “You had better not be coming down with a fever again.”

“What's going on?” Once-ler asked in alarm.

“Son, what's the matter with you? Why are you acting like this?” Isabella asked her son..

“Just please tell me what's going on!” Once-ler exclaimed. 

“Oh, that's right,” Isabella remarked “You never got my calls so you have no idea what happened do you?” She noticed that her son was still wearing his pajamas “Have you been asleep this whole time?” she asked “Is that why you didn't answer the phone? Goodness Oncie, you've always been such a heavy sleeper.” Isabella kept rambling on much to Once-ler's dismay. “Why were you sleeping so late anyway? It's well past noon now. Are you sure you aren't getting sick again?”

“Mom, I'm fine. I just had a rough night, but will you please tell me what happened?” Once-ler asked in exasperation 

“You did it Oncie!” Isabella exclaimed excitedly. “And you did it sooner than I expected! You sold half a million thneeds!”

Chapter Text

“I can't believe this...” Once-ler stated in shock as he sat down on his couch.

“I know!” Isabella exclaimed excitedly as she sat down next to him. “I can't believe it either! This is incredible!”

Once-ler wanted to share his mother's enthusiasm, but whenever he said 'I can't believe this', he really meant it. Once-ler was still confused about what was actually happening. Despite the seemingly good news, he still had trouble believing that his mother would act like this after everything that happened the day before. There were certain details that didn't add up.

“How did you find out about this?” Once-ler asked cautiously. 

“The sales manager called and told me the news.” Isabella explained. “She told me she tried to get in touch with you first, but you didn't answer the phone. So I tried calling you again, and you still didn't pick up. I started getting worried, so I came over to check on you and tell you myself. I went past the thneed counter on the way to the penthouse and I saw it there too. Half a million thneeds and still going!” she smiled.

Once-ler became startled when he heard his mother speak that last sentence. If the events of yesterday had actually occurred and the power had really gone out, the thneed counter shouldn't have been working. Once-ler became more afraid as he tried to make sense of it all. Had the events of yesterday been a nightmare? Or was what he was experiencing right now another illusion?

Isabella noticed her son's distress and confusion. “Oh, you don't know about that either,” she remarked. “The power came back on around half an hour ago. The electric company tried to call you and let you know, but you didn't answer them either.”

Once-ler's eyes widened in astonishment. Things were finally starting to make sense, but he still had questions. “How did they fix it so quickly?” he asked 

“Well, the electric company knew that it was important to get Thneed inc. back up and running as soon as possible. It's one of Greenville's most profitable companies, after all.” Isabella explained with a hint of pride in her voice. “So they brought several workers over here and had them work overnight to replace the electrical panel and get the power back on.” Her tone then changed to one of  annoyance as she continued to explain. “Unfortunately, they couldn't restore the electricity until well into the afternoon, so we couldn't start production back up today, but we'll be able to resume operations tomorrow. I already called the chief operating officer and the head of manufacturing. They're downstairs making sure that everything is set up and ready to go.”

“Really? That's amazing!” Once-ler exclaimed in surprise and relief.

“Yes son, You were very lucky that this time the problem was resolved relatively quickly...” Isabella told her son with a stern glare as her tone turned colder “...but we have to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again.”

“Yes Mom, I'm really sorry.” Once-ler apologized as he shrunk under her gaze.

“I know you are son,” his mother replied, her tone still stern, “But right now we need to leave this incident behind us and focus on the future of the company.” Isabella smiled again. “Half a million thneeds sold in less than a year is a huge milestone, and we're going to have to celebrate!”

“That sounds great!” Once-ler replied as he nodded enthusiastically. Once-ler wondered what his mom had in mind. He personally imagined eating pancakes at a relaxing brunch with his family. 

Isabella had different plans. “We'll have to hold a huge party and invite the most prominent figures in Greenville!” she told him excitedly.

“What?” Once-ler asked her in shock.

“Yes son, this party will not only be a celebration of your recent milestone, but a way to make an impression on your fellow businessmen and make some important connections.” His mother informed him. “We'll have to start the preparations as soon as possible. We need to hold the party before we begin construction for the larger factory and before you fly out for your TV appearance.”

“But I don't have time to throw a party right now!” Once-ler protested “As soon as the parts arrive, I'll have to get started on building the super axe hacker prototype! Then after that's done, I'll have to clear the land for the factory expansion! Plus, I also have to rehearse for the TV segment! Not only that, but I still have all of my regular work to do!”

“I know you're very busy son...,” Isabella acknowledged, “...but we have to take advantage of this opportunity. The timing actually works in your favor. This is chance to help everyone forget about this embarrassing incident of yours and show them you have your act together.”

“But...” Once-ler started to protest again.

“No buts Oncie,” Isabella interrupted him. “We're going to hold the party in two weeks. Right here at the penthouse.”

“The penthouse?” Once-ler questioned her in exasperation, “There isn't enough room at the penthouse to throw a party!”

“Well then, you'll just have to expand and remodel the place.” His mother told him nonchalantly, as though the answer was obvious. “The area below the penthouse is just a mostly unused basement, right? Just call the construction company and have them renovate it. They had the factory built in no time at all. Renovating some storage space should be simple. And while you're at it, you ought to have the penthouse expanded and upgraded too. It's nice, but it could still be bigger.”

“Why can't we hold the party at a hotel or some other place?” Once-ler asked

“I already checked all the venues in Greenville as soon as I heard the news. Every place in town already has their event space booked for the next two weeks.” Isabella informed her son. “It would be better if we held the party here, anyway. It will allow you to show off your assets. Provided you actually use some of that money you've been making and buy some.” Isabella scrunched her nose as she looked around the penthouse. “You really need to get yourself some new furniture! This place looks so sparse! Have you even bought anything new since you left that cottage?”

“No. I've been meaning to, but I haven't had time to look.” Once-ler answered truthfully.

“Well, you have some time now before the factory opens tomorrow. So you had better get started on making some upgrades to this place before the big night.” Isabella stated plainly.

Once-ler sighed in frustration. He knew he had lost the argument. Once-ler knew how determined his mother was, and also how much she loved fancy parties.

 “Now don't worry, Oncie it won't be as difficult as you think.” Isabella reassured him  “You're rich now, so you can just call people and have them do a lot of the work for you. Plus, the rest of the family and I will help you out too. We all need to make sure this thing goes off without a hitch. I know that with some help, you can pull this off.” With that, she kissed her son on the cheek. Then got up from the couch and headed towards the door. Before Isabella exited the penthouse, she turned back towards Once-ler and gave him a sweet smile. “Good luck, son,” she called back out to him as she left.  

Once-ler sat there for a moment, completely dumbfounded. Until the reality of the situation finally sank in. His mother was right, he needed to get started right away. Once-ler got up off the couch, had something to eat, got cleaned up, put on his clothes, and then went down to his office to begin planning for the renovation. On the way to his office, Once-ler stopped to check the thneed counter and see it for himself. What his mother said was true. Half a million thneeds had been sold and the counter was still going.   

When Once-ler entered his office, he grabbed the furniture catalog he had been neglecting, some pieces of drafting paper, his sketchbook, various pencils, and a pen. Once-ler set all the objects on his desk and then sat down to get started. He needed to create some blueprints for the lower floor, come up with designs for the new rooms, and pick out several pieces of furniture. Once-ler picked up a pencil and tried to think, but his mind felt as blank as the pieces of paper that lay in front of him. Once-ler continued to sit there for a while. Then he decided to get up and head down to the basement. Perhaps if he went down to get a good look at the actual space he was working with, it would be easier for him to visualize the exact changes he wanted to make.

Once-ler opened the door to the basement and turned on the lights. The vast gray room was empty except for a few stray boxes. Once-ler made his way inside and gazed at his surroundings as he continued to think about how he wanted to renovate the space. Then, suddenly, the room became filled with the scent of smogulous smoke as Once-ler heard a familiar voice.

“You already know exactly what you want, and so do I...” the voice whispered 

A large waft of smogulous smoke circled around the basement, transforming it. Soon Once-ler found himself between an opulent parlor room and dining room. Once-ler could clearly see all of the luxurious features that filled the rooms, including a large dining table, elegant couches and chairs accented in gold, fancy curtains, and a marble staircase. He had seen this vision before in his dreams... and also in his nightmares.

“...because we both want the exact same thing...” the voice continued.

As Once-ler continued to gaze at the scene before him, he could feel a new sense of energy begin to well within him.  

“...so now's the time to bring our vision to life!” the voice exclaimed.

As Once-ler heard those words, that new sense of energy overtook him completely. Once-ler ran back up to his office and began to work furiously, sketching out designs and selecting furniture pieces from the catalog. Once-ler now knew exactly what he wanted, and he was determined to bring that image in his mind to fruition. Once-ler continued to work throughout the night, unable to stop himself, until his body and mind eventually gave out and he fell asleep at his desk.

Once-ler blinked and slowly lifted his head as he woke up the next morning, Then, he looked down at the papers at his desk. During the previous afternoon and evening, he had completed numerous sketches. Once-ler had also selected several items from the furniture catalog to purchase. Once-ler looked down at all the papers in astonishment. He could not believe that he had completed all of that work in such a short amount of time.

“It's amazing what one can accomplish with the right mindset...” a familiar voice whispered as the faint scent of smogulous smoke began to waft through the air.

Suddenly, Once-ler heard his office door opening. The smell of smogulous smoke disappeared as his mother stepped inside. 

“Oncie are you okay?” Isabella asked. “You didn't open the factory this morning, so I just went on ahead and did it for you. Everything's working fine, but everyone was wondering where you were. We were all starting to get worried.”

“I'm alright, Mom.” Once-ler answered. “Sorry to scare you. I was just up working really late, and then I overslept.”

“Oh, that's good, Oncie” his mother sighed in relief. “Now let me see what you came up with!” Isabella exclaimed as she made her way around Once-ler's desk to examine his work. Once-ler became nervous, but his mother smiled at him. “These all look great! So luxurious!” she exclaimed. Isabella picked up the furniture catalog. “And I really like the furniture pieces you picked out too! You have really good taste!” she complimented.

“You really think so?” Once-ler asked, both flattered and surprised by her reaction.

“I sure do!” his mother replied. “See Oncie, I knew you could do it.” She gave him another kiss on the cheek as she turned the leave. “Well, I'd better let you get back to work. I'm sure you still have a lot to do. I'll head on back down and tell everyone where you are.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Once-ler called out to his mother as she exited the office. 

After she left, Once-ler had a quick breakfast bar and freshened himself up in the bathroom. Then he began his work for the day. Once-ler first made several phone calls. He called the construction company to help plan the renovation. Then a storage and moving company to help him remove all his stuff from his penthouse to prepare for said renovation. After that, Once-ler called a party planner and a caterer to assist him in setting up for the party. Thankfully, Isabella was correct, and all of these companies were quite eager to help Once-ler with his endeavors. All of them were excited to add the President of Thneed inc. to their list of satisfied clients. When Once-ler finally put the phone down, he leaned back in his chair with a sigh of relief.

“Being rich and successful most certainly has its perks, doesn't it?” a familiar voice whispered again as Once-ler smelled another faint trace of smogulous smoke.

A chill ran up Once-ler's spine as he looked around his office for the source of the voice, but before Once-ler could see anything. His office door opened again and the scent of smogulous smoke quickly dissipated.

Brett stepped inside the office, with Chet following right behind him. “Hey Once, we were just wondering if you needed help with anything.” Brett explained.

Once-ler thought for a moment, stunned by his brothers' offer. He wasn't used to his brothers acting so kind and helpful. “Yeah...there are a few things I could use some help with actually.” Once-ler replied somewhat timidly, “I was thinking of maybe having my bed moved down here to the office so that way I could sleep here while the renovations are being done. Plus, I could also use some help packing the rest of my stuff...If you don't mind.”

“Sure, no problem.” Chet answered.

All three brothers got right to work. After Brett and Chet moved Once-ler's bed to his office as requested. They returned to the penthouse to help Once-ler pack his things. Once-ler had packed some essentials in his luggage to take back with him to the office. Then he and his brothers began to pack the rest of his stuff into boxes. Once-ler had just finished packing a box in his bedroom, and had just begun to carry it out to the living room, when he heard a familiar voice and smelled a familiar scent.

“See what I mean? You're finally becoming someone your family can respect. Just make sure you don't mess up again.” the voice sneered

Startled, Once-ler dropped the box. Alerting his brothers, who were working only a few feet away. When they entered the bedroom, the smell immediately vanished.

“Hey Bro, is everything okay?”  Brett asked.

“Yeah, everything's fine.” Once-ler replied, somewhat embarrassed, “I just dropped something.”

“Here, let me get that for you.” Chet offered, as he picked up the box and carried it away.

Once-ler stiffened as he braced himself to hear his brothers make fun of him for dropping the box. Once-ler was certain Brett and Chet wouldn't pass up an opportunity to tease him about being 'weak' or 'unmanly', just as they had always teased him in the past. But much to Once-ler's relief and confusion, neither twin said a word about the dropped box and simply continued to help Once-ler pack his things. 

The day eventually gave way to evening, and the factory closed for the night. Once-ler was the only one left in the building. He was in his office, wrapping up his work for the day before going to bed. Once-ler had gathered his papers and sketches and was making several copies to present to the construction company. Scattered throughout the office was Once-ler's bed and some of his other belongings. The presence of the extra items and bed made the office feel a bit cramped and hard to navigate. 

When Once-ler finished making copies and turned around to place the papers on his desk, he tripped over something, not used to having objects in his way. With a groan, Once-ler picked up the fallen papers and then stood up, but before Once-ler could head over to his desk, he once again smelled smogulous smoke and heard a familiar and sinister voice.

“Things will be so much better when we finally get that bigger office.” Greed-ler whispered  

Once-ler froze for a moment and then slowly looked around the office, but he couldn't see Greed-ler.“W-where? Where are you?” Once-ler asked in a trembling voice.

“That's a foolish question Once-ler.” Greed-ler continued to whisper ominously, “You should know by now that deep down inside...I am you.”

As Greed-ler spoke, Once-ler turned around and faced the full-length mirror he had recently replaced, only to see Greed-ler's reflection staring back at him with a sinister grin. Both Once-ler and the reflection of Greed-ler held the papers that contained their shared vision. Once-ler stared at the image in shock for moment, until his reflection reverted back to normal. Once-ler shook his head in disbelief. 

He then went over to his desk and placed the papers he had been holding on top. Then Once-ler dug through a drawer to grab some other papers he would also need for tomorrow. Including the sketch for the super-axe-hacker. The parts for the prototype were scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning and Once-ler needed the sketch to use as a guide for when he began building the machine. The plan was for Once-ler to build the initial prototype himself. Then he would test the super axe hacker by using the prototype to chop down the trees that would need to be cleared for the factory expansion. If the new invention proved successful, additional models would be manufactured elsewhere.

Once-ler of course hoped that his new invention would work, but Once-ler still felt somewhat guilty for creating it. While using this invention would make things better for his company, it would make things worse for the Truffula Forest. Once-ler feared that the Lorax was right about how much destruction the super axe hacker would cause. As Once-ler gazed down at the sketch, he could not help but remember what the Lorax had told him earlier.  

“You're going to destroy everything, including yourself! You're crazy with greed!” the Lorax's voice echoed in Once-ler's mind.

Once-ler clutched his forehead and groaned. He desperately wanted these voices, all of them, to get out of his head and leave him alone. Suddenly exhausted, Once-ler grabbed his pajamas, headed to the bathroom, and got ready for bed. After Once-ler exited the bathroom,he very carefully made his way over to the bed, somehow managing not to trip over anything this time. Then, Once-ler turned off the lights, lied down, and closed his eyes. Once-ler hoped that sleep would relieve him of his mental anguish, but unfortunately for Once-ler, his slumber would be anything but peaceful.  

Once-ler soon found himself standing inside his newly constructed parlor room. Greed-ler, sans sunglasses, stood in front of Once-ler. Greedler's malicious blue eyes gleamed as he presented Once-ler with an emerald encrusted jewelry box. 

“Can you see it Once-ler?  Your destiny, our destiny, is finally beginning to unfold. Congratulations.”  Greed-ler sneered as he lifted the box towards Once-ler 

Although Once-ler felt still felt uncertain about Greed-ler's intentions, he could not help but become filled with curiosity over the beautiful-looking box. Once-ler took the box from Greed-ler and slowly lifted the lid. Suddenly, a thick cloud of smogulous smoke poured out of the box, covering Once-ler and blinding him. 

When the smoke disappeared and Once-ler could finally see again, Greed-ler was gone, and Once-ler found himself surrounded by destruction and ruin. The parlor room wall that Once-ler had been standing in front of had crumbled and fallen away, providing a clear view of the dismal scene. Numerous tree stumps dotted the barren landscape that sat beneath a smog filled sky. A rusted super-axe-hacker sat abandoned nearby.

Once-ler, completely horrified, looked back down at the box he was holding, and gazed at the mirror that was inside the lid. In his own reflection, Once-ler could see the sharp green lapels from Greed-ler's coat, the brim of his large top hot, and those same icy blue eyes. Once-ler dropped the box and backed away in terror as he slowly came to a realization. He had done this. He had been the one to unleash this evil upon the world.

Once-ler turned towards a cracked, full-length mirror that stood in the now ruined parlor room. Once-ler gasped when he saw his full reflection. He could clearly see himself wearing that distinct green suit and large top hat, along with those long green gloves that not only looked but felt so familiar to him somehow.

Once-ler woke up with a gasp as he shot up in bed. After a few moments, realized that he was safe in his office and that it was now morning. With a sigh, Once-ler got out of bed and walked towards the window. Outside, Once-ler could see workers removing several large boxes from a delivery truck. The parts for the super-axe-hacker prototype had arrived. 

Chapter Text

“It looks like we've got even more biggering to do.” a familiar voice whispered as Once-ler stared at the scene outside the window. 

Once-ler gasped and turned around as the scent of smogulous smoke began to permeate the air, but  before Once-ler could see Greed-ler, Once-ler's alarm clock went off and the smell instantly vanished. After Once-ler shut down the alarm, he washed up in the adjacent office bathroom, got dressed, and had something to eat. Then he made his way downstairs to unlock all the doors and inspect the factory before the day officially began. Just as Once-ler had finished inspecting the building, he saw his mother in the hallway.

“Good morning Mom!” Once-ler greeted her cheerfully, but his face instantly fell when he saw his mother's stern expression.

“The chief operating officer and the head of manufacturing asked me to find you. They want to speak with you before the factory opens today.” Isabella informed him.

Once-ler nervously bit his lip. A request for an impromptu meeting this early in the morning could not have been good. Once-ler felt a sense of dread as he followed his mother down to the meeting room, where the chief operating officer and the head of manufacturing were already seated at the table. As soon as Once-ler and his mother sat down to join them, the chief operating officer began to speak. 

“Good morning Mr. Once-ler,” the chief operating officer greeted him. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with us on such short notice.” 

“You're welcome. What did you want to discuss?” Once-ler asked, trying to hide his nervousness and remain professional.  

“A couple of recent incidents have brought some issues to our attention,” the chief operating officer answered. “First of all, we would were wondering if you had any plans to make another upgrade to the electrical panel when we expand the factory. We are concerned that even the new panel will not be sufficient enough for the bigger building, and we do not want to experience another blackout.”

“I most certainly agree, and I definitely intend to make another upgrade.”  Once-ler replied, trying to sound confident. In reality, he hadn't actually thought about it before, but now that the issue was brought to his attention, Once-ler would see to it that plans for an upgrade were made. The whole incident regarding the blackout had been humiliating for him, and Once-ler agreed that he never wanted anything like that to happen again.

“Excellent news, sir” the chief operating officer replied. 

“As for the next issue...” the head of manufacturing continued, “...I hate to bring this up, but we also need to talk about the incident at the factory where you mistakenly believed that one of the machines had malfunctioned.”

Once-ler cringed as the head of manufacturing described the incident. Sure, he was supposedly recovering from an illness at the time, but the whole scenario had still been quite embarrassing for him.

“First of all,we want to make sure that such a malfunction doesn't actually occur in the future.” the head of manufacturing explained “So, in addition to upgrading the electrical panel whenever we expand the factory, We think that we should also upgrade the manufacturing equipment.”

As the head of manufacturing spoke those words, images of the broken and malfunctioning machine flashed through Once-ler's mind. Accompanied by the sound of a sinister voice that issued an ominous warning, “...if you don't wish for such a nightmare to come to pass, then you had better wake up and make me your reality...”

“Mr. Once-ler?” the head of manufacturing asked as he noticed the dazed expression on his boss' face.

Once-ler snapped back to reality. “Um...oh yes...I agree. I'll get started on a proposal for those upgrades right away.” Once-ler answered, hoping that was the end of the meeting.

“That's sounds great Mr. Once-ler, but unfortunately that incident brings up another issue.” the head of manufacturing continued, much to Once-ler's dismay. “I hate to bring it up again, but apparently you are not the only one who has complained of seeing strange phenomena after spending time in the manufacturing area. There's been rumors going around that too much unprotected exposure to smogulous smoke can cause hallucinations...”

“That has got to be the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard!” Isabella suddenly interrupted. 

“Then how else do you explain what your son thought he saw, ma'am?” the head of manufacturing asked. “You have to admit that his behavior was rather unusual and concerning.”

Once-ler's eyes widened as his mouth opened in shock. Once-ler was not only still terribly embarrassed, but he also could not believe that his employee would dare say such a thing to his mother. Perhaps the man had mistakenly believed that he could get away with saying such a thing because of his high-level position, but he would soon find out that no one was immune to Isabella's wrath.

“So are you suggesting that my son, whom I may remind you is your boss, is crazy?” Isabella asked sharply.

“No, ma'am not at all,” the head of manufacturing answered somewhat nervously. “I was instead suggesting that the excess smogulous smoke in the factory may have contributed to your son's....” 

“Now you listen here mister!” Isabella suddenly shouted, interrupting him. “That had nothing to do with the smogulous smoke! My son was still recovering from a very nasty fever! That's why he was hallucinating!” 

Once-ler shrank in his seat instinctively in fear, even though he wasn't the one being yelled at this time.He hated to see his mother angry. Yet, Once-ler also couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised at how his mother was coming to his defense. Once-ler knew that she was mainly doing it to protect the company's reputation, but he still appreciated it.

“We understand that may have been the case regarding your son ma'am,” the chief operating officer interjected, trying to diffuse the situation. “But a number of employees continue to complain of similar experiences. Others are also complaining about the general smell of the smoke, and of having to wear respirators all day in the factory. A number have employees have threatened to quit if these issues are not addressed. So we must do something about it.”

“We were thinking of simply having multiple filters installed throughout the factory,” the head of manufacturing explained, trying to be more careful with his words after Isabella's outburst.  “The installation of the filters would significantly reduce the amount of smogulous smoke left in the building. As a result, there would be no basis for the rumors, the factory would smell cleaner, and employees would no longer have to wear respirators. If we no longer had to buy such protective equipment for the employees, this would save us money in the long run.”  

Isabella calmed down after hearing that last sentence. “Well, I suppose if it will ultimately save the company money, then I suppose the idea is worth considering.” She mused

“Do you agree Mr. Once-ler?” the chief operating officer asked.

“Of course,” Once-ler answered hastily.

“Alright then, well I suppose if we are all in agreement then I suppose that concludes this meeting,” the chief operating officer replied before he turned towards his boss. “Thank you again for meeting with us Mr. Once-ler.”

“You're welcome, now if you all excuse me I had better get started on those proposals.” Once-ler told his employees and his mother as he quickly left the room, relieved that the awkward meeting had finally come to an end. Once-ler then began to make his way down the hall to his office, but unbeknownst to him, he was being followed. 

When Once-ler returned to his office, he set his other papers aside, grabbed some blank ones, and sat down in his chair to begin his work. But he nearly jumped out of his seat when he looked up and saw his mother standing right in front of the desk with a stern expression on her face.

“Mom, I'm sorry...” Once-ler apologized, assuming that she must have been mad at him. “...but I'm going to get right on it. I'm going to make sure all the appropriate upgrades are made.”     

“I know you will, son.” Isabella replied. Her tone was flat and her expression was unreadable. Which made Once-ler even more nervous. “Anyways, I just wanted to drop by and give you this,” Isabella told her son as she handed him a few pieces of paper. “It's the guest list for the party. After you are done working on those proposals, I need you to go over the list and make any corrections.”

“Yes, Mom.” Once-ler nodded in reply

“I also wanted to tell you that Aunt Grizelda and I, along with the party planners, will handle most of the party preparation.” Isabella further informed him. “So, the only other thing you will have to do is come up with an outfit. The party theme is fantastical formal, and it's a masquerade ball, so the dress code will be formal wear with a fantasy twist, along with masks. You got that?”

“Got it.” Once-ler answered with a nod. He had mixed feelings about the party theme, as he wasn't sure what to wear for that type of party, but Once-ler was also grateful that his mother, aunt, and the party planners were all handling the details for him since he had other work to do.

“Good. Well then, I'd better let you get back to work.” Isabella replied as she turned around and left the office.

“Thanks again for all of your help Mom.” Once-ler called out to her as she left. As soon as his mother shut the door, Once-ler let out a heavy sigh. He looked down at his desk to begin his work, when a malicious voice began to sneer at him.  
 
“How humiliating! You just never learn, do you? You spend too much time arguing with yourself instead of focusing on biggering the company!”

As the smell of smogulous smoke began to fill the office, Once-ler grimaced as another familiar surge of energy began to flow through him.

“Luckily for you, we still have time to fix this mess.” the voice continued to sneer.

Once-ler's brows furrowed in determination. The voice was right. Once-ler knew that he needed to fix all this while he still had a chance. So, Once-ler allowed that surge of energy to overtake him once again as he frantically began his work. Until he eventually dozed off and fell asleep at his desk yet again, his hat falling off of his head.

When Once-ler opened his eyes. He saw that his office was completely dark. As Once-ler looked around the room, he wondered what had happened. Was there another blackout? Was it nighttime? Either way, Once-ler wondered why nobody had informed him of the situation. Once-ler carefully got up, mindful of the various objects that were supposedly still on the floor, and headed towards to the light switch, only to find that it wasn't there. He kept feeling around the wall where it should have been, but he still could not find it. 

Once-ler gave up and turned around. He decided to just leave the office and find out what was going on. Once-ler then very carefully made his way over to the exit, but something felt different. There did not appear to be any objects in his way, the floor felt smoother under his feet, and even though he couldn't really see it, the room just somehow felt bigger to him somehow. 

Once-ler took a few more steps before he began to smell it, the all too familiar scent of smogulous smoke. The very next minute, he felt someone grip his wrist tightly. It was no mystery as to who it was. Once-ler quickly turned around in fear. At first, all Once-ler could see were Greed-ler's icy blue eyes, and green gloves. Then in the next instant, Greed-ler became entirely visible, bathed in a bright green glow. He was wearing his iconic green suit as usual, but his hat and glasses were missing. With the room now partially lit, Once-ler could now see that they were in his newer, bigger office. The one he would soon have after the factory expanded.

“Can you feel it Once-ler?” Greed-ler asked him. “Can you feel the energy that lies within you?

“Let go of me!” Once-ler demanded as he tried to break away from Greed-ler's grasp

“Yes Once-ler, let go,” Greed-ler replied with a menacing smirk. “Let go of your inhibitions. Let go of the guilt, and let go of the fear. Let go and allow that energy to flow through you!”

Greed-ler let go of Once-ler's wrist as the latter stepped backwards, but Once-ler could go no further as the glowing aura that surrounded Greed-ler began to envelope itself around him as well, leaving him petrified. The glowing energy that surrounded them felt exhilarating, but also dangerous, as though there was some sort of toxic quality to it. Once-ler grit his teeth and shook as the radiant light continued to glow around them and the energy coursed through his body, reinvigorating him but also slowly poisoning him at the same time.

“Save yourself from further pain and humiliation. Embrace the power within yourself.” Greed-ler continued, “Allow it to overtake you, to change you, to control you.”

Once-ler felt a burning sensation as the noxious energy continued to flow through him and began to change him into someone else entirely. It began in his fingertips, as long green gloves appeared on his hands. Then the energy continued to spread throughout his entire body, changing his clothes into a copy of Greed-ler's green suit.

“Yes Once-ler, Embrace that power that flows through you and finally accept who you really are,” Greed-ler whispered ominously. Then with one final smirk, Greed-ler faded away, leaving Once-ler alone, glowing in the dark. 

When Once-ler looked up to where Greed-ler once stood, he found himself standing in front of a large, full-length mirror. Once-ler's eyes widened as he saw his appearance, which was now completely identical to Greed-ler's, right down to the toxic green energy that flowed in and around him.      

Once-ler suddenly woke up with a gasp. As he looked around the room, Once-ler realized that it was still daytime and that he was still in his old office, and that it was still filled and cramped with several of his things. The whole scenario had been yet another nightmare. Once-ler sighed to himself as he looked at his stuff. Even with his bed being only two feet away he still somehow managed to fall asleep at his desk. 

Once-ler then looked down at the papers he had been working on. Somehow, much to his relief, he had  completed everything. Once-ler then sorted all of the various papers and divided them into separate folders. After he finished, Once-ler grabbed all the documents and began to make his way out of the office when he once again heard that familiar, sinister voice.

“See, Once-ler, you hold all the potential for greatness right there in your hands...” Greed-ler sneered
 
Once-ler looked back down at the papers he was holding and saw Greed-ler's green gloves on his own hands. With a yelp, Once-ler dropped the folders in shock, causing the documents to fall out and scatter around the office. 

“...but if you keep making the same mistakes, and keep letting your fears and doubts get the better of you, all of these opportunities are going to slip right through your fingers,” Greed-ler continued.

With the green gloves still visible on his hands, Once-ler quickly scrambled to pick up the papers and brought them back to his desk. Once-ler trembled in fear as he tried to reorganize the documents, fearful of Greed-ler's warning but also fearful of Greed-ler himself. Just as Once-ler had finished re-sorting the papers and putting them back in the folders, he heard a voice calling out from behind him.

“Hey, Once-ler!” the voice shouted.

With another yelp, Once-ler flinched and turned around.  Trembling in fear, he opened his eyes only to see his brothers standing in the middle of his office. 

“Whoa, are you okay bro?” Chet asked in concern as he quickly made his way over to Once-ler, who was still shaking. Brett quickly followed, also looking concerned for Once-ler. 

Once-ler looked down and noticed that the green gloves had vanished from his hands, then he looked back up at his brothers. “What are you both doing here?” he asked angrily, still flustered.

“Mom sent us up here to check on you.” Brett explained.  “She was wondering if you finished the proposals for the upgrades yet.” 

“Also, the construction company just arrived, and they need your sketches and blueprints for the renovation to the penthouse.” Chet added.

“Yeah, I got it all done.” Once-ler as told them as he grabbed all the folders, his hands still trembling.

“Are you sure you're okay bro?” Brett asked Once-ler “Did the Lorax come around here and start messing with you again?”

“No.” Once-ler answered dismissively. He was embarrassed that his brothers had seen him in such a state, and he was certain they would start to make fun of him.

“Then what's going on? You seem really shaken up.” Chet remarked with concern.

“Since when did you care?” Once-ler suddenly snapped, unable to believe that their concern was genuine

“What are you talking about Once? We're seriously just worried about you!” Brett exclaimed, confused by Once-ler's reaction.

“Seriously, What is the deal with you two? Why are you both being so nice to me all of sudden?” Once-ler asked in exasperation “Why would either of you even care even if the Lorax was messing with me? You guys used to mess with me all the time!”

The twins stared back at Once-ler in shock for a moment. Before Chet finally spoke. “Are you talking about how we used to tease you when we were kids?”

“You all were still teasing me right up to the minute I left home!” Once-ler shouted back, becoming filled with anger at the memory.

“We were just joking Once! We never wanted to hurt you for real!” Brett protested. 

“Yeah! Besides, things are different now. You're not our weird brother anymore. Now you're rich!” Chet added.

“So now, in order to keep that money multiplying, we gotta help you keep this business of yours running however we can.” Brett continued.

“And that means we also gotta make sure that Lorax doesn't come around here and start messing with your head again.” Chet added further. “Whatever the Lorax did to you...that was really bad. We were real scared seeing you sick like that. The Lorax hurt you and he also hurt the business, and we don't want anything like that to happen again. ”

“Do you guys really mean all that?” Once-ler asked, still in disbelief.

“We sure do.” Brett answered.

Once-ler cast his eyes downward, truly touched by their words. “I'm sorry for snapping at you guys. It's just that I'm kind of stressed out right now and you guys just snuck up behind me, and....”

“Don't mention it.” Chet interrupted.

“Here, why don't you give us those papers,” Brett offered “We'll deal with them while you take a break. Then we'll come back and help you with the super axe hacker. Mom wanted us to keep an eye on you while you work on it, anyway.”

Once-ler was a bit confused about the last part of what Brett said, but desperate for a break and for any help he could get, Once-ler agreed and handed Brett the folders. “Thanks guys. I really appreciate the help,” he told them.

“No problem Once,” Chet replied as he and Brett left the office. “We'll be back later.” 

“Thanks again.” Once-ler called out to them as they closed the door. After they left, Once-ler let out another sigh, although this time it was one of relief. 

Once-ler stared down at his desk, not really sure what to do with himself at first. It was rare for him to have any free time these days. Until the sketchbook that sat near the end of the desk grabbed his attention. Once-ler decided that perhaps it would be nice to reminisce and look over his old drawings. 

Once-ler  picked up the sketchbook, and looked inside. It appeared as though he began drawing in this particular sketchbook around the time he had first left home. When he had begun his quest to find the perfect material to make his thneed. The first drawings in the book were indeed sketches of what he hoped the thneed would be. Ideas for what it would look like and what it could do. The next drawings were landscapes. Once-ler recalled how he would sometimes take breaks during his journey to draw the scenery around him. 

Once-ler flipped through a few more pages, until one particular picture caught his attention. It was a drawing of an exotic green butterfly. Specifically, an emerald swallowtail butterfly. Once-ler further recalled how he had  stopped to visit a butterfly house during his travels. The emerald swallowtail had been his favorite out of all the butterflies he had seen there, with its rich green coloring.

Once-ler continued to look through the sketchbook. Eventually, he came to the drawings he had made whenever he finally arrived in the truffula forest. There were several pictures of landscapes that featured colorful truffula trees. Once-ler also drew a number of sketches of the animals, including Pipsqueak and even the Lorax himself at one point.

Once-ler kept flipping through the pages of the sketchbook, smiling at the memories. Until he turned to  another particular picture and nearly dropped the sketchbook in shock. It was a drawing of Greed-ler, who was wearing his iconic green suit with matching gloves, while playing his red guitar. However, even though the image appeared to be of Greed-ler, the signature below the drawing showed otherwise. For the name underneath the drawing, written in green colored pencil, was instead Once-ler's own.  

Chapter Text

The remaining days leading up to the party went smoothly for the most part. As soon as the plans were approved, a filter was installed in the manufacturing area of the factory. With the installation of the filter, the building already smelled cleaner. As a result, the employees that worked in the manufacturing area no longer complained about the smell nor of any hallucinations. They were also relieved to no longer have to wear respirators.  

Plans to add additional filters, upgrade all the manufacturing equipment, and also upgrade the electrical panel after the factory expanded were finalized as well. Meanwhile, the construction company worked quickly to renovate Once-ler's penthouse, while Isabella took charge of planning the party. This left Once-ler to focus on his regular office work and on building the super axe hacker prototype. 

During this time, the Lorax had not made an appearance. Once-ler wondered if perhaps the forest guardian had finally given up, and Once-ler was relieved to be able to work without being interrupted by his lectures. Once-ler also had no more direct encounters with Greed-ler, neither during the night nor during the day. However, Once-ler was still not entirely free of the latter. Occasionally, Greed-ler's reflection instead of his own would appear in the mirror, and he would also sometimes see Greed-ler's green gloves on his own hands while he worked. 

These illusions would fade away quickly, and they were no longer accompanied  by the smell of smogulous smoke, but these brief images still left Once-ler feeling uneasy. Once-ler did not want to admit it, but he knew deep down that unlike his employees, his own hallucinations of Greed-ler would not go away along with the smogulous smoke. There was something about the green-clad man that simply felt much too real. As the days went by, Once-ler continued to fearfully anticipate when Greed-ler would reappear and come after him again.  

Once-ler tried to push all of these thoughts aside as he spent the majority of his time leading up to the party building the super axe hacker prototype. Finally, the night before the event, he had finally completed it. “Look at this. It's amazing. I am so proud of me,” Once-ler remarked to himself as he looked over the invention that was parked behind his newly renovated penthouse. 

Although Once-ler still had some mixed feelings about making and eventually using the super axe hacker, he could not help but feel proud that he had designed and created another (hopefully) successful invention. After Once-ler finished inspecting his new creation, he pulled out a rag and started to polish the machine.

Nearby, Once-ler's brothers leaned against the factory building The twins had been helping Once-ler and monitoring him for the past several days while he built the super axe hacker and they were tired and bored after another long workday.

With a yawn, Brett looked down at his watch, then turned to Once-ler. “Hey Once, the factory closed twenty minutes ago. Do you think you'll be alright if we headed home?” 

“Oh sure, go on ahead.” Once-ler replied with a wave, “Thanks for all your help. I'll see you tomorrow.”

With that, Brett and Chet both left while Once-ler continued to polish the super axe hacker. Just as he finished shining one of the axes, Once-ler yelped and dropped his rag in shock when he suddenly saw Greed-ler's reflection appear against the surface of the axe blade. 

At that moment, the Lorax floated down from a nearby truffula tree he had been hiding in. His fur  bristled as he angrily marched over to Once-ler. The forest guardian had far from given up on him. On the contrary, the Lorax had continued to watch over Once-ler for the past several days as he built the super axe hacker, growing more and more angry as time went by. The forest guardian had simply been biding his time, impatiently waiting for just the right moment to speak with Once-ler alone, without the risk of being tossed back into the forest by one of his relatives.  

“What the heck is the matter with you?” the Lorax asked angrily 

Once-ler jumped and yelped again as he turned around to face the Lorax

“Why do you look so scared? Have you finally realized what you're going to become and what you're going to do, Once-ler?” the Lorax continued to ask, “Or should I call you the Greed-ler now?”

Once-ler's eyes widened in shock.“W-what are you d-doing here?” he stammered.

“You know exactly why I'm here!” the Lorax yelled. “I'm here to speak for the trees, which you seem to be chopping down as fast as you please!”

“Look, I know you're mad but...” Once-ler began

“You had better believe I'm mad!” the Lorax continued to shout as he pointed to the super axe hacker “I can't believe you'd go on ahead and create that crazy contraption of yours after everything we've talked about! Don't you know how much destruction that thing is going to cause? Do you even care?”

Once-ler winced and clutched his forehead as a memory of a past nightmare flashed through his mind. The one where he, along with the Lorax and the other animals, were running away from the super axe hacker and dodging fallen trees, all while Greed-ler asked how bad it could possibly be.

“You're crazy! You're crazy with greed!” the Lorax yelled at the top of his lungs.

“No!” Once-ler choked out “Please...stop!” He cowered in shame and fear as the Lorax continued to lecture him.

“You're the one that needs to stop! “You've gone completely out of control! You've lost your mind!” The Lorax shouted again before he stopped and gave Once-ler an icy glare.“I thought you were better than this, but I guess I was wrong about you.” the Lorax stated coldly “You're not just greedy, you're heartless too.” 

The Lorax's words shook Once-ler to the core. He gasped as he brought his other hand to his chest and stepped backwards in shock.

“What in the world is going on out here?” another voice suddenly shouted. Once-ler looked up to see his mother rushing out of the penthouse towards him.

“Mom?” Once-ler asked weakly in confusion. He wondered why she was still at the factory.

“Oncie, are you alright?” Isabella asked as she came over to her son and felt his forehead. Then she angrily turned towards the Lorax. “What did you do to my son?” she asked angrily.

“I told him the truth and he couldn't handle it,” the Lorax stated in reply.

“How dare you!” Isabella snapped. “Just who you think you are? Constantly coming over here, saying these nasty things, and messing with my son?”

“I'm the guardian of the forest,” the Lorax replied confidently. “I speak for the trees and I'm also responsible for the barbaloots, swammee swans, humming fish, and all of the other creatures that live here. Who are all going to be without a home if your son doesn't stop all this biggering nonsense.”

“Well, to that I say good riddance!” Isabella snapped back. “It will be a lot more peaceful around here when you and all the rest of the vermin are gone for good!”

“Mom!” Once-ler weakly protested. He still wanted to bigger his business, but he never intended to run the Lorax and all the animals out of their homes. His mother's words shocked him. Once-ler knew that his mother and the rest of the family cared little for animals and nature, but he never thought she would take it that far.

The Lorax turned to Once-ler and gave him another icy glare. The forest guardian knew that in the end, no matter how Once-ler felt now, he would go along with whatever his mother wanted. Just as he had before. “So I guess it's true after all,” the Lorax told Once-ler coldly. “You really are becoming the Greed-ler, and you truly are heartless.”

After the Lorax spoke those words, Once-ler became completely overwhelmed. With another gasp, he fell down to the ground on his knees.

“Oncie!” his mother shouted as she quickly knelt down next to her son to keep him from toppling over. She looked down at him as he trembled next to her. Then she angrily turned back towards the Lorax. “Get away from my son!” Isabella shouted.

The Lorax relented. He knew he could no longer try to reason with Once-ler while he was in such a state, anyway. So, the Lorax silently lifted himself by the seat of his pants and flew away.

“Once-ler? Once-ler? Are you alright?” Isabella asked him frantically as he continued to tremble.

“Mom?” he asked again in reply as he turned towards her.

“Don't worry son, that nasty old Lorax left now,” his mother reassured him.

“Mom...I'm sorry...” Once-ler began to apologize. He was worried that she would be angry at him for speaking to the Lorax. “...but he just came out of nowhere and started yelling at me and then...”

“I know, Oncie, don't worry about it.” Isabella reassured him again. “Now, how about we get you inside. Do you think you can walk?” she asked

Once-ler nodded. He slowly got up and leaned against his mother as they both made their way towards the building and entered Once-ler's new parlor room. Once they were inside, Isabella led Once-ler to one of the parlor room's luxurious couches where they both sat down.

“Are you sure you're okay Once-ler?” his mother questioned as she looked him over.

“Yes, Mom.” Once-ler reassured her

“Where were Brett and Chet?” Isabella asked,with a sharp tone. “Why weren't they watching you?”

“It was getting late...so they went home.” Once-ler answered nervously.

“I told them to keep an eye on you! Now look at what happened! I'm going to have to give them a real stern talking-to about this!” Isabella snapped.

Once-ler's face fell. Although he felt relieved that his mother didn't blame him for what happened, Once-ler still felt bad for his brothers. The whole situation wasn't really their fault either, and Once-ler hated for them to get in trouble after how nice they had been to him lately. So Once-ler did something he had normally been too afraid to do, and he came to their defense. “It was twenty minutes after closing time...so I told them it was okay to go home. Sometimes I have to work late, and while I appreciate their help, I don't want to keep them after working hours.” Once-ler told her as he braced himself for her reaction, hoping that she wouldn't be too angry. It was the truth, after all. 

Isabella furrowed her brows. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she remained silent.

“Um, by the way...” Once-ler began to ask cautiously, wanting to break the silence and also genuinely curious, “...why are you still here this late?”

“I was in the dining room making sure that everything was clean and ready for the party tomorrow night.” His mother answered, “Then I heard voices coming from outside, and saw that darn Lorax messing with you again.”

Once-ler winced as he waited for her to continue, still wondering if he was in trouble.

“The nerve of that nasty little critter...” Isabella seethed  “...calling you heartless when you're working so hard to provide for your family.” 

Once-ler's mouth hung agape in shock at her words. He never imagined he's hear his mother say such a thing.    

The room was silent for a while, then Isabella looked up at the clock before looking back down at her son. “Well, you are right about it getting late. I ought to be heading home. Do you think you'll be okay here by yourself?” she asked.

“Yes, Mom. Don't worry worry about me. I'm fine.” Once-ler answered.

“Are you sure?” his mother asked. “I could head back to the house to get some things and then come back to stay with you overnight if you want?” she offered.

“No, thank you, Mom. I'll be okay.” Once-ler reassured her. Although Once-ler was flattered and surprised by her offer, he decided to decline. Once-ler knew his mother had been working hard planning the party and deserved to get some rest before the big day. Besides, he was a grown man, and he figured that he needed to take care of himself. 

“Alright then,” Isabella replied as she got up off the couch. “Just make sure you get some rest and go to bed early tonight. You've got a big day tomorrow.” She gave her son a kiss of the cheek and then turned to leave. “Have a good night, Oncie.”

“You too, Mom, and thank you for helping me.” Once-ler called out after her.

After his mother left, Once-ler sat on the couch for a little while longer before he slowly and carefully made his way up the marble staircase of his penthouse. Once-ler then went over to the top floor kitchen and heated himself up some leftovers for dinner.  After he had finished eating, he made his way to his bedroom and gazed out his new, gold-gilded window. 

Outside the window, colorful truffula trees sat underneath smoke smuggered stars. Once-ler's mind went completely blank as he leaned one hand against the glass and continued to stare out the window, seeing but not really observing the scene in front of him. As the night grew darker, Once-ler's reflection  began to appear in the window, but he paid it no mind. That was until Once-ler saw that his reflection had suddenly been replaced with Greed-ler's. Startled, Once-ler jumped back from the image in the window. Ironically, it was the illusion that had snapped him back to reality.

After calming down, Once-ler realized how tired he was and he decided to take his mother's advice and go to bed early. Without even bothering to change into his pajamas, Once-ler crawled into his new, luxurious canopy bed and quickly fell into a fitful sleep. His mine haunted by the words the Lorax had spoken to him earlier.

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

Once-ler continued to toss and turn as the Lorax's voice continued to echo in his head.

“You really are becoming the Greed-ler, and you truly are heartless...heartless...heartless.”

Once-ler then suddenly found himself standing right in front of his new full-length mirror, staring at his own reflection in fear. There was now an empty black hole in his chest where his heart used to be.

“No! No! No! It's not true!” Once-ler cried out as he closed his eyes and backed away from the mirror. Then, when he opened his eyes again, Once-ler now saw himself wearing Greed-ler's green suit, but the same black hole remained. As Once-ler continued to stare at his reflection in terror, the glass in the mirror began to crack, and then eventually shattered.

Once-ler suddenly woke up, gasping and panting. He brought his hand to his chest and slowly started to settle down when he realized that his heart was, in fact, still there, beating rapidly. Once-ler then turned towards his mirror to see that it was not really broken. The whole scenario had been yet another nightmare. After Once-ler caught his breath, he looked down at the clock on his nightstand and saw that it was nearly midnight. 

Once-ler knew that he needed to try to get back to sleep, so he decided to get up and do some knitting to calm himself down. Once-ler got out of bed, turned on his lamp, and then went over to his closet to grab his knitting bag. After Once-ler found the bag, he set it down on his new vanity table. Once-ler first removed the knitting needles from the side pocket and set them aside before he reached inside to grab some fabric or yarn to work with. Once-ler had not knitted anything in quite some time, not since he had made the initial thneeds, so he did not recall exactly what was inside the bag. 

Once-ler then felt his hand come in contact with what seemed to be two strips of fabric. Now quite curious, Once-ler pulled them out of the bag, and he gasped when he saw that those strips of fabric were in fact two long green gloves, exactly identical to Greed-ler's. Once-ler stared at the gloves for a moment, until his curiosity overtook him further, and Once-ler slipped them onto his hands. They fit him perfectly. Once-ler continued to stare down at his now gloved hands, turning them slowly in a state of astonishment and confusion. Until Greed-ler suddenly appeared next to him.

“These are...” Once-ler began

“...yours.” Greed-ler finished for him. “They always were Once-ler.”

Once-ler stared back at Greed-ler in fear, unable to speak.

“Do you remember Once-ler?” Greed-ler asked with a menacing smirk, “Do you remember when you knitted those gloves? Back at the old homestead, during a special dark midnight in August when you couldn't sleep? Just like tonight?” 

Once-ler's eyes widened in realization as he began to remember.

“You had tried and failed yet again to find the perfect material to make a thneed.” Greed-ler explained “While grovvulous is indeed a fine fabric, it is not quite flexible enough to be used for a thneed. So, you stayed up late that night and made yourself those gloves instead with the leftover material.”

Once-ler looked back down at the gloves on his hands. He now understood exactly why Greed-ler's gloves had looked and felt so familiar to him before. Yet a part of him still did not want to believe it.

“Yes Once-ler, those are your grovvulous gloves. You made them yourself. Just as you made me,” Greed-ler told him with a wicked smile. “Do you finally understand now? You have no reason to be afraid of me, for I am simply another one of your creations. Just like those gloves, the super axe hacker, and the thneed, I serve as an invention designed to enhance and enrich your life. A re-invention of yourself if you will.”

“No! That's not true!” Once-ler protested, still in denial, “You're not real! You're just a hallucination that came from all that smogulous smoke!

“All that smoke may have allowed you to envision things much more clearly, but the desire to eventually become me has always existed within you. And that desire will never go away, nor will I.”  Greed-ler stated ominously.  He slowly began to move closer to Once-ler as the latter stepped away in terror. “Don't you see Once-ler? You dreamed of this. You dreamed of me, of becoming me, even before you left home. Those gloves are proof of that, ” Greed-ler continued. “It was always your destiny for me to eventually take over and become the real Once-ler, and for you to fade away like a memory and become my shadow.”

As Greed-ler spoke, Once-ler tripped backwards and fell to the floor. As Greed-ler's shadow loomed over him, Once-ler found himself unable to move as he slowly became absorbed by the black void. Once-ler continued to sink into the darkness until only his blue eyes and green gloves remained visible for a brief moment. Then, Once-ler faded away completely, becoming nothing more than a shadow on the floor as Greed-ler let out a victorious, manic laugh.

Once-ler suddenly woke up, sprawled on his bedroom floor. He slowly sat up and then looked down at his hands. The green gloves were still there. They didn't fade away this time. They were real. Once-ler knew they were. Shaking, he quickly got up, removed the gloves, and tossed them back in his knitting bag. Then he turned off the lamp and crawled back into bed. 

Once-ler continued to tremble in his bed as his mind began to race. Greed-ler's gloves had always been his. Once-ler made them himself. For himself. What Greed-ler had told him had been completely true. They shared the same memory because, ultimately, they were the same person. They always had been. In a way, Once-ler had always known this to be the truth, but he simply did not want to accept it. Now with this revelation, Once-ler could not deny the reality of the situation any longer. The Lorax was right. Once-ler really was becoming the Greed-ler, and that meant he truly was heartless.

Chapter Text

Once-ler slowly turned over on his back as he woke up the next morning, his mind still in a daze from a night of poor sleep. As Once-ler waited for the feeling of drowsiness to fade away, he gazed around his newly renovated bedroom and admired all the luxurious furniture he had recently purchased. Once-ler had to admit to himself that the room looked rather nice and that his new bed was rather comfortable. As Once-ler continued to lie there, he started to feel more at ease, and he began to forget about the terror he had experienced the night before. That was until Once-ler turned his gaze towards the clock on his nightstand and he saw that it was well past noon. With a gasp, Once-ler suddenly shot out of bed and quickly started getting ready for the day. 

The party at the penthouse was tonight. It would not be long before the party planners and caterers would arrive to prepare for the event, and Once-ler needed to make himself presentable and head downstairs before they arrived in order to let them inside and show them where to set things up. After getting cleaned up, putting on a fresh set of clothes, and having something quick to eat, Once-ler rushed back over to his vanity table to grab his hat, which sat right next to the knitting bag he had left there the night before.

As Once-ler reached over to grab his signature fedora, his eyes fell on the long green grovvulous gloves that peeked out from the knitting bag's open zipper. Once-ler continued to stare down at the gloves as he recalled the events that had happened the night before, until a sinister voice broke the silence. 

“Never forget you really are, Once-ler,” the voice whispered.

Once-ler looked up in alarm and found himself looking right at Greed-ler's reflection in the vanity mirror. Once-ler gasped and took a step backwards in shock, but only a moment later Once-ler's radiophone began to ring, and the image of Greed-ler vanished. Hearing this, Once-ler quickly regained his composure, grabbed his hat, and ran over to the phone to answer it. 

“Hello?” Once-ler greeted the unknown person on the other end.

“Hello, Oncie,” his mother greeted him back.

“Oh, hey, Mom, what's up?” Once-ler asked.

“I was just calling to check on you.” Isabella answered. “I wanted to make sure you were feeling alright after what happened yesterday and that everything is still going according to plan. You're still going to be able to host the party tonight, right?” she asked worriedly  

“Of course, Mom, everything is totally fine.” Once-ler tried to reassure her as he nervously looked back over at the knitting bag on his vanity table.

“Oh, thank goodness!” Isabella exclaimed in relief before her tone turned more serious. “Now listen here son, it's super important that the party tonight goes well.” His mother reminded him. “All of the most important businessmen in Greenville are going to be there. Along with a few guests from outside of town as well, including the editor and chief of the country's top business magazine!”

“Really?” Once-ler exclaimed in surprise, both pleased and nervous by the idea of someone so important coming to his party.

“That's right.” Isabella confirmed,  “So whatever you do, don't embarrass yourself, and make sure you actually talk to the guests this time. And don't forget that tonight is also a perfect opportunity to secure some good business deals.”

“Don't worry Mom, I know how important tonight is and I won't let you down.” Once-ler reassured her again, still trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice even as he cringed in embarrassment, remembering the incident at the last party where his mother found him talking to himself. 

“Good to hear,” his mother replied. “Well then, I suppose I'd better let you go so that we can both finish getting ready. I can't wait to see what you are going to wear!”

As Once-ler heard his mother speak that last sentence, his face fell as he came to a terrible realization. 

“Anyways, I'll see you tonight! Bye Oncie!” Isabella exclaimed cheerfully before hanging up the phone.

As soon as Once-ler heard the click on the other end, he quickly set his own phone down and bolted to his closet in a panic. His mother's comment had made him realize that he had completely forgotten to come up with an outfit for the party tonight. After Once-ler opened the door to his new walk-in closet, he stepped inside and hoped that he could find something suitable to wear. 

The large closet was currently rather sparse, as Once-ler hadn't had much time to go clothes shopping or have anything specially tailored for him since his thneed business had gotten started. Once-ler also currently didn't  have enough time to go to town and buy something for tonight either. Luckily, he had purchased three suits, along with matching top hats, from a small local shop when he first started making it big, just in case he needed something to wear for a formal event.

One of the suits was the silvery grey one that he wore to the charity ball. Once-ler left that one in the closet. He knew his mother would throw a fit if he repeated an outfit so soon. So instead he grabbed the other two, one black, the other white, along with their matching hats, and spread them over his bed.

The suits were quite fine, but very basic. Their only remarkable detail being the long coattails on the jackets, a feature that Once-ler was particularly fond of. If tonight was just a typical formal party, either  one of the suits would have been acceptable to wear. But this party was a masquerade with a particular theme, fantastical formal, and both these suits looked a bit too plain for such an event, especially since he was the one hosting it. He wished he owned something a little more impressive to wear.

As Once-ler continued to think about which suit to wear, a flicker of movement from outside his window caught his attention. As Once-ler stepped over to the window to look more closely, he saw a small white butterfly fluttering about, which suddenly gave him an idea. 

Once-ler quickly put the black suit back into the closet and began to work on the white one. After he grabbed his sewing basket. Once-ler took some measurements and made a few alterations. He cut the coattails slightly at an angle and then sewed the hems, giving them a wing-like shape.

Next, Once-ler went over to the knitting bag he had left on the vanity table the night before. He jumped and paused for a moment when he saw the green grovvulous gloves inside the bag again, but he quickly collected himself and reached inside for the paper pattern that he had originally used to make them. Afterwards, Once-ler looked through his craft supplies and found some white silk fabric, some thick glossy paper, and a piece of elastic. Using the glove pattern and the silk fabric, he made himself another pair of long gloves. Then, he cut out a butterfly shape in the paper to make himself a mask. 

After Once-ler cut out the eye holes and attached the elastic to the mask, he set it down on the bed with the suit as he tried to think of anything else he could do to make his outfit a bit more 'fantastical'. Once-ler decided that his suit needed a touch of color, so he grabbed the silver bow tie and cummerbund from the silver suit. Then he made his way back over to the vanity table and opened a drawer. 

Inside the drawer was a velvet box that two contained butterfly-shaped brooches. Once-ler had purchased both of them as souvenirs during his visit to the butterfly house. One of brooches was gold and contained green gemstones, while the other was plain and silver. Once-ler grabbed the silver one and then placed it on the lapel of the white jacket. 

Once-ler finally gathered all of the makeshift outfit pieces together and laid everything on his bed. As he looked over the outfit, Once-ler smiled weakly and let out a tired sigh. Although the outfit was not quite as unique and fancy as he would have liked it to be, Once-ler was still proud of himself for what he had been able to come up with, especially at the last minute.

However, there was a small part of himself that was still slightly disappointed with the outfit, and that part of him quickly made itself known. “Hmmm not bad I suppose...” that same sinister voice from earlier whispered, “...but if you hadn't let the Lorax distract you, we could have come up with something even better.”

Suddenly, a green flash appeared on the bed, and Once-ler's outfit was briefly transformed into something much fancier. Once-ler stared down at the bed in astonishment for a moment, before he heard the doorbell ring. Once-ler blinked in surprise at the sound and took one more quick glance at his outfit, which had reverted back to normal. The doorbell then rang a second time, bringing Once-ler's mind back to reality, and he quickly made his way down to the parlor room to answer the door. When Once-ler opened it, he saw a group of people waiting for him, carrying decorations and food.

“Hello,” the event manager greeted Once-ler “We are from Greenville party planning and catering. We are here to set up an event for Mr. Once-ler, President of Thneed inc.”

“I am Mr. Once-ler. Please come in.” Once-ler replied as he stepped aside to let everyone in the penthouse.

“Just direct us to the rooms, and we will take care of the rest Mr. Once-ler.” the event manager told him after the group made their way inside.

“This room is the parlor room.” Once-ler informed the group. “This is where most of the party will be taking place. Right over there is the dining room, and right behind the dining room is the kitchen. There is also a bathroom attached to the parlor room if anyone needs to use it.”

“Thank you very much Mr. Once-ler.” the event manager replied “We're going to go right on ahead and start setting things up!” 

The large group split up as staff members attended to their assigned tasks. The ones carrying the food made their way to the kitchen to place items in the fridge, before they began setting up the refreshments. Other staff members began decorating the parlor room, while others started to set the dining room table. Everyone worked quickly and efficiently, wanting to do an excellent job for one of the richest men in Greenville.

Once-ler observed them for a while, before he excused himself to go upstairs and change into his outfit. Once-ler had just finished adjusting his silver bow tie when he heard the doorbell ring again, and he quickly made his way back downstairs. When Once-ler opened the door, he saw his family, along with his chief operating officer, standing in the doorway. All of them were dressed up and wearing masquerade masks.

“Hello everyone, come on in!” Once-ler greeted them with a smile as they stepped inside the parlor room, where the staff had just finished decorating. 

Flower arrangements made from tiny truffulas sat on tables. A large banner proudly proclaiming “Over half a million thneeds sold!” was draped along the wall. Copies of Once-ler's sketches for the bigger factory and the super axe hacker had been enlarged and were also placed on the wall for guests to look at and admire. In addition, a large backdrop featuring truffula trees had also been set up in the parlor room where guests could have photos taken.

“Oh my,” Isabella smiled as she looked over the room “Everything looks so nice!” she then turned toward Once-ler “and so do you...”

Once-ler smiled back, although his expression would quickly falter when he heard what his mother had to say next.

“...although to be honest you could have worn something a little fancier, but I suppose it's fine.” Isabella continued with a slightly displeased frown “I do like the butterfly theming though. It's a nice promotional idea. The thneeds do smell like butterfly milk after all.”

“Um...thanks Mom.” Once-ler replied, trying to hide his disappointment as he took in her mixed compliment. “You all look...really nice too.” he told his family only half truthfully. In reality he had rather mixed feelings about their choice of outfits.

Isabella wore a deep burgundy gown with matching elbow-length opera gloves and a mask attached to her eyeglasses. Her entire outfit was designed to compliment her signature stole, which she wore around her neck. As Once-ler looked over at his mother, he tried not to cringe. Once-ler had to admit that the whole look rather suited her, but he had always hated that stole his mother wore.

As for the rest of the family, Aunt Grizelda wore a yellow feathered dress, a dark orange feathered scarf, an orange hat with a large orange feather attached to it, and a yellow mask with more orange feathers on the side. Her look was very reminiscent of a swommee swan. Meanwhile, Uncle Ubb's outfit was inspired by a humming fish. He wore a shiny orange suit jacket with a matching hat, a fish shaped tie, and an orange mask featuring a fish scale pattern. Once-ler's twin brothers wore matching barbaloot inspired suits. Their brown jackets had fur accents on the collars and sleeves, and they also wore matching brown hats and masks that featured small round bear ears.

Aside from his mother, Once-ler found the theming of his family's outfits rather ironic, considering how much disregard they had for the creatures whenever they first arrived in the truffula forest. Knowing his family, the outfits were probably made with real fur and feathers too, much to Once-ler's dismay, but he wouldn't dare say a thing to them about it.

“Let's take a few pictures before the guests arrive.” Isabella suggested excitedly.

“Great idea Mom.” Once-ler replied as the family made their way over to the backdrop. As they posed for the camera, Once-ler tried to put on his best smile. Although his mother's comment had left him feeling insecure, and his family's choice of outfits had left him perplexed, Once-ler was genuinely happy that they had all come together to celebrate his latest accomplishment. 

Just as Once-ler and his family had finished taking photos, the other guests began to arrive. Once-ler's chief operating officer, who wore a black suit, a large red novelty bow tie, and a tall red and white striped hat with black cat ears attached to it, stood at the door to check everyone's invitations. The party would begin in the parlor room with some light socializing before dinner, where guests would speak to each other without revealing their who they were. Dinner would then be served in the dining room, where guests would sit in assigned seats with a name placard, and they could then reveal their identities to the other guests. After the meal, everyone would return to the parlor room, where there would be more socializing and business discussions.  

With the arrival of the guests, the party officially began, but things had not started off very well for Once-ler. Although he had tried to make small talk with the guests that approached him, Once-ler had trouble coming up with interesting things to say. Because he wasn't supposed to reveal his identity yet, Once-ler could not discuss his work, which was just about all he did these days. Once-ler was also still nervous about saying something potentially embarrassing, so he kept the conversations very basic. As a result, guests quickly got bored with him and then moved on to talk to someone else. 

Once-ler stepped aside for a moment and watched the guests converse with each other. The other businessmen at the party seemed to exude a level of confidence that he lacked. They carried themselves in a way that allowed them to earn people's respect and admiration. Once-ler hoped that one day he could be just like them. While Once-ler was thankful for the success he had already obtained, his thneed business was just getting started. Once-ler knew that he had to keep on biggering if he wanted to truly establish himself as a prominent businessman.

“Good evening, Mr. Once-ler.” a voice whispered from behind him.

Once-ler immediately turned around to face the not-so mysterious guest. Despite the fact that the man was wearing a masquerade mask, Once-ler immediately recognized him. It was none other than Greed-ler. His outfit was also themed after a butterfly, although his ensemble was inspired specifically by an emerald peacock swallowtail butterfly. In addition to his signature top hat, a black bow tie with a matching cummerbund, and a black butterfly mask, Greed-ler wore a deep emerald green suit jacket. It featured long coattails that ended with black tips, shaped similarly to the wings of a swallowtail. 

Greed-ler's iconic grovvulous gloves contrasted against the rich dark fabric, reminiscent of the stripes on the butterfly's wing. Attached to the lapel of Greed-ler's coat was a gold butterfly brooch with green gemstones, completely identical to the one that sat in the drawer of Once-ler's vanity. As Once-ler continued to stare at Greed-ler's elaborate outfit, he began to realize that it was the same one that briefly flashed on his bed earlier that day. The same outfit that Once-ler secretly wished he could have made for himself.

“What are you doing here?” Once-ler whispered angrily.

“Well, I couldn't very well miss our big night now, could I?” Greed-ler answered with a small laugh. “After all, you are most certainly going to need my help if you want the tonight to go well. In fact, if it wasn't for me, this party would have never even been possible.”  

“What are you talking about?” Once-ler asked him in confusion.

“Don't you remember Once-ler? You and I are one and the same...” Greed-ler answered with a wicked grin as he gestured to his green grovvulous gloves. The exact ones Once-ler had made himself. “We both have the very same ideas and desires, but I was the one that gave you the vision and the drive to actually make them a reality.” Greed-ler sneered as he gestured towards the newly renovated parlor room.

Once-ler gasped as he realized that Greed-ler meant. Those bursts of energy and inspiration that he had felt while working, the ones that had allowed him to come up with and execute all of those elaborate plans so quickly, those surges had all come from Greed-ler. The realization left Once-ler conflicted. While Once-ler was extremely grateful that he had gotten everything done in time for the party, Once-ler also feared to think that he had only been able to do so because he had lost control of himself entirely. 

“Yes Once-ler, together we've already come so far, but there is still so much more that we can accomplish. You still have so much untapped potential inside you...” Greed-ler continued to sneer. “...but I am the only one that can ultimately help you  reach it.”

Before Once-ler could say anything, someone else approached, causing Greed-ler to suddenly dissipate.

“Mr. Once-ler, dinner is about to be served.” Once-ler's chief operating officer informed him.

“Thank you sir,” Once-ler replied as he began to follow his chief operating officer to the dining room, passing a mirror along the way, where Once-ler once again saw Greed-ler's reflection instead of his own.

Chapter Text

Once-ler stared at the reflection for only another brief moment, until he snapped himself back to reality and quickly went over to the dining room. Where he took his designated place at the end of the table. Most of the guests were already seated, and glasses of champagne had already been poured. Isabella, who sat to his right, gave Once-ler a side glance at he sat down for being somewhat late, but otherwise said nothing. 

Once-ler averted his mother's gaze by looking down at the table, when his eyes fell on his name placard. When Once-ler read the words that appeared on the paper, his eyes widened in shock. Printed on the card in fancy letters were the words 'The Once-ler “The Greed-ler” President of Thneed Inc'. As Once-ler continued to stare down at his name placard, he slowly realized that the choice of names printed on the card had been his own doing. Back when his mother had asked him to look over the guest list and make corrections, Once-ler had made a note that he had wanted his name, or rather names, to specifically be written that way. It had been yet another thing Once-ler had done while under the influence of Greed-ler.   

Once-ler's mother noticed her son staring down at the names on the card “So...you've finally decided to go on ahead and embrace it, huh?” Isabella whispered to him.

“W-what?”  Once-ler, stammered back, startled and confused by her question.

“The nickname, the Greed-ler, didn't the Lorax call you that to try and scare you?” she asked further.

“Um...sort of.” Once-ler answered. His mother's theory was only partially true. Once-ler himself had been the one to dub his alter-ego the Greed-ler, recognizing the dark desires within himself for what they were. The Lorax had simply picked up on it, and began using the name to intimidate Once-ler.

“Right, so, instead of letting him discourage you with the nickname, you decided to just embrace it, to own it, to show that darn Lorax that you aren't going to back down. That you are going to keep biggering your business, no matter what he says.” Isabella continued with a sly smile.

 Once-ler wanted to protest, but he found himself unable to say a word.

“Adopting the nickname could also be a good way to intimidating the competition.” His mother further explained. “To show them all that you are determined to do whatever it takes to get what you want.”

Once-ler's shoulders stiffened at his mother's words, but he was quickly pulled from his thoughts when  servers came over to take dinner orders from the guests. Afterwards, Once-ler's chief operating officer, who sat to the left of his boss, gently tapped his fork to his champagne glass to get all of the guests' attention. When the room finally became silent, the chief operating officer began to speak.

“I would like to propose a toast to the Once-ler, also known as the Greed-ler, President of Thneed Inc, in celebration of his company's current and future success,” the man stated as he raised his glass. 

Everyone else at the table, including Once-ler himself, then picked up their own glasses.  Although Once-ler was still unnerved by the use of the nickname, he smiled and blushed slightly as he looked out across the table at his guests, who all gazed back at him and smiled encouragingly.

“To Thneed Inc.!” the chief operating officer exclaimed.

“To Thneed Inc.” everyone else repeated in unison before they all took down their glasses and took a sip.

“Thank you, everyone.” Once-ler called out across the table, still smiling as he glanced over to the side of the table where he saw his mother give him an approving look. A few moments later, the servers had arrived with everyone's dinner orders and the meal officially began. 

After dinner, the party continued on in the parlor room, where the servers carried trays of more champagne for the guests. Once-ler felt nervous, and he stood off to the side of the room and fiddled with champagne glass. His sense of unease would only grow when he turned around to look at the mirror behind him and saw Greed-ler's reflection staring back at him yet again. Once-ler continued to look back at the reflection, wondering what Greed-ler was up to, until his thoughts were interrupted by one of the guests approaching him.

“Good evening Mr. Once-ler,” the guest greeted him. “Or do you prefer the name Mr. Greed-ler?”

“Uh, Mr. Once-ler is fine.” Once-ler answered as he quickly turned around to face the businessman who had spoken to him. 

“Alright then Mr. Once-ler, It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. You can call me 'The Shark'.” The businessman informed him with a sharp grin. 

Once-ler thought that the man's nickname was rather fitting considering the outfit he was wearing. The man wore a slick blue grey suit with triangular coattails, reminiscent of fins, along with a mask decorated with paper shark teeth. 

“Anyways, I was wondering if you might be interested in purchasing some land from me here in Greenville?” The Shark inquired “With the kind of money you're making now with your thneed business, you could start branching out into other industries. Maybe you could purchase some land and start building some houses and apartments, or maybe even build something like a burger joint or an ice cream shop.” the man suggested.

Once-ler's nervousness became replaced with intrigue as he listened to the Shark's offer. The idea of branching out and making more money sounded very appealing to him. “I honestly haven't thought about it before...” Once-ler told the businessman as he began to consider the idea. “...but that sounds kind of interesting.”

“I'm sure that any of those ideas could prove to be quite lucrative for you.” the Shark continued  “I'm sure a lot of people will be moving to Greenville in order to find jobs at that new larger factory of yours. Just imagine it, if you owned the homes and apartments those folks lived in, they would technically be paying you to be able to work at your company.” The businessman stated with a laugh before he continued. “Also with your thneeds already generating such a buzz, any additional businesses with your name on them are bound to become very popular, and highly profitable.” The man then handed Once-ler his business card. “Think about it, and if you do decide to take me up on my offer, please give me a call.”

“I will definitely give it some serious consideration, thank you.” Once-ler replied as he glanced at the business card before slipping it into the left pocket. The Once-ler and the Shark then shook hands before the latter left to return to the party.

As soon as the businessman left, another guest immediately came over to speak with Once-ler. She was the head of a local advertising agency. The long gown she wore was pale gray, with darker gray stripes. She also wore several thneeds shaped into scarves that she draped around her shoulders, along with a small truffula tuft in her hair, and a fuzzy pink mask. Her outfit made her resemble a truffula tree.

“It's so nice to meet you Mr. Once-ler.” the woman exclaimed.  “I absolutely love your product!” 

“Why thank you so much.” Once-ler replied.

“A great product like that needs to be promoted to the masses. Have you considered investing in some more advertising in order to expand your reach?”

“What exactly did you have in mind?” Once-ler asked her with growing interest.

“I was thinking that perhaps a good old-fashioned billboard would work well for you. Or if you're feeling really ambitious then perhaps you could consider advertising your thneeds with a blimp!” The woman exclaimed before pulling out her business card. “Our agency offers a variety of options. If you decide that you want to further promote your thneeds with additional advertising, please give us a call.”

“I will definitely think about it, thank you.”  Once-ler told her enthusiastically as he took the business card before shaking her hand.

As the head of the advertising agency left to converse with the other guests, Once-ler took a sip of his drink and turned his head slightly to once again see Greed-ler's reflection in the mirror. With the green-clad man bearing a sinister and knowing grin. 

“Mr. Once-ler?” another woman asked as she approached, causing Once-ler to jump in fright.

“Oh, hello ma'am. I'm so sorry...I didn't see you there.” Once-ler greeted the woman as he turned back around, startled but also relieved to not be left alone with the man in the mirror. “How are you this evening?”

“I'm doing just fine Mr. Once-ler, and I'm really excited to be here tonight.” the woman began. She wore a white gown with various words printed all over it, along with a matching mask, and what looked to be a quill pen pinned in her hair. “When I heard about how successful Thneed inc. was becoming, I simply had to come and see it for myself. I already spoke to your mother and thanked her again for responding to my special request to attend this event.”

At this, Once-ler gave her a confused look, wondering why this woman was given permission to attend the party if she had not been formally invited. She had to have been someone extremely important.

The woman picked up on Once-ler's confused look.“Oh I am so sorry sir, please allow me to introduce myself,” the woman continued. “I am the editor-in-chief of Business Times.”

When Once-ler heard her introduction and realized who the woman really was, he became very excited. Business Times was one of the country's top business magazines. If Once-ler could impress the editor-in-chief a persuade her to feature an article on Thneed Inc., it could be a huge boost for the company.

“It is an honor to meet you.” Once-ler stated enthusiastically but professionally.

“Same to you Mr. Once-ler,” the editor-in-chief in chief replied. “I must say, I am quite impressed with everything I have seen so far. Not only with this event itself but also with your product and inventions. The sketches for both the super-axe-hacker and the new, larger, factory are simply magnificent, and the thneed is one of the most versatile products ever put on the market! I would absolutely love to know more about them, and about your company itself. So, I was wondering if you would be interested in giving us an interview and being featured in our magazine? I think that an article about Thneed inc. would make an excellent cover story.”

“Of course I would,” Once-ler answered without hesitation, despite his nervousness. He knew that this was the opportunity of a lifetime. 

“Excellent.” the editor-in-chief smiled as she began to look through her purse and pulled out a slip of paper containing special information, including a phone number that was only given to select individuals. “Please call this number to schedule an interview with us.”

“I most certainly will.” Once-ler replied as he took the paper and put it safely away in his pocket. “Thank you so much for this opportunity. It is truly an honor.”

“You are most certainly welcome, Mr. Once-ler, the editor-in-chief replied. “I am so glad that you agreed to an interview with us. I'm sure the story will be a hit. I can already picture the headline now, how does 'To Big to Fail' sound to you?” she asked.

“That sounds amazing!” Once-ler answered.

“Great!” the editor-in-chief exclaimed. “Well then, I'll let you get back to your party. Thank you so much for everything Mr. Once-ler,” she stated before shaking his hand.

“Same to you.” Once-ler told her, “Thank you so much for coming, and please enjoy the rest of the evening.”

After the editor-in-chief left, Once-ler began to look around the room in search of his mother. He knew that she would be happy to hear the news. But when he passed yet another mirror in the room, Once-ler  saw Greed-ler's reflection yet again, with the latter bearing an even larger and more sinister grin than before. But before Once-ler could react, yet another party guest soon came over to speak with him. 

Once-ler continued to work his way around the room as the night went on. Now that the guests knew who Once-ler was, a number of people were suddenly quite interested in speaking to him, and congratulating him on his success, offering Once-ler numerous toasts in his honor.

Although Once-ler was excited about the new possible business deals, and pleased to hear the other guests praise and compliments, he still could not help but feel slightly on edge. For every time Once-ler  passed by a mirror during the night, he could see Greed-ler's reflection staring back at him while sporting that same knowing and sinister grin.

Eventually, the party began to wind down, and guests started to make their way home. As the parlor room slowly became more empty, Once-ler found himself becoming weary after a night of socializing and sipping champagne. Slightly disoriented, Once-ler began to stumble, and he dropped the champagne glass he had been holding, causing it to shatter on the marble floor. But before Once-ler could take another step, someone came up from behind and held him steady.

“How about we go outside for a little fresh air?” Greed-ler whispered slyly as he took a firmer hold of Once-ler.

Too weak and disoriented to protest, Once-ler leaned against Greed-ler as the latter helped guide him out to the lower level porch. After the two made it outside, they walked across the porch towards the railing. Attached to the railing were several lanterns, each containing a single flaming candle. As Once-ler and Greed-ler stood under the bright full moon that shone overhead, they gazed out at the horizon. A nighttime breeze began to gently blow towards them and when Once-ler felt the cool air hit his face, he  became slightly more lucid, but he still leaned against Greed-ler as they both continued to gaze out at the scenery in front on them. Towards the direction of Greenville, a pathway of trees had been cleared, leaving the town visible in the distance.  

“We've been presented with a variety of opportunities tonight,” Greed-ler mused as he continued to look out over the distance with Once-ler, “Just imagine what all we could do with them.”

As Greed-ler spoke, the image of Greenville before them began to change, and the quaint little town suddenly turned into a bustling metropolis. The sprawling city featured a number of tall buildings, including Once-ler's potential new businesses and apartments. While a blimp bearing the words, 'You Need a Thneed' flew overhead, vehicles zoomed across newly built roadways that led to the outskirts of town, where several houses had been constructed along the nearby hills. Encircling the city was a wall, and on top of the highest point of that wall were several red letters that spelled out the city's new name, Thneedville. Once-ler stared at the image in awe.

“The possibilities are endless.” Greed-ler whispered.

Once-ler continued to look out at the vision in front of him until a flicker of movement caught his eye. Once-ler turned slightly to see a moth flutter near one of the lanterns. The insect, drawn to the light that emitted from the lantern, continued to flutter closer and closer to the flickering candle inside. Until the moth finally made contact with the burning flame, igniting itself and falling to the ground. 

When Once-ler saw this, he suddenly came to a terrible realization. Yes, the scene in front of him looked alluring, but Once-ler could not help but fear that something terrible would happen to him if he tried to go after it. Just like how that moth was drawn to that bright but dangerous flame. Once-ler, now terrified, pulled himself away from Greed-ler and began to slowly stagger backwards, still unsteady on his feet. 

“Do you still have doubts?” Greed-ler asked with a menacing glare as he turned around to face Once-ler. “Even after seeing all of the success I have already helped you obtain, and knowing how much more I could help you accomplish, you still don't trust me?”

Another breeze began to blow, stronger this time. Once-ler and Green-ler's coattails swayed in the wind, and the candles in the lanterns suddenly went out. Once-ler took another step backward and stumbled, nearly falling. When he looked back up again, Once-ler gasped in horror as he looked at the scenery in front of him, which had now partially changed. While the city in the distance was still lively and bright, the forest surrounding it was now desolate and dark. Clouds of smog were scattered throughout the sky, the land below was littered with tree stumps, and all of the grickle grass had shriveled up and died.

“Because you...you're going to destroy...” Once-ler weakly tried and failed to protest as he took another step backwards and stumbled again.

“You're wrong Once-ler, the Lorax is lying to you.” Greed-ler sneered as a few white butterflies and moths began to flutter about. “Our goal is not to destroy, but to create! We're going to rebuild this city and finally bring our vision of a world filled with thneeds to life! Just like we've always dreamed of!” 

As the nighttime breeze continued to blow and the full moon above them began to turn blood red, Greed-ler held out a hand slightly to his side, allowing one of the white butterflies to land on his green-gloved fingers. Greed-ler then slowly moved his hand forward in a guiding motion, and the butterfly flew away from him and towards Once-ler.

Once-ler, still frightened, but also entranced, held out his own silk-gloved hand towards the insect, allowing the butterfly to land on his own fingers. Once-ler looked down at the creature in fascination.

“Yes Once-ler, you have the power to transform this town and maybe even the world, but first you have to transform yourself.” Greed-ler stated ominously 

Suddenly, the white butterfly on Once-ler's fingers had completely changed, now resembling a more exotic emerald peacock swallowtail butterfly. Once-ler stared at the insect as it sat there for another moment before it dissolved into Once-ler's hand, turning his long white gloves green. Once-ler gasped, and then clutched his forehead and chest as he felt a different and familiar sensation try to take over his body.

“You have to transform yourself into me!” Greed-ler exclaimed as the blood red moon continued to shine overhead.

As Once-ler fought to remain in control of himself. His appearance began to switch in rapid intervals, with his outfit changing from his own pure white suit to Greed-ler's emerald green one. Still struggling, Once-ler looked back up at Greed-ler, who was now slowly walking towards him, with Greed-ler's own form rapidly fading in and out, synchronized in time with Once-ler's transformation. Whenever Greed-ler's own suit would appear on Once-ler, Greed-ler would disappear entirely for a moment, only to return when Once-ler's outfit became white again. The both of them flickering like dying lights in the night.

“No...your not real” Once-ler protested weakly as his strength continued to fade and his vision began to double and blur.

“Not yet,” Greed-ler stated coldly as he continued to slowly approach Once-ler “but I soon will be. No matter how much you try to deny it, the truth is that I serve as a projection of your deepest desires. I represent all that you wish to have and who you wish to be! It won't be long before you finally give into temptation and submit to me, and then we'll make all of our shared dreams a reality!”

Once-ler's vision continued to blur and double as he grew weaker and fell to his knees. As Once-ler's consciousness began to fade away, he looked up at the flickering image of Greed-ler one last time before he finally collapsed to the ground. 

“Once-ler! Once-ler!”

Once-ler slowly regained his senses as he heard voices call out his name and felt someone shaking his shoulder.

“Once-ler! Once-ler! Wake up!”

Once-ler slowly opened his eyes to see what appeared to be two men wearing dark masks crouched over him. Once-ler flinched at the sight, wondering who they were and what would happen next.

“It's okay Once-ler, it's just us.” one man reassured Once-ler as they both took their masks off, revealing themselves to be Once-ler's brothers.

“Hmm Brett? Chet? Iss that uh-really you?” Once-ler slurred slightly, his mind still hazy.

“Yeah.” Brett replied as he gently removed Once-ler's butterfly mask, allowing him to see better. “Are you okay, bro? What are you doing out here? What happened?” he asked him with concern. 

“We've been looking all over for you. The party ended several minutes ago, but we couldn't find you anywhere.” Chet explained.

“I was just uh feeling a little tipsssy sso I-uh came outssside to get sssome fresh uh-air.” Once-ler continued to slur as he slowly hoisted himself up, embarrassed to be found in such a predicament, but also wanting to reassure his brothers that he was fine. Once-ler tried to stand, but he quickly stumbled, and the twins reached out to grab him.

“Take it easy, bro. We've gotcha.” Brett told Once-ler as both twins helped hold him up, not wanting their brother to fall and hurt himself. 

A moment later, Isabella saw her sons and rushed over to them.

“Oh my word Oncie!  What happened to you? What were you doing out here?” Isabella exclaimed.

“Don't worry Mom.” Chet explained “Once is fine. He just had a bit too much to drink, and then came out here to get some air, that's all.”

“Oh. my goodness! I hope no one at the party saw him like this!” their mother lamented before she stepped out of the way. “Get him inside so that way he can get some rest.”

The twins obeyed and carefully helped Once-ler back inside. Isabella went over to grab the white hat that had fallen off of Once-ler's head  before she quickly turned back around to follow them.

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.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Once-ler awoke at dawn. After He got out of bed, Once-ler walked over to his bedroom window, where he looked out at the super-axe hacker prototype that was parked outside. As Once-ler continued to gaze at the machine, he took a deep breath to calm himself. For today was the day that Once-ler was going to use the super-axe hacker prototype to chop down several trees in order to clear space for the expanded factory. Later in the day, the construction crew would arrive to clean up the debris and begin work on the new section of the building.

Once-ler looked out the window for another moment as the sun continued to rise, then with a look of determination, he swallowed down any remaining hesitation and began his morning routine. Once-ler went to the kitchen and had a quick breakfast, then went to the bathroom to get himself cleaned up. 
Afterwards, Once-ler returned to his bedroom to get dressed. Once-ler put on his new white shirt, gray pants, socks, and boots before he grabbed his green suit jacket. Once-ler hesitated for only a brief moment, then slipped the jacket on over his shirt, before he walked over to his vanity to put on his hat and other accessories to complete the outfit. 

Once-ler then left the bedroom and descended down the long marble staircase that lead to the parlor room, where the light of the new day cast looming shadows against the elegant furniture. After Once-ler reached the parlor room, he made his way towards the back exit, before someone suddenly stepped into the light, blocking his path. Once-ler gasped in shock, for it was none other than the Lorax who stood in his way. With a huff of annoyance, Once-ler stepped back into the shadows leaving only his silhouette and icy blue eyes visible as he glared down at the forest guardian.

“What are you doing here?” Once-ler asked in annoyance.

“You know exactly why I'm here, Once-ler,” the  Lorax explained coldly. “I'm here to stop you.”

“I already told you, you can complain all you want, but I'm never going to stop biggering my business.” Once-ler sneered.

The Lorax remained where he stood and shook his head. “I just can't believe this,” he sighed. “I just can't believe that you've become so cold, greedy, and heartless.”

Once-ler recoiled at the Lorax's words. “That's not true,” he protested.

“Don't believe me? Then just look for yourself,” the Lorax replied as he gestured towards the mirror behind Once-ler.

Curious as to what the Lorax meant, Once-ler turned towards the mirror and stepped out of the shadows. Then, when Once-ler looked up at his reflection, he became filled with terror. For Once-ler discovered that he was no longer a human, but rather a machine. Instead of a beating heart, Once-ler was now powered by circuits and electricity, causing his icy blue eyes to give off an artificial glow. Meanwhile, Once-ler's skin, limbs, and clothes were all composed of cold metal, held together by nuts and bolts. Including Once-ler's green grovvulous gloves that were now shiny metallic claws.

Full of fear and disbelief, Once-ler turned back towards the forest guardian, “There now, can you finally see the truth?”  the Lorax asked him. “You're cold and heartless, just like that crazy contraption of yours!” the forest guardian stated angrily.

“No...That's not true!” Once-ler protested again, his words now coming through a mechanical voice box.

“And just like that machine, you're going to destroy everything, including yourself!” the Lorax shouted. As he did so, the walls of the penthouse began to crumble and give way, until the Once-ler and the Lorax were standing among ruins. Surrounding the remains of the factory was a wasteland composed of tree stumps and a smoggy sky.

“What? No!” Once-ler exclaimed as he looked around the scene that surrounded them, before he looked back towards the Lorax again.

The forest guardian only gave Once-ler a sad look and shook his head, before he lifted himself up by the seat of his pants and floated away. 

“No! Wait! Please! Don't leave me here!” Once-ler cried, He reached out towards the Lorax as he flew through a hole in the smog, without leaving a trace. 

After the Lorax left, Once-ler looked up at his metallic green hand, as rust had started to appear along the mechanical limb and continued to spread. As Once-ler realized what was happening, he let out a strangled, metallic cry as his body continued to rapidly corrode. Until it was completely covered in rust, leaving Once-ler petrified.  He stood there completely motionless for another moment,, until a strong slow-and-sour gust of wind began to blow, and Once-ler disintegrated into dust.

Once-ler woke up with a scream, as he flailed on the bed. He surely would have fallen off of it again if the bed hadn't of been so large. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, and the bedroom was still dark. So Once-ler quickly went to turn on his lamp so that way he could see himself. After Once-ler   turned on the light. He got up and went over to stand in front of his full-length mirror, which was still broken from when he threw his cell phone the day before. Once-ler sighed with relief when he saw that his limbs and face were indeed flesh and bone, and that he was still wearing his fabric bunny pajamas. The whole scenario had been yet another terrible dream. 

Then, Once-ler blinked and gasped in shock when his reflection, or rather reflections, had changed. Once-ler appeared to be wearing two different outfits at the same time, with only the crack in the middle of the mirror separating them. On one side, Once-ler wore his gray striped jeans, white shirt, gray waistcoat, and fedora. While on the other side, he wore Greed-ler's green suit and large top hat. 

Once-ler blinked again, and the image reverted back to normal as Once-ler's saw himself wearing his pajamas again. Feeling distressed, Once-ler sat down on the bed and buried his head in his hands, as he wondered when these hallucinations and nightmares would finally stop. Then, with a tired groan,  Once-ler turned off his lamp, lied back down, pulled up the covers, and tried to go back to sleep. After tossing and turning for a while, Once-ler turned over onto his back. Unable to close his eyes, Once-ler glanced over at the top hat and other accessories that sat on his vanity table, then stared up at the canopy above his bed.  

Once-ler continued to lay there for quite some time, hoping that he would eventually drift off to sleep, but after the nightmare he had, it was simply impossible. So, after the sun had finally risen, Once-ler decided to just get up and start getting ready. Once-ler yawned and rubbed his eyes and he walked over to his bedroom window, where his eyes once again immediately fell on the super-axe-hacker prototype. As Once-ler stared at it, he grew more nervous, as he remembered what he was supposed to do today. For today was indeed the day that he would use the super-axe hacker prototype to chop down the trees so that way construction on the expanded factory could begin. 

Once-ler sighed as he turned away from the window, still feeling ambivalent about the idea. Then he shivered as he suddenly felt slightly cold. So, Once-ler opened a drawer in his vanity table and grabbed a thneed. Once-ler had several of them stashed away in various places throughout his home and office. After Once-ler formed the thneed into a bathrobe, he put it on and made his way to the kitchen. Since Once-ler had gotten up early, he decided to treat himself to a leisurely breakfast of pancakes and tea in order to relax and clear his mind. 

After Once-ler finished eating, he went over to the living room, sat down on the couch, and began to read through various magazines and catalogs that sat on the coffee table. As Once-ler continued to look through them, his feelings of guilt and the memory of his nightmare slowly faded away as he fantasized about various items that he could purchase. One particular item caught his attention, and he drew a circle around it with a green pen. 

Once-ler then heard his alarm clock go off from his bedroom, so he got up to turn it off and finish getting ready. After Once-ler got cleaned up in the adjacent bathroom,  he returned to the bedroom to get dressed. After Once-ler put on his gray striped jeans, socks, boots, white shirt, grey vest, and fedora, he turned to made his way out of the bedroom, only to be stopped by the sudden appearance of Greed-ler, who was standing in front of the door with his arms crossed. At the sight of the green-clad man, Once-ler felt a chill go up his spine.

“You're not going out dressed like that are you?” Greed-ler asked in disapproval.

“W-what d-do you m-mean?” Once-ler stammered as he stepped backwards in apprehension and confusion.
   
“You're becoming a real business man now Once-ler,” Greed-ler explained as he moved closer. “So you might as well start dressing like one,” he sneered.

“Y-you mean the s-suit?” Once-ler asked nervously as he continued moving backwards.

“Of course I do.” Greed-ler insisted. “You'll feel so much better if you wear it, trust me.”  Greed-ler tried to reassure him, “After all, if you can't trust yourself, then who can who trust? Besides, I'm sure Mom would be thrilled to see you wearing it again. You know how much she loves it.” Greed-ler told him. Then, with a smirk, Greed-ler stepped backwards into the full-length mirror. 

Once-ler hesitated for another moment. Then ultimately decided that Greed-ler was right. So Once-ler headed towards the walk-in closet and changed his clothes, shrugging the green jacket over his shoulders as he stepped out the closet door. Afterwards, Once-ler went over to the vanity table to put on the green grovvulous gloves,which he now kept there, the gold pocket watch, the sparkly blue sunglasses, the striped tie, and finally the top hat. After Once-ler got fully dressed, he made his way down the marble staircase to the parlor room and then exited out the back door. Once he was outside, Once-ler picked up a truffula fruit from the ground and went over to Melvin's barn to feed him before he began his work for the day.

Melvin looked up when he heard the barn door opening, but whenever he saw Once-ler step inside, Melvin's eyes widened in confusion as he backed away in fear. Unable to recognize his owner beneath the new green suit, Melvin let out a nervous neigh as he cowered in a corner of the barn.

“Melvin?” Once-ler asked in concern as he cautiously moved closer to the mule. “What's wrong Melvin? It's okay, It's just me. Here, I brought you a treat,” Once-ler told him reassuringly as he held the truffula fruit out towards him.

At the sight of the truffula fruit. Melvin's ears perked up in interest, and he slowly made his way towards Once-ler and began to eat the fruit right from his green gloved hand. After all, anyone who offered him a truffula fruit couldn't possibly have any ill intent. After Melvin finished eating, he cautiously sniffed Once-ler's gloved hand and arm. After Melvin finally recognized Once-ler's scent, he let out a snort and gave his owner a confused look.

“See Melvin, it's just me. Nothing to worry about.” Once-ler tried to reassure Melvin, and himself. The fact that Melvin, his own mule, hadn't recognized him left Once-ler feeling slightly uneasy, but he tried to shrug it off. “What's the matter, Melvin? Don't you like my new outfit?” Once-ler asked him with a nervous laugh as he gave the mule a few pets.

In response, Melvin let out an annoyed snort and shook his head.

Once-ler sighed. “Alright then, let's just get you set up for the morning. I have work I need to do.” with that Once-ler then gave Melvin some fresh food, water, and hay before he turned to leave. “I'll see you later this afternoon.” Once-ler called out to Melvin before he shut the barn door, only to turn around and once again come face to face with the Lorax.

The forest guardian looked over Once-ler's outfit with an icy glare. “So you really have become the Greed-ler, haven't you?”

“No, I just...” Once-ler tried to explain, until another voice interrupted the conversation.

“I thought I told you to stay away from my son!” Isabella shouted as her other two sons stood behind her. The three of them had arrived to supervise the demolition. Uncle Ubb and Aunt Grizelda were absent, having decided to go on a vacation during the factory closure. 

“And I thought I told your son to stay away from my trees!” the Lorax yelled back.

“And I already told you that he won't! Once-ler needs to chop down those trees so that way he can make more thneeds! I don't care who you think you are, I'm not going to let you stop him!” Isabella snapped. “Brett! Get rid of this pest!” she commanded.

“Sure, thing Mom.” Brett replied before he picked up the Lorax and threw him like a football across the forest.

“Oh Yeah! Touchdown!” Chet exclaimed, as he threw his arms in the air.

“Alright Oncie, now that that's taken care of. You had better head on over and get started on chopping down those trees.” his mother told him as she gently led him by the shoulders towards the super-axe-hacker. Once-ler, shaken by the events of that transpired that morning, looked up at the machine with a look up apprehension before he finally climbed inside.

“Good luck Oncie!” Isabella shouted out as she and Once-ler's brothers moved a safe distance away. Both of the twins looked up at Once-ler and gave him a thumbs up. 

Once-ler tried to smile and gave a nervous thumbs up back before he powered up the super-axe-hacker. Once-ler then made his way towards the section of the forest near the factory that was set to be cleared and the super-axe-hacker began to do its job, chopping down trees four times as fast as before. At first, Once-ler cringed as he heard the trees hit the ground, until he heard a voice echo loudly in his head. 

“Come on, it's just a few trees. How bad can it possibly be?”

“Yeah that's right...how bad can it possibly be?” Once-ler asked himself as he started to feel a new surge of energy well within him. As his confidence grew, Once-ler smiled slightly as he began to sing to himself.

How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
I'm just doing what comes naturally
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
I'm just following my destiny
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
I'm just doing what comes naturally
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
How bad can I possibly be? 

As Once-ler continued to chop down the trees, his enthusiasm grew even more as he continued to sing. His smile became even bigger, and his arms moved around wildly as he steered the super-axe-hacker.

Well there's a principle of nature (Principle of nature)
That almost every creature knows
Called survival of the fittest (Survival of the fittest)
And check it this is how it goes
The animal that eats gotta scratch
And fight and claw and bite and punch
And the animal that doesn't
Well the animal that doesn't
Winds up someone else's lu-lu-lu-lu-lunch
(Munch, munch, munch, munch, munch)
I'm just sayin' 

At some point, the Lorax returned from where he had been thrown in the forest. He held out his paw and stood in front of the super-axe hacker's path in order to try and stop Once-ler, but when the forest guardian realized that Once-ler had no intention of stopping, he turned around and  fled.

Paying no mind to the Lorax, Once-ler kept on singing as he chopped down the trees. 

How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
I'm just doing what comes naturally
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
I'm just following my destiny
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
I'm just doing what comes naturally
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
How bad can I possibly be? 

As Once-ler just about finished chopping down the trees in the designated area, he sang the final verse as he fantasized about the new, larger factory that would soon be built, and all the money he would make from it.

Come on, how bad can it possibly be? 
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
I'm just building an economy
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
Just look at me pettin' this puppy
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
A portion of proceeds goes to charity
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
How bad can I possibly be? Let's see
(How ba-a-a-ad can I be?)
All the customers are buying
(How ba-a-a-ad can I be?)
And the money's multiplying
(How ba-a-a-ad can I be?)
And the PR people are lying
(How ba-a-a-ad can I be?)
And the lawyers are denying
(How ba-a-a-ad can I be?)
Who cares if a few trees are dying?
(How ba-a-a-ad can I be?)

“This is all so gratifying!” Once-ler shouted as finally chopped down the final tree for the day, before he turned off the super-axe-hacker and climbed down from the machine. “How bad...How bad can this possibly...be?” When Once-ler turned around to look at what he had done, his mouth hung agape in shock. 

The path behind him was covered in numerous tree stumps and felled trees. The destruction looked far worse than Once-ler had anticipated, and he suddenly found himself plagued by guilt over what he had done. As Once-ler stared at the scene, voices of the past began to echo through his mind.

“Everyone here needs the trees, and you're chopping them down!”

“I will never chop down another tree. I promise.”

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

Then, suddenly, Once-ler felt another chill go up his spine as Greed-ler appeared in front of him again, looking very displeased.

“Still second guessing yourself, Once-ler? You should know by now that doing so will just cause you more pain.” Greed-ler growled in anger before he wound back his fist and threw Once-ler a sharp punch to the gut, causing the latter to collapse to the ground. Once-ler peered up at him as he felt his strength fading away.

“Pathetic.” Greed-ler murmured with a disapproving frown before he disappeared. Then, Once-ler's eyes fell closed.

“Once-ler!” Once-ler!” his brothers shouted as they ran towards him, with their mother following right behind them. All three of them had seen Once-ler fall and were worried about him.

“Once-ler? Once-ler are you alright? What happened?” Chet frantically asked when he reached Once-ler, gently shaking his shoulder and turning him over on his side.

Once-ler blinked awake and looked up, now semi-conscious. “I don't know...I don't know what came over me...I don't know,”  he whispered before his eyes turned downward towards the ground.

“Hey Once-ler, are you okay? Can you get up?” Brett asked worriedly when he saw his bother's blank expression.

Once-ler did not move or answer him, instead he continued to stare at the ground, his eyes half-lidded.

“He doesn't look well. We had better bring him back to the penthouse.” Isabella suggested as she picked up the top hat and sunglasses that had fallen off of Once-ler's head and face. 

“Right.” Brett and Chet both said in unison with a nod, as the latter carefully picked up Once-ler from the ground. Then, with Chet carrying Once-ler, the three of them started to make their way back to the penthouse.

“This is all that darn Lorax's fault.” Isabella seethed.

“But I thought the Lorax said that he didn't curse him?” Brett asked in confusion. 

“He may not have cursed him, but that pest keeps coming over here and getting Once-ler all worked up and worried.” Their mother scoffed. “Constantly telling him that the entire world's gonna come to an end just because he's chopping down a few trees. You know how Once-ler is, he's always been such a sensitive boy...” she sighed disapprovingly and shook her head. “I'm sure he's taking that critter's words to heart, and imagining all sorts of horrible scenarios with that overactive mind of his. I thought Once-ler would have finally gotten over such nonsense by now, but apparently not.” 

Once-ler could hear them and he wanted to say something, but he did not have the strength to do so. Instead, he continued to lie limply in Chet's arms as the group reached the penthouse and took him inside the parlor room.

““Go on ahead and set him down here on one of these couches.” Isabella ordered.

Chet obeyed, placing Once-ler down on a velvet sofa before stepping away. Isabella set down the hat and sunglasses down on the nearby coffee table. Then went over to Once-ler and felt his forehead. He looked up at her weakly with half-lidded eyes.  

“Just as I thought, I think he's coming down with another one of those fevers of his. Isabella informed the twins before she turned her attention back to Once-ler. “Oh you poor thing, don't worry Oncie, just rest here and we'll keep an eye on you, alright? She told him. “Just let me get some of this stuff off of you so that way you're more comfortable.” 

Isabella took off Once-ler's shoes, then detached the gold pocket watch from Once-ler's belt loop and set it on the coffee table. Afterwards, she removed Once-ler's tie and undid the top buttons of his shirt, then slipped off his green gloves, draping the fabric pieces over her arm. Finally, she hoisted Once-ler up so that way she could remove his green jacket. After Isabella peeled it away, Once-ler winced, as though being separated from the garment was somehow physically painful. 

“Oncie, are you okay?” his mother asked with concern.

Once-ler didn't answer her. Instead, he curled up into himself, grabbed his arms, and started shivering. “So...cold....” he managed to whisper.

Seeing Once-ler in such as state disturbed Brett and Chet, so they quickly rushed to a nearby closet and each pulled out a thneed. Chet formed the thneed he was holding into a blanket and draped it over Once-ler. While Brett turned his into a pillow and placed it under Once-ler's head. 

“I don't like the looks of this,” Isabella exclaimed as she hurriedly placed Once-ler's jacket, gloves,and tie on a nearby chair. “I'm going to call someone from Greenville hospital to come down here and look at him.” Isabella told the twins as she pulled out her cellphone. 

As his mother made the phone call, Once-ler kept shivering, albeit less so with the thneed covering him, as he slipped into unconsciousness. The last thing he saw before his vision faded away were his green clothes draped over the chair. Meanwhile, his brothers watched on with looks of concern. The whole incident had brought up dreadful memories for all three of them.

Chapter Text

While Once-ler continued to shiver as he slept on the couch, Brett and Chet each sat down in the chairs next to him. Soon, all three brothers began to recall an event that had happened several years ago, back when they were all still teenagers. 

It was a cold winter day, and a large amount of snow had fallen the day before. Isabella was out grocery shopping with Uncle Ubb and Aunt Grizelda, and she had told her sons to go out and chop down some trees for firewood while they were gone. With axes and sleds in hand, the three brothers walked some distance away from the homestead and each selected a tree. Then they lifted their axes and began to work. 

Brett and Chet were faster and stronger than Once-ler and they each chopped down their own tree before he did. They both snickered as they watched Once-ler continue to work on his.

“Hey Once-ler, you know that you're supposed to actually chop down the tree, right?” Brett called out with a laugh.

“Ooh burn!” Chet replied, with another laugh.

Once-ler growled under his breath and continued chopping.

Meanwhile, Brett and Chet each started to cut up their tree, placing the hunks of wood on their sleds. By the time Once-ler had finally chopped his tree down, the twins were each working on their second one. As minutes went by, the three brothers continued to chop up the wood and place it on their sleds.

After they all finally finished. Brett looked up at the sky. “Looks like the sun is going down. We'd better get back to the house before it gets too cold,” he suggested.

Chet and Once-ler both agreed. So they all grabbed their axes along with their sleds full of firewood and made their way back towards the homestead.

“Is that really all the wood you were able to get Once?” Chet asked as he looked at Once-ler's meager wood pile.

“Yeah,” Once-ler admitted. It was true that he was only able to chop down one tree while his brothers each chopped down two. “But that's only because my tree was larger and thicker. See?” he tried to convince them while pointing at the pile of wood.

“Sure, just keep telling yourself that.” Brett retorted sarcastcally while rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, the truth is, you're just a total wimp.” Chet teased.

“I am not!” Once-ler protested, his face flush with embarrassment.

“Sure you are! I'll prove it!” Brett exclaimed before he suddenly pushed Once-ler down in the snow. The twins both laughed at him.

“Wow! Brett was right Once-ler, you really are a wimp!” Chet yelled.

“Yeah, and you're a slowpoke too. I bet you can't catch us!” Brett yelled as he and his twin both ran away with their sleds and axes, leaving Once-ler behind. 

Once-ler let out a growl of frustration as he slowly got up. He hated the way Brett and Chet often teased him. But whenever Once-ler tried to stand, the ground began to split from under him and Once-ler soon found himself plunged into icy cold water. It turns out that Once-ler had been standing on top of the pond near their house that had frozen over, but none of the boys had realized this because of the sheer amount of snow that had covered it.

Once-ler panicked and flailed in the frigid water. He tried to hoist himself back onto the other chunks of ice but they too gave way from under him. “Brett Chet! Help me!” Once-ler cried out, too scared to be embarrassed about being called a coward. Once-ler knew that he was in serious danger.

Meanwhile, Brett and Chet had finished running back to the homestead. They caught their breath, then looked around to try and find Once-ler.

“That's strange. He shouldn't have been that far behind.” Chet remarked in confusion 

The twins then both heard faint yelling in the distance, and their eyes widened with horror as they ran back the way they came, until they reached the frozen pond where Once-ler was still struggling.

“Once-ler! “Once-ler!” they cried out.

“Brett! Chet! Please! Help me!” Once-ler begged as he flailed in the water.

Brett frantically looked around until he found a long, sturdy stick. Brett held the stick out, lied down on his stomach, and scooted over towards Once-ler. “Grab on to this!” Brett shouted.

Meanwhile, Chet remained on standby, ready to spring into action if Brett fell in the water too. “Yeah, come on Once-ler! Grab it! ” he yelled.

Once-ler desperately tried to grab onto the stick, but the time spent in the cold water had weakened him, and he struggled to stay afloat.

“You can do it Once-ler!” Brett continued to shout. 

“Yeah Once-ler, don't give up! You have to grab it!” Chet yelled.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Once-ler managed to get a good grip on the stick. Immediately, Brett scooted backwards and pulled him out of the pond.

As soon as Brett had brought Once-ler a safe distance away from the pond, Chet ran over to Once-ler. Meanwhile, Bret got up and grabbed Once-ler's axe and sled, knowing that they would need the firewood. 

“Hey Once-ler, are you alright?” Chet asked him as he tried to hold him up. 

Once-ler was too cold to say anything. Instead, he shivered violently in Chet's arms.

“We had better get him back to the house.” Brett told Chet, who nodded in agreement before picking up Once-ler. 

Both twins then sped off towards the house, with Chet carrying Once-ler. The adults were still gone, much to their relief. They knew they would be in huge trouble if any of them found out what had happened. Brett opened the door to let his brothers inside, then began to start a fire in the fireplace. 

Meanwhile, Chet saw to Once-ler. “I'll be right back,” Chet told him as he placed Once-ler in the downstairs bathroom. 

Bret and Chet each took a minute to remove their coats and boots, throwing them in a pile. Then Chet rushed upstairs to Once-ler's bedroom, while Brett tended to the fireplace. A few moments later, Chet came downstairs carrying Once-ler's warmest pajamas, along with clean underwear and socks. 
“Here, put these on.” Chet commanded as he threw the clothes at Once-ler before he slammed the bathroom door shut. Then Chet went over to see what his twin was doing. 

“I've got the fire started.” Brett informed Chet. 

“That's good. I've got him changing out of his wet clothes and into his pajamas. What else should we do?” Chet asked.

“I'll make him some hot chocolate. You go get him a blanket.” Brett suggested.

“Right.” Chet nodded before he ran over to the linen closet, while Brett went over to the kitchen. Chet grabbed the blanket, then went over to the downstairs bathroom and opened the door. “Oh good, you got yourself changed. I grabbed you a blanket. Come with me and I'll take you over to the fireplace.” Chet offered.

Still shivering, Once-ler got up, and Chet draped the blanket over his brother's shoulders and guided him to sit in front of the fire. Brett soon came over with a cup of hot chocolate. He had even added some marshmallows, knowing how much Once-ler liked them.

“Here, drink this,” Brett prompted, handing the cup to his brother. 

With shaky hands, Once-ler took it, and carefully brought the cup to his lips as he stared blankly ahead at the fire, all the while he kept shivering.

“Once-ler are you okay? Please say something.” Chet asked worriedly.

“So...cold....” Once-ler managed to whisper.

“Something other than that.” Brett scoffed.

“What are we going to do, Brett? I'm really worried.” Chet asked his twin

“Me too,” Brett admitted, “And we also have to make sure that Mom or the others don't find out about this. I have an idea.” he gestured for Chet to follow him up to their bedroom. “We'll be right back Once-ler.” Brett told him before they both went upstairs. 

A few minutes later, the twins both came back downstairs wearing their own warm pajamas. Brett then went back to the kitchen to make more hot chocolate, while Chet walked over to the linen closet to grab two more blankets. After Chet draped one of the blankets over himself, he sat down to join Once-ler. Shortly afterwards, Brett came out of the kitchen with two cups of hot chocolate. He handed one of the cups to Chet, then sat down on Once-ler's other side. Afterwards, Chet handed Bret the other blanket, which Brett draped over himself. The whole idea was to set up a scene that looked deliberate and normal. So that way neither their mom, aunt, or uncle would suspect that anything was wrong. 

But they had forgotten one particular detail. “Once-ler's clothes!” Chet exclaimed. “They're soaking wet! If Mom sees them, she'll know for sure what happened!”

Brett set his hot chocolate down and then went over to the bathroom. He quickly grabbed Once-ler's wet clothes and hid them underneath his and Chet's own winter coats. Only a few seconds later, the brothers heard the door click, and Brett immediately sat back down with his hot chocolate and tried to look natural.

Their mother Isabella stepped through the door holding a bag of groceries, with Aunt Grizelda and Uncle Ubb following behind her, carrying even more bags of groceries. Isabella stopped to look at her sons in front of the fireplace while Grizelda and Ubb walked past her towards the kitchen.

“I see that you boys managed to get the firewood.” Isabella remarked.

“We sure did, Mom.” Chet replied, trying to hide his unease.

“Well, that's good, but what's with all the blankets and hot chocolate? You boys didn't get too cold out there, did you?” their mother asked.

“No.” Brett fibbed, “We just felt like getting cozy by the fire, that's all.” 

“Oh, that's nice. You all really do look cozy and warm,” she replied before she took a closer lookat her sons. “Except for you, Oncie, you look like you're a little bit chilled. Are you alright?” she asked him.

Brett and Chet both gave their brother a nervous look, but Once-ler managed to say a convincing, “I'm fine.” He didn't want his brothers to get in trouble either after all that they had done to help him.

“Oh, that's good. Well anyways, you boys enjoy yourselves.” she told them as she went over to the kitchen. Normally Isabella would have immediately ordered them to help her put the groceries away, but it was so rare for all three of her sons to spend time together peacefully that she didn't want to ruin the moment. “It's so nice to see the three of you getting along.” She mused
  
As the memory faded away, Once-ler briefly woke up, still shivering slightly, to the sound of voices. 

“So what's wrong with him this time? It's another one of those weird fevers isn't it?” his mother asked.

“Yes, according to the test, he still has no signs of a viral infection. So Once-ler very likely has another psychogenic fever, although thankfully his body temperature isn't quite as high as last time.” Another voice answered.

Once-ler's vision was blurry, but he recognized the voice as belonging to Norma.  Once-ler remembered how she had been so kind to him the last time he was ill. Yet, Once-ler could not remember if he had even thanked her for helping him. Once-ler wished he could talk to her, but he felt too weak and cold to move or say anything.

“Why is he shivering like that?” Isabella asked further.

“He is probably experiencing chills. It's normal for a fever.” Norma explained, “As tempting as it might be, don't cover him up with heavy blankets or else he'll become overheated. The thneed should be enough. Just try to keep him comfortable and let him rest. Hopefully, he'll recover faster this time.” 

“Let's hope so.” Isabella sighed. “Thankfully the factory is closed for construction, so this incident won't interfere with his work.”

“That should give him plenty of time to rest, then.” Norma reassured her, “Not just from his illness but also from whatever is causing him so much stress.”

“I just hope he can pull himself together before the new factory opens up.” Isabella replied with a frustrated shake of her head before she looked back up at Norma. “Anyways, I really want to thank you for coming down here to check on him. We should be able to handle things from here.”

“You're welcome Isabella.” Norma nodded as she turned to leave. “All of you please take care, and I hope Once-ler feels better soon.” 

Once-ler slipped back into unconsciousness shortly after. When he opened his eyes again he found himself standing in a dark empty field, surrounded by frigid snow that went past his ankles. As a chilling wind began to blow, Once-ler, wearing only his white dress shirt, boots,and gray slacks, shivered as he looked up and saw Greed-ler, sans sunglasses, standing above him just a few feet away. Greed-ler looked back down at Once-ler with an icy glare as cold as the bitter chill that surrounded them, his green coattails billowing in the wind. Then, without a word, Greed-ler turned and walked away. 

“Wait!” Once-ler called out after him. Still afraid of the green-clad man, but desperate to escape this cold and desolate place, Once-ler struggled to follow him through the deep snow and chilling wind that blew against him. 

Greed-ler, meanwhile, appeared unaffected by the environment that surrounded them as he continued to walk away and snowflakes started to fall. But these were no ordinary pure white snowflakes, for when they hit the ground, they left behind spots of gray, as though they were partially composed of ash. As Once-ler and Greed-ler ventured further out into the field, the smell of smogulous smoke became more and more distinct. After walking for some time, it became too difficult for Once-ler to keep up with Greed-ler and he fell down on his knees in the snow. Sensing this, Greed-ler turned around to look over at him.

“Please! Don't leave me here!” Once-ler begged. 

Greed-ler flashed him a wicked smile. “Have you made your decision Once-ler?” he asked “Are you finally going to submit to me, so that way I can set you free? Or are you going to keep hesitating and remain out here in the cold?”

As Greed-ler spoke, the ground underneath Once-ler began to crack, and he soon found himself falling through the ice yet again, flailing in the frigid black water. 

“Please! Someone help me!” Once-ler pleaded.   

Greed-ler silently watched him struggle for a moment, wanting to make sure that Once-ler was truly willing to give in this time, before he finally spoke. “No one else is going to come save you this time Once-ler,” Greed-ler sneered The only one who can save you...is yourself.”

With seemingly no other choice, Once-ler looked at Greed-ler with desperate eyes as he reached out his hand towards Greed-ler. “Please...save me.” Once-ler begged

Greed-ler smirked with satisfaction as he finally leaned forward and held out his green-gloved hand to Once-ler. 

Then, just as the two hands barely brushed each other, Once-ler suddenly woke up and returned to reality. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of butterfly milk from his thneed blanket and pillow. The familiar smell soothed him. Once-ler knew that there was a reason he chose that material to make his thneeds. 

Once-ler then blinked a few times and looked around the room. His clothes were no longer draped over the chair, instead one of his brothers now sat there, while his other brother sat across from him in another chair. Both of them were reading magazines and catalogs. The same ones that Once-ler had been reading earlier that morning. Once-ler assumed that they must have brought them down from the living room in order to keep themselves occupied while they kept an eye on him.

As his strength slowly returned, Once-ler lifted himself up with a slight groan, alerting his brothers.

“Once-ler!” Brett and Chet exclaimed in unison.

“Hey guys...” Once-ler greeted them weakly. Not sure what exactly to say to them. His thneed blanket had fallen off of him, and still feeling slightly cold, though not nearly as much as before, he draped it over his shoulders.

“Mom! Once-ler is awake!” Brett called out.

A few moments later, Isabella emerged from the lower-level kitchen, with a cup a tea in her hands. “Oh Oncie!” she lamented as she sat down next to him on the couch. “I was so worried about you! Here, have some tea.”  she offered as she handed Once-ler the teacup.

“Thank you Mom.” Once-ler replied before he brought the cup to his lips, his hands shaking slightly.

Isabella let her son take a few more sips before she continued. “Are you alright Oncie? she asked. “You really gave as a scare back there.”

“I'll be okay Mom.” Once-ler tried to reassure her “I just...got overwhelmed and lost myself for a moment I guess.”

“Right...” his mother nodded in confusion, not quite sure what he meant but nonetheless relieved that he was awake and talking. “Are you feeling any better now?”  she inquired.

“I still feel a little cold, but not as much as before,” he answered. 

“That's good, but you should still take it easy, just in case.” his mother insisted “Your brothers and I will stay here for the rest of the day. Just let us know if you need anything.”

“Thanks Mom.” Once-ler replied.

“I'm just glad you were able to get all those trees chopped down before all this happened and that everything's still going according to plan.” Isabella sighed with relief. “The construction crew already cleared up the trees and stumps, and they'll start building the factory tomorrow.”

“That's...great...” Once-ler cringed as he remembered what he had done.

“It sure is!” His mother beamed, “Just think about how much more money we're going to make after your bigger factory and other businesses start opening! Aren't you excited?” Isabella hoped that reminding Once-ler of his success would help him forget about whatever the Lorax had told him.

“I guess so...” Once-ler answered with a sigh, still feeling conflicted.

“You still sound kind of tired Oncie,” Isabella commented, “You had better keep resting. How about I go make you some thneed soup?” she offered.

“That would be nice.” Once-ler answered. 

“Alright then, I'll be right back,” Isabella called back as she headed towards the kitchen.

“Thanks again, Mom” Once-ler called back before he turned to his brothers. “And I also really want to thank you guys, too.”

“No problem, Bro. We're just glad you're alright.” Chet replied.

“I mean it, though. I really appreciate you guys for helping me not just with this but also for saving me years ago when I fell through the...”

“Don't mention it, Once-ler.” Brett interrupted him.

“But honestly, I'm really grateful. I mean if it wasn't for you guys I could have...”

“No, seriously, don't mention it.” Brett repeated, more firmly. “Remember that we don't want mom ever finding out about that,” he whispered.

“Oh right, sorry,” Once-ler apologized.

“Here Once-ler, do you want to take a look at some of these?” Chet asked his brother as he handed him a magazine, trying to change the subject.

“Sure.” Once-ler replied.

Once-ler's temperature eventually went back to normal as he spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the couch, reading magazines and catalogs with his brothers, as he tried to push the events from earlier out of his mind. After all of the chaos that had occurred that morning, the calming atmosphere was more than welcome. Once-ler actually enjoyed spending time with his brothers when they weren't teasing him, and he wished that they could hang out like this more often. 

“Hey Once, have you ever thought about buying yourself something cool with all that money you're making?” Bret asked him

“Hmm, maybe,” Once-ler replied. He was currently looking at a catalog from a local guitar shop, staring at a page that featured a red guitar, which he had circled with a green pen. 

Once-ler had seen the guitar before. The shop that sold it wasn't far from the department store where he first saw and bought the green suit. Once-ler had been meaning to purchase the guitar for quite a while, but hadn't gotten around to doing so yet. 

His thoughts were interrupted by his mom coming into the room to bring him a glass of water. “Hey Oncie, I was just wondering if you needed anything else before I got dinner started?” she asked as she set the glass down on the coffee table.

“I'm good mom, thank you.” Once-ler answered  before he took a glance at the clock, and he realized what time it was. “Oh no, I'm running late.” Once-ler exclaimed as he put the open catalog down on the coffee table. Both Brett and Chet took a glance at the catalog he had set down, and noticed the image that Once-ler had circled. Afterwards, Once-ler took off his thneed and set it aside. Then he put on his boots and got up from the couch.

“Once-ler, what are you doing?” his mom inquired as she gave him a confused look.

“I have to go out and feed Melvin.” Once-ler explained. “Where did you put my jacket and gloves?” Once-ler asked 

“I put them in the coat closet,” his mother told him, “but you shouldn't be going anywhere after what happened this morning. Ask your brothers to do it.”

“Don't worry, Mom, I'm feeling a lot better now, and I really want to check on Melvin myself. He seemed kind of upset this morning and I'm worried about him.” Once-ler pleaded as he put his jacket and gloves on. He figured it would be a good idea to wear the jacket and gloves so that way Melvin could get used to the idea. Once-ler figured that he would be wearing the outfit a lot more often fom now on.

Isabella gave her son another confused look, not understanding why Once-ler would care so much about the animal's supposed feelings, but Isabella knew that if she did not let Once-ler go check on his mule, that it would just cause Once-ler to worry even more, and she most certainly couldn't have that. “Fine, you can go check on Melvin,” Isabella relented, “but your brothers have to go with you and do most of the work.” 

“Aww Mom, do we really have to?” Chet complained.

“Not that we don't mind helping Once-ler out, especially since he's making money,” Brett explained, “but we don't want to deal with Melvin.”

“Yeah, that darn mule kicked me, remember?” Chet added.

“I don't want to hear your excuses.” Isabella snapped “Once-ler needs your help, so that's exactly what you're going to do, and you had better start getting used to the idea because that's going to be your official job from now on.” Their mother explained. “So, you both can start by helping Once-ler with Melvin while I make dinner.“ she commanded.

“Yes, Mom.” Brett and Chet replied in unison as they followed Once-ler out of the penthouse.

 The three brothers then made their way towards Melvin's barn. As his brothers followed him, Once-ler couldn't help but smile to himself. The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of his brothers being under his command.

“Hey Melvin,” Once-ler greeted the mule as he entered the barn. “Sorry I'm running late. Things got kind of crazy this morning. Are you doing okay?” Once-ler asked Melvin as he slowly lifted a green gloved hand to pet him. 

Much to Once-ler's relief, Melvin appeared to recognize him and seemed happy to see him this time. But the mule did not look so pleased when he noticed Once-ler's brothers, narrowing his eyes and letting out an annoyed snort in their direction.

“Don't worry Melvin, they just came here to help me feed you today.” Once-ler explained as he gave Melvin some reassuring pets, knowing how much Melvin and his brothers disliked each other. Come to think of it, none of his family members really liked animals at all.

“What do you need us to do, Once-ler?” Brett asked, eager to get the whole thing over with. 

“I need you to give Melvin some more food, while Chet pours him some fresh water. Then maybe you guys could both clean out the barn a bit and give him some fresh hay while I brush him.” Once-ler ordered. 

The twins immediately got to work. Melvin's food and water bowls were quickly filled up and the mule enjoyed his afternoon meal while the twins began cleaning the barn. After Melvin finished eating, Once-ler grabbed Melvin's brush and began to gently stroke his fur. It had been a long time since Once-ler had done so, and he found spending time with his Mule to be soothing.

Once-ler was unaware that he was being watched, for just outside the barn, hiding behind a tree stump, was none other than the Lorax. He wouldn't dare to try and talk to Once-ler while his brothers were present, not wanting to be thrown in the forest again. Instead, the forest guardian continued to observe Once-ler through the open barn door with a very sad glance, as he wondered how someone who showed such kindness to an animal could do such horrible things.

Chapter Text

With the factory being closed for the next several days due to the expansion, Once-ler now had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the wealth and luxuries he had accumulated over the past few months. Once-ler mainly spent the days in his spacious and opulent penthouse, where he found various ways to entertain himself. 

In the mornings, Once-ler would make himself a stack of pancakes along with a cup of tea, served on fine china, and enjoy a leisurely breakfast in his dining room. During afternoons and evenings, Once-ler often spent his time doing things such as playing music on his guitar, watching movies on his huge flat-screen television, relaxing in his purple solar plexus lounge chair that he kept on the porch, or drawing pictures at his spacious desk in his art studio. 

Once-ler also enjoyed reading books and knitting whilst sitting in one of the various luxurious couches or chairs that filled the penthouse, including the ones in the parlor room downstairs. Once-ler found that when the room was not filled with guests, it was actually quite a nice and elegant room to relax in.

On one unusually cold day, Once-ler decided to sit in one of the parlor room chairs and knit in front of the room's large fireplace. As Once-ler worked next to the warm flame, he wondered how he could have ever had been content to live in that small cottage in the truffula forest.

Once-ler's thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of a sinister voice. “Ah, isn't this nice...” Greed-ler whispered.

Once-ler gasped at the sound in surprise. He stopped knitting and nervously turned to look for Greed-ler, but Once-ler could not see him.

“Just think, if you would have just listened to me and focused on biggering instead of hesitating and re-doing things over and over, we could have been living this way a long time ago.” Greed-ler continued. “We could have been enjoying our wealth and relaxing in this luxurious penthouse, instead of staying up all night in a cramped office desperately trying to meet deadlines.” Greed-ler scoffed.

Once-ler froze as he realized that Greed-ler was right. Once-ler knew that he did in fact bring a lot of stress on himself because he hesitated on biggering aspects of his business. Once-ler barely made the deadline on completing the blueprints for the expansion, and he also didn't have any equipment ready for said expansion. Causing him to have to invent the super axe hacker practically overnight. Once-ler also knew that he could have prevented the blackout if he updated the factory equipment earlier, and also that he should have made the penthouse bigger and added the lower levels when he first had it built. Once-ler knew that if he had done so, he wouldn't have had to rush to get everything ready before the party, and he could have been relaxing in his parlor room so much sooner. 

“Thankfully, it seems you have finally learned your lesson and things will be better from now on. Isn't that right Once-ler?” Greed-ler sneered with a laugh.

Once-ler cast his eyes downward in shame at Greed-ler's words, only to widen them when he realized what he had been knitting...a pair of long green grovvulous gloves. 

Another activity Once-ler enjoyed was shopping, ordering items from both catalogs and websites, in addition to shopping at the upscale department store in town. Soon Once-ler's large bedroom became   filled with various packages, boxes, and bags. 

Eventually, as items continued to accumulate, the mess in his room started to become problematic, and one day Once-ler knew that he finally needed to start opening and organizing everything. So, Once-ler opened one of the bigger boxes and removed the brand new stereo system that was inside. After Once-ler set up the device, he turned it on and blasted some music while he began to go through his stuff.

Once-ler first selected a bag from the department store that contained a glittering glass bottle of  premium cologne. Once-ler spritzed himself with it a few times, then stopped for a moment to inhale the scent, before he carefully set the bottle down on his vanity table.

Next, Once-ler grabbed a couple of other small bags, each of them containing a pair of expensive sunglasses. Once-ler had selected various styles in order to see which one he liked the best. He began to try them all on in front of his mirror on the vanity table, making various facial expressions as he did so. Once-ler first tried on a pair with gold frames, followed by a rose-colored pair, then a pair of dark shades, before he finally put on his signature glittery blue sunglasses. Once-ler found that he liked them all, but ultimately, the glittery blue ones remained his favorite. After Once-ler tried all of the sunglasses on, he placed them carefully inside a drawer in the vanity table before moving on to look at the rest of his stuff.

The rest of the items primarily consisted of clothing and shoes. In addition to buying plenty of extra white dress shirts and dark gray slacks to go with his green jacket, Once-ler had also bought a variety of other expensive clothing pieces. Once-ler had been wanting to fill his walk-in closet with stylish clothes for a while now. Also, after disappointing his mother at the party with his lackluster costume, Once-ler wanted to make sure he had an outfit ready for any occasion. So, as the music continued to play, Once-ler opened the clothing pieces from their packages and began to create various outfits, posing in front of his gold full-length mirror that he had recently replaced.

The first outfit consisted of an elaborate, custom made green jacket with a red lining that Once-ler wore along with his grey vest and striped jeans, but instead of his typical boots he wore platformed shoes. Once-ler also added some gold custom made jewelry that bore dollar signs in addition to his name. To complete the look, Once-ler wore his large top hat, gold pocket watch, and green grovvulous gloves. He also held a cane in his hand. 

Once-ler smirked at himself as he looked in the mirror, he knew that the purchase of the new items to create this outfit was a bit extravagant and he wasn't sure if he would ever actually wear it, preferring the simpler look of his first green jacket, but Once-ler still decided to buy the items anyway. He had plenty of money now, so what did it matter if he bought something just for the novelty of it?

The next outfit Once-ler tried on was fit for a rock star. It featured a green t-shirt with a black bio hazard symbol, a leather jacket, ripped black jeans, and heavy studded boots. After Once-ler put on the outfit, he grabbed his guitar and began to play along with the music on the stereo while smiling to himself.

The outfit Once-ler tried on after those two was much more practical. It consisted of his old plain black suit paired with an emerald green dress shirt, along with a plain black bow tie and dress shoes. Once-ler figured the outfit would be a good choice for when he wanted something more subtle but also wanted to wear his now signature color.

Once-ler also bought some slightly more casual clothing pieces. Including an emerald green polo shirt, a cozy green sweater, a green and gray plaid button-down shirt, and a gray vest that featured a green argyle pattern paired with a white dress shirt. To go along with the tops, Once-ler also wore pairs of  gray slacks and gray dress shoes.

Once-ler had also decided to buy himself some new things to sleep in. Although Once-ler still liked his favorite bunny pajamas and still wore them occasionally, he also wanted to get himself something more luxurious. So Once-ler, bought himself some silk pajamas in both green and slate gray along with matching slippers. In addition, Once-ler also bought himself an emerald green bathrobe that featured his name written in custom gold embroidery along the side.        

However, despite buying himself several new outfits, Once-ler found that the outfit he created featuring the original emerald green suit jacket remained the most striking one in his wardrobe.  As Once-ler put various items away in his closet, Once-ler couldn't help but find himself drawn to the outfit. So, in the subsequent days, he began wearing it occasionally while spending time in his penthouse. Once-ler especially made sure to wear it whenever he was rehearsing his song for his TV appearance. 

“If you are going to practice, you might as well look the part to help yourself get a real feel for it.” that sinister and familiar voice whispered inside Once-ler's head. “Remember how important  this is for the company. We have to make sure this performance goes perfectly.”

Once-ler could not help but agree, so he rehearsed the song often since he now had extra time. One day, Once-ler even grabbed his guitar, put on his suit, and went outside to play the song in front of Melvin, hoping to get his opinion.

“Well...what do you think?” Once-ler asked the mule after he finished up the song.

Melvin gave his owner a perplexed look and snorted in disapproval. Melvin did not care for the song very much at all, and he still thought Once-ler's green suit was rather tacky.

“Oh, come on, how bad could it possibly be?” Once-ler asked him in exasperation.

In response, Melvin let out another annoyed snort and rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, well, you're not the target market anyway.” Once-ler huffed.

Afterwards, Once-ler fed Melvin his afternoon meal and then went back to the penthouse. He climbed up the stairs to his large porch, stepped inside, and then made his way over to the living room. There, Once-ler placed his guitar down on its new stand, before he grabbed a magazine from the coffee table, and headed to the kitchen.

The magazine featured a recipe for a truffula fruit pie, which Once-ler had planned to make for dessert. But before Once-ler could begin baking, he decided that he should remove his suit jacket and accessories first, not wanting to get flour or fruit juice on any of his valuable items. Once-ler especially wanted to protect the green jacket, as it was a very rare and expensive garment. Once-ler had to place a special order with the department store company in order to get extras of it, and he was still waiting for them to arrive.

Once-ler went back to the living room to remove the items. He placed the accessories on the coffee table, next to another magazine and an almost empty bag of mini marshmallows. While he carefully draped the fabric pieces over the couch. Afterwards Once-ler, now wearing only a dress shirt and gray slacks returned to the kitchen. Where he put on his pink apron, and began to gather all of the pie ingredients.

After Once-ler mixed and prepared all of the ingredients, he put the completed pie in the oven. While Once-ler waited for the pie to finish baking, he sat down at his kitchen island and looked through the rest of the magazine. After the timer finally went off, Once-ler put on some oven mitts and removed the pie from the oven. Then he opened the kitchen window and set the pie on the windowsill to cool.

After Once-ler set the pie down, he removed his oven mitts and cleaned up the kitchen, then took off his apron and wandered back over to the living room. Where he now looked down at an open catalog that also sat on the coffee table, turned to the page that featured the picture of a red guitar that Once-ler had circled in green pen.

Once-ler furrowed his brows as he picked up the catalog and stared at the picture. Despite wanting the guitar for some time and having more than enough money to buy it, the guitar was the one thing Once-ler wanted that he had yet to purchase. Once-ler took a glance at his old guitar that sat near the couch before he looked back at the picture in the catalog again. Once-ler knew that he both wanted and needed to replace his guitar, especially considering his television appearance coming up. Once-ler knew that he couldn't be seen playing the old and damaged instrument on TV, and that the new red one would look really cool and contrast nicely with his green suit, but despite knowing this, Once-ler kept procrastinating on the purchase. 

Once-ler sighed and took another glance at his old guitar. The instrument had been his most prized possession for a number of years and Once-ler had spent many hours playing music on it. As Once-ler continued to look over at his old guitar, he wondered if perhaps the reason he was having so much trouble buying a new one was because of how attached he was to the one he currently had.  Even though Once-ler knew it was silly, in a way he felt as though giving up his old guitar would be like giving up a part of himself.

Once-ler's thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly heard a small thud coming from the direction of the porch. Startled by the noise and worried about his pie, Once-ler quickly set the catalog back down on the coffee table and went over to investigate. When Once-ler opened the porch door and saw who was outside, he let out a loud yelp in shock.

“Pipsqueak!” Once-ler cried out as he watched the little barbaloot quickly gobble up the pie that he had apparently knocked over.

After Pipsqueak finished the pie and licked  his paws and face, he sniffed the air. Smelling another tasty treat nearby, Pipsqueak quickly scurried past Once-ler and ran into the penthouse. 

“Get back here!” Once-ler exclaimed as he chased after the barbaloot.

Pipsqueak made his way to the living room, where he hopped up on the coffee table, pulled out the remaining marshmallows from the bag, and quickly ate them.

“Just what do you think you're doing?” Once-ler asked in annoyance as he went over towards the barboloot. 

Pipsqueak did not answer him, instead, he simply looked up at Once-ler with big innocent eyes.

Once-ler sighed in resignation. “Aww, you're just too cute to be mad at.” Once-ler told the barbaloot as he reached over, and began to pet him. 

“Pipsqueak, there you are!” a voice suddenly exclaimed.

Once-ler and Pipsqueak both turned around to see the Lorax standing in the living room with a serious expression on his face. 

The barbaloot turned and gave Once-ler a guilty glance before he hopped down from the coffee table and went over to the Lorax, knowing that the forest guardian had caught him.

The Lorax shook his head and sighed as Pipsqueak came over. “I figured I'd find him here,” the forest guardian explained. “He's been trying to sneak away from the forest and find you for some time now. I keep trying to tell him that you're not the same man you used to be, but he won't listen to me, he's just as stubborn as you are....” The Lorax told Once-ler with a glare.

Once-ler stared back at the Lorax, irritated at his remarks but also unable to argue with him. Deep down, Once-ler knew that there was some truth to the forest guardian's words.

“...That, and the smell of the truffula fruit pie also drew him here.” The Lorax continued. 

“Barbaloots really love truffula fruits huh?” Once-ler asked.

“You bet they do.” The Lorax answered “Not only are the fruits delicious, but they also serve as the barbaloots'  primary source of nutrition...” The forest guardian paused again before he continued allowing his words to sink in. “...so if you keep chopping down all the trees, they're going to have a real hard time finding food. I've warned you before, if you keep this up, things will get so bad that they will all have to leave.”

“It's not going to be that bad!” Once-ler protested.

“It's already bad!” the Lorax shouted. “It's been bad ever since you broke your promise, and it's only going to get worse! As soon as that factory of yours opens back up again, you're going to use that crazy contraption you invented to chop down more trees than ever before!” 

The Lorax's words angered Once-ler, and he began to feel a familiar surge of energy well up within him. “I have to do whatever is necessary in order to keep biggering my business, and if that means breaking my promise and chopping down some of the trees, then so be it.” Once-ler told the forest guardian with an icy glare.

“Oh, we are well beyond that.” the Lorax retorted, refusing to be intimidated. “You didn't just break your promise, you completely destroyed it, just like how you destroy everything else! I can't believe how selfish you've gotten!” the forest guardian yelled as he pointed to Pipsqueak, who looked back at the forest guardian in confusion. “You used to live with the barbaloots and the other animals too!” the Lorax yelled. “You spent time with them, played with them, and and even fed them! Now you don't even care what happens to them!” 

Once-ler's shoulders stiffened and his neck tilted awkwardly to the side as he continued to glare at the Lorax, the surge of energy Once-ler felt before now filling him up completely. “That was in the past, and none of that matters anymore.” Once-ler told the Lorax, his tone more cold than ever before. “Whatever happens to the barbaloots and the other animals is not my problem. The only thing I care about now is biggering my bus-” Before Once-ler could finish speaking, he suddenly gasped, shut his eyes, and began shaking as he clutched his head and chest.

Both the Lorax and Pipsqueak stared at Once-ler in shock until the Lorax took a cautious step forward. Although he was angry at Once-ler, the forest guardian hated to see any creature in pain or distress. “Hey Beanpole, are you okay?” the Lorax asked in concern.

Once-ler did not answer. Instead, he clenched his teeth and fell to his knees, as he continued to struggle. “I don't want to...stop.” Once-ler murmured.

Pipsqueak, also concerned for Once-ler, gingerly padded over to him. The barbaloot's eyes were full of fear, sadness, and confusion over what could have happened to his former friend.

Sensing Pipsqueak's presence, Once-ler peered his eyes open and turned to look at him. Still shaking, Once-ler removed his left hand from his forehead and reached out to pet the barbaloot. “I'm...I'm sorry.” Once-ler whispered, before he recoiled, and pulled his hand away before he shut his eyes again.

Pipsqueak stepped back in alarm, while the Lorax took another step forward. “Beanpole...” the forest guardian whispered.

“Get out!” Once-ler seethed, not even turning to look at them. “Just get out already! Leave me alone!”

The two of them stood there silently for another moment, until the Lorax ultimately decided that it would be best for them to leave. “Come on, Pipsqueak,” the Lorax told the frightened barbaloot. “I don't think Beanpole's feeling too well. We'd better leave him alone and let him get some rest, and besides, we need to get you home. I'm sure your family is wondering where you are.” 

Pipsqueak hesitated for a moment, then nodded to the Lorax in agreement before both of them turned and left the penthouse. 

Meanwhile, Once-ler, still shaking and clutching his head, slowly lifted himself up from the floor. “Get out! Leave me alone! Just get out!” he continued to seethe, even though no one else was there.

No one, except for the dark entity who existed within Once-ler's own mind, and who quickly made himself known. “Don't worry Once-ler...” Greed-ler's voice echoed in a mocking tone “...everything will be alright. I'm right here. Just let go and relax let me take care of things, and soon you'll feel all better.” 

Once-ler looked around, still trembling, but he could not see Greed-ler. “Where are you?” Once-ler demanded.

“You should already know the answer to that question by now.” Greed-ler sneered, yet he still did not appear.

“Stop playing games with me!” Once-ler snapped.  “I know you're there...I can hear you...I can feel you...I just can't see you.”

“If you really want to see me Once-ler, all you have to do is look in a mirror.” Greed-ler told him with a laugh.

Once-ler turned towards the full-length mirror that stood in the living room, but he only saw his own reflection.“Where...?” Once-ler began to ask again, before the meaning of Greed-ler's words became perfectly clear. Once-ler realized that the reason why he could hear Greed-ler but not see him was because Greed-ler was inside of him, trying to take control again.

“Get out!” Once-ler cried out, clutching his forehead with both hands. “Get out of my head!”

“I've told you before Once-ler, the only way to get me out of your head is to make me real.” Greed-ler snarled.

“No...” Once-ler whispered.

“Yes...” Greed-ler continued. “I keep telling you this over and over again, yet you still refuse to listen and cause yourself so much unnecessary anguish. If you would just listen to me, and become me, you wouldn't care about what the Lorax had to say, or worry about any of the forest animals. The only thing you would care about would be biggering the business!”

“No...I can't let you...” Once-ler whispered, still trying to fight off Greed-ler's influence. What Greed-ler described was what Once-ler feared most, of becoming so greedy and heartless that he didn't care about what happened to anyone else.

“Hmph,” Greed-ler uttered in disapproval. “I'll agree that the Lorax is right about one thing, you most certainly are stubborn....” Greed-ler mused “...but you should know that I am just as determined, and that I won't stop until you finally realize who's the one pulling the strings around here.”

As Greed-ler spoke, Once-ler's body began to move involuntarily. He was suddenly forced to stand up straight, arms firmly locked to his sides, while his head tilted awkwardly in the same position it had before.

“That's right Once-ler, I'm the one who's in charge!” Greed-ler shouted, as he forced Once-ler's limbs  to contort, making him move like a marionette on a string. “I'm the master, you're merely the puppet! Greed-ler exclaimed before he broke out into a fit of laughter.

“No...please...stop!” Once-ler begged, as he struggled to regain control of his body. Greed-ler continued to laugh, ignoring Once-ler pleas, all while continuing to manipulate his body. Until Once-ler finally tripped on the corner of the coffee table, fell to the floor, and passed out from exhaustion.

When Once-ler woke up, he was still surrounded by darkness. He blinked a few times, trying to figure out if he was even awake, until he saw the glimmer of the moon outside his living room window. Having concluded that it was nighttime, Once-ler then slowly and carefully got up, then made his way over to the light switch. He flipped it on and turned around, only to gasp when he found himself face to face with Greed-ler. Once-ler cowered in fear at the sight.

“You said you wanted to see me?” Greed-ler asked mockingly.

Once-ler, stared back at Greed-ler silently, as he began to shiver, suddenly feeling cold and empty.

“Oh my Once-ler, you don't look so good. You should relax and let me take care of you.” Greed-ler suggested with a sinister smirk as he moved closer to Once-ler.

“S-stay away f-from me!” Once-ler stammered as he took a step away from the green-clad man.

“Now, Once-ler don't be like that. You know I only want to help you. That's part of the reason I exist,” Greed-ler sneered.

“No! You're a liar!” Once-ler snapped. “All you ever do is hurt and torment me! You're the reason my life is such a nightmare!”

“A Nightmare?” Greed-ler exclaimed in disbelief. “I'm the one that is helping you realize your dreams, our dreams! Just look around you Once-ler, look at all of the wonderful things you have! Do you really think you could have made so much money without my influence?”

Once-ler winced at Greed-ler's words, knowing that there was some truth to them.

“Besides, I'm not the one who's hurting you.” Greed-ler continued, “You're bringing all this suffering on yourself by listening to the Lorax instead of me. Everything was going perfectly fine until those pests showed up. We were enjoying ourselves and all of the wealth we had accumulated, but then you let them get you all bent out of shape.” If you would just let me take over, then you wouldn't care about anything that annoying forest guardian had to say, and you wouldn't feel so conflicted anymore.”

“But what if the Lorax is right?” Once-ler asked nervously, remembering the sad and scared look on Pipsqueak's face. “What if we chop down so many trees that the barbaloots can't find enough food and they all have to leave?”

“I do agree, it would be sad to see them all go...” Greed-ler admitted. “...but no matter what, our business must grow!”

“But...” Once-ler tried to protest. 

“No buts!” Greed-ler interrupted him. “We can't waste our time worrying about the barbaloots and all those other animals. Instead, we need to focus on human needs and human opportunities! Most importantly of all, we need to focus on the needs of the family! Surely you haven't forgotten what I told you before. If this business goes under, they won't love you anymore!” Greed-ler sneered.

Once-ler gasped in shock, fearful that what Greed-ler said was true.

“And speaking of opportunities...” Greed-ler continued, “…we also still need to follow up on those offers we received at the party.”

“Oh no, I completely forgot!” Once-ler exclaimed.

“We'll do it first thing in the morning.” Greed-ler reassured him with a smile, pleased that he was able to get Once-ler focused on biggering the business again. “But for now, how about you put the jacket and gloves back on and practice our song again? We want to make sure that we're well prepared for the performance now don't we?” he suggested “Plus, I'm sure some music will help you relax and clear your head.”

“Yeah, you're right, that does sound like a good idea.” Once-ler nodded in agreement. 

Once-ler then made his way over to the couch to pick up the jacket and gloves before stepping in front of the mirror and putting them on. As Once-ler did so, Greed-ler smiled in satisfaction one more time before he finally disappeared. Afterwards, Once-ler sat down on the couch, grabbed his guitar, and began to play a familiar tune. 

Chapter Text

A few days later, Once-ler donned the green suit yet again as he stood in front of the newly renovated thneed factory. As he prepared to announce the building's grand re-opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony. While Once-ler waited behind the giant red ribbon for the ceremony to begin, he took a glance over at his family who stood next to him, They too had also dressed up for the occasion. 

Uncle Ubb wore a traditional black suit, while Brett and Chet both wore dark blue cuffed pants with suspenders, powder blue dress shirts, and sky blue jackets with matching neckerchiefs. Meanwhile, Aunt Grizelda wore a formal dark blazer, along with a matching skirt and hat. She also wore pearl jewelry and sported dark gloves with a matching purse. Once-ler's mother Isabella wore a similar outfit, although her top and skirt had ruffled hems, and she wore a matching bow in her hair. 

As Isabella saw Once-ler turn towards her, she gave her son an approving smile. Once-ler smiled back, then turned to face the awaiting crowd. It mainly consisted of employees old and new, along with some staff from the local newspaper, who wanted to get a picture of the event. After Once-ler determined that everyone was present, he began his opening announcement.

“I, the Once-ler, President of thneed inc. am pleased to announce the grand re-opening of thneed factory, now bigger and better than ever!” Once-ler exclaimed before he used a pair of scissors to cut the ribbon. 

The crowd began to cheer as the newspaper staff took pictures in order to capture the moment. Many people in Greenville were excited about the development of the bigger thneed factory and the jobs it would bring to the community. 

After the brief ceremony came to a close, Once-ler opened the factory and he along with his family led the crowd inside. As the employees entered, several of them greeted Once-ler, using both his real name and nickname interchangeably.

“Hello, Mr. Once-ler.”

“Good morning, Mr. Greed-ler.”

“That green suit looks very nice on you, Mr. Once-ler.”

“Congratulations Mr. Greed-ler.”

Once-ler thanked them all and nodded politely, although he still felt uncertain about being referred to as  the Greed-ler. However, despite the slight unease he felt, Once-ler forced himself to push those feelings aside for the moment, as he had a lot of work to do today. After everyone piled into the lobby, Once-ler addressed the crowd again.

“Alright, everyone, it's time for us to get back to business!” Once-ler began “But first, I would like to give you all a tour of the new facilities. Please follow me,” he instructed.

After the tour concluded, Once-ler continued on with his busy day. He attended several meetings, before he took a break for lunch, then he performed a personal inspection of the newly renovated factory. Luckily, everything was running along smoothly. Thanks to the super-axe-hacker and the updated manufacturing equipment the factory was now producing thneeds four times as fast as before. Once-ler was very pleased and he hoped that his family was too.

After Once-ler completed his inspection, he went down the hallway to his brand new and bigger office, passing his brothers along the way, who stood guard at the office door. After the door slammed shut, Once-ler walked across the room and opened a window a crack to let some fresh air in. Then, Once-ler made his way over to his bigger desk, where a model of a town, along with numerous papers that contained sketches and plans for buildings, were set up. As Once-ler sat down in his bigger throne-like chair, he felt like a king as he gazed upon the ideas that he would eventually bring to life in order to create his new kingdom. Now that Once-ler had followed up on and finalized the offers that he had received at the party, it was time to envision what the new buildings for the new houses and businesses might look like. 

Excited by the prospect of making more money with these ventures, Once-ler jumped back into his work, refining the sketches and fiddling with the model. He was so engrossed in his tasks that he did not hear his brothers step inside the office.

“Hey, Once-ler!” Chet called out, trying to get his brother's attention.

Once-ler did not look up as he was preoccupied with finishing some details on a sketch.

“Hey! Once-ler!” Brett then tried to shout even more loudly.

At the sound of Brett's voice, Once-ler jumped up with a yelp and finally looked up. Then gave his brothers an irritated look. This was far from the first time they had tried to scare him. Especially whenever they were younger, the twins would often try to startle Once-ler in various ways in order to laugh at his reaction. “What was that for?” Once-ler asked in annoyance.

“Oh, sorry we didn't mean to scare you.” Chet told him apologetically.

“Yeah, right.” Once-ler replied while rolling his eyes.

“No, seriously, we mean it.” Brett told him truthfully. After Once-ler's recent illnesses, the twins no longer found the idea of scaring Once-ler amusing. They had been worried about their brother and did not want him to become stressed out again. Also, Brett and Chet knew that if they caused any trouble for Once-ler, who was now an important businessman with important work to do, their mother would be furious with them. 

“Okay, then, what do you want? I'm very busy.” Once-ler told them with a huff.

“We just wanted to let you know that we're heading out.” Chet informed Once-ler.

“Oh, that's right you both told me before,” Once-ler replied, calming down as he realized what they meant. “You and the rest of the family are leaving early today, right?”

Brett and Chet both nodded before the former added, “Yeah, so we just wanted to remind you before we left.”

“Oh, okay, sorry for snapping at you guys again. Thanks for letting me know.” Once-ler told them as he looked back down at his desk, slightly embarrassed.

“Alright, take care Once.” Chet called back as he and Brett both turned to leave the office. “We'll see you later.”

“Yeah, see you later.” Brett repeated before they exited the room and closed the office door behind them.

After they left, Once-ler sighed as he looked over at a framed picture that sat on his desk, it was the one that was taken of himself and his family at the party. Once-ler was disappointed that his family did not invite him to whatever they were doing that afternoon. Once-ler had hoped that after becoming successful, his relationship with them would improve and that the family would leave him out less often, but occasionally they still did, which left him feeling hurt. Once-ler then shook his head and tried to push the pain aside however, rationalizing that he had too much work to do and didn't have time to spend with them anyway. With one last sigh, Once-ler poured himself back into his tasks.

Once-ler kept working until he suddenly heard someone knocking on his new office door, the sound much too loud for him to possibly ignore. Nervously, Once-ler got up and adjusted his top hat as he went over to answer it. However, when he opened the door and looked out into the hallway, there appeared to be no one there. Once-ler peered out into the hallway for another moment, then, with a shrug, Once-ler closed the office door, assuming an employee must have knocked on the wrong door and then left when they realized their mistake. The whole building had recently been remodeled, after all.

But when Once-ler turned around to go back to his desk, he jumped in fright whenever he saw the Lorax standing in front of him. The forest guardian had managed to sneak in by running between Once-ler's legs when the latter opened the door. It was the same trick the Lorax had used to sneak into Once-ler's cottage some time ago, way back when the man had first arrived in the truffula forest.

“What are you doing here?” Once-ler asked the Lorax as he crossed his green gloved arms and glared down at him.

“I want to show you something,” the Lorax told him.

“I don't have time for that. I have a lot of work to do. Now get out!” Once-ler snapped back as he opened the door and gestured for the Lorax to leave.

The Lorax did not move. Instead, he looked up at Once-ler and continued. “Also, you have a leak in your pipes and I thought you might want to know where it is.”

“A leak? Where? Tell me!” Once-ler demanded in a panic.

 “If you come with me and let me show you what I want to show you, then I will tell you where the leak is,” the Lorax offered.

“Why you little...” Once-ler muttered with a growl. 

Meanwhile, the Lorax continued to glare at Once-ler with his own arms crossed. He was confident that Once-ler would give in. 

“Ugh, fine.” Once-ler finally agreed with a resigned sigh. He went back over to his desk to grab a wrench from one of the drawers, then opened the door to let himself and the Lorax out. “But make it quick. Like I said, I have a lot of work to do.”

“Sure, no problem!” the Lorax exclaimed, excited that his plan had worked so far. The forest guardian then jumped up to grab one of Once-ler's green gloved hands and yanked it down. “This way,” he told Once-ler as he began to drag him into the elevator. The whole scenario made more awkward by their difference in height. 

“Take us to the roof.” the Lorax demanded after they were inside.

Once-ler, annoyed but having no other choice, pressed the correct button, and soon the elevator carried them up to the roof of the factory. After the elevator opened and the two of them stepped out, the Lorax led Once-ler over towards the factory smokestacks, where several sad looking swomee swans with loose feathers sat nearby, letting out an occasional cough. Once-ler stopped and stared at them in shock.

“Your factory is making such smogulous smoke...” the Lorax began before being interrupted by coughs of his own. “...my poor swomme swans, why, they can't sing a note! No one can sing who has smog in his throat!  Also, that stuff messes with their feathers, making it harder for them to fly” the Lorax continued. “So, I may have to send them off before this smog completely fills the sky.”

“Where will they go?” Once-ler asked, becoming more concerned.

“Where will they go? I don't hopefully know,” the Lorax replied 

Once-ler looked out at the scene a little longer before he shook his head in denial. “It can't possibly be that bad.” Once-ler snapped at the Lorax while trying to stifle his own cough.

“Despite what you think, things aren't that great. I just hope you realize that before it's too late.” The Lorax told him with another glare before he grabbed Once-ler's hand again and dragged him back inside the elevator. “There's something else I want to show you. Take us down to the boiler room,” the forest guardian demanded.

Once-ler pressed the button and the elevator took them all the way down to the boiler room, the dark underbelly of the otherwise pristine looking factory. When the elevator door opened, the Lorax pulled down Once-ler's hand again, angrily dragging him across the dreary looking room. 

“What's more,” the Lorax snapped as his anger continued to build. “Let me say a few words about schloppity schlop. Your factory keeps making that nasty stuff almost nonstop. Then what do you know what you do with that leftover goo?” The Lorax then asked Once-ler angrily “Why allow me to show you, you ignorant shrew!”  

With a final yank, the Lorax pulled Once-ler over to a door that led out to a ledge. Below them, pipes continuously poured schloppity slop down into the river. A few humming fish sat shivering outside of the water.

“It's filling up the river where the humming fish hum, now their gills are getting all gummed! I warned you before that this would happen!” the Lorax shouted as he turned towards Once-ler, as the latter continued to stare down at the scene below. “All this smolulous smoke, all this schloppity schlop, how would you feel if all this stuff got into your personal space?” the Lorax continued to yell, his anger getting the better of him.

“I...” the Once-ler began as he struggled to speak.

“Well?” the Lorax asked him.

“This is...I have to...” Once-ler continued as he stumbled backwards and grabbed his chest.

“This is bad and you have to stop it!” the Lorax shouted

“No...” Once-ler murmured as he began to shake, and clutch his head. He was struggling with himself yet again, although this time Once-ler kept his footing.

The Lorax's anger began to fade as he noticed Once-ler's distress and he remembered their last encounter. “Hey Once-ler, are you alright?” the forest guardian asked more gently. “Maybe these nasty chemicals are getting to you too, its just another reason why you need to stop...”

“No!” Once-ler suddenly shouted as he straightened himself up and glared down at the Lorax. “I will not stop! You understand? I am never ever ever ever going to stop!” he glowered 

“Why Once-ler, why?” The Lorax whispered as he looked back up at him, his eyes full of fear and shock, unable to believe that Once-ler would still try to justify his actions after what he had seen.

“Because I'm figgering on biggering that's why! And you're not going to stop me!” Once-ler spat back. “Now, where is that leak you told me about?”

“Once-ler wait, please I'm telling you, you have to...” the Lorax tried to plead.

“Where is the leak?” Once-ler shouted back, interrupting him. “You told me you would tell me where it was after you finished showing me all of this, and you also said that you always keep your promises, remember?

The Lorax sighed in resignation. “The leak is in the pipe house,” he told him.

“Ugh, I should have known.” Once-ler muttered as he stormed over to the elevator, leaving the Lorax behind. Once-ler pressed the button that took him to the appropriate floor, then went into the pipe house to fix the leak. Thankfully, it wasn't that serious, one of the pipes was just leaking a little bit of water, but Once-ler still wanted to make sure it was fixed before it became a bigger problem. He did not want anything similar to the blackout to happen ever again.

After Once-ler fixed the leak, he made his way down the empty hallway. By this point, it was the end of the workday, and all the employees had left. Once-ler went straight to his office, where he nearly collapsed in his red velvet chair as the adrenaline he had been feeling earlier suddenly left his body.   Once-ler stared down at his desk before letting out a sigh. Once-ler knew that he still had more work to do, but he felt exhausted.
“I just need a quick nap, then I'll get back to work.” Once-ler told himself as he leaned back in his chair, pulled his top hat over his eyes, and began to doze off, thankful that he now had a much more comfortable chair to sleep in.

Some time later, Once-ler was suddenly awoken by a strong familiar smell, the unmistakable scent of smogulous smoke. Once-ler jumped up in alarm, wondering where the smell could possibly be coming from. Once-ler knew that there was no reason why he should have been able to smell the smoke so strongly, especially since the factory was closed for the day, So, something had to have been terribly wrong. 

Once-ler then turned around and his eyes widened in horror when he discovered the source of the smell. Somehow, smogulous smoke was pouring inside the office through the window he had opened earlier. Too panicked to question why he would even be seeing something so illogical, Once-ler quickly ran over to the window to try and close it, but it was stuck and would not budge. Instead, the smoke began to pour in even more intensely, hitting Once-ler directly in the face. 

Once-ler then turned away from the window and began to cough. Realizing that he was in danger, Once-ler frantically began to look for an exit. He rushed over towards the nearest door, a brand new exit that led directly to an outside staircase, but when he opened the door, Once-ler was hit by another fierce cloud of smogulous smoke that sent him stumbling backwards. As smoke continued to pour into the room, Once-ler broke out into a brief coughing fit.  After he recovered, Once-ler then ran over to leave through the front door of the office, but when he opened it, yet another cloud of smoke poured in.

“No! This can't be happening!” Once-ler gasped before breaking out into another coughing fit. Afterwards, he looked back up, praying that he would awaken from what he hoped was just a horrible dream, but the smoke continued to pour into the office. The fumes not only looked but also smelt so very real, causing Once-ler's eyes to sting and his throat the burn.

Desperate to find another way out, Once-ler ran over to one of the office balconies and flung open the door, hoping to somehow find a way to climb down from there and escape, but unfortunately he was hit with yet another cloud of smogulous smoke. He tried again with the door to the other balcony, only for the same thing to happen again.

Once-ler gasped and coughed as the office continued to become filled with smogulous smoke. With no other options left, Once-ler turned and headed towards the adjacent office bathroom, hoping that maybe he could crawl out of the window. Unfortunately, whenever Once-ler opened the bathroom door, he was greeted with a horrific sight. Not only was smogulous smoke coming in through a crack in the bathroom window, but schloppity schlop was rapidly pouring out from the shower head, the sink, and even the toilet. Once-ler let out a scream and backed up as the black ooze covered the bathroom floor and began to seep into the office.

“How would you feel if all this stuff got into your personal space?” a voice echoed inside Once-ler's mind.

“Lorax? Mustache? Is that you?” Once-ler shouted as he looked around the room, but he saw no sign of the forest guardian. Meanwhile, the office continued to rapidly fill with smogulous smoke and schloppity schlop. “Is there anyone out there?” Once-ler asked desperately as it became harder and harder to breathe. 

Then, suddenly, Once-ler began to hear sinister, familiar laughter. “Greed-ler!” Once-ler cried out as he turned to face the monster that lived in his dreams.

Greed-ler stood across the room, appearing as a dark silhouette, with all of his features obscured by smoke except for his green grovvulous gloves, his pure white evil grin, and his icy blue eyes. Greed-ler stared at Once-ler for another moment, then dissolved into the smoke that surrounded him, as his evil  disembodied laughter could still be heard throughout the office. 

“Greed-ler! Greed-ler! What are you doing? Please! Let me go! Make it stop!” Once-ler cried out in desperation in between gasps and coughs. Once-ler was now certain that Greed-ler had brought this nightmarish scene to life, for it was far from the first time the green-clad man had used smogulous smoke and schloppity schlop to try to scare and manipulate him.

However, despite Once-ler's pleas, the scene continued to grow worse, with even more and more smoke and schlop filling the office as Greed-ler continued to laugh. Greed-ler's silhouette then appeared to Once-ler briefly, only to dissipate when the latter reached out towards him, and re-appear in a different area of the room.

“Greed-ler! Please! Stop this! Let me out! Let me go!” Once-ler begged.

Greed-ler did not stop. Instead, he kept laughing and teasing Once-ler, disappearing and then reappearing again and again as Once-ler tried to reach out for him. Until the latter eventually lost his footing and fell to the floor, which was now covered in schloppity schlop. Once-ler tried to get up, but the schlop was uncharacteristically sticky for some reason and Once-ler struggled to move as the dark substance clung to his body. As this was happening, Greed-ler, with his form still obscured by smoke, stopped laughing and walked over towards him. As Once-ler writhed in the black ooze, Greed-ler glared down at him, clearly enjoying Once-ler's desperation and torment.

“Greed-ler...” Once-ler whispered with a shudder.

“Oh my Once-ler, you really let that old Lorax mess with your head this time.” Greed-ler remarked.

“What?” Once-ler continued to whisper, before he let out another cough. “What are you talking about? You're the one who's doing this to me.”

“Maybe...” Greed-ler replied in a teasing tone “...or perhaps you are the one who brought this nightmare upon yourself, by letting unnecessary guilt get the better of you...by letting it consume you.” As Greed-ler spoke, even more smogulous smoke poured into the room and more schloppity scholp continued to spread over Once-ler's body, both substances threatening to suffocate him. Greed-ler meanwhile, was completely unaffected. “Although you may have begun dressing the part, you still have not yet truly embraced your role...” Greed-ler continued “...allowing that irritating orange guardian to fill your head with lies and doubts.” 

“But the Lorax isn't lying.” Once-ler protested, “He showed me what's actually happening and he says it's only going to get worse if we keep...”

“You said so yourself Once-ler,” Greed-ler angrily interrupted him. “It's not going to be that bad. Seriously, it's just a little bit of smogulous smoke and schloppity schlop. Just some necessary byproducts of a thriving industry.” Greed-ler tried to reason with him. “How bad can that possibly be?” Greed-ler eyes then lit up as he suddenly got a wonderful, awful idea. “Why yes, that's exactly right. Remember that song we wrote Once-ler? How about you sing a few lines? Maybe that will help you come to your senses.” Greed-ler suggested.

Once-ler stared at Greed-ler for a moment, but said nothing, unable to tell if the man was serious. Then Once-ler gasped in fear as more schloppity schlop slowly continued to envelope him, and began to crawl over his face.

“Yes, do it! Go on ahead and prove that darn Lorax wrong!” Greed-ler further encouraged. “Didn't he say that no one could sing that had smog in his throat? So if you can sing, that means the smog must not be real, either that or it's not a big deal.” Greed-ler quipped with a laugh.

Once-ler continued to silently stare back at Greed-ler uncertainly. 

“Come on Once-ler, you have to trust me.” Greed-ler sneered with a sinister grin. “There's no other   choice. Do you think anybody else is going to come and save you from this?”

Knowing that what Greed-ler said was true Once-ler winced as he weakly began to sing

There's a principle in business 
That everybody knows is sound
It says the people with the money 
Make this ever-loving world go 'round
So I'm biggering my company
I'm biggering my factory
I'm biggering my corporate sign
Everybody out there, take care of yours
And me? I'll take care of
Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine

As Once-ler sang the smogulous smoke and schloppity schlop began to slowly dissolve away. Eventually, Once-ler was able to finally get up and stand face to face with a still slightly obscured Greed-ler.

“Keep going!” Greed-ler encouraged him.

Let me hear you say Smogulous smoke (Smogulous smoke)
Schloppity schlop (Schloppity schlop)
Complain all you want, it's never ever, ever, ever gonna stop
Come on how bad can I possibly be? 

As Once-ler watched the smoke and schlop continue to disappear, his voice grew more confident as he sang one last verse. Greed-ler, now completely visible, smiled at him encouragingly.

How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
I'm just building an economy
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
Just look at me pettin' this puppy
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
A portion of proceeds goes to charity
How ba-a-a-ad can I be?
How bad can I possibly be? Let's see...

At that moment, Once-ler finally woke up from his nightmare, still sitting in his office chair.  Once-ler then looked around the office and saw that the room was perfectly clean and pristine.

“There, see?” Greed-ler reassured Once-ler as he walked over towards him. “Not bad at all.”

“Yeah...maybe you were right...” Once-ler began before he looked down at himself and yelped in fear when he saw some stray splotches of schloppity schlop on his jacket and gloves. Frantically, Once-ler reached into a desk drawer, pulled at a thneed, and then began to wipe away the stains while hyperventilating. 

“Once-ler calm down!” Greed-ler growled while slamming his fist on the desk, startling Once-ler and grabbing his attention. “A few drops of schlop must have gotten on your clothes when you were down in the boiler room. That's all.”

Once-ler began to settle down a little as he considered Greed-ler's words and saw that the office was still clean. He then looked back down at himself and saw that the schlop stains had disappeared, having been wiped away with the thneed.

“You need to get a hold of yourself!” Greed-ler growled as he grabbed Once-ler by the shirt collar. “All this time needlessly worrying could have been spent biggering! And why do you even care about what that darn Lorax even has to say anyway? Don't you remember? He tried to kill you,” Greed-ler sneered. “He nearly sent you over the waterfall!” 

“That was an accident...he didn't mean to...” Once-ler began before their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the sound of Once-ler's cell phone ringing. Greed-ler then let go, and Once-ler reached into his pocket to answer it. “Hello?' he cautiously asked the person at the other end.

“Once-ler, where are you?” his mother asked. “I thought you would be home by now, or did you go out somewhere?”

“No, mom. I'm still at the office.” Once-ler informed her. “I was just...uh, getting some work done.” 

“Oh, well, go on ahead and stop what you're doing and then come on down to the parlor room. I'm waiting for you there. There's...something I want to talk to you about in-person.” Isabella told him in a tone that was not to be argued with.

“Uh, okay Mom.” Once-ler answered her nervously. “I'll be right down.”

“Alright then Once-ler, I'll see you soon,” Isabella replied before hanging up the phone.

Once-ler also hung up and put his cell phone back in his pocket, then looked nervously towards Greed-ler.

“Gee, I wonder what you screwed up this time?” Greed-ler sneered.

“Who knows?” Once-ler replied with a sigh as he got up from the chair. 

With one last huff of annoyance, Greed-ler then disappeared, leaving Once-ler to his fate.   

As Once-ler became filled with a sense of dread, he opened the office door that led outside and began to descend down the staircase. From there, Once-ler was only a few steps away from the tall crooked tower that served as the entryway to the lower level of his penthouse. With a deep, shaky breath, Once-ler turned the key to the front door and stepped inside, only to find the parlor room strangely dark. Once-ler then flipped on the light switch and gasped when he saw what happened next.

“Happy Birthday!” His mother and the rest of his family shouted with huge smiles on their faces. A banner with the aforementioned phrase hung in the back of the room, while a few balloons were scattered about.

Once-ler stared back at the scene in complete shock, mouth agape, unable to say a word.

“Well Oncie, were you surprised?” his mother asked as she came over to hug him.

“Oh, I'm surprised alright...” Once-ler began as he suddenly found his voice.

Isabella's smile began to grow bigger, until she heard what her son had to say next.

“...especially since it's not my birthday.” Once-ler continued.

The smiles of the family's faces faltered at his words.

“What?” Isabella asked as she took a step back. “What do you mean it's not your birthday?” 

“My birthday was last month.” Once-ler told her.

“Really? I thought for sure it was...” his mother started before a sudden realization came over her “...Oh, you're right...” she trailed off. 

Once-ler cringed. His birthday had occurred while everyone was busy planning the masquerade party. He had been disappointed but not surprised that his family had forgotten about it. 

There was an awkward minute of silence before Isabella finally spoke again. “Well, um, anyway, come over here Oncie, we all chipped in and bought you something,” she told her son as she grabbed his hand and led him over to his present, hoping that the gift would distract Once-ler from her blunder.

Her plan worked. Once-ler was immediately transfixed by the large, wrapped package that sat in the middle of the parlor room. “You all got this for me?” he asked in disbelief. Usually, even when his family did remember Once-ler's birthday all they ever got him were boring gifts like underwear and socks. Once-ler wondered what the large present could possibly be.

“We sure did. Now go on ahead and open it.” Isabella encouraged him.

Once-ler knelt down on the floor and began to tear apart the wrapping paper and opened the box, eventually revealing a guitar case. “Oh cool, an extra guitar case. Thanks.” he beamed. Once-ler still had only his one old guitar and he didn't really need an extra case for it, but he was still very grateful for the gift.

“It's not an extra case. Look inside.” Isabella told him.

With his curiosity growing further, Once-ler opened the case, and his mouth opened wide when he saw what was inside. “Oh wow! Wow!” Rowdy-dow!”  Once-ler exclaimed as he carefully pulled out a brand new bright red flying v guitar, the exact same one he had circled in his catalog and had been meaning to buy for so long. “This is amazing. Thank you all so much!”

“You're welcome Once,” Brett told him as he and Chet cleaned up the wrapping paper and box from the floor.

“Yeah, we knew you wanted it. We saw it in your catalog,” Chet added.

“I still can't believe you guys would do something like this for me.” Once-ler replied as he tried the guitar on.

“Well, we all knew you needed to get a new one anyway, What with your television appearance coming up and all.” Isabella explained before adding “I mean, you weren't going to actually play that ratty old thing of yours on TV and embarrass us now were you?”

“No mom, of course not.” Once-ler tried to reassure her, suddenly feeling panicked. “I was going to buy the new guitar myself, but I just got really busy and then...”

“Don't worry about it, Oncie,” his mother interrupted him with a dismissive wave. “You have the new guitar now, so just enjoy it. How about you play us a little something? It would be good to get some more practice in.” Isabella suggested.

“Really? You want me to?” Once-ler asked timidly. His family had never been interested in hearing him play before, usually referring to his music as 'that racket'.

“Of course, go on ahead.” Isabella encouraged him further as the family settled down on the parlor room couches.

“Oh, okay...” Once-ler replied nervously before he began to play How Bad Can I Be, as the family looked on approvingly. Then afterwords, Once-ler began to play another one of his favorite songs. As Once-ler sang and strummed his new guitar, he danced and twirled around the room with a smile on his face. Occasionally taking a glance at himself in the mirror. This was truly the best birthday celebration Once-ler could have ever imagined, even if it was a month late. Once-ler remembered how he had wished for this moment so long ago, and he could not believe that his dream was finally becoming a reality. 

As Once-ler concluded the songs, his family stood up and broke out into applause.

“Well Oncie, that wasn't that bad. You did a pretty decent job” His mother cheered.

“Thanks Mom, and thank you all so much for the guitar too. It was the best present ever!” Once-ler exclaimed.

“You're welcome Oncie,” his mother nodded. “Now how about we all head over to the dining room and have some cake huh?” Isabella suggested.

The rest of the family earnestly agreed and began to follow her over to the dining room. While Once-ler carefully took off the guitar and placed it back in the case before heading over to join them. However, as Once-ler passed by a mirror along the way, he heard a familiar voice.

“See Once-ler?” Greed-ler asked from inside the mirror. “This is truly what we have always wanted. We've both known it the whole time.”

“Yeah...” Once-ler whispered as he slowly lifted his hand towards the glass. However, before he could touch it, Isabella called out for him. 

“Oncie? Where did you go? We're waiting for you!” Isabella cried out.

“I'll be right over mom.” Once-ler replied as he took one last glance in the mirror before walking away.

Chapter Text

Once-ler sat at his desk in his office, looking over his company's financial records on his computer. At first, the numbers seemed to show that things were going well for Thneed inc. Once-ler was rather pleased to see that thneed sales were continuing to grow, which of course meant increased revenue for the company. However, as Once-ler continued to look over the records, he noticed that one of the numbers seemed to be a bit off. Specifically, the amount of money in the company's charity fund looked lower than it should have been. This concerned Once-ler, for a portion of the proceeds from every thneed sold was supposed to be donated to charity, and if thneed sales were indeed growing the way they were, the amount of money in the charity fund should have been significantly higher.

Once-ler quickly pulled out a calculator from a desk drawer and frantically punched in some numbers. Afterwards, Once-ler looked back up at the computer and gasped when he saw how different the results were. Once-ler bit his lip as he quickly cleared the calculator and tried again, only to get the same result. 

“No..no...no! That can't be right!” Once-ler murmured to himself as he repeatedly pressed the buttons of the calculator with his green gloved fingers. But no matter how many times Once-ler tried to recalculate the numbers, the answer remained the same.

As a sense of panic began to set in, Once-ler put the calculator in his pocket, then quickly printed out a copy of the financial records before he left his office and turned to Brett and Chet who were standing outside of the door. “Go get Mom, Uncle Ubb, and Aunt Grizelda. I need all five of you to see me in the meeting  room immediately.” Once-ler ordered.

The twins both nodded, then immediately obeyed, as Once-ler quickly made his way over to the meeting room. Once-ler hated the fact that he had to get his mother and the rest of his family involved in this, but Once-ler also knew that he would likely need their help in order to figure out what might have happened with the money, since they all also had access to the financial records.  

Inside the meeting room, Once-ler paced around nervously as he waited for his family to arrive. Until finally, after what seemed like an eternity but in reality was only a few minutes, Once-ler's mother, brothers, aunt, and uncle all finally stepped inside to join him.

“What's the matter son?” Isabella asked him, looking both irritated and worried.

Once-ler pointed to the document he had set on the table. “I was looking over the financial records and noticed that one of the numbers is way off,” he informed his family. “The amount being donated to charity is far less than it should be.” 

Isabella looked down more closely at the document with a confused look on her face. “I don't see what the problem is Once-ler.” she told him. “I've looked over these documents before, and the amount being donated seems fine to me. It's certainly enough to ensure that you'll be invited to another charity ball next year.”

“Yeah, so what's the big deal?” Uncle Ubb added. “As long as the charity gets a decent amount of money, there shouldn't be a problem, right?” he continued, as he began shifting his eyes around nervously.

“No, Uncle Ubb, you're completely wrong. It is a problem!” Once-ler told him.“Because a portion of the proceeds for every single thneed the company sells is supposed to be donated. So, the charity is expecting to receive a certain amount based directly on sales numbers.” Once-ler further explained as he punched the numbers into the  calculator again before showing his family the result. “If you look closely, you'll see that the amount being donated is definitely way too low considering how many thneeds have been sold. If we don't find out why that is, we could wind up in real trouble.”

“W-what k-kind of t-trouble?” Uncle Ubb stammered.

“Huge trouble.” Once-ler answered, his tone growing more serious. “If the charity thinks we've committed fraud against them, it could cause a scandal. We could wind up in trouble with the law, and the company could even be shut down!

“No!” the family all gasped in unison. 

“Yes!” Once-ler exclaimed. “That's why it's so important for us to get to the bottom of this before anyone else finds out. So I'm asking you all again. Do any of you know what might have happened to the money?”

Once-ler looked over at his family, who all shook their heads in denial, except for Uncle Ubb, who nervously looked down at the floor, trying to avoid Once-ler's gaze. 

“Uncle Ubb, do you know something? Once-ler asked him as he noticed his uncle's strange behavior.

“Um...well...” Uncle Ubb began as he stepped backwards, before being blocked by his wife Aunt Grizelda who glared down at him.

“Uncle Ubb, if you know something you have to tell me!” Once-ler pleaded.

 “Um...well...you see...um...” Uncle Ubb stammered as he looked over the rest of the family until his eyes fell on his sister Isabella.

“Ubb...” Isabella growled as she gave him a terrifying glare.

Completely terrified of his sister, Ubb finally confessed. “I just meant to...borrow some of the money out of the account!” he admitted.

“You did what? When?” Aunt Grizelda asked angrily. “And why didn't you share any of it with me?”

“I did dear,” Uncle Ubb tried to reassure his wife.” I took it out just before you and I went on vacation because I wanted some extra money for us to go gambling with.” Uncle Ubb told her.

“Why in the world did you take money from the company's charity fund?” Once-ler shouted in anger “You have plenty of your own money!”

“Well, I didn't want to gamble with my own money!” Uncle Ubb protested. “So, I figured I would just...borrow some from the charity fund.” he continued. “Then I was um....going to put the money back after I'd won some more for myself and Grizelda.”

“Then why didn't you put the charity money back when you returned from your trip?” Once-ler continued to shout, his anger continuing to grow by the second.

“Because he lost it all.” Aunt Grizelda answered.

“So you don't have the missing money?” Once-ler asked them in shock.

“Uh...no,” Uncle Ubb finally told him.

“I can't believe this!” Once-ler screamed in exasperation before he buried his face in his green-gloved hands.

“Like I said before, I didn't think it would be a problem!” Uncle Ubb exclaimed “I forgot that the amount donated was directly based on sales, so I didn't think it would matter if I took...I mean...borrowed some.”

““Ubb, how could you be so careless? This is going to be a disaster!”” Isabella yelled at him before she turned to face Once-ler.“You have to fix this!” she pleaded.

“How?” Once-ler asked her.

Isabella thought for minute, then spoke again. “Well, the last thing we want is a scandal...so we're going to have to find a way to cover this whole thing up before anyone else finds out...” She paused for another moment to think some more before an idea occurred to her. “Once-ler, you have plenty of money, so why don't you transfer some of your own funds to the charity account so that way nobody will ever know.” Isabella suggested.

“Yeah, I think that's a great idea!” Uncle Ubb added.

Once-ler shot the man an icy glare at his words. 

“Son, please, I know you're angry, but this is what's best for the company.” Isabella pleaded.

Once-ler paused and considered his mother's idea. He obviously did not like her suggestion, but Once-ler also knew that the situation could get worse if he didn't go along with it. “Fine, I'll do it.” he finally agreed, much to the family's collective relief. “Now, if you all will excuse me, I'll be in my office.” Once-ler told them with a huff as he grabbed the financial document from the table and marched out of the meeting room.

Once-ler immediately went back to his office and sat back down at his computer. Once-ler quickly logged onto the website for his bank and did just what his mother had suggested. He transferred money from one of his own personal accounts to the charity fund, making the amount of the latter what it should be. Then, Once-ler changed the records on his computer to reflect the correct amounts, before he finally got up and shredded the financial document he had printed out, destroying the last evidence of any wrongdoing. Afterwards, Once-ler slumped back down in his office chair with a heavy sigh, as a bell rang throughout the factory to signal the beginning of lunch hour. Only a few seconds later, Once-ler's mother hurried inside the office. 

“Did you fix it?” Isabella  asked him, worriedly.

“Yes Mom, I did.” Once-ler told her. “I did exactly what you said.”

“Oh, thank you Oncie!” his mother exclaimed as she came over behind the desk to give Once-ler a hug. “I can't tell you how relieved I am. I thought that the company was ruined for sure!” Isabella continued as she hugged him tighter. “But you did the right thing and fixed it. Now nobody will ever know! Oh, Once-ler, I'm so proud of you.”

Meanwhile, Once-ler sat in his chair rigidly, his eyes cast downward. For once, his mother's compliments did not comfort him. Isabella noticed her son's expression and pulled away.

“What's wrong Once-ler, are you okay?”  Isabella asked.

“No...I just found out my own uncle stole money from my company!” Once-ler whined.

“Oh Oncie, I know you're upset.” His mother replied in sympathy. “Believe me, we're all furious with Ubb. Grizelda and I both let him have it after you left, but now that you've fixed everything, we just have to try to pretend the whole thing never happened. As much as I'd like to hold Ubb accountable for what he did, it would be better for Thneed inc. if we just swept this whole situation under the rug so that way we can avoid a potential scandal. At the end of the day, the most important thing is making sure this company stays successful.” 

“I know...” Once-ler whispered as he considered what his mother had said.

“Now, if you hadn't been able to fix it, then things would have been a lot different. Why, if that was the case, I don't know if I would ever speak to Ubb ever again.” Isabella seethed.

Once-ler froze at her words, terrified at the idea that he could lose his mother's love along with his company if something were to go wrong.

Isabella noticed how worried her son still looked. “Hey Oncie, just try to calm down now,” his mother told him in a soothing tone as she reached over to touch one of his green-gloved hands. “You fixed it now, so everything's going to be fine. Don't be upset. You know what happens when you get yourself too worked up. It's lunchtime now, so why don't you get yourself something to eat and then relax a little.” She suggested. 

Once-ler let out a deep sigh, then turned to face her. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

“Alright then.” Isabella replied as she pulled away and began to leave. “I'll see you later Oncie.”

“Yeah, see you later, mom.” Once-ler replied as Isabella closed the office door.     

After his mother left, Once-ler got up and went over to open the mini fridge in his office. He pulled out a sandwich and a bottle of water for lunch, then sat back down at his desk to eat. Afterwards, Once-ler tried to find a way to distract himself from the events that occurred earlier that day. At first, Once-ler thought it would be a good idea to keep working on his sketches and models for the new buildings he was designing, but Once-ler found it hard to concentrate, as he couldn't stop thinking about what Uncle Ubb had done. 

Once-ler then considered his mother's advice to take a break and sought out something more leisurely to do. He went over and grabbed his new red guitar and began to play, but today, playing music didn't soothe him as it usually did. On the contrary, playing that guitar made Once-ler feel even angrier as he remembered his belated birthday party. Once-ler had been so happy then, and he had really hoped and believed that his relationship with his family would improve after that. But his hopes were dashed after learning about his Uncle's betrayal.

With an angry sigh, Once-ler set the guitar back down on its stand, then he began to pace around the office as he continued to think about Uncle Ubb. Once-ler had always had a slightly awkward relationship with his uncle. As the man of the house while Once-ler, was growing up, Ubb was often quick to point it out whenever he thought Once-ler was acting 'unmanly'. While, Uncle Ubb wasn't deliberately mean to Once-ler, his critical comments still hurt Once-ler's feelings sometimes. Aside from that however, Uncle Ubb had treated him decently over the years, and Once-ler was surprised and hurt that his Uncle would do something so despicable. How could Uncle Ubb be so greedy?

Once-ler then paused as he noticed his own reflection in his full-length mirror, wearing his large top hat and sharp green suit. Once-ler stared at himself in trepidation as he began to consider the possibility that he, or rather his alter-ego the Greed-ler might be just as bad as Ubb, taking whatever he wanted without regard for anyone else or considering the consequences.                    

Once-ler soon became overwhelmed. The large office he was in suddenly felt too small, the burden of being the president of Thneed inc. felt too great, and his green suit felt too heavy and hot. So, Once-ler removed his pocket watch, gloves, jacket, top hat, and even the tie. Then set them all down on his desk next to his sunglasses, which he had already taken off earlier. Afterwards, now only wearing his white dress shirt, dark gray slacks, and boots, Once-ler made his way over to the side office door that led directly outside to the truffula forest, descended the staircase, then began walking away from the factory, in the opposite direction of town. 

However, there was someone who didn't think that this was such a good idea, and he quickly came up behind Once-ler to voice his opinion. “Where do you think you're going?” Greed-ler sneered.

Once-ler stopped for a moment to turn to face him. “If you really are a version of me, shouldn't you already know the answer to that?” Once-ler snapped before he continued to walk away.

Greed-ler was taken aback for a moment at Once-ler's sudden rebelliousness, but he quickly collected himself and caught up to him. Greed-ler sensed Once-ler's doubts, and he was determined to take control of him again. Also, Greed-ler did not like the fact that Once-ler was spending time amongst trees of all  things. “Why are you walking through the forest? Greed-ler asked him.“How about you head on over to Greenville, and treat yourself to a little retail therapy?” he suggested.

“Not interested.” Once-ler replied sharply as he quickened his pace. “Now leave me alone. I don't want to deal with you or anything else right now.”

“Once-ler, listen to me, I understand how you feel....”Greed-ler began.

“No, you don't!” Once-ler retorted, cutting him off. “You don't have any feelings at all. The only things you care about are money and control!”

“That's not true at all Once-ler.” Greed-ler replied. “I'm not the heartless monster you think I am...I have things I care about, dreams I want to make a reality, a family that I love...just like you do. Exactly the same as you do, because I am you. Don't you remember? All your thoughts and feelings are the same as mine.”

Once-ler stayed silent as he kept walking away. Not wanting to acknowledge the truth in Greed-ler's words. 

“So whenever you hurt...I hurt. I know and understand your pain.” Greed-ler continued “I feel just as hurt and betrayed by Uncle Ubb as you do. But we can't let our anger cloud our judgment. You can't just get up and walk away from this business.” 

“I just wanted to take a break and get away from everything for a while. That's all!” Once-ler insisted.

“Exactly!” Greed-ler spat “You're having doubts again, so now you're trying to escape from both this business and from me, but I won't let you!” Greed-ler shouted as he aggressively grabbed one of Once-ler's arms and pulled him back.

“Get away from me!” Once-ler yelled as he slipped away.

“No!” Greed-ler shouted back as he managed to take hold of Once-ler again. “We've both worked too hard for you to turn away now!”

“Let me go!” Once-ler shouted as he tried to escape Greed-ler's grip.

“Never!” Greed-ler growled as he tried to drag Once-ler back towards the factory.

“Go away! Leave me alone!” Once-ler screamed before he finally broke free. 

Greed-ler immediately grabbed Once-ler by the shoulders and tried to pull him back, but Once-ler managed to slip away again. Once-ler then tried to run, only to suddenly trip over a large rock, which quickly sent him tumbling down over a small hill. Until Once-ler was eventually slammed against a large truffula tree and knocked unconscious from the impact.

A few moments later, Once-ler's eyes fluttered open, and he could see that Greed-ler, sans sunglasses, was carrying him away. Upon noticing that Once-ler had awakened, Greed-ler looked down at him and began to offer words of reassurance. “It's going to be okay Once-ler, I've got you,” he told him. 

Once-ler couldn't help but notice that Greed-ler's voice sounded off, as though it were blended with another, and as his vision became more clear, Once-ler could also see that Greed-ler was now sporting a pair of black angel wings. Once-ler, now frightened, gasped at the sight.

“Don't worry Once-ler. It's going to be alright. You're safe now.” Greed-ler tried to reassure him again.

But Once-ler felt anything but safe as he looked back up at Greed-ler and at the world that surrounded them. The air was full of dark smogulous smoke that burned Once-ler's lungs, while numerous tree stumps filled the vast landscape. It was a sight that Once-ler had seen in his mind many times, yet it still never failed to strike fear into his heart. Terrified, Once-ler tried to squirm away, only for his body to ache in protest. 

“Hey, take it easy.” Greed-ler told him. “Just relax, we're almost there.”

“Where are you taking me?” Once-ler whispered. As he considered his surroundings and Greed-ler's new appearance, Once-ler began to fear the worst. He thought that perhaps his injuries had been worse than he had suspected and that Greed-ler was in fact, an angel of death. 

“Back to the factory. Where you belong.” Greed-ler answered. 
 
Hearing this, Once-ler felt some degree of relief, but he also still felt uncertain and conflicted. Although Once-ler did not want to stay out here in the dark and desolate forest, Once-ler also didn't want to let Greed-ler take him back to the factory, where he would surely try to take control of him again. So, Once-ler tried once more to move and escape Greed-ler's grasp, only to seethe in pain.

“What's the matter Once-ler?” Greed-ler asked, his voice uncharacteristically full of concern.

“It hurts...” Once-ler weakly admitted. He wasn't just referring to the physical pain he was currently feeling. But also the pain he experienced from his family's cruelty, both past and present, the pressure of being the president of his business, the guilt he often felt as he biggered said business, in no small part thanks to the Lorax's lectures, and of course, the battle within himself against his own greed. Which manifested itself in frequent encounters with his alter-ego, the Greed-ler, who alternately presented himself as both a tormentor and a savior, leaving Once-ler both fearful and confused. 

“I know Once-ler, I know,” Greed-ler replied. “Just try to hang in there, alright? You're going to be okay. Just let me take care of you.”

Once-ler didn't have the strength to say anything else as he slowly felt the world fade away again.

When Once-ler woke up, he found himself sitting at his office desk. Still in a daze, Once-ler remained motionless as he took in his surroundings. As Once-ler's mind slowly began to clear, he began to wonder and hope that he had simply fallen asleep in his office again, and that all of the events from earlier that day, including the discovery of Uncle Ubb's betrayal, had simply been another nightmare. At least, until Once-ler looked down at himself and saw that his clothes were covered in dirt and grass stains. 

Once-ler jumped in shock at his appearance only to reel in pain again. Once-ler suddenly realized that he really had gone outside and hurt himself, which unfortunately also meant that the situation with Uncle Ubb had also happened as well. But Once-ler was still confused, if he really had left the factory and injured himself in the truffula forest, how in the world did get back to his office? Greed-ler wasn't actually real? Was he?

A few seconds later, Once-ler heard the sound of someone entering the room. He looked up in alarm, only to see his brother Brett rush towards him with ice packs, and an extra set of clean dress clothes.

“Once-ler! You're awake!” Brett exclaimed in relief. “Here, I brought you some of these,” he told Once-ler as he handed him the ice packs. 

“Thank you.” Once-ler replied weakly as he took the ice packs and gingerly placed them on his aching body and head.

“Are you gonna be okay?” Brett asked in concern. “You look awful, but then again you always have bruised like a peach,” he remarked.

“Yeah...I'm fine. I've survived worse.” Once-ler reassured him as he recalled his incident by the river. Once-ler assumed that his current injuries weren't as bad as they had been back then, since he was able to wake up on his own, but there was still one thing that bothered him. “How did I get back here?” he asked.

“I brought you back of course.” Brett answered as he gave Once-ler a quizzical look. “Don't you remember? I saw you wake up and heard you talking to me, so you had to have seen me, right?” Brett continued to grill Once-ler as he grew more concerned. “Didn't you recognize me? Who did you think I was? 

Once-ler only shuddered in response, unable to say a word. The idea that he had mistaken his own brother for Greed-ler frightened him greatly.

“Did you you think I was Chet or something?” Brett asked “You couldn't have hit your head that hard did you? You never mix us up.”

“No...I'm just confused...” Once-ler replied, still shaken. “How did you find me?”

“Mom told us to go check on you after we finished lunch because she said you were upset about Uncle Ubb.” Brett explained. “So, Chet and I went back to your office, but when we saw you were gone, we both started looking for you. Chet went off to see if you were somewhere in the factory, while I went outside. Then I heard you hollering, and when I ran over I saw you unconscious against that tree. So I brought you back here.” 

Once-ler went silent again as he processed what Brett had told him.

“Did the Lorax do this to you?” Brett suddenly asked.

“What? Why would you think that?” Once-ler gasped.

“Because  you were shouting stuff like 'let me go' and 'leave me alone' so I assumed he was messing with you again, right?” 

Once-ler found himself unable to speak once again as he failed to come up with an explanation.

“Did the Lorax hurt you Once-ler?” Brett asked again, his tone now more serious.

“No!” Once-ler exclaimed.

“Tell me the truth.” Brett demanded.

“It is the truth! I didn't see the Lorax!” Once-ler cried “Nobody else was out there! I was....I was alone.” Once-ler sighed as he answered truthfully.

“Then what in the world happened to you?” Brett questioned as he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“I tripped...” Once-ler explained weakly “I tripped on a rock, went tumbling down a hill, and then slammed into the tree.”

“That's not like you Once,” Brett remarked. “You may be a lot of things, but you ain't no klutz. You never trip over stuff.”

“I was angry...so I wasn't paying attention to where I was going.” Once-ler tried to convince him.

“Why in the heck were you walking through the forest of all places anyway?” Brett further questioned him.

“Like I said, I was mad over the whole thing with Uncle Ubb so I just went outside to try and clear my head okay?” Once-ler answered in exasperation. While Once-ler was grateful for his brother's help and concern. He was getting tired of his prying.

Brett gave Once-ler another confused look and opened his mouth the speak again, but before he could say anything, the bell in the factory rang to signal the end of lunch hour.

“Hey Brett, thanks for all your help, but I really need to get back to work now.” Once-ler told his brother as he slowly removed the ice packs and set them aside, thankful that he had an excuse to finally end this conversation.

“Are you sure you're gonna be okay?” Brett asked again in concern

“Yeah...I'm fine. I'm still a little sore but the ice really helped” Once-ler told him.

“Oh, okay.” Brett nodded. “Anyways, I brought you a clean set of clothes,” he informed Once-ler, pointing to the white dress shirt and dark gray pants that were folded on the desk, identical to the dirty ones Once-ler was wearing. “You'll want to get dressed before Mom sees you. She'll freak out if she finds out what happened.”

“Right,” Once-ler nodded.

“Alright then, so if you're good, I'm going to head back outside the door. Chet's already there. He was keeping an eye out to make sure no one else came in here.” Brett explained.

“That's not gonna stop mom.” Once-ler pointed out. “You know how she has a habit of just barging in.”

“That's true,” Brett acknowledged. “So, I'd better leave and let you get changed then.” Brett told Once-ler as he began to leave the office. “But if you need anything just let us know.

“Sounds good.” Once-ler called out, “Thanks again for everything.”

“No problem Once-ler.” Brett replied, as he closed the door.

After his brother finally left, Once-ler slowly got up and began to change his clothes, slightly wincing in pain as he did so. After Once-ler changed into the clean shirt and pants, and hid the dirty clothes in a desk drawer, Once-ler put the green jacket back on, along with his gloves and accessories. Then, after he was fully dressed, Once-ler sat back down at his desk, and turned his attention towards his work, as he tried to forget about all the pain he felt, both physical and emotional.

Chapter Text

“All right, here we go. About to make a thneed, about to change the world.” Once-ler remarked to himself as he grabbed his axe and walked over towards a truffula tree. It had been only a few moments ago that Once-ler had discovered the forest, filled with miles and miles of truffula trees and he knew those bright-colored tufts of those trees would be the perfect material to make his thneeds. 

As the curious forest animals watched on, Once-ler lifted his axe and then  began to slam it into the trunk of the tree repeatedly. The forest animals, now terrified, gasped and ran away as Once-ler continued to chop down the tree until eventually it fell backwards with a loud thud.

Smiling in satisfaction, Once-ler took a step forward to examine the tree's stump, before turning back towards where the animals had been. “Check it out, guys...” Once-ler began before his smile became a look of confusion as he realized the animals were gone. “Wha? Huh?Where did everybody go?” Once-ler asked.

Only a moment later, the sky began to darken as the forest filled with a dark gray mist. Just as a cold slow-and-sour gust of wind began to blow, chilling Once-ler to the bone. The sudden drop in temperature caused Once-ler to drop his axe, close his eyes, and shiver as the sky continued to darken and the air turned colder. Then, suddenly Once-ler heard a familiar voice echo through the forest. 

“A tree falls the way it leans, be careful which way you lean.”

At the sound of the forest guardian's words, Once-ler looked back up as the mist faded away, revealing a now dark and desolate forest that was full of numerous tree stumps. The only tree that could still be seen was the single one that lay in front of him. The one that he had just chopped down.

“What? No! That's impossible! I didn't mean...!” Once-ler gasped as he slowly stepped backwards from the shocking scene. Until he somehow stepped over a ledge and began to fall backwards into a vast dark emptiness.

Once-ler continued to free fall for a few moments, until he felt something tug at his wrist, and Once-ler looked up to see Greed-ler above him sporting a wicked grin. Despite Greed-ler's sinister appearance, Once-ler was relieved to see him, hoping that somehow Greed-ler would rescue him, but as they kept falling, Once-ler's fear grew as he became filled with doubt.

“What are you doing? Can't you see the danger we're in?” Once-ler asked desperately “Please! Save me!” he continued to plead in frustration, as he wondered where Greed-ler's dark angel wings were now that he needed them.

Greed-ler said nothing. Instead, he began to laugh as the both of them continued to fall, and Once-ler began to come to a horrible realization. Greed-ler wasn't going to rescue him, he was going down with him. Once-ler closed his eyes and screamed as he braced for impact. Only to open them again and see that things had shifted. Greed-ler was now beneath him, still holding on to his wrist and looking up at him with that same wicked grin. Forever oblivious to the danger they were in. Once-ler continued to stare down at him for a moment as he realized the truth, Greed-ler was pulling them both under, and there would be no way to stop him until it was too late.

Then, with a gasp, Once-ler, wearing his green suit, suddenly woke up panting at his office desk. As Once-ler tried to calm himself down, his eyes darted around to the various objects in the room, including the desk itself, the chair, his computer, the nearby trashcan full of crumpled up papers, a bag of half-eaten marshmallows, the clock with the dead battery that no longer told the right time, and the blueprints and papers that sat in front of him. 

As Once-ler gazed down at the documents that contained the blueprints and plans for his future restaurants and apartments, he sighed with both relief and apprehension as he remembered what he had been working on prior to falling asleep. Once-ler had been staying up late trying to complete both the sketches and the blueprints for his future apartment complexes, houses, and restaurants all week, and Once-ler had planned to present the finished designs in a meeting with his executives, investors, and the construction company on Friday. However, the incident with Uncle Ubb, some unexpected additional paperwork, and Once-ler's own indecisiveness about the plans had caused him to fall behind. Now it was Thursday night, and the drawings still weren't finished.

With a sigh, Once-ler got up from his chair and went over to a nearby counter where an instant coffee maker sat. After Once-ler made himself a large cup of coffee, he grabbed his drink, then went back over to his desk and placed the beverage within arm's reach, knowing that he would likely need it to get through the rest of the night. Once-ler's plan was to hopefully finish the blueprints and sketches in a couple of hours. Then he would try to get some sleep in his office before the meeting tomorrow. Thankfully, on Friday morning it would be his brothers' turn to open up and inspect the factory so he wouldn't have to get up too early.

But just as Once-ler had picked up a pencil in order to get back to work, he heard the sound of a deep yawn behind him. With a gasp, Once-ler turned his chair around to see the Lorax. 

“Why are you here? What are you doing up so late?” Once-ler asked him angrily.

“I could ask you the same question,” the Lorax quipped.

Once-ler scowled back at the forest guardian in annoyance.

“As for me, I couldn't sleep, cause I couldn't stop worrying about all the destruction you're causing.” the Lorax explained  “So, I decided to take a walk through the truffula forest, when I noticed the light in your office was on. I knew that was unusual this late at night. So, and I thought I'd come in and see what you were up to.”

“I'm trying to work and bigger my business. Now leave me alone.” Once-ler stated coldly as he turned his chair back around.

“Yeah, I know,” The Lorax snapped as he came over to the side of Once-ler's desk, refusing to leave. “I saw the future construction site, or rather the future destruction site, in the outskirts of the forest! the Lorax continued to shout angrily. “Apparently, that nasty factory of yours isn't enough! You just have to go on ahead and take even more land! You're even more heartless and greedy than I thought!”

“No, you're wrong!”  Once-ler shouted back. “I'm not being greedy. I'm trying to help people! I'm creating a community. Full of restaurants where people can eat and apartments and houses where they can live!”

“You seem to have forgotten that the animals of the forest need to live and eat too!” the Lorax snapped.

“I haven't forgotten about them. There's still plenty of land left.”  Once-ler protested. “The forest is still full of trees.”

“It won't be if things keep going the way they are.” the forest guardian argued “I mean, if things are this bad now then I don't even want to think about how much worse it's all going to be in even four or five years.”

“In four or five years from now, I'm going to be the richest and most important man in town.” Once-ler told him smugly.

“A town surrounded by tree stumps, garbage, schlopty schlop, and a dark smoggy sky. It sure sounds like paradise,” the Lorax retorted sarcastically.

“You just don't understand...” Once-ler began.

“No! You're the one that doesn't understand!” the Lorax yelled as he angrily jumped up on Once-ler's desk. Only to accidentally spill the large cup of coffee all over the papers Once-ler had been working on.

“No! What have you done?” Once-ler cried as he quickly stood up, grabbed a thneed from his desk, and tried to soak up the mess. However, to Once-ler's dismay, even after the liquid had been soaked up, the papers remained stained and soggy.

“What am I going to do now?”  Once-ler lamented as he looked down at the damaged documents.

“Well, I guess you're going to finally have to stop after all,” the Lorax stated simply as he looked down at the messed up papers on the desk. 

Once-ler snapped his head up towards the forest guardian and glared at him with fiery eyes. “No! I can't stop! That's the thing you don't understand! I can't just stop! I'm the head of an industry that employs thousands! I have responsibilities and expectations I need to meet! People are counting on me!” Once-ler yelled, furious at the Lorax's flippant attitude.

“You're just making excuses to cover up the fact that you're nothing more than a greedy dirt bag!” the Lorax shouted back.

“Just shut up already! You got what you wanted! You ruined my plans! So just get out!” Once-ler shouted as he turned around, gripped the edge of his desk, and began to shake.

The Lorax did not leave right away. Instead, he paused and took a closer look at Once-ler. The forest guardian couldn't help but notice that the man looked flushed and had noticeable bags under his eyes. Despite his anger towards Once-ler, the Lorax could not help but be slightly worried about his former acquaintance.

“Hey kid, are you going to be okay?” the Lorax asked.

“Just Get out! Now!” Once-ler seethed in response, before he turned back towards the papers, trying to hold back tears as his breath grew more ragged.

Knowing that he could not help Once-ler and that his continued presence was making things worse. The Lorax gave Once-ler one last concerned glance before he finally left.

Once-ler continued to stare down at the ruined blueprints and sketches, paralyzed by an overwhelming sense of trepidation, unsure of what to do, until he heard the sound of a familiar voice behind him.

“Once-ler!” Greed-ler stated sharply as he gripped Once-ler's arms from behind. “Get a hold of yourself. We have work to do.”

“What?” Once-ler asked breathlessly.

“There is no way we can present these at the meeting tomorrow and we can't cancel. So we'll simply have to draw them over again.” Greed-ler told him.

“But...” Once-ler tried to protest.

“We have no choice.” Greed-ler hissed. “You don't want to disappoint everyone and embarrass yourself  again like you did before, do you?”

“No.” Once-ler answered as he shook his head.

“It won't be as bad as you think...and I'll be right here to help you.” Greed-ler reassured him before disappearing.

At that moment, Once-ler felt his body jolt as Greed-ler's power forced him to sit back down in his office chair and grab a fresh piece of paper along with a pencil.

“Alight then Once-ler, we have no time to waste. So let's get started shall we?” Greed-ler's voice echoed in Once-ler's mind as he took over Once-ler's body completely and forced him to begin drawing.

As the night wore on, Once-ler, powered by a sense of pure adrenaline provided by Greed-ler's influence, continued working on the sketches and blueprints. At one point, as the dark of night eventually began to give way to dawn, his resolve began to fade as tiredness set in, and Once-ler's hand shook, causing him to drop the pencil he was holding, but Greed-ler would not let him stop.

“Keep going.” Greed-ler demanded. “You can't give up. I won't let you.”

Before Once-ler could even react, Greed-ler literally forced his hand. Making Once-ler pick up another pencil and continue working.

A couple of hours later, Once-ler's brothers poked their heads through the office door to check up on him after they had finished opening up and inspecting the factory. 

“Hey Once, the factory is opened.” Brett informed Once-ler who was still working at his desk. 

“Is there anything else you need us to do?” Chet asked..

Once-ler's head quickly shot up as he gave both his brothers a serious glare. “I need you to leave me alone.” Once-ler told them sharply. “I have important work I need to finish. Do not disturb me.”

The twins' eyes widened in surprise at the unusual harshness of Once-ler's words. But his tone left no room for argument, so they both quickly left and closed the office door.

As soon as the office door slammed shut, Once-ler poured himself back into his work, until eventually, after what seemed like forever, he had finally finished. Once-ler slowly stood up, shaking with both relief and exhaustion as he looked over the documents. Somehow, he had managed to redraw the sketches and blueprints for apartment buildings, houses, a burger joint, an ice cream shop, and a pancake house.

“I did it...I really did it.” Once-ler murmured to himself as he shakily began to sort the papers into a folder.

“Yes Once-ler, we really did,” a familiar voice replied from somewhere in the room with a laugh.

Once-ler turned his head around towards the sound. Only to see Greed-ler looking back at him from the inside of the office mirror. Even though they now wore the same clothes, Once-ler could tell it was Greed-ler's reflection and not his, because the man in the mirror bore no trace of Once-ler's exhaustion. Instead, Greed-ler wore his signature cocky smirk. “See Once-ler, things go much more smoothly when I'm in charge, don't they?” Greed-ler quipped as his laughter began echo throughout the room.

As Once-ler listened to Greed-ler's sinister laugh and stared at his reflection in the mirror, Once-ler began to understand the meaning of Greed-ler's words. While a part of Once-ler was relieved that he had been able to successfully re-do all of his work, he knew it was only because Greed-ler had taken near complete control over him. As the realization over what truly happened to him sank in, and the memory of last night's dream came back to him, Once-ler's vision faded as he suddenly blacked out.

When Once-ler regained consciousness, his mind was in a daze and he felt unusually warm. As the world slowly came back into focus, Once-ler realized that he was in fact in his bedroom, lying in his bed and wearing his favorite bunny pajamas, his body partially covered with a thneed blanket. Once-ler became confused as he wondered how that could  possibly be. It had been several days since he had slept in his penthouse. Instead, he had been sleeping in his office as he stayed up late working on his sketches and plans. The same ones he needed to present at the meeting today. 

Realizing this, Once-ler knew that no matter how he ended up in his bedroom, he needed to get up, change his clothes, and go to the meeting. He could figure out the rest later. But just as Once-ler began to move his weary body in order to get out of bed. A familiar figure stepped forward to stop him.

“Lie back down. You're not well. You need to rest.” Greed-ler spoke as he gently guided Once-ler back down to a lying position, placed the thneed back on top of him, then sat down next to Once-ler at the edge of the bed.

“What?” Once-ler whispered weakly as his fear and confusion grew. “But the meeting...I have to...”  

“Don't worry, Once-ler, it's alright.” Greed-ler reassured him in a soothing tone. Once-ler noticed that the green-clad man's voice sounded different somehow. It seemed lighter, almost ethereal in a way. “The meeting is already over, but don't worry. I took care of everything.” Greed-ler continued.

“W-what d-do you m-mean?”  Once-ler stammered.

“I went on ahead and presented the documents at the meeting myself.” Greed-ler informed him. “Don't worry Once-ler, the meeting went well and everyone loved your designs. The plans are already going through the proper channels.”

“W-why? Why d-did you...” Once-ler began to speak before his voice gave out. His body growing weaker and hotter from fear.

“Well, I didn't exactly have much of a choice.” Greed-ler explained. “You were unwell and it would have been unwise to cancel, so I decided to just go on ahead to the meeting without you.”

Once-ler began to tremble as he realized the implication of Greed-ler's words. Once-ler knew that Greed-ler, while having his own personality, was not a separate entity from himself. So, Once-ler concluded that in order for Greed-ler to attend the meeting without him remembering it, Greed-ler would have had to have taken complete control over him. Not just by possessing his body as he sometimes did, but also by completely locking him out of his own mind. Completely terrified by the very idea of such a thing occurring, Once-ler began to helplessly whimper, too weak to say anything.

Greed-ler noticed Once-ler's distress and immediately tried to soothe him. “Shh Once-ler, it's alright.” Greed-ler whispered as he began to gently brush his green-gloved hand through Once-ler's bangs.

But Once-ler knew that everything was not alright, and he winced at the gentle touch as a few tears slid down his face.

“Greed-ler wiped the tears away with his green-gloved thumb. Then went back to brushing Once-ler's bangs as he continued to try and soothe him. “Hey, don't cry. Don't get upset. It'll make just things worse.” Greed-ler whispered “Don't worry Once-ler, everything is going to be okay. You'll feel better soon. Just relax and go back to sleep.” 

Once-ler tried to resist and stay awake, but he felt his strength and resolve begin to fade, as it often did in the presence of Greed-ler, and Once-ler felt his eyelids grow heavy with exhaustion.

“Go to sleep.” Greed-ler whispered, one more time before Once-ler fell unconscious again.

Once-ler's eyes blinked open as he woke up sometime later, still in his bedroom, much to his confusion. But Once-ler had no time to question the situation, because just at that moment another familiar figure came into view, catching Once-ler by surprise.

“Once-ler! You're awake!” his mother gasped as she sat down on the bed next to Once-ler and began to brush her hand through his bangs. 

“Mom?” Once-ler whispered in shock. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

Isabella immediately froze at her son's question as her eyes widened in concern. “Son, I've been here for hours,” she told him. “You and I were talking earlier. I told you I went on ahead to the meeting myself. Don't you remember?” 

As Once-ler heard his mother's words he began to gasp and tremble in fear as he realized what had happened. Once-ler knew that simply seeing Greed-ler was bad enough, but that confusing the people he loved for Greed-ler was a sign that he was truly losing his mind.

“Once-ler what's the matter?” Isabella asked him worriedly. 

“I'm scared...” Once-ler managed to whisper

“Of what?” Isabella asked further. “Did you have a bad dream or something?” 

Once-ler was too terrified to answer her. Instead, he continued to shake and seethe in the bed as he shed a few more tears.

“Shh, Oncie,” his mother whispered soothingly as she wiped his tears away and resumed brushing her hand through his bangs. “You're going to be alright. You've just got one of those weird fevers again. You can't let yourself get all worked up or you'll just make it worse. Just try to relax.”

Finding some comfort from his mother's soothing words and presence. Once-ler slowly began to calm himself down. 

“That's right, Oncie, everything's going to be fine.” Isabella continued to whisper. “You have nothing to worry about. I already told you earlier, I went on ahead and presented your sketches and blueprints at the meeting, everything went well, and the plans for the new buildings are underway.” she smiled.

Once-ler stared back at his mother blankly as he processed what she had told him.

“Once-ler? Are you alright?” Isabella asked.

“I'm just...confused.” Once-ler told her. “What...what happened?”

“Oh, I see. You want to know what happened earlier this afternoon, huh?” his mother realized as she began to explain. “Well, it was the middle of the afternoon and I hadn't heard from you all day. So I figured I would go to your office to check up on you and make sure you were getting ready for the meeting.” Isabella then paused and looked down for a moment before she continued. “That's when I found you there on the floor. I was so worried, but your brothers and I quickly found out you were probably alright, just having another one of those weird stress fevers. So Brett and Chet brought you back to your room. I went on ahead and changed your clothes so that way you'd be more comfortable, and then we called Norma down to look after you while I went to the meeting.”

“Norma?” Once-ler questioned. “I don't remember seeing Norma.”

“That's because you were asleep the whole time she was here.” Isabella explained. “She left after I came back from the meeting and I've been keeping an eye on you since then. I wanted to make sure you were awake and okay before I went back to the house to grab some things. I'm going to stay with you this weekend.” she informed him.

“Really? But...” Once-ler began.

“No buts, Once-ler.” Isabella told him in a firm tone. “I'm not leaving you unsupervised until I'm sure you're better. You really scared me. I mean, my goodness son, how long were you lying there on the floor?” 

“I don't know...” Once-ler admitted.

Why didn't you holler for your brothers if you knew you were feeling bad?” She continued as her tone turned more sharp. “They were standing right outside the door. They could have helped you if they had known.”

“I....I don't know. I'm sorry.” Once-ler whispered in reply, unsure of what else to say.

“Speaking of which...” Isabella muttered as she got up from the bed and headed towards the living room, where the twins were apparently watching television. “Brett! Chet!” she shouted. “I need you to keep an eye on your brother while I go get some stuff from the house.”

“Aww Mom, do we have to do it right now?” Brett complained.

“Yeah, the game is on!” Chet added.

“I don't want to hear your excuses. Now both of you go watch your brother and bring him something to drink while you're at it. Now!” their mother demanded.

With an annoyed sigh. Brett turned off the television, while Chet went to the kitchen and grabbed Once-ler a bottle of water, before they both settled down in two separate chairs near Once-ler's bed.

“I'll be right back Once-ler!” Isabella called out before she left the penthouse.

“Okay, thank you Mom.” Once-ler called back out in reply, although his voice was strained. 

“Here, have some water.” Chet insisted as he handed Once-ler the bottle.

“Thanks,” Once-ler whispered as he sat up and grabbed the drink before taking a few sips.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments, until Once-ler eventually spoke again. “I have a TV....” he told the twins as he gestured towards the large flat screen television that was placed on the wall across from the bed.  “...you can turn on the game if you want to.” Once-ler offered.

“Are you sure?” Brett asked him with a raised eyebrow. “We both know that you're not into sports.”

“It's fine. I don't mind. Go on ahead.” Once-ler insisted, not wanting his brothers to possibly resent him for having to miss the game.

“Cool. Thanks Once,” Chet replied enthusiastically as he grabbed the remote and turned on the football game that he and Brett were previously watching. 

“Yeah thanks.” Brett added.

“No problem, guys.” Once-ler told them before he finished drinking his water. 

Afterwards, Once-ler settled back down in bed and eventually began to doze off, although he had difficulty falling asleep due to the noise from the television. Noticing this, Chet picked up the remote and muted the TV, allowing him and Brett to still watch the game, only in silence. With the room now quiet, Once-ler was soon able to drift off and fall back asleep again.

Some time later, however, Once-ler's peaceful slumber was disrupted by an increased feeling of warmth along with the scent of smoke. Once-ler opened his eyes in alarm, only to see several plumes of smoke throughout the room, in addition to flickering flames. 

“Ahh It's burning! It's all burning!” Once-ler screamed as he bolted from his bed and made his way out to the living room to escape, only to soon be stopped by Brett and Chet, who each grabbed one of his arms to restrain him. 

“Once-ler, what are you doing?” Chet asked him in alarm.

“Guys, we have to get out of here!” Once-ler cried as he struggled to get away. “It's burning! The house is burning! It's...”

“Once-ler calm down!” Brett interrupted him. “The house is fine. The only thing burning is your pancakes.”

“What?” Once-ler asked as he looked up towards the kitchen and saw his mother standing in front of the stove, where smoke was coming out of a skillet.

“Oncie, what's the matter?” Isabella exclaimed when she turned around and saw him.

“The smoke...I smelled the smoke, and I thought....” Once-ler began to explain.

“Oh, that's just the stove...” his mother told him. “I figured you would be hungry after you woke up, so I was making you some pancakes, while I make the rest of us dinner. But I guess I must have overcooked them a bit...” Isabella noted as she took a glance over at the burnt pancakes before looking back over at Once-ler again. “Everything's fine son, I'll make you a new batch. Now go lie back down,” she instructed.

Without a word, Brett and Chet immediately guided Once-ler back to his bedroom, where they continued to stay with him until the food was ready. Afterwards, Isabella had Brett and Chet grab two bedside tables for herself and Once-ler, so that way she could keep an eye on him while they both ate. The twins meanwhile would eat their dinner in the dining room. 

“I appreciate everything that you're doing for me mom, but you don't have to watch me every second.” Once-ler insisted as she brought their food to his bedroom.

“Apparently I do.” Isabella told him with a stern glare. “Now eat.”

Her tone left no room for argument and he ate his food in silence as his mother ate her dinner while sitting next to him.

After dinner was over, Isabella had Brett and Chet clean up the dishes. Then she let them go home, and she herself stayed with Once-ler the rest of the weekend. During this time, although Once-ler recovered from his illness rather quickly, he still could not help but feel slightly uneasy. His mother watched him near constantly, only letting him out of her sight to whenever either of them used the bathroom. Even at night, Isabella opted to sleep next to Once-ler in one of the chairs next to his bed rather than in the guest room.

They spent most of their time together in silence, and the tension between them was palpable. Once-ler could tell that despite his mother's obvious concern, she also harbored feelings of irritation and disappointment and it was only a matter of time until she made those feelings known.

It was on Sunday afternoon, while she and Once-ler were drinking tea in the living room, when Isabella finally did so. “So, let me guess, that darn Lorax was messing with you again, wasn't he? She asked Once-ler in an accusing tone. 

“Well, um...” Once-ler reluctantly began.

“Tell me what happened son,” his mother demanded.

Once-ler sighed, knowing that he had no choice but to tell his mother the truth. “Yeah, he was messing with me.” Once-ler admitted. I was up late working on the sketches and blueprints for the new buildings when he showed up out of nowhere and started yelling at me.” Once-ler told her. 

“I told you before not to let him get to you!” Isabella scolded.

“It wasn't just that!” Once-ler exclaimed in defense.  “The Lorax didn't just yell at me, he also jumped up on my desk and spilled the coffee I was drinking all over the papers. So I had to stay up all night in order to re-do them!” Once-ler explained. “I was completely exhausted!”

“Oh, my...” his mother remarked as she considered her son's explanation. There was a tense pause for a moment, then she continued. “But why were you up working so late at night in the first place?” she asked.

“Because I needed to finish the sketches and blueprints before the meeting, of course.” Once-ler replied.

“Why weren't they already finished earlier?” Isabella further grilled him.

“Well, I just um...I fell a little bit behind because....” Once-ler struggled to explain.

“Because you were hesitating and doubting yourself again!” his mother interrupted him.

“No, I just...” Once-ler tried to deny.

“Son, this cannot keep happening!” Isabella interrupted him again. “You are literally worrying yourself sick! Norma has examined you several times, and she says there is nothing wrong with you physically that's causing these fevers. It's all due to stress,” his mother explained. “I told you before Once-ler, you need to pull yourself together! This whole thing isn't just putting a strain on the business, it's just plain horrifying. Do you know how terrified I was when I found you lying there on the floor? Do you know how nerve wracking it was for me to have to go to the meeting, the one that you were supposed to go to, and take over after seeing you like that?”  she asked him in exasperation.

Once-ler was stunned by her words and for a moment he couldn't react, until he was finally able to utter the words “I'm sorry.”
  
His mother let out a sigh before she continued. “Don't let that darn Lorax mess with you, and no more staying up late.” she told Once-ler firmly. “I appreciate the fact that you're working hard, but you can't keep wearing yourself down. You need to sleep. ” 

“Yes, mom.” Once-ler nodded.

“Good.” Isabella replied. “Now, I''m going to go on ahead and get dinner started.” She told him as she got up from the couch, thus ending the conversation    

Once-ler had been relieved, assuming that he had gotten off somewhat easy, but he didn't know that the worst was still yet to come. On Monday, while he was working in his office, Isabella quickly came in with a small stack of papers.

“Here is the paperwork for all of the new buildings,” his mother told him. “We just need you to sign off on them.”

“Oh, alright, let me take a look.” Once-ler replied as he took the papers from her and set them on his desk. As Isabella waited, Once-ler, grabbed a pen and began to scan over the documents. But as he   looked at the papers and compared them to the model that sat on his desk, Once-ler noticed that there were some inconsistencies. Most notably, the buildings in the drawings were bigger and more elaborate than the ones on the model. In particular, the apartments featured additional annexes that Once-ler did not remember drawing. Also, while Once-ler had a few truffula trees scattered among the buildings in his model. In the drawings, they were completely absent.

“What's the matter, son?” Isabella asked as she picked up on Once-ler's hesitation.

“Nothing,” Once-ler fibbed nervously “I was just...double checking something...” 

“You're questioning yourself again, aren't you?” his mother scolded. “Even after everything I told you. Don't you know that all this hesitation is what's causing all your problems?”

“I was just thinking that maybe the dimensions of the buildings might be just a bit too much.” Once-ler tried to reason with her.

“Too much?” Isabella snapped. “You of all people should know that when it comes to running a business, there's no such thing as too much! The bigger the business, the bigger the profits.”  

“I do know that.” Once-ler tried to reassure her. “And I want my businesses to be as big and as profitable as they can be...but I was also thinking that we could spare a few trees...”

“You and those darn trees!” his mother shouted as she slammed her fists on Once-ler's desk, causing the truffula trees on the model to shake and fall down. “I can't believe you're still worried about something so pointless!”

Once-ler's stared back at his mother, his eyes wide, too terrified to speak. It was as though all the care and love that his mother had shown him over the weekend had completely evaporated, being replaced with rage over his feelings of uncertainty.

“Now you listen to me son,” Isabella continued, her tone as cold as ice.“You had better get your priorities straight. This business of yours is the only good thing you ever did, and if it ever goes under because of your incompetence, then I will never forgive you.”

Completely frozen by her words, Once-ler remained motionless as he stared into his mother's furious eyes, as his own threatened to spill over with tears. Until finally, without another word, Isabella turned around and angrily left the office. Slamming the door so hard that a picture fell off the wall.

After the initial shock wore off, Once-ler finally got up from his chair and walked towards the fallen picture. With tears now freely falling down his face, Once-ler picked up the frame that contained a copy of the photo identical to the one on his desk. The photograph that he and his family had taken together at the masquerade party. Only now, the glass that surrounded this particular photo was fractured and broken, just like Once-ler's heart. 

Chapter Text

Wearing her dark blazer and matching ruffled skirt, holding a small stack of documents in her gloved hands, Isabella swiftly made her way down to Once-ler's office. When Isabella finally reached the office door, she didn't even need to grab her all-access factory key. Instead, her other two sons, Brett and Chet, who were also wearing their more formal outfits today, opened the door and let her inside right away.

“Once-ler, I brought you some more paperwork.” Isabella announced as she entered the room. But as she walked closer to the desk to give Once-ler said paperwork, she noticed something odd. Once-ler was leaning back in his office chair, seemingly asleep, while his sunglasses, top hat, and a thneed, all of which he had been wearing earlier, sat on his desk.

“Once-ler are you okay?” Isabella asked gently as she moved towards the desk to get a closer look at her son. Seeing him in such a state left her slightly concerned. Although Once-ler appeared to be sleeping peacefully and was likely just taking a nap. Isabella could not help but worry after the recent incidents where she had found him lying unconscious and feverish on the floor.

“Oncie?” his mother whispered loudly as she set the papers down and looked at him even more closely. Once-ler's face did not look flushed or strained, like it did those other times. Still, Isabella thought it was slightly unusual for Once-ler to be sleeping at this hour of the day and she needed to know why. So, Isabella ultimately decided to try and wake him up.

“Once-ler? Are you alright, son? Wake up!” Isabella demanded as she began to shake his shoulder.

A few seconds later, Once-ler woke up with a yelp as he flinched away in fear. Only to quickly discover that it was his mother who had awakened him. “Mom, what are you doing here?” Once-ler asked her in surprise as he tried to calm himself down.

“I'm sorry son, I didn't mean to scare you.” Isabella apologized, although she was secretly relieved. For Once-ler having such an animated reaction to being woken up likely meant that he wasn't ill again. Those other times, she could not even wake him up at all.

Once-ler's eyes widened in surprise at his mother's words, and he wondered if he was still dreaming. For it was almost unheard of for his mother to apologize to anyone over anything-ever.

“I just came in here to bring you some of your paperwork, when I saw you asleep in the chair, and after what's happened recently, with you getting those weird fevers and passing out and all. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” His mother explained, a touch of worry evident in her voice. “The last thing we need is you coming down with something right before your TV appearance next week.” she remarked.

“Don't worry, mom, I'm totally fine.” Once-ler reassured her. “I was just taking a mid-day nap, that's all.”

“Are you sure? You do seem a little exhausted. You haven't been up working too late, have you?” Isabella questioned him.

“No mom, I haven't. I've been going back to the penthouse to rest after every workday,” he told her. “I promise you I'm fine. I was just taking a quick break to sit back and relax, but then I must have dozed off.” Once-ler tried to reassure her again as he tried to hide his growing unease. In reality, Once-ler had no memory of falling asleep in the chair or of what he was doing before then. Once-ler also wondered why his mother was wearing her more formal office outfit. Although he now had a habit of wearing his green suit almost every workday, his family only wore their fancier clothes for important events.

“A quick break, huh? Well, I suppose that's a good thing, considering what happens when you get yourself too worked up...” his mother considered for a moment. Then, much to Once-ler's surprise, especially considering the fight he and his mother had a few days ago. Isabella's face suddenly broke out into a smile as she leaned forward to hug him. “...and I must say you've definitely earned one after all your hard work!” his mother continued. “You did such a great job at your interview with Business Times magazine today! Oh, I'm so proud of you! Whenever your issue comes out we'll have to frame it!” she exclaimed.

Once-ler sat there completely dumbfounded for a moment as his mother continued to hug him, not having any recollection of the interview that she was talking about.

Isabella noticed how rigid her son felt and pulled away, as she gave him a look of concern. “What's wrong, Oncie?” she asked.

“The interview...with Business Times...that was today? I know we had to change the date because of my TV appearance next week but...” Once-ler questioned her before he trailed off. Once-ler recalled that his interview for his magazine article had been re-scheduled, and he also remembered preparing for it, but Once-ler did not remember attending the actual interview itself.

“Yes, son, the interview was held just a couple of hours ago. A journalist and a photographer from Business Times were here, and they asked you questions and took photos while you showed them around the factory and your parlor room.” His mother explained as she became more concerned.

As Once-ler took in her words, he was too stunned to speak. If such a significant event took place earlier that day, then why couldn't he remember it at all?

Isabella's concern for her son only grew as she picked up on his distress, and also on the fact that he seemed to not recall the interview. “Oncie, are you sure you're alright?” she asked as she placed her hand on his forehead to double check and make sure he wasn't developing another fever before brushing his bangs to the side.

The gentle gesture touched Once-ler as he remembered how kind and concerned she had been towards him earlier when he was sick. So Once-ler quickly tried to pull himself together, not wanting to scare her like that again. “Oh, the interview...yeah...I totally remember it now.” Once-ler lied. “I must have just still been a bit groggy from that nap I took and forgot for a moment, that's all.”

“Are you sure?” his mother asked one more time before pulling away.

“Uh, yeah, I'm sure,” Once-ler continued to lie, hoping he sounded convincing. “And um...sometimes whenever you work as hard as I do the days start to blend together and you can start to forget and misremember things. Am I right?” he continued, his nervousness causing him to ramble.

“I do suppose that's possible.” Isabella considered as she gave Once-ler one last concerned glance before she turned to leave. “Well, if you're sure you're fine then I ought to be heading out, but if you start feeling bad again like you did the other day or if the Lorax shows up again, make sure you ask your brothers for help.”

“Yes mom,” Once-ler replied with a nod, unsure if he would obey in the latter circumstance. Despite how annoying the Lorax's lectures were, Once-ler was still somewhat fond of the forest guardian, and he actually felt kind of bad when one of his family members tossed him away.

“Alright then, I'll see you later, Oncie.” Isabella called out as she turned and headed for the door. “And don't forget to check your emails. The people at business times said they were going to send you copies of the photos they took during the interview. They said they want your final opinion on the possible cover photo.”

“Okay mom, Thanks!” Once-ler replied as she left. Then, as soon as the office door slammed shut Once-ler quickly scooted his chair over to his computer and logged into his email inbox. Where he discovered much to his shock, that there were several emails from Business Times Magazine. A number of the emails including one titled 'Need To Re-Schedule Interview' appeared to have been read, while the latest one, titled 'Photos from interview: Please Give Us Your Opinion On Cover photo' had only been sent a few minutes ago.

Once-ler clicked on the unread email, which contained an attachment, along with the following message: 'Dear Mr. Once-ler, Here are all of the photos from today's interview. Please give us your opinion on the last one for the potential cover photo. Thank you very much for your time, and also for allowing us to re-schedule the interview. As we discussed before, conducting the interview before you flew off for your TV appearance will allow us to have the issue published the same month as your company's 1 year anniversary, and such timing will be beneficial to both your company and our publication. Thank you once again for agreeing to interview with us, and we look forward to hearing from you soon. -Business Times'

After reading the message, Once-ler opened the email attachment, which was a folder filled with several photos. A few of them were pictures of the inside and outside of the factory, others were of the super axe hacker, and his parlor room. Several of these photos included Once-ler himself. There were also a number of close up shots featuring just him alone. Including the last one, which showed Once-ler, with a thneed around his neck, resting his chin in one of his green-gloved hands as he looked directly at the camera.

As Once-ler's feelings of unease and confusion continued to grow, he got up from his office chair and frantically looked for his planner, which was hidden under a stack of papers, that sat right next to his hat, sunglasses, and the thneed. After Once-ler found it, he looked to see what was written for today's date, and sure enough, he could see the words 'Interview With Business Times: 1:00 pm' clearly written in green ink.

Once-ler then looked over to the clock, whose battery he recently replaced, and discovered that it was currently 4:15 pm.

As Once-ler shifted his gaze from the clock, to the computer, and back down to the planner, several questions began to fill his mind. Why had he fallen asleep in the first place? It wasn't like he was up working late after all, and he didn't feel feverish, so why had he been so tired? And most importantly, why couldn't he remember anything about the interview today?

The answer to all of these questions would soon make himself known. “What's wrong Once-ler?” Greed-ler taunted as he appeared behind him. “You still seem stressed. Perhaps you could use some more of my help.” Greed-ler sneered. Like Once-ler, he was not wearing his glasses at the moment and Once-ler could feel the man's icy gaze pierce through him.

“Greed-ler!” Once-ler gasped. He had a suspicion of what Greed-ler was implying, although he did not want to believe it. “What happened? What did you do?”

“Allow me to refresh your memory.” Greed-ler smiled as he grabbed Once-ler's green-gloved wrist. Soon a mental connection was established, allowing Greed-ler to show his memories to Once-ler in the form of a flashback.

Once-ler suddenly found himself transported back to earlier that day. Where he was scrambling in order to get ready for the interview. It had been rescheduled somewhat at the last minute, leaving Once-ler with little time to prepare, making him feel rushed and stressed.

As the time for the actual interview grew closer, Once-ler rushed to organize his papers and notes on his desk, including his practice questions and answers that he had little time to review. Once-ler was terrified that he would make a mistake and mess something up. Once-ler knew that he needed to make sure that this interview went well. Not only to ensure that his article in the magazine was a success, but also to impress his mother. Her words from their last argument earlier in the week had haunted Once-ler for days and hurt him deeply, and he desperately wanted to win back her approval.

Once-ler's feelings of fear and nervousness continued to grow until they suddenly left him paralyzed. Unable to move and barely able to think, Once-ler stood frozen behind his desk.

A few moments later, Greed-ler appeared behind him. Once-ler could see him in the reflection of the full-length mirror, but Once-ler did not acknowledge his presence, and remained frozen as he stared blankly ahead.

“Once-ler, what are you doing? Or rather, what are you not doing? We have an interview to get ready for!” Greed-ler exclaimed in exasperation.

But Once-ler did not respond.

“Once-ler, I know you heard me! Now come on! We have to get moving!” Greed-ler continued, becoming more frustrated.

But Once-ler remained motionless.

“Once-ler!” Greed-ler growled.

Once-ler still did not move.

“That's it then! You leave me no choice! I'm not going to let you mess this up!” Greed-ler snapped before he suddenly disappeared. Once-ler's body jerked awkwardly for a moment, then quickly righted itself as Greed-ler forced himself into Once-ler's mind. And Once-ler's previous expression of fear was replaced by one of confidence.

“So, I decided I needed to take over from there.” Greed-ler stated as the flashback concluded. “But the process left you exhausted because you still aren't used to it yet. So you sat down and fell asleep in the chair almost as soon as we returned from the interview.”

Once-ler quickly pulled his hand away and stepped backwards in shock, as he realized his worst nightmare was finally becoming reality. Greed-ler had truly taken over him completely, leaving him with no agency at all. “Why? Why did you...?” he began to ask.

“I did what was necessary in order to keep biggering and upholding the reputation of our businesses. Because apparently at the moment you weren't capable of doing so. You really ought to be thanking me.” Greed-ler spat as he took an intimidating step forward.

Once-ler continued to back away, until he reached his desk, grabbing onto it for support and accidentally pressing a button that activated the platform below. Soon, Once-ler and Greed-ler, along with the desk, began to ascend into the air as a long winding staircase appeared under the platform below them. The feature was an eccentric addition that Once-ler had designed when planning the new office. It was something he had visualized in a dream, or rather a nightmare, a long, long time ago.

For a moment, Once-ler was too stunned to speak as the staircase continued to expand below them. Then finally, after all the movements came to a stop. Once-ler suddenly became filled with rage and adrenaline. But this time these feelings did not directly come from Greed-ler's power. Instead, Once-ler's emotions were fueled by his own fear and anger over being forcibly put under Greed-ler's influence.

“You! You've gone too far!” Once-ler shouted as he rushed forward, grabbing Greed-ler by his jacket and pushing him towards the edge of the platform. The force causing Greed-ler's top hat to fall off his head and descend past the stairs onto the office floor. Yet, despite the danger he was seemingly in, Greed-ler showed no fear and he looked back up at Once-ler with his signature smug grin.

“What are you going to do Once-ler? Get rid of me, along with your only chance at success?” Greed-ler taunted.

Once-ler's stared back down at his tormentor. Fearful of both Greed-ler himself and of the idea that his words were true, Once-ler loosened his grip on Greed-ler, but not enough to let him go.

Greed-ler picked up on Once-ler's feelings of inner conflict, just as he always did, and his smile grew even bigger. “That's right, Once-ler, you ultimately can't get rid of me, no matter how hard to try. Deep down, regardless of how much you claim to fear me, you don't really want to...” Greed-ler sneered before he disappeared.

As Greed-ler vanished, Once-ler soon found himself nearly falling over the edge of the platform. Until Greed-ler suddenly appeared behind him, yanked Once-ler from the back of the collar of his jacket, then roughly slammed him down on the platform floor, right on top of the luxurious rug. “...because you know that I am the only one who can save you from your own failures. Just think of how badly you would have screwed up the interview if I hadn't intervened.” Greed-ler spat.

As his sudden surge of adrenaline and anger left as quickly as it came, Once-ler weakly pulled himself up and looked back at Greed-ler in terror.

“You brought this on yourself Once-ler,” Greed-ler scolded. “If you would have just aligned yourself with me earlier. We could have achieved true synchronization some time ago, and maybe, just maybe, I wouldn't have to resort to such drastic measures in order to keep you in line.” Greed-ler continued before he softened his expression, knelt down next to Once-ler, and grabbed the latter's chin, forcing him to look into his icy blue eyes. “I don't want to hurt you Once-ler, I really don't, but sometimes you're so stubborn that I don't have a choice. That's not how it's supposed to be. Can't you see how much weaker you become after fighting me? You need to embrace me instead! Greed-ler exclaimed. “Things work out much better when good Once-lers work together. Don't you agree?” Greed-ler asked with a sick twisted smile.

Once-ler stared back at him, still fearful and confused. He had a feeling that Greed-ler wasn't being entirely truthful.

“Hmph, you'll come to your senses someday.” Greed-ler remarked before he stood up, then he looked back down at Once-ler and frowned. “Now get up. There's more paperwork that needs to be done. And we need to begin working on the design for the potential thneed billboard. We'll be having a meeting with the advertising agency right after we return from our TV appearance, so we had better get a head start so that way we don't fall behind again. Greed-ler scoffed before vanishing.

Knowing that Greed-ler was at least right about that part, Once-ler got up and pressed the button on his desk to lower the platform back down to the ground. Then, after the stairs disappeared, Once-ler sat back down in his office chair and returned to his work.

Thankfully for Once-ler, the rest of the week remained uneventful, and soon it was the end of the workday the following Friday. Once-ler, much to his relief, had completed all of his tasks for the week, including some drawings for the thneed billboard, and he was looking forward to having more time to relax over the weekend. With a satisfied sigh, Once-ler set his hat down on the desk next to his sunglasses, grabbed a set of documents, and got up to put them away. After Once-ler placed the papers in his filing cabinet, Once-ler began to make his way back over to his desk when he suddenly paused in front of his office window.

As Once-ler looked at the scene outside, he could not help but notice that the sky was even smoggier than usual. Ever since the factory expansion, the company had ramped up thneed production. As a result, the factory was emitting even more smogulous smoke than it had before. As Once-ler continued to gaze outside the window, he felt a twinge of guilt for a moment, as he remembered what the Lorax had told him. Until Once-ler suddenly saw Greed-ler in the reflection of the window, who now appeared to be standing behind him. 

“Why do you look so sad Once-ler?” Greed-ler sneered. “Everything is fine. Things at the factory are running along smoothly, so what could possibly be bothering you?” he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“I'm just...a little worried about the pollution.” Once-ler replied, refusing to look away from the window.

Greed-ler sighed before he continued.“I've already tried to explain this to you before.” Greed-ler told Once-ler. “Chemical byproducts such as smogulous smoke and schlopity schlop are a part of the industrial process. It simply cannot be helped. If you want to run a factory, you are going to have to deal with some pollution. And if you want to produce enough thneeds to meet consumer demand and make as much money as possible, then you not only want, but need a factory, and a large one at that.” Greed-ler told him with a smirk.

Before Once-ler could reply, he heard the sound of the office door opening, causing Greed-ler to vanish. Once-ler then looked up towards the direction of the door, only to see his brothers Brett and Chet step inside the office. But Once-ler was not at all surprised to see them this time. Ever since his most recent bout of illness, the twins' work duties now included checking up on him at the beginning and end of every workday and also after lunch hour.

“Hey Once-ler, how are things going?” Brett questioned him as he usually did.

“Everything's fine, and I got all my work done.” Once-ler told him. 

“That's good.” Chet nodded.

 “So...Once, do you have any plans tonight?” Brett suddenly asked.

“No, I don't. Why do you ask?” Once-ler answered, confused by his brother's question.

“Well, we were just wondering if you wanted to hang out with us tonight.” Chet offered.

“You want to hang out...with me?” Once-ler questioned again in disbelief. His brothers almost never willingly spent time with him unless they were helping him with something.

“Sure we do,” Brett answered him with a nod. “Why wouldn't we want to spend time with our cool and super rich brother?”

Once-ler was too stunned to respond at first, but his lips twitched up into a smile at his brothers' offer. Excited at the idea.

“So, do you want to come with us or not?” Chet asked him. “Brett and I were thinking of heading into town and getting something to eat for dinner, then maybe gong to a bar to grab a few drinks.” 

Once-ler finally found his voice. “Yeah, that sounds cool,” he answered enthusiastically as he went over to the desk to grab his glasses and hat. After putting them back on, Once-ler then pulled his cellphone out from his pocket. “I'll go on ahead and let my driver know, and he can take us to town in the limo.” Once-ler suggested, hoping that the idea would impress them.

“Awesome!” the twins replied in unison.

“I just need to head back to the penthouse real quick in order to grab some extra cash and change my clothes. I'll be right back.” Once-ler told them as he left the office.

As Once-ler made his way down the hall, he called his driver to request the limo. Then, Once-ler entered his penthouse and went to his bedroom to get changed. Since Once-ler was in a hurry, he grabbed the first outfit he saw, which consisted of his old gray striped jeans, white shirt, gray vest, and fedora. Afterwards, Once-ler took some extra wads of cash from his vanity table and stuffed them in his pockets, before he gave himself one last inspection in the full-length mirror. Only to see Greed-ler's reflection stare back at him in disapproval.

“What? No need to wear my best clothes if I'm just hanging out with my bros.” Once-ler tried to reason with him. “And besides, I don't want the jacket to get dirty or something. I need to wear it for my TV appearance next week, and the other copies haven't arrived yet.”

“I know,” Greed-ler grumbled as he rolled his eyes, still annoyed, albeit less so. For he knew Once-ler had a point. “But you still could have done better. I mean, out of all the cool outfits you have you chose that? You could have at least wore some green. The color really suits you, you know.” Greed-ler scoffed.

Before Once-ler could reply. He heard someone knock on his penthouse door. “Hey Once-ler what's the holdup?”  he heard one of his brothers complain.

“I'll be right out!” Once-ler called out as he hurried to the door where his two brothers were impatiently waiting for him.

“You ready?” Brett asked. 

“Yeah! Let's go!” Once-ler replied excitedly.

 The three brothers then made their way back through the hallway and down to the lobby, where they ran into their mother, who was also leaving the factory for the night.

“Where are you boys heading off to?” Isabella remarked with a smirk, pleased to see all three of her sons together.

“We were all just heading out for a night on the town.” Chet answered her.

“Oh, that sounds nice!” Isabella exclaimed before turning towards Once-ler. “It'll be good for you to spend some time outside of the factory, Oncie,” his mother told him with a sweet tone. A sharp contrast to the way she had yelled at him earlier in the week. “You really need to learn how to relax and enjoy some of the finer things in life.” 

“Yeah...” Once-ler nodded in reply.

“Well, you boys have fun!” Isabella told them cheerfully as she turned to leave with a wave. “Just make sure you all stay out of trouble now.”

“We will, mom.” all three of her sons reassured her in unison before they stepped inside the limo that was waiting for them. After everyone was settled in, Once-ler's driver began to make his way towards town per Once-ler's orders, passing by the construction site for Once-ler's upcoming businesses along the way.

“So where do you guys want to eat? Pick anywhere you want. It's all on me,” Once-ler offered, hoping to further impress them by insisting on paying.

“You know anyplace where we could get some fancy steaks or something?” Brett suggested.

Once-ler had to think about it for a moment. He rarely ever left the factory, except to occasionally go shopping, so he wasn't familiar with the restaurants in town, let alone the ones that served what his brothers wanted. The restaurant that Once-ler and his family went to for brunch didn't serve steaks. And the only other place he knew that did was the fancy restaurant that he went to a few months ago. However, there was a problem.

“There is one place...” Once-ler began, embarrassed that he couldn't think of anything else. Once-ler knew that as one of the richest men in Greenville, he should be a lot more familiar with the upscale establishments in town. Perhaps his mother had a point. “...but they have a dress code,” he told them dejectedly. While Once-ler knew that his own outfit was passable as he had been granted admittance to the restaurant before, he knew that his brothers' flannel shirts and overalls would not make the cut.

Brett and Chet were disappointed to hear this, but then Once-ler's eyes suddenly lit up as he got an idea.

“How about we swing by the department store real quick and I could buy you guys something else to wear?” Once-ler suggested, thrilled that he had come up with a solution that would not only solve the problem but also give him an opportunity to show off his wealth to his brothers.

“Sure!” the twins replied in unison. Neither of them were huge fans of clothes shopping, but they weren't going to pass up an opportunity to get a new outfit on their brother's dime, plus they still wanted to eat those fancy steaks. So, they both eagerly agreed to Once-ler's suggestion.

“Great!” Once-ler grinned before he instructed his driver to take them all to the department store. After they arrived. The three brothers made a beeline for the men's department and began shopping. Since the twins knew that Once-ler was paying for their outfits, they didn't hesitate to look at the most expensive options. Once-ler also looked around for something for himself. Even though he had plenty of nice clothes at home, and his own outfit would be acceptable for the restaurant, Once-ler still couldn't help but want something new.

After looking around for a bit, Brett and Chet each selected a pair of black slacks with matching shoes and hats, along with maroon button-down shirts, with Brett rolling up the sleeves on his. Once-ler meanwhile, remembering what Greed-ler had told him earlier, decided to buy an emerald green shirt and a new pair of plain gray pants to match his favorite vest and fedora. 

Whenever they all got to the check out, Brett and Chet couldn't help but notice all of the men's accessories in the glass case below the register. “Hey Once, we ought to get ourselves a cool pair of sunglasses like yours.” Chet remarked.

“Yeah, sure, go on ahead and pick some out. My treat.” Once-ler earnestly agreed.

The twins then each proceeded to pick out a pair of dark shades with squiggly handles. The frames on Chet's sunglasses were round while Brett's were square. Once-ler also bought an emerald green pair for himself.

After Once-ler paid for everything, the three brothers all changed into their new outfits and headed back to the limo to be taken to the fancy restaurant. Where they all enjoyed a lovely dinner, complete with fancy steaks. Afterwards, they all piled back into the limo, and tried to decide where to go next.

“Now, do you know a place where we can get some good drinks?” Brett asked Once-ler, who this time knew exactly what to answer.

“Yeah, there's this cool nightclub not too far from here that has a bar.” Once-ler replied confidently, referring to the club he had visited before. Although Once-ler had not tried any drinks the one night he was there, he assumed that they must have been pretty good, considering the high-end reputation of the place. 

“Sounds good to me,” Chet replied as his twin nodded in agreement.

“Alright then, let's go!” Once-ler exclaimed before instructing his driver to take them to the club.

Chapter Text

When they arrived at the nightclub, Once-ler and his brothers stepped out of the limo, then headed over to the queue to get inside the building. After a short wait, they reached the front of the line, where the bouncer gave them a quick glance and immediately let all three of them inside, having recognized the expensive clothes they were wearing. After Once-ler, Brett, and Chet entered the club, the three brothers went past the dance floor and made their way towards the bar.

“What can I get for you?” the bartender asked them as they sat down on the bar stools.

After looking over the selection of bottles behind the bar, Brett and Chet each ordered a glass of gold tequila. Meanwhile, Once-ler remained undecided, until a bright emerald green bottle caught his eye. 

“I'll take a glass of that green one.” Once-ler told the bartender as he pointed at the bottle. 

“You sure?” the bartender asked him with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes sir,” Once-ler confirmed as he set a large wad of cash down on the table, which the bartender took without another word before he turned away to prepare the drinks.

The three brothers sat in silence for a while as they waited for their drinks, until Once-ler finally spoke. “Hey, I really appreciate you guys inviting me out tonight,” he told his brothers with a sincere smile.

“No problem Once,” Brett replied.

“We figured you could use some cheering up after everything that's been happening lately.” Chet added.

Just at that moment, the bartender brought over their drinks. The twins could not help but notice the unusual green color of Once-ler's.

“Whoa, what is that stuff?” Brett asked.

“You know, I'm not really sure, but the color looks interesting.”  Once-ler remarked as he examined the alcohol inside the glass before taking a sip. When Once-ler tasted it, he tried not to wince. The drink was strong, with a flavor of bitter licorice. But with his brothers watching, Once-ler forced himself to swallow it, not wanting to give them an opportunity to make fun of him for being 'unmanly' by not being able to drink it.   

“Oh, I know what that is!” Chet suddenly exclaimed. “It's called absinthe. I've heard that drinking it can make you see weird things like green fairies or whatever.”

“Oh man, that sounds like some powerful stuff. Are you really sure you should be drinking that Once?” Brett lightly teased. “You know you're a real lightweight.”

“I'll be fine, and I am not a lightweight.” Once-ler replied in annoyance before taking another defiant sip. He assumed that his brothers had just made up the story about the green fairies in order to scare him. Just like whenever they were kids and the twins would tell him there were monsters under his bed. But this time, Once-ler wasn't going to fall for it.

“Seriously though, Once, take it easy.” Chet insisted. “For real, we don't want you falling on the floor again like you did the other day.”

“Yeah, that was really scary bro,” Brett added, his tone now completely serious. “You really need to stop getting yourself all stressed out like that.”

“Yeah...I know.” Once-ler replied with a sigh. “It's just...there's been a lot going on lately,” he continued. “Between trying to work, dealing with the Lorax, the whole thing with Uncle Ubb...” 

“You don't have to worry about Uncle Ubb.” Chet interrupted him. “Grizelda and mom really let him have it, so I know he'll never try anything like that ever again.”

“That's for sure,” Brett remarked. “Oh, man, Once-ler, that was really something. I don't think I've seen mom so angry since that time you accidentally broke her favorite lamp back when we were kids.”

Once-ler gave his brother an annoyed look. “Uh, actually that was you two who broke the lamp, and then you both blamed me for it.” he told them.

“Oh yeah, that's right.” Chet realized.

Once-ler stared down at his glass as he began to recall the memory of the incident. While Brett and Chet hid behind the couch. Once-ler cleaned up the broken pieces of the lamp with a broom as their mother berated him.

“I just can't have anything nice with you around now can I Once-ler?” Isabella scolded him. “You always have to ruin everything!”

“Hey Once, are you okay?” Brett asked as he noticed Once-ler's forlorn expression.

“Oh yeah, I'm fine.” Once-ler replied. “Just got lost in the memory for a minute, that's all.” 

“Well, just try to forget about it.” Chet told him. “Those days are over now.”

“I'm not so sure about that,” Once-ler remarked somberly. “She still gets mad at me sometimes.”

“Are you talking about when she yelled at you the other day about the trees?” Brett asked. 

“Yeah...” Once-ler replied.

“But she's a lot happier with you now, since the interview with that business magazine went well. Right?” Chet pointed out. 

“Yes, but...” Once-ler began before he trailed off, as he remembered how he had completely forgotten the interview.

“Yeah, that's right Once-ler, so don't worry,” Brett tried to further encourage him, as he too noticed his brother's sad expression. “You know that mom has her moods, but she'll stick by you as long as you keep making money.” Brett told him. “And she'll be even more thrilled when those other businesses of yours open up and make us even richer!.”

“I suppose you're right...” Once-ler replied somberly, still feeling uncertain for multiple reasons.

“Just keep biggering those businesses of yours, do a good job on your TV appearance next week, and stop letting that darn Lorax get to you. Then everything will be fine.” Chet reassured him.

“And just remember that if you ever need help with something, we've got your back,” Brett joked.

“Because apparently that's our job now.” Chet added with a laugh. “But hey, at least we aren't chopping down trees anymore.”

Once-ler laughed also, and smiled back at them in gratitude. “Thanks again guys, I really appreciate everything you've been doing for me,” he told them.

The three brothers continued to chat throughout the night while sipping their drinks. At one point they were all laughing together at a funny story Once-ler had told, and Once-ler could not help but be happy at the fact that his brothers were laughing with him instead of at him for once. 

“So, are you two having a good time tonight?” Once-ler asked them.

“Yeah, I mean, the music's kind of weird, but the drinks are really great.” Brett replied.

Once-ler frowned a bit at Brett's comment, although he wasn't surprised. He and his brothers had different tastes in just about everything including music.

“This place is cool though, seems really high end. You can tell because everyone here is dressed real fancy.” Chet added.

“Including that girl over there.” Brett pointed out.

Chet looked over in the direction that Brett was pointing. “Oh wow, am I seeing double or does she have an identical twin sister?” he exclaimed.

“Are you serious? Where is she?” Brett asked excitedly as he leaned forward to get a closer look. Accidentally knocking over his drink in the process and spilling the alcohol on both his and Chet's pants.

“Dang it Brett!” Chet scolded as he looked down at the mess.

“Sorry.” Brett replied.

Chet sighed. “Hey Once, Brett and I are gonna head to the bathroom to go clean ourselves up. We'll be right back,” he told Once-ler as he and his twin got up to leave.

 Once-ler nodded at them as they left. While he waited for his brothers to return, Once-ler sipped his drink in silence. Until a flash of green suddenly caught his eye. But when Once-ler looked up, he didn't see a green fairy, but instead a green-clad grinning Greed-ler, who held his own glass of absinthe.

“This really is the life, isn't it Once-ler?” Greed-ler asked him. “Who'd have thought you'd see the day when Brett and Chet would actually want to hang out with you?” Greed-ler continued. “It really is amazing how differently people treat you once you become rich.”

“Yeah, it sure is...” Once-ler whispered as he realized the truth of Greed-ler's words.

”I'm really proud of you Once-ler, we've really come a long way. Now how about a toast to celebrate?” Greed-ler offered as he held up his glass.

Once-ler hesitated for a moment, then clinked his own glass against Greed-ler's, took a sip of his own drink, and grimaced. For the taste of the absinthe was now even more strong and bitter than it was before, almost resembling actual poison. For a moment, as Once-ler looked back up at Greed-ler who stared back at him with a knowing smirk, Once-ler wondered if it really was. Then, Greed-ler suddenly vanished as Brett and Chet returned from the bathroom. The twins became concerned when they noticed Once-ler's expression. 

“Hey bro, are you okay?” Brett asked. 

“I'm fine...I feel...really good, actually.”  Once-ler answered as the alcohol began to take effect, making him feel lighter and less inhibited. In an instant, Once-ler had completely forgotten about the horrid taste of the absinthe and now further craved the sense of euphoria it gave him. “In fact, how about we have another round?” he suggested.

“You sure you can handle more of that stuff?” Chet questioned him.

“Yeah, I...I like it...the way it makes me feel...I want more...” Once-ler nodded as he took out the money to buy the additional drinks.

Brett and Chet couldn't help but notice that Once-ler's behavior seemed a little off, but they weren't going to turn down free drinks, so they earnestly agreed to Once-ler's suggestion, but they both silently agreed to keep an eye on him.

After another round of drinks Brett and Chet no longer cared about how weird the music sounded, and they had joined the other set of twins on the dance floor. While Once-ler was also dancing just a few feet away from them. Energized by both the alcohol and the electric sounds of the music that filled the club, Once-ler swayed to the beat as he danced with various people under green strobe lights, both real and imagined. Including a girl wearing a thneed mini dress, another wearing thneed legwarmers, the girl he danced with last time, although she did not appear to recognize him, the person reading this, the person writing this, and also Greed-ler at various intervals. At one point, as Greed-ler edged closer to Once-ler, the former's eyes began to glow a menacing green. The frightening sight caused Once-ler to suddenly lose his balance, and he nearly fell to the floor.

Brett ran over and caught Once-ler before he hit the ground. “Are you okay Once? I think you've had too much.” He asked worriedly. 

At the sound of Brett's words, Once-ler's eyes widened, and he suddenly snapped his head up and gave his brother a menacing glare, causing the latter to let go of him and step back in surprise. 

“Too much? There's no such thing as too much!” Once-ler sneered as he slowly walked towards Brett, who nervously backed away.

“Bro, what the heck?” Brett cried out, completely freaked out by the way Once-ler was acting. It was almost as if he had suddenly become an entirely different person. Once-ler's eyes seemed to reflect this change. For not only did his eyes seem to burn with determination and malice, but the strobe lights in the club made them almost appear as they were also glowing green. Making Once-ler look surprisingly sinister.

“When it comes to running a business, there's no such thing as too much!” Once-ler continued. “The bigger the business, the bigger the profits! So I'm going to keep on biggering and biggering and...”

Once-ler's words were cut off as he suddenly tripped again and his other brother caught him. “Whoa, bro, I think we'd better get you home,” Chet exclaimed.

Once-ler, suddenly feeling disoriented and drained, did not protest as both his brothers led him out of the club.

“It was nice meeting you ladies.” Brett told the twin girls as they left. “But we've got to take care of our brother now, We'll see you again some other time!”

The girls both nodded and told them goodbye as they exited the club and got back into the limo to return to the factory. Much to Brett and Chet's relief, Once-ler appeared to have calmed down. He still wasn't entirely lucid, but he wasn't acting like he was possessed, either. After the limo reached its destination, Once-ler stepped out of the car to go back to his penthouse.

“Are you sure you're going to be alright Once?” Brett asked him one more time..

“Yeeeah, I'm fiiine. I jusssst feel a little tipsssy that's all.” Once-ler slurred in reply. He wobbled a bit as he stood, but he maintained his footing.

“Alright then, if that's the case, Brett and I are gonna head home then.” Chet told him.

“Okaaay then, I'll seeeee you guyssss laaaater.” Once-ler replied with a wave as Chet closed the limo door. However, Once-ler had only taken a few steps when he tripped and fell to the ground. When Once-ler looked up, he saw that he had tripped over a tree stump. 

 “Did you chop down this tree?” an ancient and familiar voice suddenly boomed. At the sound of the voice, Once-ler suddenly yelped and jumped away in surprise, just as he did when he first encountered the forest guardian way back when.

“Once-ler are you okay? What just happened?” Brett exclaimed, as he quickly rolled down the window of the limo to look out at his brother.

Once-ler looked around, but he saw no sight of the Lorax. Now embarrassed to have fallen in front of his brothers, Once-ler slowly forced himself up as he turned to face them. “I am a-okay!” he told the twins.“I just uh tripped on thisss here ssstump that's all.”

“Are you absolutely sure you're alright? We can stay with you tonight if you want.” Chet offered.

“No thankssss. It'ssss all good,” Once-ler replied with a thumbs up as he carefully made his way towards the entrance of the penthouse and tried to hide his unsteadiness. Although Once-ler had let himself be vulnerable in front of Norma and his mother during his bouts of illness, Once-ler wanted to prove to his brothers that he was a real man. So, Once-ler insisted that he could handle himself without their help. It was a decision that Once-ler would very soon regret.    

“Okay, but if you need anything just give us a call, alright?” Brett shrugged in response before rolling up the window as the limo drove away.

After they left. Once-ler grabbed his keys, and after fumbling with them for a few moments, managed to get the door open and stepped inside the entrance to his penthouse. After Once-ler closed the door behind him, he made his way to the parlor room and turned on the light switch, only to be greeted with the sight of the interior of his old cottage.

“What? How?” Once-ler gasped as he frantically looked around. Until the voice of the Lorax began to echo throughout the room.

“How could you destroy the place you once loved so much? How could you be so greedy?” 

“You didn't just break your promise, you completely destroyed it, just like how you destroy everything else! I can't believe how selfish you've gotten!” 

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

Overwhelmed, Once-ler tried to turn around and leave through what he thought was the cottage door in order to escape, but his hand simply phased through the imaginary door handle. That was until the door suddenly disappeared entirely, leaving Once-ler trapped within the hallucination, and within his own guilt.

 “You used to live with the barbaloots and the other animals too! You spent time with them, played with them, and even fed them! Now you don't even care what happens to them!” 

“You're crazy! You're crazy with greed!” 

Once-ler fell to his knees and covered his ears in a desperate attempt to shut out the Lorax's words but he could not stop the forest guardian's voice from echoing in his head.

“Why do you keep tormenting me like this? Where are you?” Once-ler cried out.

“Why, I'm right here Once-ler.” another familiar and sinister voice answered.

Once-ler gasped as turned around, only to see Greed-ler form out of a cloud of smogulous smoke. His presence silencing the Lorax's words. 

“What's the matter Once-ler? Why are you letting unnecessary guilt trip you up again? Don't you remember how much fun we were having earlier tonight?” Greed-ler sneered before he snapped his green gloved fingers.

At that moment, scloppity schlop dripped down from the walls and onto the floor, causing the image of the former cottage to melt away as distorted music from the club began to play. The sound of the music seemed to have a hypnotic effect, and Once-ler slowly got up as he felt a familiar sense of energy and euphoria fill his body. Meanwhile, the black ooze dissolved the last remnants of the cottage, leaving Once-ler and Greed-ler alone in a vast emptiness. 

“Yes, Once-ler, let me help you remember...so that way you can forget...” Greed-ler continued to sneer as his eyes suddenly began to glow green from behind his sunglasses, just as they did whenever he and Once-ler were on the dance floor.

Seeing this, Once-ler suddenly remembered why he was afraid of Greed-ler and he turned around to run. But he didn't get too far before he tripped and fell through the darkness, landing on the floor of a mysterious room. Still disoriented, Once-ler remained on the ground for a moment. Then, with a groan, he lifted himself up, leaning against a wall that he couldn't see. After fumbling around for a bit, Once-ler finally found a light switch and turned it on, only to see a long table and several chairs. Somehow, he had ended up in his dining room. 

Once-ler breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar sight. “It's okay... it's okay....everything is okay...everything is fiiine. I just uh...had too much to drink that's all...” he tried to reassure himself “I just uh...need to rest.” Once-ler continued to tell himself as he carefully made his way over to the dining room table, sat down in the seat at the end, and put his head down. The table wasn't an ideal place to try and get some sleep, but Once-ler was too scared to go back to the parlor room in fear of encountering Greed-ler again. 

But then, just as Once-ler started to doze off, he heard what sounded like the jingle of his pocket watch chain. When Once-ler looked up towards the sound, his eyes widened in horror when he saw Greed-ler crawling across the table towards him with a crazed expression on his face.

After a brief moment of paralysis, Once-ler screamed and bolted back to the parlor room, only to be greeted with another sinister sight. The room remained dark and empty, with only the presence of a row of eleven mirrors that stood in front of him. There was something very odd about these mirrors, for despite the mirrors themselves being completely identical, only the reflection in the first mirror showed the outfit that Once-ler was currently wearing, which included his old fedora and vest, along with his new green dress shirt and gray pants. While the reflections in the rest of the mirrors each showed him wearing something different.

In the second mirror, Once-ler wore his typical gray striped jeans along with his matching vest and fedora. The third mirror showed Once-ler in the silvery gray suit that he wore to the charity ball. In the fourth mirror, Once-ler wore his bunny pajamas. While in the fifth mirror, Once-ler wore his white butterfly masquerade costume. The sixth mirror, the one directly across from where Once-ler was standing, featured the reflection of Greed-ler in his iconic green suit. In the seventh mirror, Once-ler wore his fancy, custom-made green jacket along with his signature gray waistcoat and jeans. While the eighth mirror instead showed Greed-ler again, wearing his green butterfly masquerade costume. 

The reflections would only get more terrifying and confusing from there. For the reflection in the ninth mirror showed Once-ler as the mechanical and artificial self he had seen in his nightmare weeks ago. In contrast, Once-ler's features in the tenth mirror were almost completely obscured in darkness, with only his blue eyes and his pair of green grovvulous gloves being visible. Meanwhile, the eleventh mirror, the last one, showed Once-ler as a sad, lonely old man. 

Completely paralyzed with terror, Once-ler stared at the reflections in each of the mirrors, until the one directly in front of him began to speak.  “Why do you look so confused Once-ler?” the reflection of Greed-ler asked him. “All of these reflections are yours...mine...ours.” Greed-ler smiled as the remaining reflections transformed to his own image, with all eleven of them now wearing his slick green suit. “Because what's mine is yours and what's yours is mine.” Greed-ler continued as he and the rest of the identical reflections stepped out of their mirrors and began to approach Once-ler.

“Mine mine mine mine mine...” the eleven Greed-lers spoke in unison as they continued to move towards him. 

Once-ler tried to back away, only to trip and fall on the floor again. Once-ler tried in vain to get back up and get away, but his legs gave out from under him. As he lied helplessly on the floor, Once-ler looked up only to see that the eleven Greed-lers had now surrounded him. Completely trapped, Once-ler cowered on the floor as he awaited his fate, knowing that now there was no way to escape.

“Mine mine mine mine mine...” the Greed-lers continued as they reached out their green gloved hands towards Once-ler and their eyes all began to glow green.

Once-ler shut his own eyes in terror, only to suddenly scream and thrash as he felt two pairs of hands grab his arms. Sure enough, when Once-ler opened his eyes, he saw two of the Greed-lers looking down at him.

“Once-ler! Once-ler!” they both called out, their voices now distorted.

Once-ler only screamed again in response as he tried to get away

“Once-ler calm down!” one of the Greed-lers pleaded.

“It's alright, we just want to help you!” the other Greed-ler cried out.

“Aah! No! Get away from me! Let me go!” Once-ler yelled as he continued to writhe.

“Once-ler take it easy! It's just us!” the first Greed-ler shouted.

“Stop thrashing around like that. You're only going to hurt yourself!” the other added.

But Once-ler refused to listen, and after desperately squirming for another moment, Once-ler finally broke away from the Greed-lers' grip. Only to trip over a piece of furniture he didn't see and fall to the floor. The impact knocked Once-ler back into reality, and when he looked back up again, Once-ler saw his brothers gazing back down at him with concerned looks.

“Brett...Chet...is that really you?” Once-ler asked them weakly. 

“Yeah Once-ler, it's us. We came back to check up on you.” Chet told him.

“We saw how weird you were acting and started getting worried that maybe that stuff you drank messed you up real bad.” Brett explained.

“And apparently we were right.” Chet added. 

“Are you okay?” Brett asked him for what seemed to be the millionth time that night. “I mean, I know you obviously aren't doing too good right now, but you're not seriously injured are you?”

“No...I'm just a little sore from falling, that's all...” Once-ler answered.

“Okay, that's good.” Chet nodded. “Now will you let us help you up without you freaking out?”

“Yeah...I'm sorry about that...I thought you were...” Once-ler began before his voice trailed off. 

“Don't worry about it. We're just glad you're alright.” Brett told Once-ler as he and Chet both gently hoisted him up and guided him to the closest armchair. Afterwards, Chet went over to the kitchen to grab Once-ler some ice packs and a glass of water, along with some aspirin, knowing that Once-ler would need the latter in the morning.

“Just take it easy Once-ler,” Chet reassured him as he handed Once-ler the ice packs, before setting the water and aspirin down on the coffee table and joining his twin on the adjacent couch. 

“Yeah, we're gonna stay with you the rest of the night, and we can even stay all weekend if you want.” Brett told him.

“Thanks guys.” Once-ler whispered in gratitude, now not wanting to be left alone after the horrors he had seen.

“Yeah bro, just relax. Whatever weird stuff you saw, it wasn't real.” Chet tried to reassure him.

Once-ler desperately wished that his brother's words were true, but deep down inside, Once-ler knew they weren't. In reality, just like in the illusion he had seen, Once-ler really knew that it was only a matter of time before Greed-ler finally got a hold of him for good.  

Chapter Text

Almost a week later, it was the end of yet another workday at Thneed Inc. Despite this, Once-ler was still working away in his office. For tomorrow, Once-ler would fly out to the big city for his TV appearance where he would give a thneed product demonstration and perform his song. However, before he left, Once-ler wanted to complete the sketch for the future Thneed billboard because he would be meeting with the advertising agency shortly after coming back. So, with his brow furrowed in concentration, Once-ler sat at his desk, with a pencil gripped in his green-gloved hand as he tried to finish the details on his drawing, his concentration only wavering when he heard the office door open.

Once-ler looked up, and just as expected, his brothers came in the office to check up on him as usual.

“Hey, Once.” Brett greeted him.

“Hey, guys.” Once-ler greeted back.

“How are things going? Are you about ready to quit for the day?” Chet asked.

“Almost...I just need to finish up this sketch first.” Once-ler told his brothers. “I want to make sure it's done before we leave for the trip tomorrow.”

“Oh? Well, how long do you think it's gonna take?” Brett inquired. “You see there's a game coming on in a few minutes and Chet and I wanna go home and watch it,” he explained.

“I see...well, if that's the case, then you had better just head on home now.” Once-ler told the twins. “I might still be here for a little while yet.”

“Are you sure you'll be alright if we leave?” Chet asked Once-ler in concern as he remembered Once-ler's recent incidents, including the one that happened last week when Once-ler got drunk and kept falling.

“Yes, I'll be fine.” Once-ler reassured them. He also remembered the most recent incident and felt quite embarrassed about it. Now that he was sober, Once-ler wanted to prove to his brothers that he did not need constant supervision.

The twins looked at each other, silently considering what to do next. Before they ultimately decided to leave. Once-ler seemed to be in a relatively good mood, he wasn't drunk, he showed no sign of illness, and the Lorax hadn't come to bother him in quite some time. So, they assumed that Once-ler would be fine. Plus, the twins also really wanted to watch that football game.

“Alright then, Once, we'll see you tomorrow.” Brett told him as he and his twin turned to leave.

“See you tomorrow!” Once-ler called back out to them as they left.

After the door closed, Once-ler immediately got back to work. He had the perfect design in mind for the billboard, and he was eager to complete it. So, as the sun started to set outside, Once-ler continued sketching until an unexpected feeling of tiredness began to take over, causing Once-ler to fall asleep at his desk yet again.

When Once-ler opened his eyes, the office was dark, lit only by the light of the full moon through the partially open windows. As Once-ler sat up in his chair and felt the cool night air, he shivered and turned towards the full-length mirror in his office, where Once-ler saw that he was now wearing his gray vest, white shirt, striped jeans, and fedora instead of his green suit. That was until the lights in the office began to flicker, and Once-ler's reflection changed along with them. In the fleeting moments of brightness, Once-ler could see himself briefly wearing the green suit, before the lights in the office went dark again, and he was back in his old outfit.

Confused, Once-ler turned around and stared down at his hands in disbelief, only to see that he wasn't wearing his gloves. From the corner of his eye, Once-ler also noticed that his sketchbook wasn't open to the drawing of the billboard he was working on earlier, but rather the old picture of Greed-ler he had drawn in the past with his own name 'The Once-ler' written underneath.

“Once-ler...” a familiar voice whispered as the lights flickered again, causing the green grovvulous gloves to temporarily re-appear on Once-ler's hands.

Once-ler's eyes widened as he immediately recognized the voice. “Greed-ler! Where are you?” Once-ler demanded.

“Come find me...and in turn...find yourself.” Greed-ler beckoned, as smoke began to slowly pour in through the windows.

Although Once-ler was still fearful of Greed-ler, he could not help but be drawn to his voice somehow, and so Once-ler got up to leave the office and began looking for him.

“Come find me...” Greed-ler's disembodied voice whispered again.

The sound appeared to be coming from the manufacturing area of the factory. So Once-ler went over to go search there. When he opened the door, Once-ler could smell the familiar scent of smogulous smoke and saw the moonlight reflect off the various gears and machines. Once-ler tried to turn on a light switch so that way he could see better, but the lights did not come on. So, very carefully, Once-ler made his way across the upper level of the manufacturing area.

As Once-ler continued to search for Greed-ler, he paused in front of one of the large gears where he could see the reflection of Greed-ler, complete with his signature wicked grin, staring back at him, causing Once-ler to jump in fright.

“Greed-ler! Where are you?” Once-ler demanded again, fearful of Greed-ler sneaking up on him unexpectedly.

“Keep searching...” Greed-ler teased as his reflection in the gear disappeared.

As Once-ler continued to try and find Greed-ler, he left the manufacturing area of the factory and began to make his way down the hall. As he did so, various butterflies, both white and exotic emerald green fluttered about. Schlopity schlop also dripped down the walls, occasionally forming the words 'Mine Mine Mine Mine Mine' in the black ooze. All the while, the lights continued to flicker, and Once-ler could see his reflection continue to change as he walked past various mirrors, switching from his old outfit to the green suit and then back again in time with the lights.

Once-ler stopped for a moment when he heard a familiar, faint whirring noise, only to look up and see that the thneed counter was still going, despite the unreliable electricity. As Once-ler continued to gaze at the growing numbers, the lights flickered again, briefly showing a framed photo underneath the counter. It was an enlarged and edited version of his future cover photo that was going to appear in Business Times magazine, Onceler realized with a gasp.

“Yes, Once-ler, those numbers, along with our success, will only continue to increase if you find me...submit to me...become me.” Greed-ler taunted, still refusing to appear.

“Greed-ler...where are you?” Once-ler asked yet again, feeling uncertain and terrified, yet unable to resist Greed-ler's promise of success.

“Come into the parlor room...” Greed-ler's voice beckoned.

Once-ler obeyed, continuing his way down the hall before opening the door to the upper level of his penthouse and stepping inside. Once-ler then walked over towards the staircase that led down to the parlor room, passing the other recently renovated rooms along the way. The moonlight glistened against the luxurious furniture as the lights occasionally flickered and butterflies continued to flutter about. While the scent of smogulous smoke remained present throughout.

Once-ler descended the staircase and stepped into the middle of the parlor room, both hoping and dreading to find Greed-ler there, but he was nowhere to be seen. As Once-ler looked around for him, he noticed several unusual objects sitting on the nearby coffee table. The items consisted of an emerald encrusted jewelry box, a glass of absinthe, and a single wilted, white daffodil placed in a green crystal vase.

“Now, come join me outside Once-ler...” Greed-ler whispered again. Taking Once-ler's attention away from the objects and towards the door.

Cautiously, Once-ler made his way towards the door, and after only a moment of hesitation, he opened it and stepped outside. A frigid breeze greeted him, causing Once-ler to shiver once again, before he opened his eyes only to see a thick cloud of smogulous smoke.

The smoke then began to dissipate slightly, at first only revealing Greed-ler's grovvulous gloves and icy blue eyes, until the rest of him finally came into view, sporting his iconic green suit, a pair of black angel wings, and a menacing satisfied grin. As the rest of the smoke continued to obscure the scene behind him, Greed-ler reached a green gloved hand out to Once-ler. “Come join me,” he beckoned.

As though he were in a trance, Once-ler moved forward towards Greed-ler, passing a few patches of snow that sat along the ground as he went. Then, when he was just a few inches away from the green-clad man, Once-ler reached out his own hand towards him.

“Yes, Once-ler, come to me, join me, become me, and embrace your destiny,” Greed-ler whispered as his eyes momentarily glowed green.

Consumed by the same desires as Greed-ler, Once-ler's eyes glowed briefly in turn before his fingers brushed against Greed-ler's hand. At that moment, Greed-ler's grin grew bigger as he passed a surge of glowing energy to Once-ler, causing the latter to begin to transform.

Once-ler recoiled as Greed-ler's power flowed through him. The experience both painful and exhilarating, until finally, Once-ler became an identical replica of the man that stood before him, right down to the dark angel wings.

“Soon, we shall finally align ourselves properly and achieve true harmony!” Greed-ler exclaimed.

Then, with one last smirk, Greed-ler dissipated along with the remaining smogulous smoke, revealing a horrific scene that glowed under the light of a blood-red moon. The entire Truffula forest had been destroyed, down to the last tree, with not a single sign of life to be found anywhere. Everything was completely gone.

For a moment, Once-ler could only gaze at the scene in shock. Then, as his dark angel wings faded away and tears filled his eyes, Once-ler fell to his knees in the dead grickle grass, and collapsed to the ground sobbing.

A few minutes later, as the sun continued to set behind him, Once-ler, wearing his green suit, finally woke up from his nightmare. Only to find himself lying on the ground several feet outside the entrance to the factory. In the exact same spot where he had collapsed in his dream, his top-hat lying next to him just a few inches from his head. In a confused haze, Once-ler slowly hoisted himself up, looked down at his hands to confirm that he was indeed wearing his green gloves and suit, then gazed out at his surroundings.

Although Once-ler was relieved to see that the Truffula Forest was still colorful and bright, unlike the scene he had witnessed a few moments ago, Once-ler was still confused as to why he was outside in the first place. Was it another lapse of memory? Had he somehow sleepwalked all the way out here? Or had Greed-ler finally taken control of him?

Once-ler's thoughts were soon interrupted by the voice of a familiar acquaintance. “Hey Beanpole, are you alright?”

Once-ler quickly turned around, only to see the Lorax staring back at him with a look that was a mix of confusion and worry. Startled by the sight of the forest guardian and still trying to process what had happened, Once-ler remained frozen, staring back at the Lorax in silence.

“Why were you crying?” the Lorax asked further. “Did something happen...?”

Once-ler let out a small gasp at the Lorax's questions, as he realized that his dream was closer to reality than he had initially imagined. Feeling even more fearful, confused, and now embarrassed that the Lorax had seen him in such a state, Once-ler scrambled to pick up his top hat, put it back on his head, and walked back towards the factory without a word.

“...or are you afraid of what's going to happen if you don't stop biggering? The Lorax continued.

Once-ler froze at the forest guardian's words.

“Beanpole, please listen to me!” the Lorax suddenly pleaded “You don't have to suffer like this! Nobody has to! There's still time! You can still pull back on this biggering nonsense before things get too bad!”

Once-ler paused only for another moment as he considered the Lorax's words, then,without a reply, he made his way back to the factory and opened the door.

“Beanpole wait-!” the Lorax called out as the factory door slammed shut.

With a sigh, Once-ler passed through the lobby of the still-lit factory and went up the stairs to go back to his office. After making sure that he had put his sketchbook and other important documents carefully away, Once-ler left the office and headed over to the control panel. After he had shut off the factory lights for real this time, he then walked down the hall to his penthouse.

Once-ler then entered the penthouse, turned on the lights, and went to his bedroom and removed his gloves, hat, tie, and jacket. Afterwards, Once-ler heated up and ate some leftovers for dinner, then thought about what he should do next, for there were still several hours left in the evening before he had to go to bed.

Still shaken up from the earlier incident, Once-ler figured that he should do something that would help him relax and unwind. So, he decided to grab one of his favorite books and take a soak in his luxury bathtub. After Once-ler filled the tub with warm water and added his favorite marshmallow scented bubble bath, he got undressed, stepped inside the tub, and tried to read. But despite Once-ler's best efforts to try and relax, his doubts and worries still lingered in the back of his mind.

With a sigh, Once-let set the book aside, and then picked up a rubber swamee-swan that sat next to the tub. “Do you think I'm bad?” he asked.

Once-ler gave the toy a squeeze, causing it to squeak in response.

“Thank you!” Once-ler replied. “You're exactly right. I'm not bad at all. In fact, I'm the good guy here! Just doing what comes naturally by building an economy. Creating jobs and providing for my family. How bad can that possibly be?” he asked the fake swammee-swan again.

Once-ler squeezed the once more, and it let out another squeak.

“And the Truffula Forest....I'm just chopping down a few trees... and there's really not that much pollution right? I mean, there is no way things could ever possibly get that bad?” Once-ler further questioned the toy and himself, as he thought about the scenes of the desolate forest that he had seen in his nightmares, causing doubts to creep back into his mind again.

Once-ler sighed as he gazed at the rubber swammee-swan, who stared back at him in silence.

After another moment, Once-ler continued. “The Lorax, he's just exaggerating and completely overreacting” Once-ler continued to ramble. “He's always done that, actually. I mean, he was so mad at me after I chopped down that first tree that he tried to...” Once-ler's voice trailed off as he began to remember the incident in the river.

Once-ler sat in the tub in silence for another long moment, then with a sigh, he decided to just get out and get ready to go to sleep for the night. So, after Once-ler drained the soapy water from the tub and dried himself off with a towel-shaped thneed, he put on a pair of gray pajamas and went to bed.

The next morning, Once-ler blinked his eyes open, then got out of bed with a yawn as he set out to get ready for his day. But when his feet hit the floor, Once-ler felt a strange sensation around his ankles. Whenever Once-ler looked down to see what was going on, he gasped in horror as he saw a pair of green-gloved arms reaching out from under his bed, with the hands wrapped around his ankles.

Once-ler yelped and tried to get away, but the hands kept a firm grip and Once-ler fell to the floor. Terrified, Once-ler looked behind him to see what was under the bed, only to see Greed-ler's icy blue eyes and menacing grin, the rest of him obscured in darkness. Greed-ler let out a sinister laugh, then in one swift motion, he promptly dragged Once-ler under the bed.

The next thing Once-ler knew, he was promptly awakened by the sound of his radio phone ringing. Still half asleep but also knowing that the call was probably important, Once-ler quickly got out of bed and stumbled across the room to answer it.

“Hm, hello?” Once-ler asked in a daze as he answered the phone.

“Oh yes, Mr. Once-ler? It's me, your chief operating officer.” the man at the other end informed him. “I apologize for waking you up. I assumed you were already awake by now, but I wanted to let you know that everything at the factory is up and running smoothly this morning. So there is nothing you need to address before your trip today.”

“That's alright sir,” Once-ler replied with a forced even tone, wanting to appear professional. “Thank you for letting me know, and also thank you for agreeing to take charge of the factory while I'm gone.” Please continue to keep me posted on how things are going while I'm away.” Once-ler instructed.

“I will sir.” his chief operating officer answered affirmatively.

“Although I'm sure that with having you in charge, everything is going to be just fine.” Once-ler continued. Although he did not know his chief operating officer very well personally, Once-ler knew that the man had a lot of business experience, so Once-ler trusted him.

“I should hope so sir,” the chief operating officer replied. “But as we unfortunately know, accidents can happen...”

Once-ler cringed, knowing that the man was referring to the incident regarding the factory blackout.

“...but in the very unlikely event that something should occur, I assure you that I will deal with the matter quickly and efficiently.” the chief operating officer continued.

“I trust that you will,” Once-ler told him as he tried to hide his own embarrassment under his professional persona. “Thank you again for watching the factory and letting me know how things are going. “Now, if you excuse me, I had better finish packing for the trip.”

“Of course, sir. Have a good day,” the chief operating officer replied before hanging up.

Once-ler hung up his own radio phone immediately afterwards and he began to get ready for the day. But first, craving a bit of fresh air, Once-ler opened his bedroom window just a bit and took a few deep breaths. Then, after he put on his green bathrobe and had a quick breakfast bar. Once-ler pulled out his luggage and began to gather the items he was taking with him on the trip.

The first thing Once-ler grabbed was a bag of several fresh thneeds, for he would need them for his product demonstration. Next, Once-ler went over to get the guitar he needed for his performance. Once-ler grabbed one of the two cases and set it on the bed. Then, when he opened the case to check which one it was, Once-ler gave a slight gasp in surprise when he saw that he had actually grabbed his old black and white one by mistake.

Once-ler paused as he looked down at his old beloved instrument and began to recall his fond memories with it. Including the various times when he played the guitar during his long journey to find the perfect material for his thneed. Occasionally making up nonsensical lyrics as he went along.

Na na na na na na
Na na na na na na na na na
Bup budupadup ooh
Going off to make a thneed

Once-ler happily sang at one point, but as the journey continued on, discomfort and boredom began to set in, changing the tone of the lyrics.

I've got a cramp in my back
And another cramp in my right rump cheek

Once-ler sang as he shifted his weight in an attempt to get more comfortable.

At other moments during the journey, Once-ler would also talk to Melvin, and as the hours continued to drag on, their one sided conversations would become as nonsensical as Once-ler's song lyrics

“You and I will have separate grandchildren. And we will say to them...” Once-ler had told Melvin at one point.

“Melvin look I'm playing my guitar upside down!” Once-ler later exclaimed as he did exactly that. Melvin was not impressed and gave his owner an annoyed look.

“Don't look at me like that! Just something to do.” Once-ler replied defensively before he turned himself right side up and began playing again “And oh wait I forgot the words...”

Na na naa na naa... he sang.

“You ever think really hard about boredom?” Once-ler asked Melvin at another point before he suddenly got an idea of how to possibly entertain himself.

“Is that annoying? Is that annoying? Is this annoying?” Once-ler asked, as he strummed his guitar between asking each question. When Once-ler discovered that Melvin did indeed find it annoying, he changed course and began to sing more nonsensical lyrics.

Look it's some circling birds
I bet you they're going to eat our corpses!

Once-ler sang as he looked up towards the sky.

And then the worms will come out of the ground
And then some other little critter's gonna come and
Make furniture out of our bones.
And sit on it
And have lovely dinners

Once-ler continued before he suddenly blurted out, “And this whole thing will be a disaster!” Before Once-ler continued to sing, the boredom and frustration evident in his voice.

Na na na na
Na na na na
Na na na na na
Haa na na na na na
Na na na na
Na na na na na

Once-ler smiled at the memories. Then, somewhat reluctantly, he closed the case, put the old guitar back, and then grabbed the case containing his new one. As Once-ler set the new case down on the bed and opened it to look at the red guitar, he tried to feel excited. Although Once-ler was still fond of his old guitar, the new one was really cool. The color and design contrasted nicely with his green suit and it was a gift from his family, which made it extra special..

As Once-ler thought of his green suit, he suddenly remembered that he needed to grab it to take with him. So, he went to his closet to get it, along with a set of his original old gray outfit, then set them both down on the bed. For numerous reasons, both practical and personal. Once-ler wasn't sure which one he wanted to wear today.

Once-ler decided to procrastinate the decision a little longer by packing some other items he needed. After opening a suitcase, Once-ler grabbed some underwear along with some socks and placed them inside. Then he began packing his pajamas, including a silk green set, which sat folded on top of the pile. Still not satisfied, Once-ler then decided to grab his favorite bunny pajamas to take with him. He went over to his dresser to get them, but when Once-ler turned around, he dropped them and gasped in shock when he saw the Lorax standing in the middle of his suitcase, right on top of his green silk pajamas.

“Mustache! How did you get in here?” Once-ler asked angrily as he stomped over to confront the forest guardian. After the morning he had so far, Once-ler was not in the mood for another lecture.

“You left the window open...” the Lorax told him.

“Ugh, of course.” Once-ler muttered to himself in annoyance as he shook his head.

“...so I thought I'd come in and check on you after whatever happened last night. The forest guardian explained.

Once-ler froze in both fear and embarrassment. He had hoped that somehow the events from last night were just another nightmare.

The Lorax noticed Once-ler's distress. “Hey Beanpole, are you okay?” he asked.

“Why do you care?” Once-ler huffed, feeling irritated and flustered.

“I'm just worried about you Beanpole.” the Lorax answered.

“Worried about me? Since when were you worried about me?” Once-ler finally snapped, “Don't you remember? You tried to kill me! You tried to drown me in the river!”

“No, I didn't!” the Lorax protested.

“Yes, you did!” Once-ler shouted back.

“No, I really didn't!” the Lorax continued to explain “I told you before, I was just trying to float you away from the forest so that way you couldn't chop down any more trees, but things didn't go according to plan.”

“I don't believe you,” Once-ler told the forest guardian with a stern glare.

“But It's true!” the Lorax yelled in exasperation. “And as soon as I found out you were heading towards the waterfall, the rest of the animals and I tried to rescue you!”

“The only reason you tried to save me was because Pipsqueak was there too!” Once-ler shouted angrily. “If it wasn't for him, you would have left me to drown!”

“No! That's not true at all Beanpole!” the Lorax continued to protest “I would have tried to rescue you even if Pipsqueak hadn't been there!”

“Yeah, right,” Once-ler remarked sarcastically.

“Sure I would, and ultimately, in a way, I did,” the forest guardian told him. “Even after I knew Pipsqueak was safe, I still saved you. Don't you remember?” the Lorax continued “You told me you were heading into the light and that I was the one that pulled you back!”

Once-ler froze as he recalled the incident, and began to realize that the Lorax was indeed telling the truth.

“Beanpole?” the forest guardian asked gently, noticing the blank expression on Once-ler's face.

At the sound of the Lorax's voice, Once-ler snapped back to reality, and immediately scowled down at the forest guardian, still slightly angry with him. “You know that you wouldn't have had to save me if you didn't put my bed in the river in the first place right?” Once-ler asked him sharply.

“Yes, I know...and I'm sorry,” the Lorax apologized .

“What?” Once-ler asked in disbelief.

“I'm sorry for putting your bed in the river, and for putting you in danger,” the Lorax told him .

Once-ler was speechless. He would have never imagined that the Lorax would apologize ever to him.

“I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted to stop you before you hurt anyone else, including yourself,” the forest guardian continued. “But if you keep on hacking down all the trees, smogging up the sky, and glupping up the river, that's exactly what's going to happen.”

Once-ler silently considered what the Lorax said for a moment before he looked over at the clock and realized how much time had gone by. “Look Mustache,” Once-ler began to explain. “I have a trip I need to get ready for and I really don't have time for this...”

“Beanpole please!” the Lorax interrupted him with pleading eyes.

Once-ler sighed “Alright fine, I'll think it over.” he told the Lorax

“You really will?” the Lorax asked skeptically.

“Yeah, I will.” Once-ler answered.

The Lorax sighed in resignation. This wasn't exactly the response he had been hoping for, but considering the circumstances, he figure that this was the best he was going to get for now. Plus, the forest guardian still felt bad about the whole river incident, so he decided to just let the matter go for now. “Okay then, I'll let you think it over. See you whenever you get back,” the Lorax told him before he lifted himself up by the seat of his pants and floated out the window.

Once-ler watched the Lorax leave. Then he continued to pack and finish getting ready before his family showed up to go with him to the airport. Once-ler grabbed the bunny pajamas that had fallen on the floor and put them in the suitcase. After that, he hurried to the bathroom to get a quick shower before returning to the bedroom to pack the rest of his things and get dressed. Once-ler ultimately decided to wear his old gray outfit that day, so he packed the green suit carefully away along with the rest of his items. Just as Once-ler had filled and shut his last suitcase, he heard a knock on the door.

“Hey Once-ler, are you ready?” one of his brothers shouted.

“Yeah, I am! Come on in!” Once-ler called back.

Brett and Chet immediately entered the penthouse, headed to Once-ler's bedroom, and began to grab the packed bags. Since Once-ler had more luggage than his other family members. Isabella had insisted that Brett and Chet help Once-ler with his suitcases.

“Thanks guys.” Once-ler told the twins as the three brothers carried the bags out of the penthouse and down to the lobby, where a limo would be waiting for them outside.

“No problem Once,” Brett replied.

“Just doing our job.” Chet added.

On their way to the door, they passed a group of employees sitting in the open lounge in the hallway, who began to gossip about Once-ler when they assumed he was out of earshot.

“That's Mr. Once-ler.”

“He's a bit strange, isn't he?”

“I'm actually kind of surprised that Thneed inc. is becoming as successful as it is. Mr. Once-ler doesn't seem like the kind of guy who knows how to run a company.”

Once-ler cringed at their words, now desperately hoping that his upcoming TV performance would not only increase his company's success but also his own reputation.

Chapter Text

Once-ler and his brothers eventually made their way out of the factory, where the limo was indeed waiting for them. As Bret and Chet placed all the bags inside the car. Once-ler stepped inside to take his seat. Only to see that his mother, Uncle Ubb, Aunt Grizelda, and a few select staff members, including the head of sales and head of PR, where already there. A few minutes later, the twins joined them. As soon as everyone was seated, Once-ler's driver took them all to the airport.

After everyone arrived at the airport, made their way through security, and boarded the plane, they all settled in their first-class seats to begin the trip to the big city. But while Once-ler's family and staff enjoyed the various amenities that were offered on the first-class flight, Once-ler paid no attention to anything around him. Instead, he quietly sat in his seat and looked out the window as he began to think it over, and recall a much simpler time. A time before Once-ler realized he needed all this stuff, when he had a little cottage and it was just enough. Just a humble little place where he could sit and knit, and sell his thneeds. 

Indeed, before Once-ler's family showed up and had his first factory built he made a small shop out of his cottage, known as “The Once-ler's” where he sold his thneeds to customers as they lined up outside. It was one of these days that Once-ler began to recall in particular, as he sold thneeds to his longest line of customers yet.

“Hello ma'am, what can I get for you?” Once-ler asked a woman standing in front of his window who, unbeknownst to him at the time, was Norma.

“I'll take one pink thneed, please.” She answered.

“Alright, that will be $3.98,” he told her.

Norma gave him the money, which Once-ler placed in a tin box, then went over to grab a pink thneed and hand it to her.

“Here you go ma'am. I hope you enjoy!” Once-ler smiled as she took her thneed. 

“Thank you. Have a good day!” Norma replied as she smiled back,and quickly turned the thneed into a shawl, which perfectly complimented the lime green dress she was wearing.

“You too!” Once-ler called back out to her as she walked away, before turning his attention to the next customer.  

Meanwhile, not too far away. The Lorax watched on as he usually did. After the incident by the river, he and Once-ler had come to an agreement. If Once-ler kept his promise and didn't cut down anymore trees. The Lorax would allow Once-ler to keep his cottage in the woods and sell his thneeds there. In the meantime, the Lorax kept his own promise, and continued to keep his eye on Once-ler, and also on  the customers, to make sure neither of them were causing harm to the forest.

“Here's your thneed sir!” Once-ler told a man wearing a dark suit as he handed him the pink thneed he purchased.

“Thank you!” the man replied as he took his thneed and smiled. “I think this thing is really great, and you can't beat the price-only $3.98!”

“I'm glad to hear that you enjoy it sir,” Once-ler told him. “Have a great day.”

“You too!” the man called back as he walked off with his thneed.

Once-ler waited another moment, but there appeared to be no one customers. Not too surprising, as it was almost closing time. After Once-ler took a look around to make sure that that man really was the last customer of the day, he shut the window and flipped the sign over, changing it from 'open' to 'closed'. Then, Once-ler stepped over to another part of the cottage to check his inventory. Once-ler still had a few thneeds left, but he knew that he needed to make several more thneeds before the shop opened again tomorrow. So, Once-ler grabbed his knitting needles along with some truffula fluff, then began to make a thneed from the sweet smelling tuft. 

A few moments later, the Lorax floated in from one of the other windows. “Hey, Beanpole, how are things going?” he asked Once-ler, genuinely curious to see how his newfound acquaintance was doing, but also double checking to make sure that he still wasn't planning on breaking his promise. The Lorax noticed that more and more people were coming out to the forest to buy thneeds as the days went by, and he was concerned that Once-ler's increasing success might tempt him to start chopping down trees again.

“Pretty good actually!” Once-ler answered happily as he continued knitting. “I can't wait for my family to show up and see how successful I've become. They're going to be so proud of me!” Once-ler smiled as he finished the thneed he was working on, tossed it aside, and began knitting another.

“Your family is still coming out here?” The Lorax asked in concern. For some reason, the idea of Once-ler's family coming to the forest made him feel uneasy.

“Yeah, of course.” Once-ler replied. “I told you before, I need all the help I can get. It's getting to be too much work for one guy alone.”

“You seem to be managing things just fine to me.” The forest guardian pointed out.

“Sure, I'm managing for now...” Once-ler admitted “But the lines of customers are getting longer every day. It's going to be a struggle to keep up with the demand without some help.”

“Hmm, that is true.” The Lorax acknowledged. 

“Plus, I was also hoping that with my family's help, I could make my business a little bit...bigger.” Once-ler added.

“What do you mean by bigger?” the forest guardian asked him with growing concern.

“I want to eventually work out some deals with retail stores so that way thneeds can be sold there, instead of me having to sell them here all by myself.” Once-ler explained.

The Lorax nodded in approval at this suggestion. If Once-ler sold thneeds in stores instead of from the cottage. There would be fewer people coming to the forest and potentially causing trouble.

“And to make the thneeds, I was thinking of maybe building a factory out here...” Once-ler continued.

“A factory!” The Lorax exclaimed in alarm, now angry and worried. “I don't like the sound of that at all!”

“Whoa! Relax Mustache,” Once-ler quickly tried to reassure the forest guardian. “I promise that the factory won't be anything too elaborate. I just want to have more living space and some machines to help me make more thneeds that's all. You have nothing to worry about.”

Back in the present, Once-ler sighed as he continued to stare out the airplane window, thinking of all the promises he had broken. Until his mother came over to speak with him. She had noticed her son's forlorn appearance and became somewhat concerned.

“Hey Oncie,” Isabella greeted him.

“Oh, hi mom,” Once-ler greeted back as he turned towards her.

“Seems like you've got something on your mind...” his mother remarked.

“Oh, uh...I was just doing some thinking, that's all.” Once-ler replied, trying to keep his answer vague so that way she wouldn't find out what he was actually worried about. 

“Thinking about your TV appearance?” Isabella guessed incorrectly.

“Uh yeah, of course.” Once-ler fibbed.

“Are you nervous?” his mother asked him.

“Maybe a little bit...” Once-ler admitted.

“Hopefully not because you aren't prepared...” Isabella remarked.

“No, of course not! I'm totally prepared!” Once-ler insisted.

“Have you been practicing?” Isabella asked him with a raised eyebrow. 

“Yes, I have!” Once-ler answered.

“Did you bring your green suit?” His mother grilled him further.

“Yes!” Once-ler exclaimed.

“Did you bring the red guitar?” she continued.

“Yes!” Once-ler exclaimed again.

“How about fresh thneeds for the product demonstration?” She inquired.

“Yes, mom!” Once-ler cried, “I brought everything I need and I'm completely prepared.”

“Are you sure Once-ler? Are you really prepared to do whatever it takes to succeed?” His mother asked him.

That last question caught Once-ler off guard, and he found himself unable to reply.

“There a lot riding on this Once-ler. You will be performing live in front of thousands. If things go well, thneed sales will increase dramatically.” Isabella told him sternly before turning towards the head of sales. “Isn't that right?” she asked her.

“You are correct, ma'am.” the head of sales replied as she began typing information into her laptop. “In fact, if Mr. Once-ler's TV appearance does prove to be a success, we can expect to hit 1 million in thneed sales around the same time as Thneed inc's one year anniversary.”

“Oh, my!” Isabella exclaimed in delight. “Wouldn't the timing be absolutely perfect?”

“I most certainly agree,” the head of PR interjected. “In fact, I believe that is also around the time Mr. Once-ler's issue of Business Times is set to be released as well. If we were able to hit such a milestone around that time, after more consumers are made aware of Thneed inc through Mr. Once-ler's article, it would heighten the company's success and reputation even further.”

“Indeed, it would...” Isabella remarked before she turned her attention back to Once-ler and gave him a stern glare. “Did you hear all that, son? We need to hit that milestone. That means your performance absolutely has to go well.”

“Yes, mom.” Once-ler replied.

“I mean it Once-ler. You had better not screw this up-or else,” his mother sneered.

Once-ler cast his eyes downward. He knew completely what 'or else' meant. If he somehow messed this up. Once-ler wouldn't just lose his company's reputation, he would also lose his family.

“Once-ler! Did you hear me?” Isabella hissed.

“Yes, mom. I know what I have to do. I promise I won't let you or the company down.” Once-ler told her.

“Alright then...” Isabella replied with a nod and a satisfied smirk before she returned to her seat.

The flight continued for another half hour before the plane eventually landed. Then after Once-ler, his family, and his staff collected their luggage and left the airport, they made their way to the hotel. After checking in. Everyone temporarily split up to go drop off their luggage in their respective rooms. Once-ler had opted to stay in the private penthouse suite. Partly because it was the most luxurious room in the hotel, and also because that way he could practice playing his guitar without disturbing anyone.

After everyone dropped off their bags. They all met at a nearby restaurant for dinner, just as planned. Although the restaurant and the meal were both lovely, the atmosphere for Once-ler was tense and isolating. For nobody at the table spoke to him the entire time. The staff members talked company statistics among themselves, Brett and Chet talked exclusively to each other as they often did, While Once-ler's mother led Uncle Ubb and Aunt Grizelda in a lively conversation, completely ignoring Once-ler despite the fact that she was sitting right next to him. 

Afterwards, Once-ler, his family, and staff members left the restaurant. It was still early in the evening, for the sun was just beginning to set, so everyone decided to relax and explore the city for a bit. Once-ler was especially excited about the idea.  He thought the large city looked amazing and he was eager to do some sightseeing.

The group began to split up. The staff members left to do their own thing. While Once-ler's mother, along with Aunt Grizelda, and a somewhat reluctant Uncle Ubb decided to go shopping at the large department store across the street. 

“Keep an eye on your brother,” Isabella told Brett and Chet. 

“Yes, mom.” the twins replied in unison.

“Make sure all three of you stay out of trouble, and don't be out too late.” their mother told her sons,  while looking at Once-ler in particular.

“Yes, mom,” her sons all answered.

With that, their mother, Aunt Grizelda, and Uncle Ubb all headed across the street to the department store. Leaving the three brothers by themselves.

“Hey guys, how about we go check out that newsstand over there?” Brett suggested, as he pointed to stall a few feet away.

“Yeah, maybe they have some cool magazines.” Chet added.

“Sounds good to me.” Once-ler agreed.

The three brothers then made their way over to the newsstand and began looking through the various magazines. The stand had a large variety, so there was something for everyone. Brett and Chet read some football and truck magazines. While Once-ler looked at a knitting magazine before he decided to purchase a copy of Business Times. Once-ler had never read an issue of the magazine before, and he figured he probably should, considering the fact that he was going to appear in it soon. As Once-ler began to read the magazine. He began to feel happier as he thought about how he would eventually appear on the cover. 

Once-ler continued to glace at a few more pages until he eventually closed the magazine. Only to see that the cover had suddenly changed. For some reason, the image was now of Once-ler's own future cover photo. Even though the issue was obviously not scheduled to come out for months. 

Before Once-ler could question what he was seeing and why. The lyrics of a familiar song began to echo through the city.

'Everybody needs a thneed. A fine thing that all people need...' his own voice echoed.

Once-ler gasped and turned around to see where the sound was coming from. Only to see a commercial that featured  himself on an electronic billboard. Wearing his green suit and playing his red guitar while singing the words to his thneed jingle. Meanwhile, a nearby traditional billboard also showed an image of Once-ler. A replica of the sketch Once-ler had been working on for the advertising agency. In it, the now brightly colored image featured a cartoonish image of Once-ler. He was once again wearing his green suit, smiling as he held up a pink thneed, with the company slogan 'You need a thneed' featured in the background.

'The thneed is good. The thneed is great! And it's just 3.98!'

As the commercial still played. Once-ler noticed other changes to the city. At the department store across the street, thneeds were featured prominently in a window display. While customers lined up outside the store to purchase them. Meanwhile, the people walking through the streets of the city were already wearing and carrying thneeds. Using them as hats, sweaters, skirts, handbags, scarves, and umbrellas. Once-ler continued to stare at the scene in awe and confusion until he realized what he was actually seeing. This was his dream, of a world filled with thneeds. His desires brought to life in a vision of what could be if his business continued to grow. 

Once-ler remained transfixed and stood there un-moving as he gazed at the scene before him. Until he felt a presence behind him, and was suddenly reminded of the terrible cost he would have to pay to make the vision before him a reality.

“Yes, Once-ler you really can have it all, but first you have to give me everything.” Greed-ler whispered.

Once-ler immediately bolted, dropping his magazine as he ran away without even turning around. He weaved his way through the people on the sidewalk before ducking into a nearby alley, hoping to shake Greed-ler off somehow. However, to Once-ler's dismay, he discovered that the end of the alley was blocked by a chain link fence. Desperate, Once-ler ran to the fence and tried to climb up it to try and escape, but Once-ler only took a few steps before he was grabbed by the back of his vest and shoved against one of the alley walls.

“You didn't think you could just forget about me, did you?” Greed-ler sneered.

Once-ler, out of breath and frightened, did not answer him.

“How could you be so foolish? Running away from our dream!” Greed-ler growled as he gripped Once-ler tighter.

Once-ler finally found his voice. “I wasn't running away from my dream.,” he gasped. “I was running away from you.”

“You can't have one without the other Once-ler.” Greed-ler snarled. “You can't achieve your dreams unless you become me. And do you want to know why?” Greed-ler asked as he harshly tossed Once-ler in a pile of garbage that sat on the other side of the alley. “Because you are worthless!” Greed-ler shouted.

With a groan, Once-ler tried to pull himself out of the trash. Until Greed-ler grabbed him by the front of his vest and shoved him back against the same wall as before.

“Did you really think you could pull off this performance without me?” Greed-ler continued to taunt him. “Did you really think people wouldn't want to see that same loser they threw tomatoes at in the town square? Did you really think anyone would buy thneeds from someone like you?”

“But...they did.” Once-ler whispered.

“What?” Greed-ler exclaimed in surprise.

“They did...they did buy thneeds from me.” Once-ler continued. “I don't know how it happened or why...but suddenly the thneed became popular...and those same people...those very same people who were throwing tomatoes at me...they all came over to buy a thneed from me.”

Greed-ler's face fell as he realized that Once-ler was right. “Yes...they did, didn't they? How exactly did that happen anyway?” he wondered out loud.

Once-ler shared Greed-ler's confusion. He did not see what had happened to his thneed after he tossed it away. How it had landed on a girl's head and suddenly became a must-have item. If Once-ler did not know this, Greed-ler couldn't possibly know either. As a result, neither of them knew the origin of the thneed's initial popularity. 

But Once-ler did not dwell on the thought much longer, as he suddenly realized he could  take advantage of Greed-ler's confusion and try to get away. Once-ler then tried to bolt again, but he did not get far, as Greed-ler grabbed him by the back of his vest and then shoved against the opposite wall..

“You may have gotten lucky back then. But luck isn't going to save you now. Only I can.” Greed-ler sneered. This isn't some rinky-dink operation anymore. You can't go back to those simple days and still have all the success you crave. You knew that even back then, didn't you?”

Trembling, Once-ler nodded, knowing that what Greed-ler said was true. 

“That's right, we're running a real business now, and we've got plans. Big plans. Plans that are all going to fall apart if you screw things up tomorrow.” Greed-ler growled before turning and throwing Once-ler across the alley.

Once-ler slammed against the other wall, then fell to the ground. Greed-ler glared at him as he struggled to get up. “I won't...I won't screw it up.” Once-ler  managed to whisper.

“Oh, really?” Greed-ler asked Once-ler mockingly before he picked him up by the vest again and shoved him back against the first wall. “Are you sure about that Once-ler? Are you sure you're prepared? Are you really prepared to do whatever it takes to succeed?”

Once-ler gasped as he recognized his mother's words.

“Are you prepared to finally become me?” Greed-ler asked further.

But before Once-ler could answer, he heard voices calling his name, causing Greed-ler to suddenly vanish.

“Once-ler! Once-ler!” Brett and Chet both cried as they ran over to towards him.

“Brett! Chet!” Once-ler exclaimed in relief as he continued to tremble from the whole ordeal.

“What happened to you?” Brett asked in alarm. It was clearly obvious that Once-ler had been roughed up. His clothes were dirty and wrinkled, and he looked terrified.

“I was...I was attacked.” Once-ler managed to answer.

“Attacked? Really?” Chet exclaimed in surprise “Where did he go? How did he get out of here?” he asked in confusion as he looked at the fence at the end of the alley, wondering how it was possible for the perpetrator to escape.

“Who attacked you? What did he look like?” Brett frantically asked Once-ler.

That last question caused Once-ler to whimper and cower away in fear.

“Once-ler, are you alright? What did he do to you?” Chet continued to grill him.

“I told you...he attacked me.” Once-ler repeated.

“Did he hurt you real bad?” Brett asked in concern.

“No...” Once-ler finally admitted as he finally caught his breath and forced himself to calm down. He didn't want his brothers to worry about him. “I'm not seriously injured or anything, just a bit roughed up, that's all.” Once-ler reassured them.

“Okay, that's good.” Chet remarked as both twins sighed in relief, before Brett looked back up at Once-ler.

“Did he take anything?” Brett asked in a serious tone. “Do you still have your wallet and I.D. and stuff?”

“Yeah...he didn't...he didn't take anything.” Once-ler answered.

“Thank goodness!” Chet exclaimed.

“Okay then.” Brett continued. “If that's the case, if you aren't hurt too bad and the guy is gone and didn't take anything, then we might as well just keep quiet about this whole thing. After all, we don't want mom or anyone else to find out what happened if we can help it right?”

“Right.” Once-ler whispered in agreement. Knowing that telling anyone about the incident wouldn't help anyway. Greed-ler was not a real criminal that could be caught and captured.

The twins both nodded again, also in agreement. Then turned back to Once-ler. 

“Okay, now let's get you back to the hotel.” Chet told Once-ler as he wrapped a protective arm around him to keep him steady.

“Yeah, we'll keep an eye out and make sure that guy doesn't come back.” Brett reassured Once-ler as the three of them left the alley. “Then we can go to your room and hang out a bit.”

“Thanks guys.” Once-ler told them in gratitude.

“You're welcome, and we're glad you're okay.” Chet replied.

“Yeah, really.” Brett added as he kept his eyes peeled for Once-ler's attacker.

Both twins meant what they said, knowing that the situation could have been much worse. And although neither of them would admit it out loud, both Brett and Chet felt guilty over what had happened to Once-ler. It was their job to protect him, after all. They knew if their mom found out about the incident, she would be furious. Luckily, Once-ler seemed to be mostly fine and had agreed to keep quiet about it.

The brothers eventually made their way back to the hotel, and up to Once-ler's penthouse suite. There, Brett and Chet settled on the couch, while Once-ler went to the bathroom to clean himself up and change into a fresh set of clothes identical to the ones he was wearing. Once-ler knew that he needed to look as normal as possible in case his mom came up to check up on him later. Afterwards, Once-ler returned to the living room, where his brothers were waiting for him. 

“You good?” Chet asked. 

“Yeah, I'm fine.” Once-ler reassured him.

“So, what do you want to do?” Brett inquired.

Once-ler thought for moment, before he made his request. “Um...well I'm a little nervous about my performance tomorrow. Would you guys be willing to watch me practice?”

“Sure.” Chet answered.

“No problem.” Brett added. Both brothers knew that it was important for Once-ler to do well tomorrow, so they were willing to help.

“Okay, just a sec.” Once-ler told them before he grabbed his thneeds and his guitar, then returned to the living room.

Once-ler spent the rest of the evening rehearsing his performance in front of his brothers. The twins both watched as Once-ler twisted and turned the thneed into various shapes, and also listened to him play his song, occasionally pointing out a few mistakes. Once-ler, although slightly frustrated, was grateful for the feedback and quickly corrected himself, becoming more confident each time he tried again. At some point Once-ler eventually began to actually enjoy himself, especially whenever he played How Bad Can I Be on his guitar. Until his performance was interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

Chet went over to the door to answer it, knowing who it likely was. And sure enough, when he opened the door, their mother stepped inside.

“Oh, Chet? Brett? What are you doing here?” Isabella asked in surprise when she saw the twins.

“We were just hanging out with Once and helping him practice for his performance tomorrow, that's all.” Brett answered as casually as possible.

“Oh, that's nice.” Isabella remarked before she quickly added, “But it's getting awfully late and everyone, especially Once-ler, ought to be getting to bed now. He has a big day tomorrow.”

“Right, mom.” Chet agreed, not wanting to anger her.

“Yeah, okay, we'll head on out.” Brett stated her as he got off the couch to leave, then turned back to Once-ler “Goodnight Once.” he told him before he left 

“Yeah, goodnight bro,” Chet added  before he followed Brett out the door.

“Goodnight guys, and thanks.” Once-ler told them as they left.

“Yes boys, thank you. That was so nice of you to help your brother out.” Isabella told the twins before she turned back to her other son. “And Goodnight to you too Oncie.” she told him with a wave. “I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight mom,” Once-ler told her before she shut the door.

Once-ler stood there for another moment, then with a sigh, he started getting ready for bed. He put his thneeds and guitar away, then grabbed his suitcase to grab his pajamas. Craving a familiar comfort, Once-ler selected his favorite bunny pajamas, and went to the bathroom to freshen up and change. After emerging from the bathroom, he turned off the lights, then crawled into the luxurious bed. Although Once-ler was still nervous about tomorrow, he was exhausted after everything that happened earlier that day and he quickly began to drift off.

But it would not be long before Once-ler awoke, only to find himself surrounded by complete darkness. Only a moment later,  Once-ler quickly became filled with a  sense of fear and dread as he realized that he could not move, and was experiencing yet another episode of sleep paralysis. As Once-ler struggled to breathe the frigid air that surrounded him, he desperately tried to move or call out for help as he frantically looked around the room. But try as he might, Once-ler found himself unable to do anything.

Then, Once-ler heard someone speak to him. “It's alright Once-ler, I'm here...” a familiar voice whispered.

Recognizing Greed-ler's voice, Once-ler struggled harder to move, but his limbs remained locked in place as Greed-ler suddenly began to glow, becoming the only light visible in the darkness. Bearing his signature smirk, Greed-ler sauntered over to the side of Once-ler's bed and looked down at him.  

“Still nervous about tomorrow?” Greed-ler asked.

Once-ler still couldn't say anything, but Greed-ler already knew the answer. 

“I know you are, and I understand,” the greed-clad man told him. “But don't worry. I'm going to take care of it.” 

Greed-ler then opened his right hand, and Once-ler, still frozen in fear, gasped as a pure white orb floated out from his own chest and landed right above Greed-ler's palm. As Once-ler felt a cold emptiness spread from his chest to the rest of his body, he stared at the orb in shock as he realized that what Greed-ler had taken was his soul.

“Why do you look so afraid, Once-ler? You knew that it would eventually come to this? Didn't you?” Greed-ler asked him. “Fame and fortune come at a cost. You can't become successful without sacrifice,” the green-clad man continued.

Once-ler remained silent, still unable to move or speak. But a few tears slid down his face as he realized what Greed-ler meant. In order to obtain all of the success and wealth they both craved, Once-ler would essentially have to give his life to Greed-ler.

“Yes Once-ler, if you truly want to succeed, then you are going to have to change not only your mind but also your life,” Greed-ler continued. “You are going to have to stop hesitating, forget who you were in the past, and embrace the new you as you look towards the future.”   

As Greed-ler finished speaking, the color of the soul he held in his hand began to change. Turning from pure white to a deep toxic green. Now corrupted by greed and desire. Once-ler and Greed-ler both stared at the soul for another moment, then much to Once-ler's surprise. Greed-ler then gently placed it back inside his chest. As Once-ler's soul was returned to him, he felt a familiar sense of energy flow through him, bringing him back to life, but also destroying him at the same time.

“Time is running out Once-ler. You have a choice to make.” Greed-ler warned him. “I have given you the power to transform yourself and become successful, but the decision to accept and embrace it is ultimately up to you.”

As Greed-ler spoke, Once-ler's limbs relaxed and became limp. Although he was technically no longer paralyzed, Once-ler still could not move, now overtaken by a sense of exhaustion as he began to fall back asleep.

“So, choose wisely...or face the consequences.” Greed-ler told Once-ler as the latter started to lose consciousness. Then, just before Once-ler finally shut his eyes, Greed-ler disappeared, leaving Once-ler alone in the dark.