Just a friendly reminder to make sure you read Part 1 before you read this part. Enjoy!
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.
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Haunted by Greed
FanfictionOnce-ler's dream of biggering his thneed business soon turns into a nightmare when he finds himself being haunted by visions of his sinister alter-ego, the Greed-ler. As Once-ler becomes further overwhelmed by stress and guilt as his business contin...
