Visions of Greed

Chapter 18: Masquerade Metamorphosis Part 1

Notes: I am so sorry it took me so long to post this. I procrastinated, got distracted, got stuck (Greed-ler's dialogue is especially difficult), and I also got stressed out by both RL stuff and the fic itself. Thankfully since this wound up being two parts, the next chapter is mostly done and should come out a lot sooner. Sorry again, and thank you so much for your patience and for reading.

TW: Minor potential content warning for mentions of using animals for feathers/fur.

Recommended Songs: Nightmares- All Time Low, Mask- Dance with The Dead, Say Amen (Saturday Night)- Panic At The Disco, Telepathic- Starset

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."