Descending into madness

We'll begin with a spin

//content warning: abuse//
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"What you'll see will defy explanation.." The words rung out in Once-Ler's head as he packed up his belongings to begin the adventure to scour the lands, the far reaches of the world, to invent something everyone would need. He wasn't quite sure what it would be, or what it was going to be named, but he was ambitious and wanted to go forth and make something for the world.
"Oncie, dearest?" He heard his mother call out from the porch.
"Yeah?" He returned, tossing his backpack into the back of the tall hooded wagon, with his mule, Melvin, leading.
"Just in case your 'invention' ends up a failure instead of a success, it wouldn't surprise me at all!" His mother scoffed, then laughed at him along with the rest of his family.
"Yeah, haha.. very funny. You'll see! I'm going to make it big out there, I'll prove you all wrong!" He retorted, throwing his hands in the air to display the fact he had plans, big plans!
He got up onto the seat of the wagon, and hitched off for Melvin to begin the journey.
"Well, know what? I'm just going to sleep this all away.." He said, leaning back with his run down, guitar on his shoulders, gazing at the night sky before shutting his eyes, drifting.
-
There was a bellowing, grainy noise next to him, Once-ler flung his eyes open and jumped backwards in shock. The Lorax had been sleeping beside him, and he was just now waking up to it. He shrieked and in the midst of his scream, the Lorax shot up and punched him in the nose, reflexively.
He yelled in pain and glared at him.
"Oh sorry, beanpole, we didn't want to wake you, you seemed so cozy, and we wanted to bring your sock back as we had seen it was missing in the... incident.. last night."
The Lorax choked out, twitching his mustache. Once-ler looked around, rubbing his nose. As he noticed there were many animals around the room, he flicked his baby blue eyes back at the Lorax.
"Okay question." He balled a fist and twisted to face the furry peanut.
"What are you doing here after you trying to murder me?" He said, coolly.
"I believe I just said, you must still be pretty sleepy, beanpole." He said shrugging, and stepping down from the bed.
"You've got a big day ahead of you, after all maybe.. possibly costumers would want your, ah, waste of truffula trees, thneed."
Once-ler sat up and got ready for the day, he was going to sell this thneed, damn it.
But in his kind heart, he made a full stack of pancakes for the invasive but cute creatures, before slipping his guitar around his neck and heading out. Not even reaching 10 arms lengths away before a furious rumble shook the ground.
"What the-" he said, cut off by a large swarm of Greenville residents singing "Everybody needs a thneed!"
"So they finally listen to me.." He said, being closed in on, then having bouts of cash thrusted into his arms, feeling wild with excitement and a feeling he had never experienced before in his life.
He craved to have more of the currency, and he was going to get more of it, no matter what it took...
-
When the crowd died down and returned to their town, expecting thneeds to be produced, he whipped around, flicking through the stack of cash in his hand, humming happily.
"I'm gonna be rich, na na nanana.." he hummed, familiar to his previous tune but with new life to it. He had thought about calling his family to help him with this new business, but he wisely decided not to as he knew damn well they'd get in the way of his future mass marketing. He opened the door to his tent and found the Lorax standing before him, glaring at him, arms crossed.
"So You've gone and done it, havent you? Is this what you really want to do? You've chopped down a tree to make one thneed. That one tree is one home for the animals here, if you keep chopping them down, I'll have no choice but to counteract your ignorance with-"
He was cut off by Once-ler slamming the door shut, sudden resentment and annoyance bubbling up inside.
"-your so called 'powers'?" He retorted. He had only heard of the Lorax babbling on how he would curse him and make his life hell, but none of that came true, so naturally he would doubt him again.
"You lie! Get out of my house!" He yelled, tossing the stack of cash everywhere, in a fit of irritation. He swung down, grabbing the orange guardian and tossing him out the open window of the tent, shutting it after him.
"He doesn't get it! I'm trying to make a life for myself and he just has to come and rain on my parade!" He ranted to himself, fuming and pacing. He gripped the thneed in his hands, in an effort to calm down. Eventually he did, and the sun was setting.
"Why did I get so.. angry?" He questioned himself, flinching at that word. Anger. He never got angry, maybe annoyed but never full out throwing out an animal out the window.
He stood there, horrified at his own actions.
"What is happening to me..?" He said, covering his mouth with his hand. But uncovered it to yawn, the excitement and the emotions must have drained it out of him. He pulled on his blue and yellow dotted pajamas, and sat on his quilt, pulling it over his head and clicking off the light.
-
"Oncie! Get your sorry arse over here!" He whipped around to his mother towering over him, glaring furiously, holding up a paper.
"W-what..?" He murmured, noticing his brothers approaching quickly to her side.
"Lookit here, Chet, we got us a failure!" He mocked, high fiving him, chortling.
Oncie looked up at his mother, seeing a D scrawled on the paper.
"M-mum.. I can explain!" He trembled, backing up.
"Explain how you're a disappointment to this family?" She said, taking a step closer to him, tearing the paper in half.
The 10 year old looked up at her, his eyes brimming with tears.
"I am trying!" He exasperated, trying hard not to burst into tears.
"Useless child." His mother said, in a voice so cold it was indescribable, reaching a palm out and striking him across the face.
-
Once-ler rolled over, opening his eyes.
"Good morning world, soon to be filled with thneeds! The thing everyone needs!" He beamed, just sitting up and reaching for his striped slacks. He heard a creaking in the wood, and he flipped around. A figure shaded in green stood in the doorway.

"Hello Oncie~"