A/N: Sorry for taking so long! Busy with finals.

The next couple of years passed in a euphoric blur. I remember, on a few occasions, I tried to befriend the Lorax and the other creatures again, but none of them would ever give me the time of day. Not that I really cared. With my mother and the rest of my family, I had all of the friends I needed. If I was that desperate, I could always just buy friends, anyways.

After all, possessions equal affections, right?

Anyways, life was… though I hate to admit it, paradise. Sure, I was destroying the world, but I didn't care. Everyday I made more and more money. Each day presented me with newer and greater opportunities. Each day I made more headlines, went to more meetings, and became more and more important. But most importantly, the days started and ended with my mom saying "I love you, Oncie. I'm so proud of you."

Finally.

After years and years of horrible waiting, I was told that. The little, pathetic boy that was told he'd never amount to anything was now one of the biggest names in the corporate world. I now was in charge of a staff of thousands. Everything about me was constantly getting bigger and better.

And honestly, who would care if a few trees were dying?

Of course, I skipped over this portion of my life when talking with Ted. He didn't need to know about a time when I was happy, or a time when I was loved. Someone like me really didn't deserve that privilege, especially considering what I was doing amidst all of that happiness.

But all good things come to an end.

It had been a long day at work. Long meetings, late hours, stressful decisions, the whole day had been tiresome. As soon as I got to my office, I collapsed into the chair. I was thinking about taking a nap right then and there until I noticed my Thnnedville model. I had completely forgotten it was there. I smiled. I turned a small, rural town into a huge, bustling utopia. And it was all named after my invention! So much for "never amount to anything," huh, mom?

"So how are things?" It was the Lorax. I turned and glared at him. Whenever he came over all he did was preach and nag.

"What are you doing here?" I said. I was too tired to deal with him right now. I just wanted him to leave me alone. I didn't care what someone like him thought. Recently, I noticed, he had been acting strangely; the once gruff and outgoing attitude he once possessed seemed to be vanishing. As of late, he had been acting more… quiet and frail, to put it simply. But I paid no attention to it.

We continued talking, if you could even call it that. Realistically, it was just taunting the Lorax. I'm not sure what it was inside that made me snap like that. But it just… happened. I was tired of him. I was tired of him feigning the victim when everything that had gone wrong in my life was his fault.

"What, do I make you uncomfortable? Remind you of the promises you made?" He asked. I will never cut down another tree… I promise, I had said. I clenched my fist. That was before things went to hell, I thought. "Remind you of the man you used to be?" That's it.

"You know what? You can just shut your mustache!" I began to pace towards him. In comparison to the tiny creature, I was a huge, looming tower. "My conscience is clear. I have my rights, and I intend to keep on biggereing and biggereing and turning more truffula trees into thneeds!" By this point we had left the factory, and were in the desolate landscape outside. I leaned in closer to the Lorax, so that I was basically screaming into his face. "And NOTHING you say is going to STOP me!" The Lorax stared back at me with large, scared eyes, but didn't say a word. In the distance I heard the beeping from one of my trucks. Somehow, it seemed louder than usual. I looked over at the sound, and saw it chop down one final tree. A lonely, pink truffula tree that was forgotten whilst all the others around it were chopped down.

"…So that's it." The Lorax said, weakly. "The very last one." He looked at me sadly. "That might stop you."

Nothing needed to be said. That was it. The last tree. With no more trees, there were no more tufts. With no more tufts, there were no more thneeds. With no more thneeds, there was no more money. With no more money, there was no more praise from my mom.

That's when it dawned on me. What have I done? I stood up and stared at the valley. The once beautiful, colorful forest had now turned into nothing but death and gray. Things were going to… get bad very soon.

And they did.

Two months passed, and I was in trouble. I had to fire my staff, sell the rest of the thneeds, and shut down my factory. No more money was being made. Not that it mattered to me; after all, I had more money than I ever dreamt I'd have. However, mom didn't feel the same way about it. In fact, all she did was wander into my office one day, suitcase in hand, and said:

"Son, we're leaving now."

"What?" I replied, completely dumbfounded.

"You heard me, Once-ler." She said. It was the first time in years that she hadn't addressed me as "Oncie". It was as if she was talking to a complete stranger instead of her son.

"Where are we going then?" I asked nervously.

"By we…" she placed her hand on her temple. "I mean Brett, Chet, Ebb, Griselda and me." I stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to say. This can't be happening, I thought. I did all of this for her. I worked my hardest for her, broke my promises for her, and she just… leaves?

"Wait, mom, you can't just leave me here…" I began, getting out of my chair and walking towards her.

"I'm a grown woman. I can do whatever I need to."

"W-well… Brett and Chet can think for themselves too, can't they?" I asked. "Or are you just making them do what you say as usual?"

"What are you sayin'?" She said, looking mortified. "Why, I'd never do anything against my darling sons' will, and-" Maybe it was from the stress of the past years- no, the stress of my entire life that lead to this. The pressure I had been put under to be perfect for this woman had caused me nothing but trouble in the end… and now she was blatantly lying to me. I'm not sure what it was, but for the first time ever, I talked back to her.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked. "Never do anything against your sons' wishes? Uh, hello? You were the one that told me to keep chopping down the trees! You were the one who told me to break my promise! You were the one that wouldn't let me speak my mind! How dare you even say that, and-"

The next thing I knew, I was on the floor. Mom had slapped me across the face, and it came so unexpectedly that it knocked me to the ground. All I could do was stare at her and clutch my throbbing cheek.

"How dare you say that to me. " She said, staring down at me sternly. "No son of mine will talk to me like that." Without another word, she walked out of the office. And it dawned on me. She was leaving. She was leaving me. My life had been devoted to her, and now she was… leaving.

"Wait!" I got up and chased after her. But when I got outside, she and the rest of the family had already gotten into the R.V. There was nothing more I could do. I just looked down and the ground, thinking about how bad of a son I was. The R.V. rolled up next to me and, unexpectedly, mom rolled down the window and looked at me for one brief moment. It was only to say one thing:

"Son, you have let me down." She said. That would be the last time she'd ever face me. She turned away and stated: "Bret! You are now my new favorite child." I gasped and stared. How could she possibly favor one son over another? I immediately regretted thinking that. After all, who was I to talk? I was happy when I was her favorite. Without saying goodbye, mom and the rest of them drove off into the distance.

I would never see them again.

It was the Lorax's turn to leave next. He didn't say much; only talked about how the animals would have to go find somewhere else to live. The looks on their faces were so solemn and sad. The once happy and upbeat creatures had misery painted on their faces. Melvin joined them too. Where did he plan to go? I was his owner. And his friend. He was the first real friend I ever made.

"Melvin…?" He stared at me for a brief moment, but just continued on his way. "M-melvin…!" I stepped forward, but he just continued walking. What have I done? I honestly couldn't remember the last time I'd spent any time with him. Did I even have a place for him at the factory? I couldn't remember.

That's when something small and brown caught my eye: Pipsqueak. I hadn't seen nor talked to him in a long, long time. There were a few times he'd walk over to my house and cuddle with me, but soon enough he stopped visiting. Maybe it was because he knew I was doing something wrong. Or maybe it was a different reason. Whatever it was, it wasn't good. Chances our some of my machines had killed some of the forest creatures. What if I had hurt him, or someone in his family without knowing it?

"Pipsqueak…" I said, smiling gently. I pulled a marshmallow out of my pocket. Mom hated when I ate those, but I carried them around with me and snacked when she wasn't looking. "Hey, come on…" He stared at me for a moment, just like Melvin, only his look for more sad then it was condescending. He then turned and continued on walking.

The animals continued on their path, none of them bothering to even give me the time of day. Eventually they all migrated off, leaving only one creature left: the Lorax. I turned to him, but he didn't open his mouth, nor did he look like he was going to say a word. He just stared at me, with large, sad eyes. Then I noticed it. Those eyes were innocent. The Lorax was annoying and harsh but, nonetheless, innocent. Those weren't the eyes of a killer. How could I have been so stupid? I took my hat off and stared at the grown, feeling something I hadn't felt in ages: shame. I wanted to say something to the Lorax, anything… but no amount of words could make up what I had done.

Before I could think of anything to say, he just shook his head. For a moment, the smoggy clouds parted and a bright, eerie light shone through. The Lorax gave me one last look, pulled himself up, and began to drift away. I reached my arm out, wanting to say something, anything to make him stay, but no words came out. What could I say? Nothing was going to bring him back. Nothing was going to make anything better.

And in a moment, he was gone. He vanished behind the clouds, and the light disappeared. I slumped over.

Now what? I looked back and saw a cluster of stones. The largest one in the center now read Unless. I gaped at it for a minute. What could that mean? That was when I noticed something shining right beside the stone. I kneeled down and picked it up. There, in my hand, was little, fragile, truffula seed.

The very last one.

My hand curled into a fist, and suddenly tears began to flow out of my eyes. Why? Why did he leave this with me? I'm the one who destroyed everything! There's nothing left! I can't plant this! Is he doing this to taunt me?

I just sat there in the pathetic gray grass, crying my eyes out. Sobbing for all the things I had done wrong, all of the things I had lost… and how nothing I could do would change anything. Unless… I stared at the seed. No. I couldn't trust myself with something that important. And there's no way I could plant it in this environment… in the wasteland I had created. I tucked the seed in my pocket and went back inside my house, a small little building on the end of the factory. I shut the door, and dumped the seed on my desk. All I could do now, it seemed, was wait.

A month passed… (I think), but things only kept getting worse. A mob of really angry people who had been laid off threw a riot. Before I knew it, the entire factory was destroyed. The only way I kept my house, my little lerkim, safe was by setting up traps all over the place. If someone so much as touched the door, there'd be a mallet out to smash them or a boot to kick them away. It's harsh, I know, but better to keep them away then to have them suffer in my presence.

I no longer left my house. I used to leave for food and supplies, but that was too risky. I had thousands of people mad at me, and I didn't want to deal with them. The last time I tried, I got beat up. Besides, I had honestly given up on life by this point. I just wanted to die. To rid my horrid plague on the world. However, I would not go about that in any way flashy; I wasn't going to shoot myself or do anything messy like that. After all, I had caused enough problems. Just rotting away in my home would be good enough. A quiet, lonely, forgetful death.

More time passed. I long lost count. I had no clocks in my house, nor any calendars. It had been a few months since the Lorax left, I supposed. My only proof being the dirty snow that fell from the sky. It was winter. But it wasn't as stunning as it used to be. Back when the trees were around, their tufts seemed to glow admits the beautiful, white snow. Now the snow had the same color as the clouds: a sludgy, depressing gray. Looking outside upset me, so I walked over to my desk. With each step, my legs ached. I hadn't eaten in… I couldn't remember. And the last time I had something to drink evaded me too. I collapsed in the chair, (My giant, red chair had been long gone), and stared at my reflection. It was disgusting. My black hair was growing longer and unruly. There were large, gray bags under my eyes. If it was possible, my body had gotten even smaller, to the point where I hated taking off my gloves. My hands were like a skeleton's. I laid my head down on the desk and just stared at my reflection.

"Oh he's a jolly good Once-ler…" I mumbled to myself. My voice sounded more like a croak now. I didn't talk much; I was alone after all. In the smogulous air, my voice deteriorated. I didn't bother trying, but I was sure I couldn't sing anymore. "I'll be dead soon enough." I sighed. "And then this curse will be over." I shut my heavy eyes, but did not sleep.

"You really think that?" The voice startled me. I looked up to find that my reflection had changed. Staring back at me was… myself. At least, a younger version of myself. Before I had become evil. He was wearing a gray vest and fedora, and stared at me with more exuberant eyes. However, his expression was cold.

"What?" I stared at myself, completely confused. I face-palmed ."I'm hallucinating. I must be."

"Call it that, if you want." He replied, smiling at me.

"Well what did you want?" I asked. "I'm kind of busy." My reflection stared at me blankly then replied:

"Busy with what? Sulking?" God, I'm annoying, I thought.

"Go away. I just wanna be alone."

"Alone? But you don't like being alone."

"Life's not about getting what you want." I said. "And when you do get what you want, it blows up in your face. I learned that the hard way. That's why I just want to die. To be rid of this curse."

"By dying?" He gave me an uncharacteristically menacing grin. "That's not going to work."

"…What do you mean?" I was getting a little unsettled. What if this was one of those hallucinations that turned into a nightmare?

"Honestly, how stupid can you be?" He asked, laughing as if he had heard the funniest joke. " Did you really think you could end a curse of nature by killing all the trees?"

"Well… I-I…" It was true. What was I thinking back then? It was a spur of the moment decision.

"Nature is not just trees, Once-ler. Nature is the world. Every life is a part of nature. Ever characteristic of mankind and animals alike is nature. So chopping down the tress? That wouldn't work." He quieted and continued smirking. "You're still cursed."

"Cursed by nature?" I laughed. "Then come on, nature. Come at me. Send a hurricane or something…"

"It doesn't work that way."

"What does that mean?" I screamed. I was sick of being left in the dark about everything. First, it was the Lorax's powers. Next it was unless. Now this. I was sick of it.

"Do you remember what the Lorax first said to you when you met?" He asked calmly.

"…He told me not to cut down the trees…" I said. "And he started taking apart my house."

"No, no, no. Before that." I thought for a moment, trying to remember those happy, care-free, naïve days.

"I have no idea."

"He said he spoke for the trees."

"Oh yeah… he did, didn't he?"

"Now think about that, Once-ler. The Lorax speaks for the trees. He's not nature."

"He still cursed me." I said, getting irritated. "He said that if I didn't leave, the forces of nature… oh." He never did say 'I'm cursing you.' He just warned me that nature would curse me.

"Exactly. The Lorax was the guardian of the forest. Someone who spoke for the trees who could not speak for themselves."

"So? What does that have to do with anything?"

"The Lorax speaks for the trees. He's basically a personification of them. So when you killed the trees… what, or should I say who else did you kill?"

I shot straight up and stared at my reflection, who just continued smiling at me. That was it. That's what happened. That was why, near the end, the Lorax was sounding weaker. I was killing him. I was killing him.

I was the killer. And I murdered my friend.

I can't remember what happened next. All I know is that, I shattered the mirror. I punched the mirror with whatever power I could muster, and shattered it into bits. The shards fell everywhere, and some even stabbed me through my clothes. But I didn't care. No, I deserved it. I looked at the scattered shards, and saw my own, pathetic face staring back. The younger me was gone. Without hesitation, I quickly left my house. I climbed to the roof, and just stood there, staring at the landscape I had ruined. I was a murderer. I had killed the forest. I had killed all the life there, all the joy there. And of course, I had killed my best friend. Someone like me didn't deserve to die of something petty and gentle like starvation. No, someone like me deserved something much more painful.

Without another bit of hesitation, I jumped. I'd hit the ground and either die on impact, or I'd freeze and bleed to death. Either way, I deserved it.

The next morning, I awoke, face planted in the snow. The gray, sludgy snow had been dyed red around where my head had landed. No way… I thought, sitting up. My body ached all over. I must of broken some bones… so how was I still alive? I moaned and rubbed my head. My green glove turned a murky brown color from the blood. There was a huge gaping hole in my head.

What the…? I was confused. What was happening? Why was I still alive in this miserable place? Why? Why didn't I die? If I was being tortured by a curse, why didn't it just kill me?

It doesn't work that way.

And that's when I knew. That was my punishment. My punishment was life; to live in my mistakes.

Until the end of my days.