Truffula Tales
Once-ler's Nightmares
AN: Takes place after the Once-ler is alone, having nightmares he has while in solitude. From the chapter RECLUSE. And once again, we meet Greed-ler again. Inspired by veekaizhanz on DeviantArt. Angst and scenes of torture.
After being sucked down by the schloppity schlopp, Once-ler opened his eyes and found himself in a black void. He hears footsteps...there is Greed-ler, smirking with his hands behind his back.
Well, hello there, Oncie, he says arrogantly.
He gasped, "You! You did this! You ruined me! You're the one who made me do this! You made them suffer!"
Greed-ler just laughed. Please, Oncie, you know what they say: you point one finger, more will be pointing back. I'm completely blameless in this.
"No!" Once-ler insisted. "This was all your fault!"
No, Oncie, says Greed-ler, still smirking. It was all you. I merely helped you. If you didn't want my help, all you had to do was not listen to me...but you gave in anyway...gave into your lazy family and my words. Besides,
"W-where am I?" asked Once-ler looking around.
Greed-ler didn't bother to answer.
Come. Let me show you to your room...
"Room?" he questioned.
Why, yes. This is your new home now. It's been all made for you. Everyone has one here.
"But where exactly is here?"
You'll find out one way or another...
They walked down a dark hallway with what looks like doors of all shapes and sizes, some seemed to be unable to make out in the dark. Greed-ler stopped at a door that resembled a bank vault. With his clawed, gloved hand, he reached into his pocket and produced a gold key, sliding it into the keyhole. The locks seemed to unlock themselves like by magic. The door opened slowly...and Greed-ler showed Once-ler inside a very dark room...and to his surprise it was freezing like winter.
Do you like it? he asks with a smirk.
He shivered hugging himself, "Why is it so cold?" he asked, shivering, hugging himself.
Why, it's like your heart, Once-ler...when you cut down those trees, he said smirking. Oh, and that's not the best part.
Greed-ler whistled. There was a clinking sound coming from the corners of the room and snaked around Once-ler's thin body...when he saw what they were, they were made of coins.
"What are you doing?" exclaimed Once-ler.
He tried fighting back, but too late...he was trapped. Several heavy padlocks locked themselves on the chains, locking Once-ler in place. He was trapped. He struggled against the chains, making them clink violently.
"Let me out of here!" he demanded. "Let me out!"
You can't leave here...not ever, said Greed-ler, still amused. That's the thing about greed: it's a nasty little thing that always brings man's downfall in the end...and there's always a price to pay.
He pats Once-ler's cheek, blowing a smoke ring in his face. He shook his head in disgust, coughing.
By the way, welcome to Hell. Enjoy your new room, Oncie! Greed-ler adds. Then swished to the door and waves his clawed, green gloved hand, still smirking. Toodles!
The bank vault door slammed shut with a loud slam, the locks clicked into place. Once-ler looked around his new room. So this was his hell. Alone. Cold. Chained to his earthly possession: money. With a whimper, he slid down to the floor, his chains clinking. Shivering, he began to cry, hugging himself to keep warm.
"What have I done?" he moaned softly.
Out of nowhere, little demons appeared in his room, holding red hot pitchforks. Once-ler cowered, but was restrained in his shackles. With high-pitched, mischievous laughter, they began to pierce his flesh with the prongs, burning him. He screamed in pain feeling the sharp, burning sensation on his skin.
"Please forgive me! Forgive me! Fiora!" he cried, sobbing hard from the physical torment and the ache in his heart.
Once-ler woke up, drenched in sweat and teary-eyed. He sat up gasped, "It was a dream... but why I felt like real?"
He climbed back into bed, depressed. He closed his eyes in order to find sleep again. After seeing Fiora at Mother Tree, she left him...angry for what he had done. No, he didn't deserve her. He curled up on the bare mattress, weeping into his pillow until he felt exhausted.
Once-ler was shivering so violently, his teeth are chattering, hard metal is bit into his flesh, so heavy. Opening his eyes, he finds himself in his cold room, shackled up by coin-made chains and padlocks...his own personal hell. His body was sore from being tortured by the demons. His eyes are raw from crying, his throat rough from screaming. He felt so weak...
Hugging his knees, feeling so despondent, thinking of how much Fiora suffered when he cut down the trees, it brought more tears to his eyes. How much remorse he felt when he held her while she died in his arms.
In the midst of his thoughts, he heard the door open...and there's Greed-ler, smirking...
"What do you want?" Once-ler says, cowering.
He hears a door open...and there's Greed-ler, smirking...
You have a visitor, Oncie, he says. Says she's from heaven.
The minute he heard this, his eyes lit up. He suddenly found hope and strength again, sitting up.
"Fiora..." he gasped, then shouted, "Bring her here!"
"Patience, Oncie," he says. "Patience."
He swishes away...only a moment...there's Fiora, beautiful as ever, looking down. Then looks at him with sad eyes. Once-ler felt his eyes flood, seeing her again...feeling so much guilt for what he had done to her, yet so overjoyed. And here she was, visiting him from heaven. She looked like an angel.
"Fiora..." he whined. "Please let me out of here. This is hell for me..."
Fiora looks sad. "I...I wish I could..." she says. "But I will try to negotiate with...the big boss."
She knelt in front of him, cupping his face and looking at this pitiful Once-ler: his eyes are full of pain. His body is bruised and broken, shivering from the cold. His clothes are ragged. He looked so miserable.
"Oncie..." she says. "It's so lonely in heaven without you. I miss you...every day."
He silently cried, couldn't believe hearing that she's suffering as well, even though she's in different world. He missed her. Every minute he was away from her, it was torture. Well, he deserved this punishment after what he had done: losing his friends and his true love. He couldn't imagine her last moments on earth: crawling to him through the dirt in agony, weak and despondent...
She looked at her Oncie and began to nuzzle his forehead and his hair, smelling it. She kissed him...Once-ler felt her soft lips upon his. He kissed back. He was so lonely here, hungry for love and affection, companionship...the only company he had here in Hell were the demons and occasional torment from Greed-ler mocking him. Mostly he was alone.
Soon she bit him on the lips...HARD! He screamed in pain, some blood oozed from the bite mark. There's sinister laughter from Fiora...and her appearance melts away before Once-ler's eyes...revealing Greed-ler.
"How dare you!" Once-ler shouted angrily.
Ohoho! he laughs hysterically. You ACTUALLY believe your love would visit you here in Hell? I think it's cute you're still a naive little boy. A stupid fool.
He strokes his hair, cupping his face with his green clawed hands.
I like you, Oncie, Greed-ler said. I liked having you as a pet when I helped you rise to power...you sold your soul to me now once you broke your promise. I saw your love...how much she suffered when you cut those trees down...and let me tell you, when you cut down Fiora's special little tree, that was the cherry on top of the sundae. You really impressed me.
Once-ler screamed struggled to get away from the evil green; the chains clinking as he thrashed. It was useless. He gave up his struggle, feeling weaker every minute and fell on the floor, and began to cry, knowing no one would care.
"Ohhh!" sighed Greed-ler. "That's music to my ears. Your suffering screams. Your pitiful sobs. Yes, drown me in the sweet sorrow of your bitter tears."
Greed-ler looked over his little pet who was reduced to nothing but a sniveling, bawling little baby. To think this man was once a rich business man who ruled the world with his money and power. It was a pathetic amusement.
Aw, the little boy is crying,Greed-ler simpered mockingly.
"Just go away!" Once-ler sniffled.
I could, but I'm not done with you. How would you like to know what your little green love went through? I can show you.
"No," he said, shaking his head; his blue eyes grew wide, anticipating what the green devil probably had in store.
Well, too late, Greed-ler said with a shrug, chuckling maniacally with a sadistic glimmer on his face. You have lost your free will here.
He held up a very sharp axe in his hand. With a wave of his hand, Once-ler's clothes are gone, except his heart-print shorts. Once-ler felt humiliated. He shivered even harder in his winter room. Greed-ler looked over his little victim, admiring the flesh. It was pink with sores, scabs, and burns from the demons torturing him...but still soft.
Ooh! Nice shorts! he teases, pinching Once-ler's bottom.
He jerked at the sharp pinch from the green demon as he whined, "Get away from me! I want Fiora to come back to me!"
Greed-ler just laughs, ignoring his whines.
I told you, Oncie, he says. You're in Hell. You can never leave. You'll never see your little green girl again. You're serving a life sentence...
Without warning, Greed-ler drags the sharp axe across his soft back, leaving a long slash. It bled, the red liquid trickling down his back. It gave him terrible pain, his scream echoed around the darkness. Greedler continued to slash other parts of his body...laughing with sadistic glee as he tortured Once-ler; he screamed as he felt Fiora's suffering...the suffering HE caused her!
"Please!" begged Once-ler, now sobbing. "Please stop! It hurts!"
Oh, but I'm just beginning to warm up...also that's not the best part, says Greed-ler with a smirk. Once-ler watched as Greed-ler pressed a button on the handle of the axe and it produced five, rotating...like his super-axe-hackers!
"No!" Once-ler whimpered in a terrified voice. "Don't! Please!"
He felt the five rotating axes slash at his flesh, causing more wounds...he screamed and sobbed as he felt their sharp blades cut into his flesh, ripping open the old wounds. So this is what she felt when those axes cut down those trees! He finally understood how much pain he caused her. He couldn't imagine her surviving and dealing with this, especially it had happened for years.
Well, you've bored me now, sighs Greed-ler with a flamboyant phony yawn. I'll come back tomorrow...I'll think of something more amusing to toy with you.
He opens the vault door, and smirks, taking one last glace at his tortured pet, bleeding and shivering.
Later, pretty boy! he says.
It closes, leaving Once-ler alone in the cold, dark room in nothing but his shorts, still chained, the blood tricking down, freezing hard on his flesh.
He collapsed to his knees, whimpered, feeling more tears spill from his eyes. His body hurt so much!
"Fiora... where are you..."
Then, more demons come to torture him...poking his fresh wounds...he screamed as he felt his scabbed wounds being ripped open again by the demons...
Once-ler woke up. He gasped. Then, pulled off his shirt to see if the slashes were there, looking to his skin. Surprisingly, they weren't any. Even though it was a dream, it felt so real.
He looked out the boarded up window, looking at the desolate wasteland. Feeling the tears streaming down his face, burning him...his face hurt from weeping. Snot ran from his nose.
"I don't want this end here..." he whimpered.
He cupped the seed in his hands. The only gift she gave him. He caressed it, recalling the memory of her final moment...recalling the terrible nightmare...how real it felt.
"You didn't deserve this, Fiora," he wept; a tear fell on the seed. "Neither did the trees. Please...forgive me. I swear to you that I'll keep this safe...until when the time comes, I'll make things right. I promise."