Author's Note: It starts with Ted's POV.

It was a dreary, overcast day when the funeral took place. Very few people showed up, likely because a majority of the people that knew of the Once-ler were dead, had moved away, or held a deep hatred for him. I brought Grammy with me. She was bitter towards him as well, but she just told me, "He was a man that made mistakes, not a monster." Mom tagged along of course, because she might as well "pay respects to the man that helped my little Teddy save the world." I was genuinely shocked, however, by Audrey's willingness to come along. After all, he was the man who killed nature, ruined the world, and cut down all of the trees that were so precious to her.

"Of course I'll go." Audrey had said, a gentle smile on her face. "Why wouldn't I?" Regardless of what had happened, I was still nervous when talking to her.

"W-well, I thought you kind of… uh, hated him?" I said bluntly.

"Hate?" Audrey said, pondering it for a moment. "Didn't anyone tell you that hate is a strong word?" She sighed. "I don't… didn't hate him. I thought I might, but he was different than I pictured. I mean, he seemed like he genuinely cared about the trees now. Did you notice how happy and… I dunno, at peace he seemed when he was helping the plants with me? He definitely changed. And I respect that."

"Well, uh… thanks." I said, almost a little jealous that she could get so passionate when talking about a weird old man like the Once-ler. But… in the end he was my fried, wasn't he? I was going to miss him.

We buried him near a patch of newly growing trees. He would've been happier that way, I supposed. We stood in silence for a moment, unsure of what to say. It felt so surreal. The Once-ler was, though not in a good way, a sort of a legend himself. And he had… died. It seemed so odd that a man that had so much impact on the world could be the same as anyone else. But that's the way life works. Everyone dies in the end.

"Ted, hon." Mom said, jabbing my shoulder. "Did you… want to say a few words?"

"Me? Why me?" I asked, suddenly nervous.

"Because, Ted." Grammy said, "You knew him the best out of all of us. Even me!"

"Well, I…" I gulped, then stepped forward. "The Once-ler…" I stared down at the dirt, and sighed. What was I supposed to say? "The Once-ler was… an unexpected friend. I mean, what were the chances that… a small kid like me would go all the way out here to meet him? It's so unreal to believe that everything worked out okay. At first, I was… scared. I was going to meet an old man that hardly anyone had heard of in the middle of nowhere. Think of all the things that could have gone wrong with that. But he was different than I expected. He wasn't some scary monster or a serial killer or a cannibal or something like that. No, he was just a sad, lonely, old man. But he was one hell of a story teller."

"Ted!" Mom snapped.

"Sorry!" I said. Audrey and Grammy just laughed. "Anyways, I got to know more about him. His life, what he had done right, what he had done wrong… and I learned something. Just because he had done something bad doesn't mean he was the bad guy. Everyone has two sides."

"Except O'Hare." Grammy muttered.

"Shh!" Mom said.

"…As I was saying," I said, smiling at my grandma's silliness. "The Once-ler wasn't evil. He had been bad, but his heart had been in the right place. Just like me, he had set out to make a girl happy. For him it was his mom. For me it was…" I stared at Audrey for a moment. But I was far too nervous to actually admit it. "…someone I liked." I simply stated. "But the Once-ler made his mom happy by making bad choices. Luckily my results…" I gazed up at the trees that were slowly forming all around. "…didn't end up as bad." I took another deep breath, finally getting the overwhelming realization that the Once-ler really was gone. Despite what I had thought about him at first… "He was my friend." I stated. "One of the best ones I've ever had. And I know he was bad at some points in his life; I'm not going to deny it. But deep in his heart… the Once-ler was a truly kind person. And I'm happy to call him my friend." I could feel myself getting choked up, but I held it back; there was no way I was going to cry in front of Audrey, especially with my family around. "I know I've only known him for a few years. But I'm going to miss him. I'm going to miss his sarcasm, his random bursts of enthusiasm, the way he lit up when he talked about the Lorax and his invention and happier times. I'll never forget him." I stared down at the ground again. "I won't let you down." I finally said. I stood there awkwardly for a moment. Should I say more? I couldn't think of anything else, really.

In the distance, we could hear thunder booming. The dark clouds were gathering overhead, and rain began to fall heavily from the sky. The water had been polluted for so long that it was dangerous to be outside while it was raining. It was getting better, but we still had to be cautious.

"Come on, Ted, Audrey, get in the car!" Mom beckoned, waving for us hastily.

"B-but-" I began.

"No buts, Ted. I don't want anything happening to you." She said. "We can come back later, alright?" She grabbed Audrey and me by our wrists and pulled us towards the car. I turned for a moment, but it was hard to see with the sudden rain. But I swear I saw something slumped over by where we buried the Once-ler. Something orange.

I decided to pay another visit the next day. Unfortunately, I had to come alone. Mom had work and so did Audrey. And Grammy… well, she had to go to a snowboarding competition. No matter what changed, she would always remain her eccentric, energetic self. I revved up my old, red scooter. I hadn't used it in awhile, and I was getting a little too tall for it. It was strange to think that it had been two years since my fateful encounter with the Once-ler. So much had changed since then. The world was getting just a little brighter, the trees were starting to grow… I'd be starting high school soon and-… good god, I'd be starting high school soon! Definitely wasn't looking forward to that. At least I get to be in the same school as Audrey, I figured. I began to drive through town. I glanced at the scenery of Thneedville. It had changed greatly too. The fake trees had been replaced with real ones, same with the grass and flowers. The town was still as colorful as before, but now the color was real, instead of just plastic and paint.

I kept heading down the road out of Thneedville. After I had knocked it over, all of the walls were eventually torn down. Some people meandered out into the forest to enjoy the sights, and some even went down the mysterious, twisty road, to see if there was anything out there. After all, no one in Thneedville had ever left before. I drove down the old road, passing by happy barbaloots playing together, and eager kids watching from the distance. A few humming fish swam through the slowly rising river, humming happy, familiar tunes. Swomee-swans flew through the sky, singing cheerful melodies as they passed. The path had changed to its old, familiar self. Old billboards were torn down and gotten rid of, as well as the dangerous axe-machines. Everything was clearing up. So then why did he have to die, I wondered, just as things were getting to be better?

Finally, I arrived at the Once-ler's house and hopped off my scooter. I was about to go back to where we had buried him, when I saw a small bush of pretty flowers blooming to the side. Maybe I should put some flowers on his grave, I thought. I headed towards them and reached my hand out when suddenly, a small, orange arm grabbed a hold of my wrist. It startled me enough that I toppled over backwards with a scream.

"What do you think you're doing?" A scruff voice asked. A small, round, furry creature walked out from behind the bush, a glare plastered across his mustached face.

"It- it's you!" I stammered. "The Lorax!"

"You know me?" He asked. His curious gaze soon returned to a glare. "Well, if you know me, kid, you should know I don't like people touchin' my plants!"

"Yes! Yes, I know that, I'm sorry!" I said, wiggling my arm out of his grasp.

"Hmm…" The Lorax said, staring at me. "How exactly do you know me?"

"What? Oh, that." I frankly wasn't sure how the Lorax would react to me if I told him I was a friend of the Once-ler's. He might scoff at me or assume I was a plant-killer like him. I got up and tried to look as innocent as I could. "It was just, um, a story I heard."

"Really?" He said, raising an eyebrow. "Cause you'd be the first kid that's seen me that hasn't said 'Oooh, mommy, look at the little orange teddy bear!' or , 'what's that thing? It's so cute, can I have it?'." He continued glaring at me. "Kid, I'm not well-known. I'm only well-known in the animal community. So tell me. How do you know who I am?"

"Fine, fine." I said. I extended my arm out again, to shake his hand. "My name is Ted. I'm a friend of-"

"Ted, huh?" He sounded shocked but he sure didn't show it. "You're beanpole's friend, aren't you?"

"…Yes. You mean the Once-ler, right? Did he talk about me?" I asked.

"Only all the time." The Lorax said, rolling his eyes. He shook my hand anyway. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Ted."

"…It is?" I asked. "I thought you… uh, didn't like humans?"

"Don't like humans? No, that's not it." He replied. "I love, and care, for all of nature's creatures. It's just… humans I'm the most wary about."

"Oh, okay."

"So, Ted, what brings you out here?"

"I… I was just visiting a friend." I said, still confused as to whether or no the Lorax was 'okay', so to speak, with the Once-ler.

"Friend? There's no one out here. Just spit it out kid, you're here to see the Once-ler, aren't you?" He said coldly.

"Yeah. And I was going to put some flowers on his grave, but that's a bad idea in hindsight."

"Eh, don't worry about decorating. I have it covered." He beckoned me to follow him, and we walked in silence to the Once-ler's grave. A circle of rocks surrounded it.

"You did that, huh?" I said, just staring blankly at the grave.

"Yeah. That's how nature mourns. No killing plants, no disturbing nature, just a small, simple, memorable grave."

"Yeah, the Once-ler told me about that. He said that after he cut down the tree, someone had put rocks around it."

"He really trusted you." The Lorax glanced up at me. "He had better judgment than I thought."

"I guess…?" I said, a little embarrassed. Was he complimenting me?

"I mean it, kid. I doubt any other kids nowadays would've done what you did. So for that, I thank you."

"Uh… no problem…" I said nervously. We stood silently for a moment, just staring at the small rock circle. "Hey, Lorax," I finally said, "Did you… um, were you friends with him?"

"…Sort of. Depends on the time. I never really hated him. I pride myself in not hating anyone. But it's safe to say he hated me for awhile. You see, when his family first-"

"No, I've heard that part. He listened to his mom instead of you. I want to know what you actually think."

"Well… alright." The Lorax sighed. "The Once-ler was a diluted, selfish, naïve, stupid, self-absorbed, greedy, arrogant kid. But he was still a good man, deep down. He just lived his life following only his dreams instead of using his mind. In the end, he was a kind, wise, man."

"…Yeah." I said simply. The Lorax had known him longer. He could summarize him better than I could.

"I'm gonna miss him too."

"Then… why did you let him die?" I asked.

"What?"

"It was the curse, right? That was what was keeping him alive. If you like him, why'd you end it?"

"You're just like him." The Lorax said. "So simplistic. It doesn't work that way."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means, I'm not nature. I'm just a messenger. I'm not the clouds in the sky or the trees in the ground or the water in the rivers. I'm just a little orange blob of fur. I protect nature. That's all."

"I… guess I understand." I said. "But what makes a guardian of the forest?"

"Hm… I'm surprised beanpole didn't ask that." The Lorax gazed at the valley for a moment. "Did you know… that this wasn't the first time the forest was destroyed?"

"It wasn't?"

"No. But when it was first destroyed, there were no people around. It was a long time ago. Hundreds of years ago. Long before beanpole showed up."

"Well, what happened?"

"Simple. It was a drought year. No water was in the river, everything was dry, then there was a lightening storm. The valley was scorched. That's why I was created. A small creature needed to be there to make sure nothing like that happened again. A creature that could help stop natural events, and fix the damages that they caused. Every once in awhile there'd be a fire or a storm, but I could handle rebuilding after it. But the Once-ler… was a completely different story. You know, I wouldn't be surprised if another guardian came into existence soon."

After my meeting with the Lorax, I rarely saw him around. Helping the animals resettle and helping the trees thrive, I assumed. I came to visit the valley often. Sometimes it'd be to help plant with Audrey. Sometimes it'd be to reminisce with Grammy about her childhood and the trees. But sometimes I just went alone, and visited the Once-ler's old shack. I don't know why I came there so often; the empty shell of a house just saddened me. Usually when I went there, I'd just sit alone on the front steps, or water some of the new budding trees. That's what I was planning on doing today. With me, I brought a bag of marshmallows I'd leave on the Once-ler's grave, and a watering can so I could water the plants. When I arrived at the house, I heard a strange sound: the strumming of a guitar and some faint singing in the distance. Probably some teens from town, I thought. A lot of kids a bit older than I liked to go out into the forest and play their guitars and sing. I didn't understand why, really. The swomee swans and humming fish provided beautiful music on their own. I began to water the blooming plants with ease, and the music stopped.

"Hey! Who's there?" A voice shouted. I was confused. What did it matter? Didn't the forest belong to everyone? I didn't reply and heard footsteps coming towards me. A tall, skinny man towered above me, wearing gray striped pants, a gray vest and a fedora. In his hands was a guitar. He was the one making the music. I looked up at him, but the sunlight made it hard to see his face. "A ha!" He giggled. "Ted, my boy! You brought me marshmallows!" He stanched the bag from my hand, and began popping them into his mouth.

"…What are you doing?" I asked, completely confused.

"Eating marshmallows." He said, giving me a questioning look. His eyes were bright green. Much like the Lorax's and Audrey's. He dropped the marshmallow bag and smiled exuberantly. "Oh, I forgot! Ted, I'm slowly remembering how to play! Listen to this!" He began strumming the guitar and singing random words.

"Um… sir…?" I said blankly. He didn't respond. He was too lost in his own song. Eventually he stopped and gave me a huge grin. "How did it sound, Ted?"

"Uh… that was great, man…" I said, smiling awkwardly. "But how do you know my name?"

"What? Of course I know who you are, Ted! You planted the seed, helped change the world, helped create… this!" He grabbed my shoulder then pointed out into the horizon.

"So… you're from town?" I asked.

"What? No, Ted, I'm the Once-ler." He said, a blank, confused expression on his face.

"What? No, you can't be…" It was all starting to add up. The way he talked was like the Once-ler. He was obsessed with marshmallows. Called me "Ted, my boy". His eyes nearly looked the same as the Once-ler's, but they were… green.

Needless to say I fainted.

I woke up later, back at my own house. Apparently the Once-ler took me home, (but nearly crashed my bike ten times). When I asked what happened, he did what he did best. He told me a story.

I shrieked, and then proceeded to run in a circle, flailing. What happened to Ted? Is he okay? Did I scare him? How did he forget about me? Is he sick? What do I do? I looked around frantically, looking for a familiar face, or something.

"Hey, Lorax!" He was the only one I knew of out here. "Loraxxxxx! Are you out there?" I wanted to search for him, but I didn't want to leave Ted behind. There was only one way to immediately summon the Lorax. I strolled over to a newly growing truffula tree, whispered, "I'm sorry about this," and began to tug at it.

"Hey!" A gruff voice shouted from afar. I turned, it was him. The Lorax was running at me, furiously, and looked about ready to punch me in the face. That was expected, I suppose. But right before he ran into me, he stopped abruptly in his tracks and just stared at me.

"…Beanpole?" He asked, giving me a questioning look. "Is that you?"

"Yes, yes, of course it's me! Why are you all so surprised by this?" I said in aggravation.

"It's just…" He finally noticed Ted. "What did you do to the kid?"

"I didn't do anything! I just told him I was the Once-ler, and then he just collapsed! I swear!"

"…Okay, I believe you."

"…You do. You do? That's great!" I said. "Now, oh guardian of the forest. Tell me what's wrong with him."

"What, the kid? He's just shocked. Put him on your bed in your house. We need to discuss more important things."

"More important things?" I asked. "Uh, hello? There is a passed out kid here!"

"Believe me, there's more important things right now!"

"Ugh. Fine, if you insist. Hold my guitar." I threw my guitar at the Lorax, who was immediately crushed by it. I carried Ted inside my house and put him on my bed. Then I looked around. It had gotten dusty. Have I been out long? When I stopped to think about it, I don't remember how I'd gotten outside with my guitar. It was all a blur. Maybe the Lorax will tell me?

"Come with me." The Lorax said. He gestured me to follow him, and I complied. We walked in silence to the river. However , he kept glancing up at me as if he had… seen a ghost or something. "Here we are."

"It's a river. Why did you bring me here?" I said, still worried about Ted.

"Look in the river, idiot." I stepped towards the water and glanced in. Then proceeded to scream and fall backwards at the sight of my own reflection.

"What? How? That's not me! It can't be!" I touched my face. My mustache was gone. I felt no wrinkles. I stared at my hands. They were smooth and human-like instead of those bony things they used to be. I was even in my old clothes, my grey pants and vest that I hadn't seen in so long.

"That would be why the kid fainted." The Lorax said, patting my shoulder.

"HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?" I asked, shaking him. "What happened to me? I don't remember anything! I was talking to you… then the Hummingfish came back… then…"

"You died." The Lorax said coldly. I dropped him.

"W-what?"

"Follow me again." He said. He began walking away. I took one last glance at my young face in the water, then followed him. He lead me back to my house, to where the Unless stone once stood. Beside it was a large oval made from rocks that surrounded a mound of dirt that looked as if it had been buried a few months ago. It was surrounded by freshly growing flowers and new trees.

"That's my…" I began, feeling a chill run down my spine.

"Yes. That's the actual reason Ted came today." He said. I collapsed in front of it and just stared. I was staring at my own grave. I was dead. So what happened? Was this all some kind of joke? No, it couldn't be. The Lorax couldn't just make me young again!

"How did this… happen?" I asked. "The curse of nature kept me alive. I should have been dead years ago. But when I do die, I just… come back? I don't get it…"

"This is the first time something like this has happened." The Lorax said. He then proceeded to walk forward and kick me in the shins, knocking me over.

"Owww!" I whined. "Hey, what was that for?"

"I needed to get a better look at you." He stared at me intently. "Your eyes changed color."

"Did they?" I wasn't really paying attention to that when I saw my reflection. I was more focused on how my face had become younger again. "What color are they?"

"Green. They look strangely like…"I ignored him in search for something to show my reflection. Now that I had gotten over that scare, I was more curious than concerned about how I looked. Maybe the "Unless" stone, I thought. That thing always seemed to shine the brightest in my dark world. I found the stone, but it too, had changed. The word "unless" was gone.

"Hey, Lorax! This changed too!" I shouted.

"Did it?" He said, examining the stone. "Well, that's it. Everything makes sense now."

"What are you talking about? Nothing makes sense!"

"Just… listen to me." The Lorax told me about the how guardians of the forest were created. They only came into existence after the forest was nearly wiped out. And they were only there to prevent what had caused the incident from happening. The Lorax was good with nature, talking with animals, and preventing natural disasters. But when it came to me… he was nearly helpless. So, the Lorax said, the forest would need a new guardian, someone that people would listen to more than the Lorax.

"Someone… like me…" I muttered in disbelief. "W-wait. That doesn't make sense. Why would I become a guardian of the forest? I destroyed it!"

"Well, maybe you're still cursed." The Lorax said with a grin. "Forced to help out me forever!"

"Cursed? That's a blessing!" I said, giving him a hug. "This is great! I'm young again! I can run again and move and play guitar and… fix everything." I smiled. "I can be the hero for once."

"Well fine, Mr. Hero." The Lorax said. "As your first heroic act, make sure the kid's alright."

"Oh yeah." I had almost forgotten about Ted. "Sure thing." I left the Lorax and headed into my house. Finally. I thought. Finally. I could clear my conscience. I could finally do good instead evil… I could finally… make dad proud. I stared out of one of the windows in my house. The sky was nice and blue. If there's something after death… I wonder if dad is proud of me? I sighed. Probably not. At least… not yet. I failed to make him happy the first time… but I'll make him proud this time around. I'll do good instead of evil! I will pursue what everyone needs… and that's definitely not a thneed. I smiled to myself. Time to start over. This time… it'll make you smile.

The End.