Shout out to Meep for accurately guessing most of my plan and small details. xD

o-o-o

Happy, elated, relieved, excited—those were some of the emotions that Samuel should have felt after it was confirmed that Ponyboy was going to stay with him longer. Instead, he felt defeated. Even though he should have been happy, he couldn't relish that emotion because Ponyboy wasn't that himself.

When they left the powerplant after the failed wormhole, Ponyboy stopped speaking. He kept his eyes trained outside, watching the familiar yet different city that he grew up in pass by. If his head was angled differently, Samuel would have seen the tears that were falling from his eyes. But even though he didn't see them, he knew how hard it was for Ponyboy.

At home, Ponyboy headed straight to the guest bedroom and locked himself inside. For the rest of the day, he didn't come out once. He didn't even talk or text Samuel. When Samuel tried, he was ignored. Ponyboy didn't come out for the next day either. Samuel would know. He watched the bedroom door like a hawk. The only reason he knew that there was someone there still was because of all of the shuffling and sniffling that came from inside. So, on the third day, Samuel decided that enough was enough. Ponyboy was coming out whether he liked to or not.

Samuel gently knocked on the door after he came back from the store. He shouldered his reusable, shopping bag so the strap wouldn't dig into his fingers.

"Ponyboy?" Samuel called out, hearing the shuffling inside the bedroom again. "Can you open the door?"

There was no response.

"Please?" Samuel tried again. "Talk to me."

"Go away," Ponyboy finally snapped, voice muffled from either the door or a pillow. "I don't want to speak to you, okay? Just leave me alone!"

Samuel flinched at the tone. He shook his head, reminding himself that Ponyboy wasn't mad at him for pulling him away from the wormhole. He was just wallowing in the fact that the wormhole didn't work, and he was stuck here. "Come on, you need to eat, at least."

There was no answer this time, causing the older boy to sigh. It was time for Plan B. He pulled out his phone. There was one way he could think of that would bring Ponyboy out of the room. Well, without taking down the door. There was once a time when his door was removed by his parents for a couple of months. He didn't want to repeat something so invasive and awful. Anyway, he started to spam Ponyboy with text messages. Samuel was glad that he never showed Ponyboy how to shut off his phone.

It was about forty texts into the spamming when Ponyboy threw open the door, having had enough of his phone going off.

"Stop!" Ponyboy whined, looking like a living corpse. Heavy bags hung under his puffy eyes that were very prominent on his sickly, pale skin. His hair was messy, and, although there wasn't any debris still in it, it didn't seem like he showered. He sure smelled musky enough.

"Come out," Samuel said.

Ponyboy shook his head. "I don't want to."

"Then let me in. I bought food."

"I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten anything in days. I don't believe you."

"Well, believe it."

"Sure, Naruto," Samuel said, rolling his eyes when Ponyboy's stomach rumbled. "I'm coming in and you're going to eat."

Ponyboy sighed, dropping his eyes to the bag. He rubbed at his stomach tenderly. "What did you bring?"

"Chinese food and ice cream."

The door opened for Samuel to step inside, which he did without pause. They settled inside the room, opening the contents and chowing down. The silence was awkward as Samuel tried to think of something to say. He wasn't the greatest at starting conversations (let alone continuing them) and making them stay interesting. He stabbed at his chow fun with his fork, straining his eyes to look at Ponyboy that was just in his peripheral view. Ponyboy was practically inhaling his food, finally giving in to his hunger. Each mouthful tasted like heaven to him, but he tried not to show that. His pride wouldn't let him.

Meanwhile, Samuel was thinking. He had to cheer him up. But how? He racked his brain. What could cheer someone up that couldn't go back to the past? What could make someone who couldn't return to his family and friends happier? He couldn't just say "look on the bright side." That won't help change his mindset. He had to show him something.

That's when he got it. He had to make sure Ponyboy saw that staying in the future was worth it. He had to get back on his feet and start living life with his head raised high. But where would he even start? He supposed he could ask Johnny because he knew Ponyboy the best. The problem was, he didn't have his number. Only Ponyboy did. He hated the idea of snooping on his phone to get the number, but what else was he supposed to do? Look in a telephone book he didn't have? There were probably other ways, but he couldn't think of any on the spot.

"After this, let's go out and do something," Samuel said.

"I'm not in the mood to go out," Ponyboy mumbled with food in his mouth.

Samuel shifted uncomfortably. "Do you want to talk about it? You know that I'm always there to listen to you."

"I know… You keep reminding me. I've just been thinking a lot about what happened and what's going to happen."

"Are you disappointed that you have to stay here?"

Ponyboy slowly shook his head and corrected him, "I'm scared. I don't know what's going to happen, but it's probably best that I stay here anyway. The gang seems like they're really happy now, save Darry. I don't want to ruin it by going back… which I now know I won't be able to do anyway."

It was Samuel's turn to shake his head. "Remember what your friend, Johnny, said? About how they would have been happier with you there and still alive? So, don't think like that. Even if you can't go back, you have to live for them and yourself."

Pony took a bite of ice cream, pursing his lips. He swallowed thickly. "This ice cream is really good…"

"So, can you come with me to do something? I don't want to do this stuff alone."

Reluctantly, Ponyboy agreed. "I don't think it'll help or anything but if you want to do something then fine."

Samuel internally cheered. He grinned. "Go get ready then. I'm going to finish eating my ice cream."

"I have to finish mine too."

After Ponyboy finished eating his bowl, he dragged himself to the attached bathroom to take a much-needed shower. A minute after the showerhead started running water, Samuel scooped up Ponyboy's phone. He opened it up, knowing that the password didn't change since he had it. He opened the chatroom between Johnny and Ponyboy. There wasn't too much on there. Both of them weren't good at texting from what Samuel could tell from the short scan. Not wanting to read the entire exchange between them, he started to text.

….

Ponyboy
Hi. This is Samuel
We failed at getting Pony back to the past and he's been really down
I was wondering if you had any ideas on how to cheer him up?

….

Perhaps Samuel should have called Johnny because it took a few minutes for Johnny to reply. But, then again, there was no way he was going to call someone. He would rather die. He looked at the bathroom door. Ponyboy would probably be finished with his shower in a few minutes. He had to hurry.

….

Johnny Cade
Hello, Samuel. I am fairly certain that is your name. Ponyboy talked about you a lot. He told me he really enjoys spending time with you. He likes to do a lot of things. He likes to watch movies, read books, and watch the sunset. When it comes to cheering him up, it usually just takes him doing these things. He never stays upset for a very long time.

Ponyboy
Ty :)
I will try it out!

Johnny Cade
This must be hard for him. I couldn't imagine what I would do if this happened to me. I hope that it goes well for him. He shouldn't have to go through so much in his life. Hopefully, he will feel better. I never liked seeing him sad.

Ponyboy
I finally convinced him to leave his room after three days
I don't know what to do. It's like he gave up everything

Johnny Cade
Then how about you take him to see Dally? He was a bad inspiration, but Ponyboy learned a lot of good things from him growing up. He will probably be able to help him.

Ponyboy
That sounds like a great idea!
Where can I find him?

Johnny Cade
He is at Oklahoma State Reformatory.

….

Samuel froze, feeling his heart drop. Dally was in prison? How were they supposed to go to him there? Prisons were strict about who was allowed to visit criminals. He was about to text something back to Johnny when another message was sent to him.

….

Johnny Cade
I'm on his visitor list. If you want, you can join me. They'll let you in if I tell them that you're with me. It's been a while since I've visited Dally. I probably should go see him anyway.

Ponyboy
That would be great! How soon can we do this?

Johnny Cade
I can make today work. We can meet there in two hours.

Ponyboy
Perfect! See you then!

….

As soon as that text was sent, the shower water shut off. Samuel's hair stood on their ends as he quickly deleted the messages. If he had a bit more time, he would have made sure that Johnny didn't send another text. However, Johnny seemed to text slowly and practically wrote in long paragraphs (more like essays) when they weren't necessary at all. But, whatever. He huffed and placed the phone back where it was before when he was finished. Ponyboy soon left the bathroom after that, looking a bit more alive and fresher.

"Ready to go?" Samuel asked, smiling a bit too widely. Ponyboy nodded, helping clean the food up before they could leave.

On the road, Ponyboy was still silent. He continued to stare at the buildings outside. The silence was almost unbearable. Fortunately, Ponyboy did start talking when he noticed that they were driving in the middle of nowhere—nothing but flat plains in sight.

"Where are we going?" he asked, looking forward to see if he could find any landmarks. He narrowed his eyes and leaned forward in his seat when he saw a large structure. It took a second to recognize the tall watchtowers and barbed wire fences. "You brought me to a prison? Why?"

"Dally's here," Samuel answered simply when he parked the car.

Ponyboy snapped his attention over to the driver. "Dally?"

"Yep." Both of them got out, leaning against the car as they waited for whatever reason.

So, Dally was arrested. Honestly, that didn't surprise Ponyboy. Dally was arrested so often that he gained a reputation. "What's he in for?"

"Multiple accounts of burglary, arson, drug dealing, drug possession, fraud, and assault. He keeps getting life sentences right after he gets out. I don't know if it's on purpose because he doesn't like it there," Johnny answered out of nowhere, walking over to them.

"Johnny!" Ponyboy exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here? I didn't think…"

"I'm here to help you see Dally. Samuel contacted me."

Samuel chuckled awkwardly, looking away when Ponyboy turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"We should go in," Samuel suggested, pointing towards the entrance.

Agreeing, the three of them walked over to the entrance and waited to be let in. They slowly went through the screening and, soon enough, they found themselves in front of bulletproof glass. Since it was crowded with the three of them, Samuel decided to sit down somewhere else.

Finally, Dally was brought to them.

The man definitely looked his age. He was an impish-looking, buzzed-cut man with sharp features only because his skin sagged so much. He was thin from probably not receiving enough food. There was some muscle around his biceps, but, other than that, there wasn't anything too special about his appearance. Some old tattoos ran up his arms. Ponyboy couldn't make out what they were because of how faded they were and how wrinkled his skin was.

"Hey, Johnny," Dally greeted when he picked up the phone on his end. Johnny was at the other end for introduction-sake. "It's been a while since you last were here."

"It sure has," Johnny agreed. "I still don't know why you keep getting yourself in trouble."

Dally shrugged. "I've got nowhere else to go."

"You know you could stay with me. I've got plenty of room at my place."

Dally shook his head. He never liked having to rely on others. He shifted his attention to the teenager next to Johnny. "Who's the kid?"

Johnny looked at Ponyboy with a warm smile. "You know him, Dally. He actually came to speak with you."

He passed the phone over to Ponyboy who pressed it against his ear.

"Hi, Dally," he awkwardly greeted. He pondered if he should admit to Dally who he was or go with his alias. It certainly would be easier to tell him everything and it wasn't like his secret was going anywhere with him being in prison and all. Besides, Dally always had his back. He never gave up anything whenever he was interrogated either. He went along with everything. Despite always causing trouble, he was one of the most trustworthy people that he knew.

"Yeah, hi," Dally snarked. "Now who exactly are you, kid?"

"You're not going to believe me."

"What exactly am I not going to believe here?" Dally narrowed his eyes at him.

"It's me… Ponyboy."

At his name, Dally nearly dropped the phone. His jaw slightly dropped, eyes widening—an expression that Ponyboy hardly ever seen adorn Dally's face. He quickly collected himself, tightening his grip on the phone to the point where his hands were shaking. He narrowed his eyes, calculating him. "Stop fucking around. How do you know that name?"

"Because it's me. When I disappeared after the tornado, I went here to the future."

Dally scoffed, growling. "Do you think that I'm stupid? Put Johnny back on."

Ponyboy nodded, handing it back over. Convincing Dally was going to be a lot harder than he thought. Johnny pressed the phone to his ear.

"Johnny, why is this kid claiming that he's Ponyboy?" Dally asked, shooting pointed glares at Ponyboy. "Why did you bring someone crazy like that here?"

"He's telling the truth. I'm telling you, that's actually Ponyboy," Johnny justified. "Do you not recognize him?"

Dally looked Ponyboy up and down. It did look like him from what he remembered, but, then again, it's been a while since he had seen a photo of the boy—decades even. The only difference from what he could tell was the hair which wasn't slicked back like how a greaser did theirs. But that didn't matter. There was no way that the kid was Ponyboy. "Okay, what crazy shit did he put you on? That can't be Ponyboy. Sure, he may freakishly look like him, but seriously? I thought you were over it. Ponyboy's dead."

"I know it sounds impossible, but it's true." There was something about Johnny's confident, unwavering eyes that had Dally nodding.

He sighed. "I don't believe you, but I'll bite for now. Put the kid back on."

Ponyboy was handed the phone back. And Dally instantly said, "I still don't believe you, but if Johnny is confident that you are who you say you are, I will give you a chance to prove it."

Prove it? How was he supposed to prove it? He could hardly prove it to Samuel, and he got lucky with Johnny. He had no tangible proof of him being a time traveler. But maybe that was it. He couldn't show Dally anything, but that didn't mean he couldn't tell him things. He had memories and those were the best proof that he had. But where would he begin? Swallowing, he started.

"Your name is Dallas Winston, but you go by Dally. You were in a gang with Darry, Soda, Two-Bit, Steve, Johnny, and me, Ponyboy. Although, it was more like a group of friends than an actual gang," Ponyboy rambled, chuckling. "You had an on-off relationship with Sylvia for a while, but whenever you were arrested, she would go after other guys. Tim was always mad at you because you kept slashing his tires for fun. Um… I used to draw you a lot—way more than the rest of the gang. You caught me a few times and told me to draw you differently."

"This doesn't prove anything," Dally stammered, although shocked that he knew all that information. "You could have heard all this from someone."

Ponyboy scratched at one of his palms, chewing on the inside of his cheeks. What was something that only he and Dally knew? "You told me not to tell anyone this but… There was a time when you got blackout drunk at a party, during that time, you either lost your clothes or someone took them. You weren't certain. But you had to streak across town. I caught you on the way back from the library and had to shoplift clothes for you."

Johnny stifled laughter and Dally's mouth dropped again. How did this kid know that? It was only between him and Ponyboy. He knew that Ponyboy would never rat out that story unless there was no other choice left. But that would mean that the person in front of him was indeed Pony, and that didn't make sense. There was no way that he could be there. Time travel wasn't real. He scratched at his scalp.

Johnny did vouch for the kid, and he wouldn't joke around about that sort of stuff—especially about Ponyboy. None of the gang would. Although he disappeared a long time ago, there was still quite a bit of hurt leftover. Ponyboy's disappearance had left a gaping hole within everyone.

So that concluded it. In front of him was the once-missing, Ponyboy Curtis—the kid that was practically like a younger brother to him.

But how?

Nothing made sense. If this was really him, how was he here?

"What the hell…" Dally mumbled incredulously. He leaned forward. "You're really him? You're not pulling my leg? Because, if you are, you're not going to be happy about what will happen."

"I'm telling the truth," Ponyboy answered, expression turning somber. His eyebrows knitted together, causing creases to form on his forehead. His lips quivered a bit. "I got sent here during that tornado. A wormhole opened but I was never able to get back. I'm stuck here for good, but I guess that's fine. Me staying here means that most of you will end up happy."

Dally knocked on the glass, startling Ponyboy. "What's with that expression?"

"I give up."

"Kid," Dally started, rolling his eyes, "if I wasn't stuck in this coop, I would have punched you."

"What—"

"You can't seriously be down in the dumps about that. Listen, the past was shit and the future is shitty as well. You can't go back. So what? So what you can't go back to us in the past. You're not living for other people. So, stop trying to do what you think is best for other people and start doing what you think is best for yourself, got that? Be happy with what you got and, I don't know, think about the positives instead of the negatives."

Ponyboy pressed his lips together. He had no idea how much he needed to hear those words. Even though he wasn't expecting them, they left a large impact. Deep down, he didn't want to hear the word "sorry" or the phrase "it's going to be okay". He was getting sick of those words.

"You got that?" Dally asked.

Ponyboy nodded feverishly. "Yeah. Thanks, Dal."

"Now get out of here, Ponyboy. I need to speak to Johnny for a sec."

Johnny took the phone from Ponyboy as the boy left with one look over his shoulder.

"So, what do you think?" Johnny asked, a smile on his face.

"I don't see how you're not freaking out about this more," Dally said.

"Trust me, I'm freaking out. It's very surreal."

"I'll say." Dally stood up, indicating that he was about done with the conversation. "Make sure you take care of him."

"I will. Thanks, Dally."

"Anytime, Johnny."

They made their way back to their vehicles. Samuel shook Johnny's hand in thanks. They silently hopped into their cars and drove off. This time, Ponyboy was more uplifted.

"Are we going back now?" he asked.

"No," Samuel said. "I'm going to show you what the future has to offer."