Updated August 14, 2020. This story is discontinued.

New Story is called a Motion of Space

The first thing Pony did when his eyes fluttered open as he was met by another day with the feeling of emptiness, was to silently cry. He didn't want to wake up Soda, in fear that Soda would just stare at him and leave. Or Darry either, because Darry had enough things to worry about. Earning money in back breaking work was enough, and crying teenagers were such a fuss. Ponyboy thought that he didn't even want to see them today . . .

He'd just hate how old Darry looked despite being young. And he'd hate how Soda would hunch over, with a dead expression on his face after witnessing him in Pony's dreams.

Ponyboy closed his eyes and more tears pooled and dripped down his cheeks. He cried silently, no noise except for deep breath. He was crying because, he'd seen all his friends as the once were. He'd even seen Johnny and Dally. And he'd finally made peace with them. Now, he hoped, they would no longer torment him in his dreams. Even if Pony had been jumped in his dreams, he was happy to have seen all of them one final time. Happy and carefree as they once looked.

It was kind of cruel actually. After such a long time, he'd finally taught himself not to hurt, not to physically feel the emptiness that tore his heart open. And it had worked, and he'd been so close. And now that he'd seen everyone, it tore that wound right open without hesitation. Like someone kindly putting on a bandaid on someone else, before ripping it off ferociously without warning.

Once the tears were angrily wiped away (because, come on, his friends were dead and he had to accept that fact) Ponyboy sat up, his body sore and stiff. And once his eyes adjusted to the brightness in the room, he saw that he was not in his room. He was in Soda's room.

Soda and his' own room.

Ponyboy tensed and wildly looked around for any sign of Soda, watching carefully and skeptically for him, not to speak. Rather telling Pony to leave, with just the expression on his face.

So, before any fighting without words happened, Pony threw off the covers as quickly as he could and scrambled to the door. He didn't want to feel anything, it was just too soon.

Ponyboy, just before he ripped open the door and ran to his room, glanced around to the clock. It read seven, but when he actually went over by the window, he realized that the sun was already going down. But there was no way he'd slept a whole day right? Or maybe he'd only been sleeping for thirty minutes. Maybe Soda went somewhere. Or maybe he had never gotten home. Either way, he needed to get out fast. Soda wouldn't be too pleased to find him in his room.

Ponyboy, not risking making any noise that would attract attention, slowly crept to the door and opened the door handle, where he stepped outside and headed towards his room.

It was strange because when he went into his room, it was clean and spotless. He was also sure that he hadn't cleaned up his room.

Maybe Darry cleaned it . . .

But Darry was too busy to even clean his own room. It didn't matter. He would have to thank him later.

o-o-o

Ponyboy was sure of it. He was sure that Soda was talking. The way the voice raised and lowered excitedly, or how it sometimes stopped, and started back up again. Well, he didn't know exactly if Soda was talking. If he was, maybe this was a dream, within a dream, because when he was jumped -it didn't happen. But what struck Ponyboy as odd, was the he heard mumbling in the kitchen. Darry was home. So either someone else was talking with Darry. Maybe Darry had finally met someone, because Soda wouldn't talk to Darry and not him right? Ponyboy felt something lurch in his stomach, and his hand flew to his mouth. .

Don't throw up again or else Darry will have to clean it up, because you'd be too busy trying not to throw up again. And you don't want Darry or Soda to clean it up -they have enough going on.

The stairs were right next to the kitchen, so it wasn't much of a journey he had to walk. Ponyboy didn't really walk either. He quickly tiptoed downstairs and found Soda sitting right next to Darry, his mouth, in a position that seemed that he'd been talking.

He just stared for a second, before he ripped his gaze away. Disappointed and hurt.

"Good morning Darry," Pony mumbled.

He just gave Soda a quick nod, just like always.

Again, his heart sank to his stomach. Why was Soda talking to Darry and not him? He merely looked up as he made his way over to the sink and served himself some water. He could feel the eyes of his brothers boring his.

He turned around and his brother, broke into a smile. Sodapop smiled.

Pony rubbed his eyes and drank more water. Sodapop couldn't be smiling. But then he almost choked on the water when he heard him talk.

"Ponyboy are you alright?"

What?

He spun around. Had Soda said that? Ponyboy eyed Soda, waiting for him to move his mouth again, to say anything, but after a full second of not saying anything, he slowly turned around again and sipped his water.

There was a snort. "Geez Pony, you're enthusiastic I see. I'd be shaking from the adrenaline."

What on earth was Darry talking about?

"Hey Pony, are you okay? Why're not answering?"

Pony turned slowly, wide eyed, and Soda laughed out loud. "Man, they sure messed you up didn't they?" Yep, that was definitely Sodapop.

Ponyboy slowly turned and opened his mouth. "Are you okay?"

Soda laughed again, more forced this time (Pony could tell, because he'd heard it so many times after Johnny and Dally had died, until they stopped completely), the tense mood spiking tremendously. He was smiling tightly and looking at Darry. "I should be asking you that Pones. Are you sure you're okay? Or is this a joke? You didn't say goodmorning to me! When they clocked you, did they force you to stop speaking?"

Impaired you to stop speaking . . .

Pony finished drinking his water at top speed. "Goodmorning." He said quickly. Then he turned to flee the kitchen, but was stopped by Darry tight grip on his shoulder, which was sore. Had it been sore?

"Woah, Ponyboy, you shouldn't be moving around so much, you lost quite some blood."

Blood?

"What are you talking about Darry?" He asked.

"You don't want to reopen that cut right?"

What Cut? What blood?

Pony could feel his heart flutter. He ignored Darry's comment.

"Blood? What blood? Darry are you okay?" Pony was getting frantic.

Darry shook his head. "Pony do you need some meds? Did you hit your head when they got you?"

Pony started to back up. He looked back at Soda. He looked worried. "Who got me? Darry is this a joke? Stop it okay?"

Was this a prank? Would Soda stop talking in the end? Or maybe he'd been pranked all along. If this was true, he didn't like it one bit. Ponyboy took a step back and looked at anywhere, except at his brothers.

Darry looked at Soda worriedly. "Pony don't you remember? You were jumped-"

Pony shook his head and eyed the exit. "No, that was a dream."

Both brothers looked at each other. Darry opened his mouth to say that they need to go to the doctor and get him checked out and there would be no 'buts', but that was when Pony ran out into the living room and as far as Darry could tell, he was making a run to his room.

Darry was about to yell at Pony, but he stopped himself, hearing a loud thump.

Pony hadn't even gotten that far, looking behind him several times, missing in the way that someone was glaring at him.

Before the person could yell and warn him what would happen, Pony tumbled and he heard someone curse. Pony had fallen on top of someone and he felt his whole body freeze. No. No, no, no, no, no.

He'd fallen on top of Steve. When had Steve come here? It'd been so long. So long.

I thought that Steve and Soda stopped talking.

"Hey kid you gonna move or what?" Steve didn't wait long, before he roughly pushed Ponyboy off. "Watch where you're goin'." He gruffly said.

Pony scrambled off. " I wasn't paying attention, I was just on my way."

He hadn't known Steve was here. If he had, Pony would've stayed in his room. Well, if Darry hadn't been trying to help him, he would've stayed in his room.

Ponyboy just stood there looking at Steve before turning away hesitantly, as if Steve were to do something to him, and Steve noticed this.

He scowled, rubbing his side, and got up. "Calm down kid-"

"I wasn't paying attention," Ponyboy repeated. "I won't bother you anymore. I swear."

He wasn't going to take any chances because Pony had heard some rumors that Steve had landed a girl in the hospital and had landed himself in jail. It seemed like it hadn't been true, but Steve had never liked him. Pony could be a risk taker when he wanted to, but not today.

Pony climbed the steps quickly, but not too quickly to make it seem that he wanted to get away from Steve -which he was. He went by twos, and threes, even fours. And there weren't even that many steps.

He heard Steve and Darry and Soda calling him, but there was no way he was actually going to go downstairs. Something weird was happening and he didn't like it one bit. No, it was more than weird. This was unnatural and strange.

He stayed holed up in his room for about five minutes, trying to catch his breath and trying to think up ways on how to escape the country with $15 he had saved up. Maybe he'd go to Texas, he's always wanted to see Houston. Or maybe he could simply walk out and walk away. Anything was better than this torturous feeling of something bad about to happen.

The wait was probably even less than one minute, because all at once, Ponyboy heard the heavy footsteps of what seemed to be Darry, he shrunk back. His back pressed on the back of the door, his chest slowly falling and rising . . . Then came the knocking, which was surprisingly directed to Soda's door.

The usual yells were muffled, because they were directed to another door, and because Pony was behind a door. It was a short and strict, "Ponyboy! Open up! Pony-" Then there had been creaking noises of what Pony assumed was the door opening.

There was a fairly long stretch of silence. It was a confused silence. He could feel the confusion, but that silence didn't last too long.

Suddenly Darry's weight shifted and squeaked on the floors near Ponyboy's room. Soft knocking followed. "Ponyboy? Are you in there?" There was a clear sound of disbelief and concern. "Ponyboy?"

Ponyboy shifted quietly, his back was still now pressed roughly against the door. "I'm in here Darry," he said softly.

Another long pause, followed by more concern. "What on almighty earth are you doing there?"

What else would I be doing here?

"I was in my room. I don't know. I was trying to gather myself." Pony breathed out and tapped his fingers on his arm. He wanted to sleep. It would get dark soon. Maybe he'd take some sleeping pills Darry hid in the cabinets-

Darry's voice cut through Ponyboy's thoughts. The voice was rough and slow, as if it were talking to a young child. "Ponyboy, uh, just come out when you can, okay? You need to eat something. Maybe that'll make you feel better. Come out."

Pony closed his eyes, purposely ignoring what Darry had said. "Is Soda talking?"

Would he really be talking? But that was impossible, unless he was only talking to Darry and not him, and Ponyboy would get that because Darry listened and gave you advice when you had to say something, but all of a sudden, Ponyboy felt something cramp up inside him. One couldn't really physically hurt just because there were sad right? If so, then that'd explain all the phantom pains he'd been hav-

"Of course Soda is talking, Pony. Why wouldn't he?"

Ponyboy rubbed his arms.

Why would he?

Maybe he was still dreaming. Yeah. That was it. Once that had been quickly decided and everything else that had happened over the course of the day was banished and (hopefully) locked in the back of his mind, Pony opened the door carefully. There was no need to argue with Darry, after all, he'd promised himself he wouldn't argue with him ever again. Not even in his dreams.

Am I awake? What's happening.

Ponyboy stared at Darry intentiely. He didn't know if it was the shadows, but Darry seemed to look younger. No worry marks, or bags under his eyes . . .

Darry looked Ponyboy up and down, and suddenly he opened his mouth, possibly just to break the awkward silence. "Once you eat, we'll check those cuts okay? We need to clean them."

Pony kept staring. "I'm just going to stay put for a while okay?" He stated blankly, and looked behind him.

There was a long pause, and soft sigh."Sure?" Darry picked at his nails and looked down the stairs."Pony when you're done come downstairs okay?"

"Okay."

Darry stood there, watching him before he reluctantly turned away. Loud, heavy footsteps, following him. And when soft whispers of conversations began downstairs, Ponyboy turned, and locked his door.

Pony sat down on his bed. The one that seemed too stiff all of a sudden.

"You're denying it, ya know?"

Pony turned his head. Right next to him was, sitting on his bed was Logan. Logan.

"What do you mean?" Pony asked.

"I made your wish come true."

Pony shook his head sadly. "No."

Logan smiled.

"Yes."

I'm going crazy. I've finally snapped. I wonder if Darry is worried. Ponyboy thought. Maybe I should really go to therapy . . . Darry's been nagging me, and it's about time.

"Darry is worried. Because you're staying in your old room. You still share rooms with Soda you know. Oh and he isn't even thinking about therapy right now. Maybe a doctor because you're acting strange."
Pony shook his head. "I've finally gone off the deep end. And I'm talking to myself."

Logan stepped right in front of him.

"So what if you have gone the deep end? At least enjoy it right?"

"How can I enjoy it when I know it's going to end soon?"

"Because if you think it's going to end soon, then you just embrace it. But just telling you, it's not."

Pony snorted. "Okay, okay. Fine. "

So, once he'd gathered his bearings, and made up a reasonable excuse to Darry, why he'd been in his 'old' room, Ponyboy unlocked the door and glanced out into the hallway. There was no on there, and thank God for that, because he didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment. But if he had to -well, it couldn't be helped. Ponyboy just didn't feel like going downstairs, despite the fact that Darry had asked him to. He didn't want to see anyone today, not now, not after the fact that he'd made a wish that his friends never died and that Logan had appeared outside his dream.

Maybe, he's tell Darry that he had homework due, and wouldn't be out in a few hours-

"Ponyboy!"

Yep, that plan was obliterated in no less than five seconds.

"I'm coming Darry! Give me a sec!"

Ponyboy turned around, and saw that Logan was no longer in his room. And for a moment it all seemed wrong. Everything. But he pushed those feelings aside and headed downstairs.

There was bustle and noise in the kitchen, and when he walked in, he almost stopped breathing.

Johnny was there.

Sitting in one of the chairs.

Looking perfectly healthy and happy and safe.

Johnny looked up,

and smiled.

"Hi Pony."

And then, Ponyboy wanted to cry. And Scream.