Archive of Our Own

"Hey, Ponyboy, can you run by the store and get some baking soda? We're all out," Darry asked, poking his head out of the kitchen one day. The day was like any other summer day. The sun was high in the sky and the earth was so hot that being outside for long hours a day was almost unbearable. Darry had that day off and Ponyboy was taking shelter from the summer heat indoors. The other gang members were somewhere, doing whatever. "I'm trying to bake a chocolate cake but when Soda cooked breakfast, he used up the rest of the baking soda."

Ponyboy looked up from the book that he was reading, scrunching up his face in reluctancy. Not only was he on a good part in the book, but he seriously did not want to walk outside until it was cooler. But he also knew that Darry was going to nag him until he did it. He sighed out, "Okay, hold on. I'm on a really good part. I'll go when I finish the page."

However, that was the wrong thing to say, it turned out. Darry's eyes narrowed as he placed his hands on his hips. "Hold on? Ponyboy, a book can wait."

"So can the preparations for baking," Ponyboy rolled his eyes. "Besides, why can't you go get it? You're the one with the car."

If possible, Darry's eyes became even icier. "Are you talking back to me? Don't you show me attitude and go get the baking soda. I'm baking this cake for you and the others."

With a groan, Ponyboy put his book down and got onto his feet. While he was slipping on his shoes, Darry fished inside of his pocket and pulled out some money. He handed it over to Ponyboy who left with a loud sigh as the scorching sun hit his skin.

Fortunately for him, the store wasn't too far away from his house. But that didn't prevent the sweat that was already trickling down his temple and the dryness of his throat. He just needed to get there quickly so he could cool off.

However, along the way, he was delayed when a man suddenly scrambled out of a house in front of him with eyes practically bulging out of his skull. Ponyboy had to stumble backward a few steps to avoid being run over. Following after the man came a frying pan, which barely missed his head as it was thrown towards him. It clattered against the asphalt, temporarily leaving a stagnant silence. A woman with fiery eyes stormed out of the house that the man came from, holding up another pan in a threatening manner.

"I never want to see you again, you scum bag!" the woman screeched, throwing the other frying pan at the man who ducked out of the way just in time.

"But I didn't do anything wrong!" he defended, voice cracking from his straining his throat.

"You shaved off the side of my head! How is that nothing?!" The woman turned her head to show off the damage, pointing at it with a shaking finger. Ponyboy gasped when he saw it, mouth dropping a bit. At first, he thought that it was a small area. He wasn't expecting the entire side of the head to be completely shaved. He knew that this entire ordeal wasn't his business and that he had no right to continue watching it, but he was too shocked to tear his eyes away.

"I didn't do that!"

"I saw you! You were literally right behind me!"

"But I wasn't home during that time! I swear! I was coming back from work!"

"Stop lying to me and get lost! I never want to see you again!" Another object was thrown at the man before the door slammed shut.

The man growled, turning to Ponyboy, who was still just standing there. He snapped out, "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing!" Ponyboy stammered, holding up his hands.

The man shot another glare at him before storming away. When the man was gone, leaving him alone on the scorching sidewalk, Ponyboy got ready to continue walking to the store. However, right before he could take his first step, he saw a flash of movement in the corner of his eyes. His head instinctively snapped towards where the movement came from, seeing a figure that had been watching him, for who knows how long, duck behind a wall out of sight. It was only a moment, but that was long enough for the image to be engraved into his head. Ponyboy could have sworn that the figure had no face. No eyes, no nose, no lips. No nothing. It was a blank surface. But that was impossible. A person couldn't be featureless like that. At least, he didn't think so. His eyes were probably messing with him.

Ponyboy shook his head, continuing on his way. Unbeknown to him, the faceless figure was watching him walk away.

When Ponyboy walked away from the spot, the figure studied every detail of Ponyboy—from the curve of his nose to the thickness of his calves. All of a sudden, the figure's appearance started to shimmer, turning into a goo-like substance. It molded and folded; changing its tints and tones. It grew out features before the goo solidified, turning into an exact physical copy of Ponyboy Curtis. Through the reflection of a window, the mirrored image examined himself, letting out a creepy giggle as a mischievous smile curved onto his face.

He needed a new form after the last one was kicked out of his house by his wife. The shapeshifter could already tell that it was going to be fun playing his new character. He strutted down the road, getting used to his new feet. He didn't have a certain place to go in mind, so he wandered down the street, searching for something to do. However, he didn't have to wait long for something to come up as a beat-up car slowed to a stop next to him. A man with a Mickey Mouse shirt poked his head out of the window with a huge grin plastered onto his face.

"Ponyboy!" they called out. "Where are you off too?"

Ponyboy? Was that his name? It was certainly the strangest name of a person that he had shifted into. But what was he supposed to say? What was normal for Ponyboy? Sure, he could physically change into someone, but he didn't have their memories or personality. Eventually, after contemplating on what to say for a few long seconds, he settled on saying, "I don't know."

The person laughed so he probably said something right. "Just wandering around, again? You sure like to walk."

So, it was normal. This was going to be easier than he thought it was going to be. "Yeah, I do. Where are you headed off to?"

"The DX Station, Soda and Steve said that they wanted to show me something. Want to come along?"

The DX Station… He could definitely have fun there. The mischievous smile returned to his face. "I would like that. Thanks."

He hopped into the passenger seat. As soon as he closed the door, the car took off.

It didn't take long to arrive at the gas station. The two of them walked inside together. As soon as the Mickey Mouse-wearing greaser entered the gas station, he waved at the two employees (who Ponyboy identified as Soda and Steve) and walked over to them. Soda, as the nametag revealed, glanced over at him smiling brightly.

"Hey, Ponyboy," he greeted. Ponyboy shot back a fake smile which seemed to give Soda the go to continue talking with Steve and Two-Bit, as he was called. While they were talking to each other, Ponyboy walked down the aisles, looking at the products there. He could probably find something to use. Eventually, he passed by a switchblade and a lighter, which he quickly pocketed before any of them could notice it. He didn't really find anything else that interested him. Ponyboy pursed his lips in boredom as his eyes fell upon a rack full of liquor. An idea struck him.

He looked over his shoulder to see if the three greasers were watching him, relieved that they were too caught up in their conversation to even do so much as a glance his way. The shapeshifter pressed the tip of his tongue against the point of one of his canine teeth, grinning. His fingers wiggled against his legs in excitement as he walked over to the liquor rack.

This could really do some damage.

Without another moment wasted, Ponyboy knocked the rack over, sending the entire display crashing against the ground. Booze and glass flew everywhere, creating its own art on the floor. The high-pitch screech of the glass shattering drowned out the conversation in an instant as the three other people in the gas station snapped their heads over to him with wide eyes. Ponyboy quickly turned to examine their expressions, amused at how much their faces had changed. Their expressions went from confusion, to shock, to horror, and to despair. Steve, however, was the icing on the cake. While Soda stopped at despair, his expression morphed into fury. It was just what the shapeshifter wanted. Nothing felt better to him than the satisfaction of him being the cause of people's lives being ruined.

"Woops," was all Ponyboy said, obviously not meaning it.

"What the hell, kid!" Steve shouted, glowering at him. "Why did you do that? Do you know what you just did?"

"Of course, I do. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't know what the consequences were."

Steve's glare only darkened as he slammed his fists against the counter. "We're going to get in a shitload of trouble! We could get fired because of this!"

"I know, isn't it great?"

"Ponyboy, that's not…" Two-Bit was at a loss for words, still trying to connect the dots on Ponyboy actually pushing the liquor rack on purpose. It didn't seem like him at all. The Ponyboy that he knew always tried to make sure that Soda wouldn't get in trouble. He wasn't very much of a rebellious person—especially with Darry keeping him on a short leash and all.

Soda let out a wavering breath, paler than a ghost. He could just imagine how much trouble he was going to get in because of this. A strained smile formed on his face, twitching at the edges. He tried to look at it on the brighter side, but it was hard to do so.

"It was an accident, right? It's okay if it is. I just need to know," he breathed out.

Shaking his head, a giggle left the shapeshifter's mouth. It didn't sound like Ponyboy's laugh at all. It was breathier and deeper; drawn out like someone who gone batshit crazy in an asylum. The laugh brought shivers down the three greaser's spines. "I did it on purpose."

"You son of a bitch!" Steve bellowed, storming around the counter, but before he could reach Ponyboy, he ran towards the door. However, right as he was about to make it to the entrance, he caught sight of an item on one of the shelves. He grabbed it along the way and slammed the gas station door shut behind him. The three greasers were most likely going to catch up to him, so he needed a big distraction in order to escape. And when a car pulled into the gas station, he knew exactly how he was going to do that.

A group of Socs stepped out of the vehicle, going inside of the garage to look for Steve. Making sure that they weren't watching him, Ponyboy walked over to the car, flipping out the switchblade that he had swiped. He pressed the blade to the side of the car, slowly dragging it across it as he walked. The high pitch screech was like nails scratching against a chalkboard, but it was one of the most beautiful melodies that the shapeshifter had ever heard.

"What are you doing?!" Steve hissed, suddenly in front of him. He must have finally caught up.

Right on plan. It was too easy. Ponyboy looked down at the switchblade, putting on the guiltiest face that he could muster. He mumbled, "This is wrong. I don't know what came over me!"

He was going to barf at how lame that was.

"Here," he continued, handing the switchblade over to Steve. "I clearly can't be trusted with a blade."

Steve was stupefied as if he didn't know how to continue off of that response. But, before he could speak, Ponyboy took a few steps away from him and pointed at him, much to his confusion. He asked, "What are you—"

"What did you do to that car! I can't believe you scratched it!"

And just like that, the group of Socs rushed out of the garage. Their eyes zeroed in on the switchblade that Steve was still holding before they made their conclusions. Steve didn't even have the time to look back at Ponyboy before they rushed at him, pulling the innocent greaser into a fight. The shapeshifter didn't have time to relax, however.

A hand grabbed his bicep, dragging him away from the fight that had started. Ponyboy looked up to see Two-Bit who never tore his eyes away from the brawl. To the shapeshifter, it seemed like he really wanted to help Steve out, but he was probably told to make sure that he didn't try to run away again. Which was a problem for him. He couldn't get caught.

But it seemed like luck was on his side once again as police sirens muffled the yells that came from the fight. A policeman, who had been watching the entire ordeal, stepped out of his car, hand hovering over his gun.

"Alright, knock it off!" he loudly ordered, but nobody heard him. They continued to throw punches and kicks at each other, hardly even noticing the policeman's existence. Sighing, the policeman went to physically separate the two groups himself, creating the perfect opportunity for the shapeshifter. While he was distracted, Ponyboy used his free arm to reach over and grab a gasoline hose. He pointed the nozzle to the ground and started the flow of the thick liquid. It pooled onto the ground around his and Two-Bit's feet, seeping into their shoes. Slowly, it spread towards the police car as well, gleaming as the sunlight hit it.

"Shit, Pony, what are you doing?" Two-Bit demanded, trying to grab the hose away from him which the shapeshifter didn't care about anymore. It didn't take much to do what he wanted to do. "What is with you today? Why are you acting like this?"

"Oh, you know," Ponyboy started, fishing around his pocket for the lighter. When he found it, he pulled it out, lighting it. The flame dangerously danced in front of his face. "Just lighting a fire that will destroy everything."

With that, he let go of the lighter. Time seemed to slow down for Two-Bit as he watched the lighter fall towards the gasoline. "Everybody, run!"

His voice somehow managed to cut through the loud screams, causing everyone to turn to look at him questionably at the sudden warning. But it was too late at that point. The lighter fell into the gasoline, instantly lighting it up. Ponyboy ripped his arm away from Two-Bit, sprinting away before he could get caught up in the mess. He didn't know what became of the group of people at the gas station. He didn't know if they made it out undamaged or if they were killed. He didn't care. He wasn't connected to them.

A loud explosion caused his ears to ring as his back was scorched by an intense heat. The shapeshifter didn't look back as he escaped from them once again.

Somehow, the shapeshifter managed to find himself at Ponyboy's house. He just retraced his steps, looking at the names on each houses' mail. He entered the house, ready to see what he could do there. There was somebody already there inside of the kitchen. When the screen door shut behind him, the man walked out to greet him.

"Hey, Ponyboy, did you get the baking soda like I had asked?" they asked.

"Baking soda?" the shapeshifter questioned, scrunching his eyebrows together. "No?"

A long, irritated sigh left the older male. He massaged his fingers into his temples. "You had one job! All you had to do was go to the store and buy baking soda!"

"Why do you need baking soda?"

"For cake! What else? I've told you this! I was doing this for you and the gang."

The shapeshifter chewed on the inside of his cheek. Man, opportunities kept appearing left and right. Today must have been his lucky day. "How about this? I'll bake something for you and the gang that would be just as good as cake without using baking soda. Tomorrow, we can both go together to the store."

The older male huffed, too irritated to even argue at that point. He nodded. "Fine."

When he sat down, the shapeshifter entered the kitchen, fishing through all of the cabinets for the right ingredients. The most important ingredient, however, was situated under his shirt. He pulled it out, pouring the pills out before crushing them into a fine powder. Expertly, like he had done it a thousand times before, Ponyboy mixed everything he needed together before putting it inside of the oven. All that was left was for him to wait.

The door to the old house slammed open about an hour later. Steve stormed inside, fuming, with Soda and Two-Bit right behind him. Their bodies were dirty and darkened from smoke, and their eyebrows were gone; burned to their roots. Steve looked the worst out of the three as his nose was crooked and one of his teeth was missing. Luckily, they didn't majorly get burned from the explosion.

"Where is that little fucker?!" Steve bellowed, eyes filled with rage.

"Whoa, whoa," Darry tried to soothe, standing up from his armchair. "What's going on? Who are you looking for? Why are you so angry?"

"I would hate to be that person that made you this mad, man," Dally, who had arrived not long ago with Johnny, stated.

"Ponyboy!" Steve screamed. "I'm going to skin him alive!"

Ponyboy? That response shocked everybody. Sure, the two of them never got along, but they just couldn't comprehend what he could have done to earn this reaction from him.

"What did he do?" Johnny curiously asked. "What happened to you three?"

"Why don't you ask him! He did this to us! Look what he did to my nose!" Steve pointed at his face, finger shaking at how tense he was.

"He couldn't have done that to you," Darry reasoned. "Ponyboy's been baking in the kitchen."

As if he was called, Ponyboy walked out of the kitchen with a plate of brownies. He placed them down on the coffee table before turning to the three.

"Oh, hey," he plainly greeted as if nothing was wrong.

"Don't 'hey' us. Why did you do this?" Steve demanded.

"I was just baking brownies."

"Don't try to act innocent. You know full well that I wasn't talking about that."

"Yeah, you could have killed us, Pony," Two-bit interjected.

The other three members of the gang were even more confused. What did Ponyboy do?!

"What did he do? Just give it to us straight, man," Dally asked.

"What did he do? If he's not going to say it, then I'll tell you what he did. First, he stole from the DX Station. Then he purposefully knocked over hundreds of dollars' worth of liquor. Then he scratched a Soc's car and blamed it on me, which made them jump me. I'm fine by the way. Then when the police arrived, he poured gasoline on the ground and lit it up so it would explode! We barely got out unscathed and part of the station is gone."

"That doesn't sound like Ponyboy…" Johnny mumbled, looking at his best friend in disbelief.

"Yeah, the kid can't hurt a fly," Dally added.

"But it's true," Two-Bit proclaimed.

Darry turned to Soda. This was a serious accusation. If Ponyboy did all of this, then… He didn't want to believe it.

"Soda, is it true?" he asked.

Soda nodded and answered, "It is."

Crap. The shapeshifter glanced down at the untouched brownies. He wasn't supposed to be here while they were lecturing him, and he hadn't done enough damage yet. But how would he get them to eat the brownies before then?

"Ponyboy—" Darry started but was interrupted by the shapeshifter.

"Okay, it was me!" Ponyboy blabbed, sweating. "I get it, what I did was beyond bad. It was not acceptable whatsoever. I know that I'm in trouble and I'm ready to take on any punishment for what I had done. I will take full responsibility. But, please, can I at least eat those brownies? I worked really hard on them and I would hate for them to go to waste."

"Are brownies seriously all that's on your mind right now?" Darry spat, face reddening. He grabbed one of the brownies, almost crushing it with how hard he was pressing against them with his fingers. "No, you know what? You're not going to eat any of them. You're going to sit there and watch us eat all of the brownies."

Ponyboy tried to hold in his smile. He frowned instead, leaning forward. "But—"

"No, buts! Now sit down and watch."

The gang all picked up their own brownies, looking uncomfortable. None of them wanted to eat them now, losing their appetite moments ago.

"I don't really want to eat it," Soda mumbled.

"Eat it," Darry growled.

Apprehensively, the gang took a bite out of their brownies, slowly chewing. However, the brownies didn't taste like ordinary brownies. There was something wrong with them. They made faces but still didn't spit them out. They continued eating them, despite the odd taste.

"These don't taste right…" Two-Bit finally commented after a while, taking another bite.

"Yeah…" Dally agreed. "What's exactly in these, man?"

"A special ingredient," Ponyboy answered, letting a smile onto his face.

"Which is?"

Ponyboy pulled out the box that he had stolen from the DX Station. He held it up for all of them to see. "Laxatives."

And just like that, the gang started to spit the brownies out, gagging. But it was too late and all of them knew that. They had already consumed most of their brownies.

"What the hell? Why would you put that in?" Dally demanded, but Ponyboy only shrugged.

"Maybe… Maybe he didn't actually put them in," Two-Bit said hopefully. How Two-Bit was still hopeful that he was going to play nice was beyond him. "I don't really feel any—"

A loud rumble coming from his stomach cut him off. This was followed by several more rumbles as the gang's eyes all widened.

"You tricked us," Darry gasped, clutching at his stomach like his life depended on it.

"You should worry about making it to the bathroom before anybody else. There's only one toilet. I played nice this time and didn't lock the door. Lucky you."

The gang all exchanged looks, daring each other to make the first move. They squirmed uncomfortably in their seats, face twisting up in pain as they held everything in. Their stomachs continued to rumble as if a storm was brewing inside of their stomach. In a way, there was. Eventually, none of them could hold it in any longer. They felt like they were going to explode if held it in for one more second. They all shot to their feet and sprinted towards the bathroom, pulling each back to get in front of them. It only took laxatives for them to fight amongst each other like mad dogs. All that mattered to them was that they got to use the bathroom first.

While they were doing that, the shapeshifter sighed, knowing that he wasn't going to be able to appreciate his work. He had to move onto his next victim. He obviously oversaturated this form. Standing up, the shapeshifter left the house without another word. If he doesn't find another form, maybe he'll return.

After many hours of his life wasted at the store, the original Ponyboy walked inside of the house, holding up the baking soda.

"Hey, they ran out of baking soda at the first store, so I had to walk to another one to get it. Sorry that it took so long," he announced. He also got sidetracked along the way, but he wasn't going to admit that.

He closed the door behind him, careful to not let the screen door slam shut. He was covered in sweat from walking through the summer heat, ready to take a shower, and take a much-needed nap. But, when he looked back up again, he saw the gang all sitting in the living room, looking at him coldly or with confusion.

"What's wrong? Did I buy the wrong brand or something?" he asked, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. Did he get in trouble for something? He literally didn't do anything wrong. He wasn't even home for a large chunk of the day. He tried to search his brain for something. Maybe he accidentally left the door open when he left? But that wouldn't justify their expressions.

"Ponyboy, sit down," Darry harshly commanded.

"Why?"

Darry growled, digging his nails into his chair. "Sit down now!"

Flinching, Ponyboy sat down. He pressed his lips tightly together as their glares dug into him like daggers. He started to sweat for an entirely different reason now.

"You're in huge trouble. No, words cannot even describe how much trouble you're in," Darry snapped.

"But what did I do?" Ponyboy questioned. "I did everything you asked! At least tell me what I'm in trouble for so I would know."

"Stop trying to play the victim! You know exactly what you did to us. Stealing, breaking hundreds of dollars, causing fights, vandalizing, blowing up cop cars, and putting laxatives in brownies. Thankfully, the laxatives wore off quickly and we all managed to get to the bathroom."

Ponyboy gaped in disbelief. "What are you talking about? I didn't do any of that. You know that I wouldn't do anything that would get me sent to a boys' home or injure anybody here. Besides, I don't even know how to bake brownies."

"We saw you do all of that!"

"But I didn't! I swear to you that I didn't!"

"Ponyboy, please don't lie right now. You almost killed us," Soda muttered.

"But I'm not lying."

"You are and it's a problem. We've all been talking, and we think that it would be best to… send you to get corrected. We don't want to do it, but we think that it would be for the best."

Ponyboy didn't think that it could get worse, but it did. At Darry's words, he felt his heart stop beating. His chest became tight as an icy feeling washed over him. There were so many emotions running through him—confusion, hurt, betrayal—and his thoughts screaming unbearably loud.

"You're sending me away?" Ponyboy asked with a trembling voice. No. They couldn't send him away. They were supposed to stay together. Why couldn't they believe him? He didn't do anything wrong. "You can't send me away!"

"We have no choice at this point," Darry coldly said. "I'm just so ashamed of you right now."

"But I didn't do it! You just got to believe me." Abut nobody in the gang stepped up to defend him, making it feel like his heart was being crushed by a heavy weight. He whimpered, trying his best to hold in his tears, but he could feel them start forming regardless of his efforts. "Please…"

"I thought I used to know you, but I guess not," Johnny muttered.

"It wasn't me. It had to be somebody else that looks like me."

"Yeah, right," Dally snorted, rolling his eyes. "You're saying someone who looks identical to you, with the same voice, and has the same name is walking about. That's ridiculous, man."

It did sound ridiculous. That theory was less believable than him doing all of that stuff. Was this it? Was there no convincing them that he was innocent? What was he supposed to do? His mind was drawing a blank.

What was he supposed to do?

Think! Think! Think!

Tears were burning his eyes as pins and needles spread across his skin. Ponyboy was sweating something fierce, stomach turning so much that he felt like he was about to throw up. His mouth was dry, throat closing up as he was pushed into a dead-end with nowhere to go. The darkness was about to consume him, suffocating him.

He wanted to run away because he didn't want them to see him cry like a baby. But he was glued to the floor, stuck to watch as a vivid image of the gang abandoning away from him surfaced.

"Please…" he cried with a voice so weak that it was almost inaudible.

His head was swimming, darkness creeping at the edges of his vision. Was he breathing correctly? Ponyboy couldn't tell. His vision swayed and he knew then that he was about to pass out.

But something nobody expected happened at that time.

The front door opened, and someone stepped inside that shocked everybody. It was… Ponyboy?

The lookalike stared at each one of them, blinking heavily. He cursed under his breath, "Shit."

For a long moment, nobody spoke. They rubbed at their eyes to see if they were seeing a hallucination, but no matter what they did there were two Ponyboys in front of them. None of them knew how to react. They were all too confused to know what to do.

"Two… There are… There are two of you?" Steve stuttered, jaw dropping.

"That means," Soda gulped, turning to the Ponyboy that they were lecturing, "you were telling the truth the entire time?"

But all Ponyboy could do was numbly nod, eyes wider than plates. What the heck was going on? There was only supposed to be one of him. He didn't have a long-lost twin. Although his mind was blank before, a million questions now ran through his mind.

"Why do you look like me?" he managed to ask, sliding his clammy hands into his jean pockets.

"I should be asking the same thing," the lookalike reflected after faltering. "Why do you look like me?"

Ponyboy shook his head. Nobody would believe his doppelganger's antics now. "You're the one who did all of this. Who are you?"

"I'm Ponyboy."

"No, I'm Ponyboy." He turned to the gang. "Right? Say that I am."

But, much to his shock, the gang didn't take his side. They looked back and forth between the two identical people with uncertainty.

"I don't know," Soda admitted, pale. "I want to believe you, but this could be a trick."

"But, I'm Ponyboy," the original Ponyboy cried out. "I was the one who got the baking soda!"

"I don't even know what's happening," the other Ponyboy mumbled, playing innocent. "What's going on?"

"So, let me get this straight," Two-Bit spoke up. "Only one of them did all of that stuff and not both?"

"I have no idea if I should be relieved or not if our Ponyboy didn't do it," Darry admitted.

"Yeah, no kidding," Dally agreed. "This is freaky. I just want to know where Ponyboy is."

"I know one way we could find out," Johnny spoke up, surprising everybody. They all turned to him expectantly. "We have to ask them a question that only our Ponyboy would know."

Okay, yeah. That would definitely prove that he was innocent. Ponyboy nodded enthusiastically. He just had to answer one question correctly.

Johnny continued, "Here's the question. There was a poem that you recited for me as a way to tell me that there is always hope no matter what happens. Recite the poem?"

The lookalike clenched his jaw. How was he supposed to know that? Who even memorized poems? He was doomed if Ponyboy knew the answer to it.

"I don't remember," he tried, hoping that it would work. "A lot had happened since then."

It was believable enough. But when a smile crept onto Ponyboy's face, the shapeshifter knew that he was in trouble.

"The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And save some part
Of a day I had rued," he recited. "A Robert Frost poem."

Johnny nodded, smiling. He breathed out, "That's right."

As soon as Johnny confirmed who was who, they all turned to the other Ponyboy, glaring. Darry was the first to step up, growling, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"What are you talking about?" the shapeshifter continued, slowly backing away from them. "I'm Ponyboy."

"Cut the bullshit," Dally snapped. "You can't trick us anymore."

The shapeshifter's eyes flickered to Ponyboy for a moment before he suddenly lunged at him. He wrapped his hands around Ponyboy's throat, knocking them both down onto the ground with him on top. The young greaser gasped out, trying to pry the hands off of him, but the grip only got tighter. He could feel himself quickly running out of air, seeing veins spread across his vision. However, the shapeshifter didn't get any further than that.

Darry suddenly grabbed the lookalike by the hair, yanking him up to his feet. He pulled back a fist, eyes icier than the glaciers, before he snapped his arm forward. The shapeshifter went flying from the impact, sprawling across the floor in a heap.

"Get lost," he spat out.

He thought that was going to be it. But something strange happened that freaked all of them out. Before their eyes, the doppelganger started to shimmer. The skin moved like small waves, bubbling up in some places. The features started to melt, leaving a faceless person in its place.

"What the fuck?" Steve cursed out what was exactly on everybody's' mind.

The faceless being shot to its feet, backing away some more before sprinting out of the house. The gang could only watch as the door shut behind it. What the hell did they just see?

"I don't know what I saw, but I'm just going to forget that I ever saw that," Dally commented, and everybody nodded.

"Agreed," Darry said. If there were to try to figure out what they saw, it was going to have to be at another time. At that moment, there was a matter that was far more important that they had to attend to.

Soda walked over to Ponyboy who was still on the floor. He reached his hand out for him to take, whispering, "I'm so sorry."

But instead of taking the hand, Ponyboy slapped it away. He got up himself, crossing his arms over his torso defensively. His eyes were brimmed with so much hurt that even Dally and Steve felt bad.

"Don't apologize to me," he retaliated. "You didn't listen to me and tried to get rid of me. Saying sorry does nothing to fix that."

"I know," Darry agreed. "But you have to understand that we went through a lot because of that… whatever that was. He looked exactly like you."

Ponyboy shook his head, digging his nails into his skin. "None of you could even differentiate us apart! You should have known. I've practically been with you all since I was born. You said that you don't recognize me anymore, and I guess you were right about that."

"Ponyboy—"

"No!" He dug his fingers into his temples. "You know what? I can't even look at you all without remembering what you said to me. I just… I can't do it."

He had to get away and cool off some. Staying inside the house was suffocating him. He couldn't stand being in the same room as any of them at that moment.

Ponyboy opened the front door, thankful that it was starting to get cooler outside. He glowered at the gang and informed them, "I'm going for a walk. Don't follow me."

With that, he closed the door behind him just like how the lookalike did. Darry and Soda tried to follow after him, but Johnny held the two of them back, shaking his head. Ponyboy needed to be left alone. He was right. What they did couldn't be justified. Sure, it wasn't a fair judgment considering what they all went through (some more than others), but they literally did the same to Ponyboy. They deserved it. No, they deserved worse.

They didn't think that Ponyboy could ever forgive them for what they did. It was that bad. But what they did know was that they weren't going to falsely accuse him ever again, and that was a step that they all wanted to take.