Work Text:
Once upon a time came a beautiful angel of the dawn. The angel pushed away the angry clouds and made way for the shining sun to wake all. She smiled as her golden hair shined just like the sun.
A spark began inside of the angel, and she gave way for something great. A baby boy came into the world. Inheriting his father’s side more but also inheriting his mother’s beauty and kindness. The father looked up at the mother.
“What do you think we’ll name him?” The mother asked, looking down at her baby. The father looked down as well and smiled.
“Ponyboy Curtis.”
That was the name he was given and throughout his life, his parents had never gone. He looked up at his mother, a shy smile reaching his face. “Baby Colt, careful.” She said, picking up the little child. “If you drop it, it might get hurt.” She told him. The child was barely holding onto his yellow bunny. His Starshow. The child giggled as his mother tickled his chin. “What do you say we go see what your father’s doing, hm?” She asked, already turning towards the garage. “Ya!” He screeched out, leaving Starshow on his chest as his mother carried him there.
“Hey, honey! And hello there, Baby Colt!” The father greeted them. The mother set her boy and Starshow down, seeing as the father had paint on his hands. Otherwise he would’ve loved to hold his child. The child finally ran off to the outside, as the garage door was opened. The two parents watched as Johnny, a kid that was friends with the child, played with him.
Johnny was only a couple years older than Pony, who was only 6. Johnny was 8 and somewhat a bit more mature than him.
The parents smiled and looked back at each other. “So, what are you doing this time?” The mother asked, glancing at the messy wood. “Ah, uh. Not sure, really. Guess it’s just abstract, maybe?” The father nervously chuckled.
“Jahnny, what year it?” The child asked with his messy words. “Um.. let’s ask your parents.” He said, getting up and helping the other up as well. “Okay.” He said, innocently. The taller one took the child’s hand and walked him to the child’s parent. “Um, Mama Curtis?” Johnny asked, looking at the mother. “Oh, yes? You need something, hon?”
“What year is it?” Johnny asked as Pony squeaked out a harmless little word. “Boob!”
Silence.
“1957.. Why?” She asked, snickering. “Pony wanted to know, but I didn’t know it.” He said, looking down at the child. “Valid answer, I’m gonna go make some lunch, come on.”
Life for him was so easy at first but got harder and harder as life went on. He went from going to school everyday to skipping it. He went from playing games to starting fires with his friends and the gang. He was an unstable little bastard and he knew it. Escaping the Earth and its misdeeds is what he’s always wanted.
Loud in the class but quiet in detention. “Oh shut up!” He’d laugh out loud while the class hated him and his friends. So annoying and rude, it’s not like they wanted to be friends with them in the first place. Pony would watch and snicker as Dally kept throwing rocks or other annoying things at their classmates and Johnny would whisper things in his ear, making him blush and push him away because Johnny was making him a nervous wreck. And he’d never apologize for the things he did because he already was an asshole, so why would he be sorry about the things he found funny?
In the halls, he’d talk with his best friends and made trouble for the people who were just simply walking past. Slamming books down, hitting people with lockers. Things he’d do, just because he was a dick. Or maybe that’s not what it was, and it had something to do with his father? But he’d push people and make them do what he or what his friends wanted. And he loved his best friends, perhaps Johnny more because they’re a thing- But he still did care about his friends, and wouldn’t let anyone hurt them. Dallas might’ve been more intimidating and tough-looking, but Pony was just already strange. Liking strange things and finding gross things cute and funny. And that’s what he was half-rumored for. The strange gay freak that fucks with boys and hurts them for his own desire. But that’s only half-true, yeah, he’s gay, but he doesn’t hurt the people he loves. In the end of intimidating things, he was just creepy and people tried to stay the hell away from him.
And it was the same in Gym. Dally would harass other students by doing the same things he did. Or he’d be really annoying with the basketballs. Nobody tried to stand up to him, because they knew they’d be in real trouble. Where was Johnny and Pony? Oh, right. Making out under the bleachers. And once the bell rang, school was over. Dally snickered once he saw the two escape the bleachers. Both of their hair was extremely messy, obviously implying something. “Hey, nice jacket, Pone. Where you get that?” He asked, pointing to Johnny’s jacket that Pony was wearing. “Nowhere..” He sang. “Wah!” He screeched out, being hung over Johnny’s shoulder as he ran off. “Let’s go make trouble!” Johnny laughed and Dallas snickered, running after them.
“Put me down!” Pony’s laugh echoed throughout the halls.
One day, his older brother was getting on his nerves. And he felt something different when he was getting angry. “Sit your ass down!” Darry would yell and he’d go- “Don’t tell me what to do!” It was the silence that filled the room. Darry did notice his hair slightly changed color, but that didn’t excuse the fact that his little brother just talked back. “Don’t you ever talk back to me.” Darry stood straight. “Or what?” Pony laughed. Darry grabbed his wrist and started walking to his room. “I’ll ground your ass.”
“You aren’t Dad!” He yelped. “Yeah, but I’m in charge when he or Mom isn’t home. Now get in your room!” He yelled. God, he wanted to punch his older brother.
“NO!” He yelled out, finally angry enough for his hair to burst in flames. Darry stared in shock and finally backed away. “Okay.” He walked away as Pony still glared at him. Then Pony turned around and shut the door. What even happened? He glanced over to the mirror, seeing himself. “My hair!” He gasped out and touched it. It wasn’t even hot to him. Didn’t even burn. The anger he felt finally washed away and the fire went out. He shouldn’t tell his best friends. What about his mom? Well, she always kept some secrets, maybe this is one of them?
Once his mother came home, he went straight to her. “Mama! I-I need to talk to you about something.” He said, pleading. Mama Curtis nodded. “Let me get these groceries inside first, honey.” She said, smiling. To ignore the eyes of Darry on him, he went to help her.
“Now, what’s up? You seem awfully frantic.” She said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Something happened to my hair.” He noticed her eyes widen before looking to the side and back to him. “What happened?”
“I-I.. I got angry with Darry ‘cause he threatened to ground me for something I didn’t do.” He said, looking down. “And my hair.. burst in flames..?” He nervously smiled, looking at her shocked face. She stood up. “Mama?” He called. “Come with me, okay?” She said, pulling him up and walking to the attic.
Attic, the room where nobody really goes to. It’s usually scary and just creepy. As Mama Curtis climbed up the stairs, Pony shivered. It’s cold up here. She walked over to a table where a mysterious book sat. “This book is named ‘The Church of Tetirus’. It’s a very, very old book.” She flipped to the beginning of the book. “Types of Angels. There are many, many types. Here,” she pointed to another section. “Known angels who live on Earth.”
She named them as Pony listened. “And.. Stacia Curtis.”
Pony looked up at his mother. “You’re one of them?” He said, curiously. “Yes. Let me get to the page about me.” She confirmed, skipping a few pages.
Stacia Curtis. A Dawn Angel that clears the clouds away and keeps it all gorgeous and beautiful. She wakes up at dawn, as she and the dawn are the same. Beautiful. She has three sons and a husband.
Her husband is named Darrel Curtis Sr. He is a human and is in his 40s. He works all day but comes home before 5.
Her oldest son is named Darrel Curtis Jr. He is a human and was named after his father, and he is 20. He works with his father.
Her middle son is named Sodapop Curtis. He is a human and is 16, going on 17. He still goes to school, but he hangs out with his best friend, Steve Randle.
Her youngest son is named Ponyboy Curtis. He is an interdimensional being and is 14 years old. He also goes to school, but causes trouble with his best friends. He is currently dating Johnny Cade.
She stopped reading. “Do you understand?” She asked, looking down at him. “How does it know these things if it’s really old?” He asked, dumbfounded. “Well, it isn’t a regular book. It’s like magic. As life goes on for you, it tells the story of you. Here, look.” She said, flipping to later pages. “These are all empty, because you haven’t embraced the power inside of you, yet.” She said, pointing to his chest. She returned to the page about Dawn Angels. “Okay, now this,” she began to read. “In terms of Dawn Angels, children for them is quite interesting. Firstborn kin of Dawn Angels usually inherit the power they have. But if their father or mother is human, then they will have a different kind of power.”
“Mama, I’m not a firstborn and I think you know that.” He said, laughing to himself. “Oh, I know. Here’s this part.”
“But in very, very rare cases, later children may inherit the power. If they’re not firstborn, they will still inherit it. There is only one person who has this gift. Stacia Curtis, a Dawn Angel and wife of a human, her youngest child, Ponyboy Curtis is the only one with this.”
He took a step back. “I-I.. Is someone going to help me with this? Are you gonna help me?” He asked. His mother shook her head. “No, I’m afraid not. I am only a Dawn Angel. But I know somebody who could teach you.”
Stacia’s greatest friend, Thornburn, a very tall and kind woman who knew a lot about the book. And the church itself. She agreed to teach the young boy about how to handle his power. She taught him everything there was to know. She taught him how to handle his anger, how to take souls and how to begin and end things. One day, however. She told him to stay here in her home, as she needed to collect some ingredients. Something that would help him stay calm and not let the danger out. Because being born to a Dawn Angel and a human gave him consequences as he grew. An evil growing inside and becoming bigger and bigger. And he was the jar and he was trying not to crack.
As days went on and on, he finally got the teleportation right! He went to find Thornburn but realized she wasn’t back yet. And he realized that days went on and she still wasn’t back. Where was she? He decided to travel between worlds to find her, but she was absolutely nowhere to be found.
For a very long time, he experienced hell, chaos, the evil darkness taking over, being heartbroken, betrayed, saving his friends, saving his lover and so many other things. His last stop took him to the Church of Tetirus, making him regret everything.
“I wish I never knew about this place!” He cried out. For thousands of years, he experienced death and his loved ones dying. He wished he never agreed to Thornburn teaching him, he wished he never found out about the book, he wished he never got mad at Darry, he wished he was never born. He wished that he was normal.
It could’ve been avoided.
But to make it all worse, the doors opened and angels threw him in. “The Prophecy!” They chanted as others almost like him were being forced to chant. "The hell?! Let me out of here!" He screeched as they ignored his cries. The others like him acted like his followers. They wanted to help him, but they couldn't. They were forced to chant and chant and chant and- And he broke free, and took his followers with them. But it was strange. Angels in Hell. They were Lucifer's followers and they heard of a being far greater than anything in the world. They began to research the prophecies that were all over. But it didn't make sense. They had so many of them, so why him? To live forever. The angels burned and began to rot away as the lights blinded all. And there it was. The Church of Tetirus burning to the ground. "Never shall I die." He declared and left this rotted place.
And that's what he did. For thousands of years. He traveled throughout different universes, dimensions, timelines, anywhere to find his mentor, his teacher. The only reason how he's actually even alive.
He inhaled a soul, making him 16,631 now. Souls and his age combine in a strange way. Technically, he's been traveling for 2 Earth years. For him, it's been thousands of years. He has seen so many wonderful things. He's gone to the past and watched the original version of himself grow. He watched him go through the pain of losing his parents. And because of him traveling different universes, dimensions and timelines, he gave himself a new name. Universal. Universal Ponyboy Curtis. He stepped into another timeline. This one was at the hospital. Another version of him ran out of the room. Dallas was still in the room, shocked because of Ponyboy's outburst and Johnny's death. So Universal decided to follow the heartbroken boy and watched as he went on a massacre. He was like that once, when he was traveling. He shook his head and watched Ponyboy go on his way to court, then death row, and finally death. That static-like shriek. Maybe it was because he was also in there, invisible. In that heartbroken boy's mind, he was trapped.
Finally, one day. He stepped into a portal in a dark room. He looked around and looked down finally. He looked at the two children curled up against a body. He crouched over them, looking into the dead eyes of a lifeless Ponyboy. He looked over the children, who were sleeping. Must've been the same one he's watched. He picked the tiny children up and left the portal. He stepped into his own home and walked towards his bedroom. He hummed and laid the children into his bed. There wasn't baby stuff around, so the next thing he decided was something he'd never thought of doing.
He'll find Thornburn someday, but now he needs to raise these poor little children.