Darkness behind Sunlight: The Son

Chapter 1: The Start of a Story

"Hey Dad, I'm gonna walk with Tony today!"

"Alright then, Jack. But hurry up, or you'll be late for school. And grab some breakfast before you head out!"

"Thanks, Dad!"

I fumble to get my jeans on since I'm in such a rush. It probably wasn't a good idea to stay up late tinkering and calibrating with my latest prototype, A.R.M. It stands for Artificial Replacement Machine, and it's a bionic arm I've been working on for me to use.

You see, I lost my right arm in a car accident when I was around 12 or so. My family was driving alongside a highway that's known for disasters. Combine that with pouring rain and, well, you have a car door that rips itself off its hinges and lands perfectly right below my elbow. My mother was knocked unconscious, and my dad nearly died trying to get him plus the both of us out of there. She's now in a coma, but luckily Dad and I were okay in the long run.

Now I'm 16, and about to begin my first day of junior year. The high school's not that far off from our house, so I've taken a liking walking there. Anyway, let me describe myself.

My name is Jack Merle, and I'm a bit of an eccentric man. Like I said, I'm 16, and not to brag, but I have a great body. I tend to work out often so the rest of my body is the best it can be. I take pride in my appearance, so I've kind of forced me to take care of myself. My hairstyle looks a bit shaggy, but always make sure to tell the barber to keep it shorter than usual. It's a bit of a sandy color, but my mom always said that it 'shimmers like gold' when I'm in the sun. She also said that my eyes 'sparkle like snow'. Maybe because they're an icy blue, but thanks to my glasses, people never really focus on them. No thanks to my height either: thanks to the fact I'm approximately 6 feet tall, I get loads of tall jokes. Better than short jokes, I guess!

I like to have adventurous outfits in my wardrobe since they fit my personality so well. Today I'm wearing a black tank top that hugs my upper body and shows off my six pack pretty well. I threw on my yellow, sleeveless vest over it, that way I don't look like too much of a jerk. About every pair of pants I own are some athletic fit blue jeans that I tucked my tank top into. Some white socks and a nice pair of Adidas White Neo sneakers, perfect for my "interesting" method of transportation. I strapped on one of my neater inventions, a watch I bring with me nearly everywhere I go. The strap is black, but I took the original watch part out and fitted a small screen instead. With a tap, it lit up and read in a computerized voice, "The current time is: 7:38." It proceeded to display directions to the high school, automatically, too!

I strapped on my bookbag and grabbed my prototype, netbook, a mini tool kit, and my 8-ton Algebra II book. Rushing out of my room and sliding down the stairway rail, I walked into the kitchen (conveniently right next to the stairs for a sneaky midnight snack) and saw my dad. He was already finished with his breakfast by the time I entered. Dad was a bit of a slim man, cautious about his weight. You could see a couple of silvery hairs here and there, but overall aged well. Adorning a white t-shirt and some shorts, he turned towards me and smiled with a raised brow.

"Well, you're a tad later than usual, Jack."

"I know, and I'm sorry."

"You will be if I have to drive you to school today."

He chuckled at my expense. I rolled my eyes with a smile and grabbed some pop-tarts out of the pantry.

"You stayed up late, working on A.R.M., haven't you?"

I sighed, closing the pantry door.

"You need to learn that while some things are important to you, you still need to divide your time wisely."

I hugged him and held his hand.

"I know. And thanks or being understanding. I love you, Dad."

"I love you, too."

I turned away, about to embark for school, but found myself unable to as Dad held my hand harder.

Dang, he has a strong grip.

"Wait."

He let go and leaned over in his chair, pulling up a small wooden box. I've seen that box before in his closet, but when I asked him about it, he simply brushed it off. It looked handmade and was engraved with the number 6 in a fancy way. There was a small lock on the top of the box, but he flipped the box over and unveiled a miniature compartment, which he opened and removed a small key. He unlocked the box and gently opened the lid. I could tell something was in there, but I didn't see it.

He looked inside with a mournful gaze. I was a bit confused... well, really confused, even more so when he shed a tear. Dad pulled the object out, and it turned out to be a necklace. Very simple, just a silver chain. However, it possessed a very lovely... jewel?

It appeared to be a violet, six-sided star, but it was a bit different than the Star of David. This one was a bit longer vertically, and the four points on the sides were closer together. Six white points stuck out from the corners, and four other white stars surrounded it. It was amazing and really caught my attention.

He unclipped it and put it around my neck, fastening it together. I held the jewel, pendant, whatever it was, in my palm, feeling the weight of it. I looked up at him and was startled to his demeanor change to be grim.

"Dad, I-"

"No, don't speak. I need you to know that I love you, so much, and I'm telling you this because I feel that it's time. Nothing will ever separate us, father and son. Not if you remember this."

"What is it?"

He closed his eyes and gripped my shoulders, giving them a tender squeeze.

"In the Palace of Siblings, the family reunites."

"What?"

"It won't make sense until it does, and I know it's confusing, but just know that in time, you'll understand."

"What are you talking about?"

"Quick, off to school with you. Tell Tony I said hello."

"O-okay, then. See ya."

I hurried out the front door, furrowing my eyebrows in the process. What did Dad mean by that? The 'Palace of Siblings' or something like that. Why was he so serious, and what is this necklace? I gazed at it again, the purple star shining in the morning sun. It was captivating in a way. Feeling it in between my fingers gave off a vibe like I was experiencing something... magical.

He was so cryptic. Feel that it's time? Won't make sense until it does? I can't help but wonder what makes today so different.

"Yo Jack! How you been, man?"

I turned my head up and saw Tony's grandfather, sitting in his rocking chair on the front porch of his house. I'm surprised I missed him; the creaking noise never fails to grab the neighborhood's attention. We're good friends, and he's helped my father out sometimes. I walked up to him and we fist-bumped.

"Never better. Beating Tony again?"

He gave a toothy grin and a boisterously laughed.

"You know it. He ain't stand no chance!"

Tony's grandpa wasn't actually that old, only around in his late 40s. I think it's because he had a kid at 16, and then his kid had Tony at 16. He was nearly bald, though, and dressed like any old man: plaid shirts, tucked into the jeans with a belt and paired them with brown dress shoes. He was black, and oh boy, he loves to talk about his heritage. Sometimes it's really interesting. Other times...

I could fall asleep and he would still talk.

But he's not all that bad. Like I mentioned, he helps my dad, and he beats me and Tony all the time. In what, you ask?

Flipping Street Fighter!

He's a pro and even goes to some tournaments. He mains Ryu and recently purchased the Switch so he could try out the HD version. He tells me that the old version of the arcade is harder than the new one, and complains about the 'skill gap' decreasing or something. But he's even beat me more times than I'd like to admit.

Just a second after, another black man walked out the front door. He wore a thin, neon green hoodie with black athletic shorts. He had a one strap bag and was carrying a soccer ball in one hand and his iPhone in the other. He wore his shin guards and cleats, smiling when he saw me.

"Hey, Jack."

"What's up, Tony?"

"Wondering how this old dude keeps beating me in Street Fighter."

He grinned as he saw his grandfather snap his head at him.

"Hey, I ain't THAT much older than you, youngblood! Now give me a hug and get your ass to school!"

I laughed, and as Tony caught up, we fist bumped. Tony, like me, was a bit of a nerd, except he specialized in HTML 5 and CSS. Website stuff, basically. But with my help and tech, we come up with cool stuff and achieve higher goals.

You see, the school permitted me to showcase some of my contrivances to them. And because they were so impressed, they allow me to take only the required English, science, and math, so I have more time to spend on fixing and applying my inventions.

Some devices I'm proud to have built is this watch, which can perform some tasks a phone can, like time, messaging, and GPS. In fact, this little baby rivals that of the Apple Watch, and this one cost me a whole lot less to build. I forgot to mention this, but better late than never I suppose, that the glasses I'm bearing are unique. They more or less resemble a computer than actual glasses. While they do improve my sight, they read me my heartbeat, brain function, and even the percentage of how well my brain is communicating with my bionic arm.

This arm was given to me by a special organization during my physical therapy days. But it helps me so little, and the amount of work I need to put into it just to flex the fingers is exhausting. It looks like a robot hand, and while that sounds cool, it always results in stares, judges, pity.

I hate that most of all. Seeing all of these people, normal people, and then me, the helpless handicap. So, out of this hate, I took on my handicap as a challenge, building my own prosthetic arm. It will be more complex, high-tech, perform better, and will be sleek so it looks like a human hand. A.R.M. will function better and will be capable of everything.

Anyway, Tony and I are walking down the street, kicking the soccer ball along the way. We've been friends since childhood, and love playing games together like tag, Nerf wars, and now video games. To put it simply, we all need a good friend, and I'm lucky I've got mine.

I was brought out of my thoughts when Tony stopped and gave me a serious look.

"Why'd we stop?"

"What's up? You're different today, Jack, and don't give me any bull. Something's wrong, so what is it?"

I looked down, disappointed that I could be read like a magazine. I shook my head and pulled the necklace out from under my tank top, fiddling with the jewel under my fingertips, still worried about earlier this morning.

"Yo, nice jewelry!"

I chuckled and held it up.

"My dad gave this to me when I left the house. He was so serious and acted like this was the most important and defining moment of my life. He also told me something, something like 'The Sibling Palace' or... No, that's not it. Anyway, I was so confused. He was acting like I'd never see him again."

"Woah, man. That's some creepy stuff, leave me out. But seriously, maybe you're just overthinking this. Besides, dads are weird, so blame it on that."

"Yeah, maybe."

"You ready for this?"

"Huh?"

I looked ahead of us and saw the ladder leading to a rooftop. We have a different way of getting to school, and I wasn't kidding when I said I was eccentric. Parkour is my absolute favorite pastime. The thrill of getting in trouble, the exertion of my body, and not to mention the incentive I'm given to keep my body in peak condition.

"Alrighty then. Let's go!"

I quickly ran and grabbed the ladder, hoisting myself up. We first met each other on this abandoned bakeshop even before the accident. We both came here at night to watch the sunset, and now we realized that we could plan the building into our route to school. I still remember sitting here, Tony eating crackers and talking.

"It's been a while, Tony."

"I thought you said we're racing, man?"

"Crap! Wait up!"

We took off and leaped on to the next rooftop. Some important things to learn about parkour is to copy a cat. What that means is to leap off your feet, or pounce, then land with your arms outstretched as if you're clinging to a surface. Tony, ignoring this rule a myriad of times, prefers to flip, dive, and even slide around obstacles. He's more fun when it comes to this than me.

We continue over several buildings when I see a rail ahead. I climbed over the rail, swinging my legs over and on to a slope, watching Tony front flip and using his arms to continue the momentum downwards. I laughed and quickly turned myself around, hopping off the building. I was now facing a wall, and I used my bionic arm to scrape alongside the wall to stall my descent down the narrow alleyway. Tony gripped onto the opposite wall and proceeded to wall jump his way down. We landed at the same time, looking at the other while out of breath. We smiled as we walked towards the school, now just across the road.

"That never gets old, dude!"

"I know! So fun, but now we start school."

He shoved me, playfully angry look on him.

"No one likes school, but bringing it up just makes it worse."

"You're right. Let's go."

Halfway there, in the middle of the road, I suddenly stopped. Tony stopped too, looking back at me. I stared back at the alleyway, the strangest feeling in my gut. I got cold, shivering as goosebumps slowly made themselves visible.

"Jack, what's wrong?"

"I'll... I'll catch up later. See ya in science."

"Alright. But be there soon, 'cause I forgot my homework!"

He waved as he continued, but I didn't respond. This empty sense in my stomach, and this terrible urge to just go back to the alley was overwhelming me. I checked my watch. 7:52, so I still have time. I adjusted my glasses and made my way over rather leisurely.

I took a look back and saw a lot of the students moving inside, although a small number, mostly punks I know, sat back, chatting and holding their... 'significant' others rather intimately, not giving a care for the rules.

I shook my head and approached the ever-so-close alley. My stomach persisted with the churning feeling and my head pounded at me. It took all of my willpower to push my body forward. I hid around the corner, breathing heavily. Why? I had no reason to, it's just an otherwise unimportant alley, so with a distinct gulp and a firm nod, I quickly jumped out of hiding, putting my hands up in advance for whatever was there.

And true to the idiot I am, there was nothing there to see. I gave a relieved sigh and my arms retreated back to my sides. I tapped my glasses (which I designed to intentionally designed as half-moon spectacles) and checked my vitals. Heartbeat high, dropping back to normal.

I internally cursed myself for being so worried. Over what?! Besides, I walked through the alley just a minute ago so I would've noticed if anything was questionable. Idiot.

Yet as I turned around, I felt it again. I was still unsatisfied with the answer I had given myself. I rotated my body, and my heart sank. My knees shook and my arms, even my bionic arm, had turned to jelly.

There, in front of me, was a white orb. It hovered slightly, resembling the rise and fall of a chest cavity. It was pretty small; from here, it looked like it was no bigger than my head. It emanated light, the purest and most comforting white, like a seaside white, not an institutional white. It felt warm as I approached it, easing my way as if it was a feral animal, attempting not to provoke it. Well, it could be dangerous. How would I know?

I was now standing at least a foot away, looking at it eye level. I swiveled my head a bit to look at it more, notice anything out of the blue, but it was the same throughout.

I'm gonna touch it.

I know, I know. 'What? Don't do that!' Honestly, how stupid, right? Oh well. With a deep breath and closed eyelids, I stuck my bionic hand inside.

...

...

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing. I gave off a sort of grunt of approval. Okay then, seems safe enough.

But, as if Lady Luck heard my inner thoughts, the orb started to glow brighter, the white light soon growing enough to for my eyes shut.

"Wait, hold up! Woah!"

The light engulfed me, and I had no choice but to cover my face as I succumbed to its embrace.

My hands were still in front of me, shielding my face. I don't know what happened, and I was almost too scared to look.

I noticed that the world around me seemed to stop spinning. I felt a breeze on my arm, and then the chirping of birds resounded in my ears. I slowly opened one eye, and my mouth fell open in shock, my mind almost unable to comprehend what just happened the situation I'm in. It was impossible, and yet, it was right here, in front of my wide-opened eyes. Scratch that: it was all around me.

I was no longer in the alleyway, about to head to science for Tony to get his homework done.

instead, I was in a different world. Yes, a whole new dimension, right before me! It appeared cartoonish, pastel, fake, the colors were so vivid and vibrant, so much that I'd say I was in a painting. I was standing in the middle of a dirt road, with house all-encompassing me. They weren't all that glorious, wooden with roofs consisting of straw or hay. Stalls with various items were strewn about neatly, so I guess I'm in a market district?

Then I took another close look. The town wasn't inhabited by people (or if it was, I didn't see any). I may be crazy, but there were horses everywhere. Horses of many different colors, nearly the whole spectrum! They were fuzzy and soft colors, almost like what you would paint a baby room with. They had big, wonderous eyes with iris' as colorful as they are! Some had fun and wild manes and tails. Next, I noticed that all of them had designs on their... uhm, flank, I think. Anyway, they had many varieties of designs, like being art related or music related, heck, EVERYTHING related. It was so weird, but I had no choice but to be curious about them.

Except they were as curious as I was. I heard a loud gasp, and soon I was the center of attention. No noise could be heard as stares were everywhere. I backed up a bit, my hand in the air.

"I, I don't want any trouble. I didn't mean to bother you."

"And you won't get any." A woman's voice behind me said. Alarmed, I jumped and turned around rather quickly, getting into a defensive position. Why? Well, you can guess based on my situation.

There was a purple, lilac to be specific, horse standing there, smiling at me. She had violet eyes and her mane and tail were styled in a straight manner, and they each had pinks and purples mixed in. Atop her head was a sharp, spiraling cone, and upon realization did I notice that it was actually a horn on her forehead, so she was actually a unicorn! Wow, that's amazing, a truly wonderful sight! Wait...

What?

In extension, she also had a pair of feathery wings, which since being a unicorn was strange enough, she was actually a pegacorn. I really am crazy, aren't I?

The horse turned her head a bit like she was puzzled. She still held that warm, friendly smile, however.

"What's your name?"

I got up, my eyebrows furrowed in a confused manner.

"Uhm... Jack. Jack Merle."

If I had blinked, I may never have caught it, but her eyes flashed and her smile faded for just a moment.

"Well Jack, my name is Twilight Sparkle. And let me welcome you to our town, Ponyville."