At Luna's farm, Morning March had been trying to figure out how to turn the BrayStation on. Since the wires connecting the console to the plug were loose and exposed, it made turning the thing on more difficult than it needed to be. Gail came down the stairs and noticed Morning March fiddling with the BrayStation.
"Uh...Father?"
"Yes, Gail?"
"You're probably going to electrocute yourself doing that."
"Maybe. I've been trying to switch this bloody contraption on so we can do something as a
family to celebrate no longer being in debt to Tirek."
"How do you know if Mother's friend will pay her enough money that we won't have to worry about Tirek?"
"Just a hunch. It wouldn't hurt to be optimistic, you know."
Soon enough, the BrayStation turned on and the television sparked to life along with it as well.
"It's working!" Gail said excitedly.
"As I said, a little optimism never killed anyone," Morning March said. "Now, should we continue Brayman Legends or should we pick a different game?"
"I've got one!" Gail said while levitating a game with the words "MOON" written in big white letters on the cover. The cover also featured what appeared to be a unicorn space marine in dark blue armour telekinetically holding a shotgun. Gail then turned the case around so Morning March could get a good look at the back, with Morning March quickly raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not entirely sure your mother would appreciate you playing a game like this."
"Why not?"
"Well, for one thing, it looks extraordinarily violent. And another thing is that she tends to get sensitive when the topic of the moon or the night are brought up."
"Well, since I have heard tales about how her and Aunt Celestia used to take on all sorts of baddies, and I figured what better way of reigniting that heroic spirit in her again than by killing Nightmare Forces on the moon."
"I'm very certain she would rather talk to them than 'frag' them with a 'BBG 9000', whatever those words mean. Also, I don't think this game would be appropriate to play around your sister. Where did you get that game anyway?"
"I borrowed it from a friend of mine," Gail said.
"I see. Well, you better give it back."
"Can't I play it while waiting for Mother?" Gail pleaded. "It will only be something to warm up the BrayStation until her return."
Morning March ducked his head down and sighed before looking back up to Gail again with a warm smile.
"Fine, you can play it while we wait for your mother. Just try and make sure your sister doesn't see any of the more gruesome elements."
Gail then excitedly hopped down towards the BrayStation and took out the MOON game from its case. He slid the disc into the console and waited for it to load up.
"While you' are occupied with that," March said. "I'm going to help out your sister out with some rocks.".
March walked outside to help Jade push some rocks onto a cart for delivery. But as they did so, they heard a rumbling noise, getting ever closer to them as the ground beneath them began to quake. They turned to where they thought the rumbling noise was coming from and noticed a big centaur with a moustache walking towards them. It was Otak, one of Tirek's payment collectors, returning to their home once again.
"O-Otak! What are you doing here?" Morning March asked. "If this is about the money, I can assure you Luna has it all under contr-"
But before Morning March can finish his sentence, Otak grabbed him by the throat and pulled him right up against his face. The centaur's black eyes and yellow pupils glaring at Morning March's terrified face, like they were piercing through his very soul.
"Rumour has it that yer wife has been making moves in Dodge City. Since you, her, and the little foals 'ere are Tirek's little secret right now, wouldn't it be a shame if Grogar found out about it through the other rulers?"
"It's...just a...delivery!" Morning March choked out.
Otak then growled at Morning March, before giving a sinister chuckle and dropping the frightened unicorn to the ground. He looked down as March got up and coughed from the pressure Otak had on his windpipe.
"Well, you better hope that wife of yers is carrying big bags of gold bars. That's bound to be worth the trouble her and her little draconequus friend be causing."
Otak then knelt down and gave Morning March a forceful pat on the back.
"Here's a little secret about yer wife's friend. He used to be an associate of Tirek. Also part of his dad's royal court, apparently."
"If that's the case, then why did Tirek absorb his magic?"
"D'you have any idea how powerful draconequus magic is?" Otak asked. "Most alicorns like yer wife and yer kids could only dream of wielding such power. And since our Lord Tirek loves magic and power, I think you can put two and two together."
Otak then got up and went back to the way he came before giving March one quick look.
"Oh, and one more thing. Do you really trust Discord to keep yer wife safe, considerin' what he did in the past?"
"I have suspicions about that, but he seems nice enough and, as much as I hate to admit it, my Lulu was no saint either,". Morning March said. "She told me about how she envied the adoration her sister and the day got in comparison to her and the night and tried to usurp her, corrupting her into the very thing she swore to protect Equestria from. The past is not today, you know."
"Yeah, well old habits die hard. Who's to say yer princess didn't get jealous again and murdered her sister in a fit of rage? Who's to say Discord would fulfill his bargain? Sibling rivalries can get ugly and being chaotic doesn't mean being predictable."
"What are you suggesting?"
Otak turned around and walked back towards Morning March. He bent down and gave him a crooked smile.
"I'm sayin' all it takes is one bad day to make the purest of hearts go dark." Otak then shrugged his shoulders and laughed. "Or at least that's what I heard anyways. Well, see ya when I see ya."
As Otak walked off, Morning March gave a quick look towards Jade, who had witnessed the whole thing.
"Father?" Jade asked innocently. "What did you mean when you said mother became the very thing she swore to destroy? I thought she was a good princess."
And that's when Morning March realized he revealed his wife's darkest secret in front of one of the children. He stared at Jade in shock, along with wondering how he's going to explain to a little filly that even good ponies do bad things.
"W...well," Morning March stammered. "S...see, the thing is..."
He sighed, clearly not having the strength to do this. He walked up to Jade and sat right next to her.
"Your mother was a good mare, and she still is. She and her sister did defeat Tirek, King Sombra and even her funny little friend Discord in the past. But unfortunately, at the time, she didn't get the respect she felt she deserved. While everypony enjoyed her sister's days, they slept through her beautiful nights. That in of itself wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that she didn't get so much as a 'thank you'. This made her feel bitter and neglected, enough that she took it out on her sister. One day, she raised the moon while the sun was still up, which unleashed a magical energy that transformed her into a monster known as Nightmare Moon. Nightmare Moon was eventually banished by your Aunt Celestia for a thousand years, only returning on the longest night. Luckily, on that day, a brave group of ponies wielded the Elements of Harmony to restore your mother to her old self."
"Father?"
"Yes, Jade?"
"Do you think Mother will turn into that monster again?"