"Nightmare Moon is a completely separate entity from that of my sister. She is the physical and Magical manifestation of Luna's jealousy, hatred of me, and desire for respect. My sister started acting strangely mere days after the Crystal Incident. At the time, I thought nothing of it; Luna had always been moody and brooding, so why should I suspect that her becoming more aloof meant that something was amiss? It was this line of thinking that led to me neglecting to see the signs of Dark Magic use in my sister. Naturally, Dark Magic is my sister's domain, as she represents the Night and all of its practices, whereas I represent the Day and its customs. When you and your friends used the Elements on Nightmare Moon, you were robbing my sister of the Dark Magic that had corrupted her mind and body. The remains of Nightmare Moon are sealed within her broken armor, sealed away in a hidden archive deep within Mt. Canter."

"So Nightmare Moon is her own pony, while Luna is the original? And Luna's jealousy gave rise to life?" Twilight asked, understandably confused.

"That is correct. A lot of dark constructs or creatures are born from Magic. When a Conjurer summons a creature, for example, that creature is, more often than not, made entirely of Magic. Depending on the type of creature, the Magic it consists of varies," Celestia explained.

"I've also been meaning to ask...what happened to the Changelings? Where did they come from, in the first place?"

"Well, the Changelings have always been around in one form or another. They started as little more than Flutter-Pony-sized insectoids that fed off of positive emotions. You see, emotions to a Changeling are a bit like pheromones. They can sense, taste and even create them themselves. However, ponykind's knowledge of even modern Changelings is somewhat limited; until recently, they lived in relative seclusion deep within the Everfree Forest. I think that, next chapter, we will take a trip to the Canterlot Dungeons to speak with someone that may be able to answer your questions," Celestia said, a sly grin on her muzzle.

Twilight groaned.

"Is this the part where you stop talking for several hours on end while you think of what to say next, Celestia?" Twilight questioned, frowning.

"No, my dear student, this is not. I haven't quite said enough yet."

"Fine. Explain the Everfree Forest, I suppose. Please?"

"Long ago, during the Era of Disharmony, Discord ate some seeds. You recall that the seeds he ate grew into evil Vilethorns when he tossed them onto the ground. They did more than that, however. The Everfree Forest, as you know, borders the Whitetail Woods. This is no coincidence; the Everfree used to be a part of the Whitetails. However, Discord's seeds of Chaos took root. Along with the Vilethorns, the Chaos Magic inherent to the seeds began to warp and twist the area of Whitetail we now call the Everfree into what it is today. That is why the weather doesn't behave there, the wildlife takes care of itself, and so many unnatural predators call it home."

"So the Everfree Forest is that way because of Discord?"

"Indeed, Twilight."

"Can we also talk to him tomorrow? As much as I dislike him, he has been around as long as you have. He might have a better perspective of what happened during the Era of Disharmony, seeing as how he was its cause," Twilight asked.

"Of course, Twilight. Discord has set up a pocket-dimension room within the castle. Fortunately, it is close to the dungeons. We can stop by on our way there," Celestia agreed.

"Oh, and by the way, my faithful student..."

"Yes?"

"Next chapter."

"Ugh." Next Chapter: 7: Discord Estimated time remaining: 11 Minutes