Much to the dark mare's surprise, the private room she and her attendant walked into had been made to look as if it were outside, beneath the sky at darkest night. Thousands of 'stars' – tiny, magically enchanted lights – provided just enough light to the room such that Alexander could see his client as a moving, dark shadow. At the center of the room, the bed had been shrouded 'neath an illusion so as to appear like a cloud; warm, fluffy, soft, and oh-so-inviting. "Well," stated the human to his Client, "what do you think?" Pausing, the jet-black, silver-armored alicorn mare – whom had previously been in a state of malaise – looked about, and then she visibly brightened, a smile adorning her muzzle.
"'Tis… 'tis wonderful…" Nightmare Moon whispered, softly, without even a hint of the darkness so often spoken of in legend. "Good," Alexander replied. "Now, let's get that armor off you…" That said, the human attendant proceeded to help the dark mare remove her attire and then – once she was as naked as the day she was foaled – he helped her atop the cloud-bed. "Now," he said, once she was settled, "what would you like me to do?" Even as Alexander asked the question, however, he felt hooves enwrap his form and a wet, tear-stained muzzle rub against his cheek. "Prithee… hold us," whispered she, voice thick with emotion. "Just hold us for now…"
And so the human did, stroking her muzzle, cheeks, and mane as Nightmare Moon brought him against her barrel and made to rest her head gently atop his chest. "…What has happened to my night?" Murmured she as Alexander tended to her. "The constellations, my creations… the stars are dying. The Ursai are dwindling in number, and the Canis are all but extinct. The sky has been clouded by the pollution in the air… And yet, nopony has noticed. To the ponies of today, the Ursas and Canis are nothing but dangerous creatures, and the night remains nothing more than a time for slumber, ceasing all life until the next sunrise. Even after a thousand years, nopony loves the night…"
Alexander had only one thing to say to this; something that might snap the poor mare out of her funk. "With all due respect, ma'am… that's rubbish!" That did it; where moments ago the Dark Mare of the Night had been filled with angst, now she was hissing at him angrily, fangs barred and eyes blazing! "What?" she snarled. "Dare thou makest humour of our pain?" Softly, soothingly, the human beneath her scratched her behind the ears, and even though she tried to resist his hands, tried to turn her head away, she just couldn't; a low whinny escaped her as she made to rest her head down upon him again. "While many ponies and humans do seem to ignore your night," stated he as he tended to her, "there are others who revel in it!"
Nightmare blink-blinked. "Truly?" she asked. The human nodded… and then he proceeded to answer, "Nighttime is when all the best stuff happens, on Earth, at least. Writers write novels, painters paint masterpieces, some of the best love songs on earth are sung about the night itself. And hey… how many little colts and fillies here in Equestria – not to mention human children on Earth - have wished upon a star for their dreams to come true?" Now poor Nightmare Moon looked upon her human attendant with amazement, her jaw dropped. "F-Foals – Colts, Fillies, Children – they… they really do that?" she asked.
"Oh, yes," Alexander answered, "they do; so much so that a song was written about 'wishing upon a star,' for a film titled Pinocchio. The plot of the film involves an old wood-carver named Geppetto who carves a wooden puppet named Pinocchio who is brought to life by a blue fairy; the fairy tells Pinocchio he can become a real boy if he proves himself 'brave, truthful, and unselfish.'" Nightmare Moon nodded – she would have to see this film – and then, gazing into Alexander's eyes, she swallowed thickly and asked, "And the song?" A smile gracing the human's face, he answered, "Sung by a character in the film, 'Jiminy Cricket.' It goes like this…" and then, as Nightmare Moon looked on, Alexander sang it to her, softly, gently.
When at last the song was ended, poor Nightmare Moon was weeping, near silent sobs of grief wracking her prone form, tears streaming from her eyes to run down her cheeks even as the human with her made to brush them away. 'How,' thought she, 'could we have missed things such as this?' Even as the question filled her mind, however, she knew the answer. 'So wrapped up in Ourselves and Our misery were We that of course we did not see these things. Subtle and soft is Our night; and if ponies be making works therein then they mayn't be 'advertised' loud like in Our Sister's day! How couldst we have been so very foalish?' Aloud, to her attendant, Nightmare Moon stated, "Prithee… tell me more of these things…"
And Alexander did. He sung to her 'The Music of the Night' - the beautiful, enchanting song from 'The Phantom of the Opera' - which laid her low with even more tears, then told her of space – the stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies cradled gently in night eternal. Nightmare Moon plumbed his knowledge, joy welling up within her. All the while, Alexander petted her, stroked her mane, scratched her behind the ears and even rubbed her chest and belly, making her groan, shiver, and squeak with joy! 'Human and Ponykind really do love Our nights!' she thought triumphantly as her left hind leg kick-kicked reflexively in pleasure.