Reappearing in the base, Twilight and Lunar looked around everywhere for Noct and the others. Lunar still felt very tired and battered from the encounter with Nightmare Moon, but tried his hardest to hold his own weight for now. He looked to his right and saw Doppel rushing towards them.
"Lunar," Doppel called, "Lunar? Are you alright?"
"Had better days, Doppel," Lunar said, coughing slightly.
Doppel looked at the damage, "How bad was it?"
"Pretty bad," Twilight answered, "Nightmare Moon is more powerful than either of us thought."
"Where is she?" Doppel asked, helping Twilight with Lunar.
"Still out there," replied Twilight, moving Lunar with Doppel, "she may be on her way here."
"Quite probable, honestly," Doppel retorted, motioning his head to the right. "Over there. That's where the others are."
"Thank you," Twilight nodded.
"Think nothing of it," Doppel stated.
Struggling slightly, Twilight and Doppel continued to move Lunar to safety. Lunar tried helping as well, but with the amount of damage he sustained, he barely felt his own hooves. He sighed quietly to himself, hoping to get back at Nightmare Moon soon, though seemingly knowing that he was no match for her.
"Just a little bit further," Doppel mentioned, "you got this."
Twilight and Doppel pressed forward with Lunar, finally getting him to safety inside the tent. Doppel called over to Noct and Star so that they could help Lunar as well. Acting quickly, the two medics rushed towards Lunar and helped him on top of one of the beds the tent had. Noct looked down and looked over Lunar, calling for Star to assist in gathering some supplies.
"He's cut pretty bad near his wound," Noct noticed.
"Here," Twilight said. Levitating the metal wing over to Noct.
Noct looked to it and noticed a sharp, jagged edge close to the tip of the metallic feathers, "That would be the reason why."
"I found some bandages and some pain meds," Star responded, levitating them to Noct.
"I'll supply him with the pain meds," Noct stated, "you wrap him up tight."
"Not too tight though," Lunar sighed, worrying about the pain in his side.
"I'll do my best, Dad," Star assured, using her magic to gently lift Lunar up momentarily.
Star lifted Lunar up just enough so that she could slide the bandages underneath his body. She tied them around Lunar gently, but tight enough so that it didn't feel uncomfortable. As for Noct, he gave some of the pain medication to Lunar after careful moderation and analysis on it. Lunar took the pain medication and, within minutes, started to feel less pain. He thanked Twilight and Doppel for helping him get to the tent and then turned his attention towards Noct and Star for helping alleviate the pain he was enduring.
"Think nothing of it," Star smiled.
"Anytime," Doppel added, "it's just good to see you again."
"Funny how we've had to save you twice now," Noct chuckled.
"Hilarious, you jokester," Lunar smirked, playfully punching Noct's hoof.
"Just good to see you mostly in one piece," Noct finished.
"Good to feel mostly in one piece," Lunar agreed.
"You should rest up," Twilight suggested, "who knows what Nightmare Moon will bring with her."
"Good idea," Lustrous nodded, looking to Lunar, "get your rest, son. We may need you again shortly."
"Doppel," Eclipse called, "have the security protocols changed or altered lately?"
"Slightly," Doppel bashfully answered, "since Dusky was promoted to commander."
"Dusky is commander now?" Lunar questioned.
Doppel sighed, "Luna gave her the title, though with the troops scattering and Celestia in the holding cells, there's no telling where she may be at the moment."
"Much like the windigos," Eclipsa thought out loud, "we may need to work together to-"
"Wait," Twilight interrupted, looking at Doppel, "Celestia is in the holding cells?"
"She is."
"Take me to her!" Twilight stated.
"What for?" Astral wondered.
"If we explain ourselves to her," Twilight replied, "then maybe she'll be willing to help us out."
"It's a long shot," Lustrous thought, "but with Nightmare Moon coming…"
"It might be our best bet," Eclipse finished.
Twilight turned to Doppel and asked once more, "Please, take me to her."
Doppel nodded, "This way. Follow me."
Entering inside the prison cells, Twilight saw the body of Princess Celestia and immediately ran over to her, hoping that she was still breathing. She rested her hooves on the bars, looking into the cell and thinking the worst.
Doppel approached Twilight and positioned himself next to her, looking at her with worry. He placed his hooves on the bars and saw how much Twilight was in disarray.
"She's alive," Doppel said after a while, "if that's your major concern."
"She just looks so…defeated," Twilight responded.
"Princess Celestia?" Doppel called, "You have a visitor here to see you."
Celestia raised her head up and turned slightly. Twilight noticed that her mane wasn't flowing like it used to and noticed how dirty her coat was at the moment. Celestia was damaged and her spirit did shatter slightly, but not completely, as evidenced by her realization that Twilight was standing before her.
"T-Twilight?" Celestia stammered, "I-Is that you?"
"It's good to see you, Princess Celestia," Twilight told the tired alicorn, "I hope you aren't mad with the stipulations and circumstances surrounding my decision."
Celestia struggled, but stood up on her hooves and approached the bars of the cell. She looked down towards Twilight and locked eye contact with her. She sighed, but proceeded to respond nonetheless to the petite alicorn.
"I was disappointed when I learned that you left your post," Celestia admitted, "I won't lie about that."
Twilight lowered her head and closed her eyes, feeling tears begin to form in them. She wiped away the tears and tried to look back at Celestia, but couldn't find the strength to do so. Celestia reached down through the bars and lifted Twilight's head up gently, wiping away some more of her tears.
"However," continued Celestia, "as I've been sitting in this cell, I've had a lot of time to think about what happened and why it happened. You were right to leave with the others, because my sister and I haven't been able to come to terms with our feud. We are guilty of taking lives away from ponies and having them decide who is right and who is wrong. Going further, you were right, Twilight, in leaving because an eternal day or night would be detrimental and harmful to our kingdom."
Twilight felt touched by Celestia's confession. She touched hooves with Celestia and maintained eye contact with her, "Princess, I know things between the factions have been, for lack of a better word, touchy the last few weeks, but Lunar and I both agree with what you just told us. While neither of us are saying that you or Princess Luna are bad leaders, Lunar and I feel that if we let the ponies of the land know that there is a different way at getting things done, it can be together and through unification, rather than the divisive and separation we've known. Unification and coming together as one kind, not as separate species or factions."
Celestia nodded and carefully listened to Twilight's words. She felt satisfied with what Twilight said and felt the happiest she had experienced the last several days. She felt a bit more hope for the future generations and smiled softly, feeling the magic return to her body slowly. Mane flowing slightly, Celestia reached down once more and hugged Twilight as best as she could.
"We can do this, as long as we work together as one," Twilight replied, hugging Celestia back through the bars.
"Spoken like a true leader," Celestia commended, "I have no doubts that you and Lunar will be great leaders."
That caught Twilight off guard, "I'm sorry? Did you say 'leaders,' Princess?"
Celestia nodded again, "I did."
"B-B-But what about you," Twilight protested, "o-or Luna?"
Celestia sighed slightly, "Twilight, I bet if you were to ask who the right pony was right now, there would be a clear and obvious divide amongst ponydom. It's time for a change, a revolution, so to speak. As the moon sets, it brings forth the dawn of a brand new day and the dawn is coming. You and Lunar can and will bring in new life for the others."
"I'm not sure of that, Princess," Twilight bashfully responded, twirling one of her hooves on the ground.
"Allow me to explain something to you, Twilight," Celestia said, sitting down in front of the smaller alicorn, "long ago, before this war ever started, Luna and I ruled together, as you know. Before everything that happened, we defended Equestria using some supernatural artifacts called the Elements of Harmony. We wielded them for a very long time and provided defense to everypony. Things changed when we weren't able to use them anymore."
"What happened?" Twilight wondered.
"When Luna and I defeated the Queen of the Changeling Kingdom," Celestia explained, "we left the former changelings in a state of chaos."
Celestia looked up slightly and recalled the memories of the situation.