@Amber  

 
It’s been my personal belief that the reason Celestia moved her court to Canterlot after exiling Nightmare Moon was that their battle left the old castle too damaged to be inhabitable. It’s not just structurally unsound in places, but also filled with stray magic booby-trapping the whole place.

@Background Pony  
I actually like that idea. Luna wasn’t with the main characters because she was fighting Changelings throughout Canterlot. Because she wasn’t present at Chrysalis’ defeat, she just makes a joke out of it. “Did I miss anything?”

Whenever I hear her say that line, in such an innocent voice. I imagine she went nightmare mode, and blasted through tens of thousands of changelings with with ancient magics and a few ‘fus ro dah’s for good measure.  
The blood of her foes barely wiped off as she flew into frame.  
And then to keep a veil of civility about her… “Hello, everypony, did I miss anything?”
 
 
but alas I can not draw to make my vision a thing :(

I lol’d

@Prof.NightJack  
RRRRRRRRRUUUAAAGGGHHHHH!!!!!! CELESTIA SMASH!!!!!!!!!!!

*door by the

@Princess♠Molestia  
[one month later]  
(pops out from a hidden door my the throne)  
What did I miss?

Oh nothing. I just got cocooned, we we’re almost taken over, YOU FRIGGEN USELESS BITCH OF SISTER!!

@Amber
 
Celestia had no reason to take Chrysalis seriously as a threat, and Chrysalis herself didn’t consider herself a serious threat to Celestia.
 
Chrysalis was never expecting that she’d actually defeat Celestia, she knew that Celestia would kick her ass, and was simply stalling for time until her changelings arrived.

@Trickquestion
 
>Celestia could have probably bested Chrysalis alone if she put some strategy into her attack.
 
This.
 
Celestia seems to the more of the “Strategy” type.

@PonyPon  
Some might call it headcanon, but it just seems consistent with their personalities. Let’s compare how they handle social events they both find unpleasant.
 
Celestia and the Grand Galloping Gala: Say nothing about the event you hate and have all the power to end, and instead deceive your student and company into wrecking it for you.
 
Luna and Nightmare Night: Tells everyone to get the hell out of her sight and never try and pull this crap again.
 
I’m just saying, Luna seems like the fighter of the two.

@Trickquestion  
Between the two, Luna would seem like the better brawler.

@Amber  
Actually, I found Celestia’s quick defeat pretty consistent with her characterization so far. She dosen’t seem like she’s had a serious fight in a really long time, so she just tried to end Chrysalis as quickly as possible and with a restricted power level, both to minimize collateral. Celestia could have probably bested Chrysalis alone if she put some strategy into her attack.
 
Luna however, throws any possibility of Queenie winning right out, even if it had just been Luna V. Chrysalis. Luna comes from a time when she and Celestia regularly fought big bads themselves (Sombra and Discord) and probably makes up for Celestia’s power advantage with a much better and fresher knowledge of combat.

@Zennistrad
 
Yes,I do see her as Optimus in that regard as well.
 
But like you said before,she would have destroyed the Castle with everyone inside if she had used her full power (if that happened to be the case).She probably was thinking of the safety of her subjects.
 
I’m also pointing out what @Trickquestion said about the choreography.
 
They could have done a lot more with those seconds.Whoever Storyboarded that episode could have made it more dynamic,instead of focusing on the magical laser beams.That’s why I say it was poorly thought,imo.

@Amber
 
Just because Celestia is good doesn’t mean she’s soft. Remember, she was the one willing to put her sister into 1,000 years of exile to save everyone else.
 
She’s actually a lot like Optimus Prime in that regard. She’s a benevolent leader who genuinely wants the best for everyone, but the moment you threaten the ones she cares about, she will do absolutely everything within her power to stop you.

@Trickquestion
 
I still think that battle would have been handled better.With Luna in it or not.
 
We all already know that Chrysalis only won because Shining’s love for Cadence gave her advantage,plus (this one you can take it or not)Celestia probably wasn’t giving it all,considering they were all inside that castle but still,making Celestia and her just going DBZ Lazer Beam Battling seems…I don’t know like,poorly thought?

@Trickquestion
 
If Celestia had used her full power, I’d imagine she’d end up destroying the entire castle, if not the entire city of Canterlot.
 
Remember, the sun powerful. Even if Equestra is geocentric, with the sun being a smaller body that orbits the world itself, it would still be enough to fry the entire planet under the right circumstances.

@Trickquestion  
if they write her out this scene shouldn’t have happened, it just pours salt on the wounds

@FlutterLove  
It’s not a matter of power, it’s a matter of choreography. Imagine the Celestia V. Chrysalis fight we got. Now add Luna to it. Luna shoots Chrysalis in the back while she Beam O’ Wars Celestia. Since the power levels the two were fighting at didn’t have a huge gap between (Chrysalis overcomes Celestia by a narrow margin, after looking like she’s going to lose for most of the fight) it’s pretty inconceivable Chysalis would win against both Princesses. Thus, Luna had to be witten out.

Funny meme, friend :^)

@Trickquestion  
I don’t even think Celestia went all out, she was afraid of hurting innocent bystanders

I still maintain that Luna was joking.

@Trickquestion  
She probably would sniff it out much easier.

Now, to be fair to Luna, there wasn’t really a lot of space for her in story. Luna seems a lot less trusting then Celestia, and hasn’t know Cadence for as long as Celestia has, so they kinda had to writer her out lest she blow Chrysalis’s disguise instantly.
 
Plus, must of us barely accept cheese legs beating one Alicorn princess. It would have been a complete asspull for her to best two.

Luna, moon NOW!