Episode 95: Equestrian Guise
Takes place April 1 in Earth 16 time (different time locally).
This episode is a direct continuation of the previous one, and is again primarily Renegade.
Short version
Sunset Shimmer turns herself into an Alicorn, though this does not mend her relationship with Celestia, and the Renegade begins dating Luna.
Longer version
Grayven remains on Equestria to watch Sunset's ascension ritual, and to spend more time with Luna. Knowing that she feels useless, he sets out to help her gain the skills to properly participate in ruling. He obtains experts to upskill the Royal Guard, and Sunset Shimmer offers magical equipment of her own design. He also locates the pre-migration Ponyland, where knowledge of Earth Pony magic is widespread, and brings back a tutor for Sunset.
Celestia then returns, and Sunset confronts her about the failure of their teaching relationship. Celestia, Luna, Grayven and Circe supervise Sunset's ascension ritual, which successfully transforms her into an alicorn.
The title is a pun on "Equestrian Guys", mirroring the previous episode, although it is unclear what the direct meaning of "guise" refers to; possibly the Renegade's transformation into a pony.
- Almost Kiss: Grayven isn't sure exactly how to go about it as a horse, but he leans in toward Luna anyway - until an annoyed Celestia yanks him away. Luna isn't impressed with her sister's interference.
- Alternate Universe: The April 1 trend continues with Pauls who landed in other universes.
- The Warhammer Fantasy universe, where he controls an army of assimilated Construct-Lantern monsters and demons, and wants to kill the gods of chaos. He's assembling an alliance of all the major powers to do so, and is treating with some of the Tomb Kings.
- The Warhammer 40,000 universe, where he seeks refuge with the Tau, believing them to be "the least mental major faction in the setting."
- Third Earth, the Thundercats world, has a Paul who achieved Yellow Enlightenment, but is only able to charge his ring very slowly from a Power Stone.
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: Downplayed. Grayven threatens to be this to the army, but honestly, with this being Equestria and the military ponies being the relative size of children, he was never going to drop a Cluster F-Bomb or demand a thousand pushups.
- Horrifying the Horror: Discord flees in terror when he sees Grayven holding the Sword of the Fallen. Justified, since Grayven and his associates have already killed four other Chaos Lords with that sword.
- Interspecies Romance: Luna is curious about why Grayven is attracted to her when he's not natively a pony. The thing is, Apokoliptian romance is less about physical appearance, and more about Power is Sexy.
- Lady and Knight: Grayven isn't actually knighted, but when he gift-wraps the head of Queen Chrysalis as a present for Princess Luna, she accepts it in that spirit and is quite pleased by his offering. (Her sister, meanwhile, is horrified.)Luna: Do you know how long it was been since a knight brought Us such a token? A vile monster slain in our name, its head to be-. Pikes, We must find a pike, that Our ponies may know-.
Celestia: We're not displaying a severed head! - Lost Common Knowledge: Equestrian ponies don't know any earth pony magic, but it's commonplace in the pre-migration Ponyland.
- Only in It for the Money: In canon, Tempest Shadow attacked Equestria on behalf of the Storm King and caused a lot of damage. Grayven reaches her before she's accepted the Storm King's offer, and hires her instead to train up Equestria's military. It's all just business to her.note
- Spontaneous Choreography: Grayven finds himself pulled into the chorus of Sunset's musical number when she's making her sales pitch. It's suggested that Equestria actually has magical empowerment of events like this.
- Too Dumb to Live: Apparently Queen Chrysalis attacked Grayven when he hunted her down. He later reassures Luna that he "treated the occasion with the solemnity it deserved"; what he actually did was sing his own words to the YouTube clip Dumb Ways to Die
.Grayven: …blood oath you have sworn,
Pick a fight with an alicorn.
Dumb ways to di-ie,
So many dumb ways to die.
