Ravnica. City of guilds. Sprawling ecumenopolis. The lovechild of Ankh-Morpork and Coruscant. If Dominaria is the heart of the Multiverse, then Ravnica is its liver, a place with a thousand purposes, none of them particularly appetizing.
The plane is already home to humans, goblins, vedalken, elves, merfolk, and more besides. Who's to say ponies weren't there the whole time? The ponies certainly aren't. Versatile as humans, colorful as rainbows, and innocent as any other Ravnican, they've found their way into each and every guild. But even when the guilds would separate them into distinct factions, the magic of friendship connects them. This is the story of those connections and how they encircle Ravnica as much as any magical path across the plane.
(Confused? Curious? Check out the Planeswalker's Guide to Ravnica and Ravnican Race Relations for further details.)
Is this part of the same universe as elementals of harmony?Edit: I am a sleep-deprived derp. How could this actually be in that universe?
Twilight better be an Izzet Guildmage of some sort.
Would Appjeack be part of the Golgari Swarm, then? They are responsible for all the farming that goes on in Ravnica.
And Fluttershy being a Selesnya druid makes too much sense. Though I kinda hope not, they're almost as bad as the Orzhov when it comes to blind devotion...
And where does that leave Rarity? Dimir, or Azorius?
I never thought I'd say this, but Pinkie seems kind of restrained. For a Rakdos Cultist, anyway. I assume that the guild chart from your blog a while ago tells us which pony is in which guild? If so, I'm really looking forward to loan shark Celestia.
2539595 If that chart I mentioned is correct, Rarity will be Azorius, Twilight will be Izzet, Applejack will be Golgari, and Fluttershy will be Selesnya.
Twilight would be Izzet. Great, now I'm imagining her having a deep conversation with Niv-Mizzet –that is, deep for her, not the dragon.
More please!
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As for Pinkie seeming restrained, Black is very close to Capitalism, in terms of thinking. Being restrained is the only way she can stay in business and make money.
Also, I may have been wrong with Fluttershy. She may be a Gruul Beast-Mistress or something of the sort.
Also, if Shiny pops up, he'd be an Azorius Law-Mage. I'm sure of it. That or a Boros soldier.
I reckon Rarity would make a great member of the Dimir. She is a rumor-monger, and the Dimir trade in secrets.
"Hell is how, young fella-me-lad." Pinkie nodded her thanks as the interrogator unlocked her cell, his stiff motiosn betraying his resentment. "They've got all the best tutors down there."
I must protest. The Abyss has far better tutors. Tutors of Demonic origin are a full 1B cheaper than tutors of Diabolic origin.
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Gruul's too violent for Fluttershy. As funny as the idea is, it's really difficult to believe Fluttershy screaming "CRUSH THEM!" and smacking some guy with a club. Shining Armor fits Azorius really well, his focus on shield magic makes him seem more defensive and reactive than aggressive. Don't know about Dimir Rarity. She's a gossip, no question, but she's also very histrionic and fond of the spotlight. Neither of these are traits Dimir looks for, although for purposes of this story they could be an act. That, and Dimir tend to hang out in sewers and other places Rarity would not be willing to go.
Hmm... Does this mean we'll be seeing some equine Maze-Runners further down the line?
Anyway, I spent some time looking for the guild-chart mentioned above, and finally managed to dig it up. And while I'm a little surprised that Twilight isn't siding with the Simic (figured that their blend of magic and biology would be right up her alley), I can safely say that I'm already loving the idea of everyone's favorite adorable little egghead mucking about with enough unrestrained mizzium to level a few city blocks.
Because taking one of the most unstable characters in the show and giving her a direct line into the thoughts of what's probably the second, if not the, most intelligent being in the Multiverse can't possibly go wrong. Right?
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Yeah, just the idea of Fluttershy covered in blood and commanding a pack of vicious animals is too funny to pass up.
And the Dimir have agents everywhere, from the highest Azorius court to the lowest Golgari sewer. Frankly, she could be anywhere. And playing those she's fooling for suckers the whole time.
Oooh! Ponies on Ravnica!
Huh. Nice story. Followed!
2540967 Actually I think Fluttershy would best represent Selesnya.
So which of the Mane six is a Planeswalker? Or would that be Celestia or Luna?
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If you follow the chain, you'll see that was my first suggestion. I was just making an argument for Flutters being part of the Gruul Clans because it was amusing.
2541050 What if she was in Simic?
"Oh this? This is My bunny, Angel."
"THAT IS NOT A RABBIT!"
"Anymore."
(Managed to read this: OH MY GOD A PINKIE THAT IS PINKMENA AND NORMAL PINKIE AT THE SAME TIME! I need Circle of protection Black Stat!)
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...
Okay, that is actually genuinely terrifying. Only Fluttershy seems completely happy with herself, I don't see her condoning some the Simic's more... bizarre designs.
I feel like rarity would be good as a simic with her love for design and showing things off
"A hoof on the wing is worth two in the bush."
...wing massages are better than masturbation?
Fluttershy should be Dimir. No one would expect it.
What is this a crossover with? It sounds like something I should know about, but I can only vaguely recognize these names...
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This is crossing over with the Ravnica setting of Magic: the Gathering. Specifically, the point in the storyline corresponding with the Return to Ravnica block, based on the mention of the "revised Guildpact," and the implication of the Gateless movement. (And refering to Argus Kos in the past tense.)
The Cult of Rakdos (Pinkie Pie) attends to menial labor and the services industry in the City of Guilds, from assassination to catering and entertainment. Rakdos is led and founded by the demon Rakdos. The Boros Legion (Rainbow Dash) serves as the constabulary and Ravnica's standing army. Boros is currently led by the angel Aurelia, and was founded by the angel Razia.
The other guilds are:
Azorius Senate: Ravnica's government, founded by the human Azor I and currently led by the sphinx Isperia.
House Dimir: Espionage, smuggling, etc. Founded by the spirit of the vampire Szadek, currently led by the shapeshifter Lazav.
Golgari Swarm: Ravnica's agricultural sector. Founded by human-turned-lich Svogthir, currently led by elf-turned-lich Jarad vod Savo
Gruul Clans: Charged with maintaining the wild places on Ravnica, although those areas have pretty much ceased to exist. Founded by the cyclops Cisarzim, the guild doesn't have an official leader. However, the cyclops Borborygmos is the biggest and angriest of the lot, and when he gives orders, the others listen.
Izzet League: Scientists and engineers that maintain Ravnica's infrastructure. Founded and run by the dragon Niv-Mizzet.
Orzhov Syndicate: A church of trade and banking. Founded and run by Obezdat, a council of ghosts.
Selesnya Conclave: Auxiliary patrol officers for rural areas, called a "brainwashing nature cult" by their detractors. Founded by the elemental Mat'Selesyna and run by the dryad Trostani.
Simic Combine: Dedicated to the study of life, medicine, and biomancy. Founded by the vedalken Simic and currently run by the merfolk Zegana.
ten bucks says twi has or will have something to do with the izzet league
I must say, I was pretty skeptical going into this, but needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. You're clearly both a veteran Magic player and author. I greatly look forward to seeing the next chapter!
(Also. Was the "best tutors in hell" thing a reference to Infernal Tutor? Because if so, LET ME LOVE YOU.)
were you a little inspired by tyhunter's or is this straight (original)
Congrats on the featurebox!
Gotta say, this is an intriguing crossover, although I haven't played Magic since literally the days of Ice Age, so I'm sure I'll miss 80% of the references. This afternoon's been a bit crazy but I'm bookmarking it for later reading.
I Think Twilight fits Azorius more then Izzet. True Twilight can get realy crazy but she is not that impulsive, she is actualy realy organized. I see Twilight being a pony who reads a whole book from begining to end not somepony who just shifts book midway. I think Rarity is much more Izzet then Twilight but that's just me.
Will we see Celestia, or whoever the Orzhov pony is, confiding in Bob?
Mayor Mare as Azorius
Carrot Top as Simic
Roseluck as Selesnya
Spitfire as Boros
Big Mac as Gruul
Shadowbolts as Golgari
Berry Punch as Rakdos
Trixie as Izzet
Nightmare Moon as Dimir
Blueblood as Orzhov
2542431 Cult of Rakdos was not founded by Rakdos it was found by Azor I as a way to bind Rakdos to a group and governed his actions.
2540967 as pointed out in the flavor text of Burning-Tree Emissary their is the power of controlling animals
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Um... Rakdos is the parun of the Cult of Rakdos. He signed the original Guildpact. Azor I was (predicatbly) the parun of the Azoruis Senate. Azor (and, frankly, the rest of the paruns) may have wanted him bound by the Guildpact, but he was a signatory to it.
The sheer level of wordplay in the description is genius.
2550420 parun is not founder, the guildpact was a way to bind all the god like creatures together to restrain them
2551863
The paruns are the creatures that signed the Guildpact with their blood and magic. The founders of each guild were selected to become the signatories to the Guildpact. While the title of parun does not technically mean that the creature in question founded the guild, all of the prauns were the founders of their respective guilds. (In the real world, "parun" is an Estonian word that translates roughly to "baron" and a Finnish word that translates roughly to "cry".)
The Guildpact (the original spell) was created by Azor I (a lawmage) to act as the basis for Ravnican law. In the abstract, that's all it was, not something to "bind all the god like creatures." (Not that any of the paruns were godlike; Rakdos is a demon, Razia was an angel, and Niv-Mizzet is close to omniscient, but none of that is godlike.) In part, because the Guildpact bound the regular members of the guild as much as they bound the paruns -- it wasn't directed at the guild founders. Signing the Guildpact did bind Rakdos (or at least its power kept him busy), but that was not the primary purpose of the spell.
Also: I see there's now a Tablet of the Guilds cover art, but...
Pinkie's mark is at Golgari's position on the tablet.
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gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?multiverseid=366467&type=card
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Yes, but that doesn't mean Gruul isn't violent. It means Gruul is smarter than it gets credit for. Gruul, at a fundamental level, is about embracing the primal aggression inside and accepting the savagery of nature. Selesnya is about unity and harmony, everything coexisting peacefully (with a few exceptions, the guild needs to be able to defend itself). Which of these sounds more like Fluttershy?
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From the description:
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What do you mean? That's a Shadowbolt skull.
Was surprised at how nice this was. Well done.
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I assumed the shadowbolt mark was meant to be rakdos!Pinkie, since her cutie mark was described as a smiling skull framed with balloons
Rakdos!Pie is now my favourite Pinky puie.. Faved.
'The Implicit Neighs'. I see what you did there. Well played.
2541880 Its comments like this that make me happy that I don't have wings. Still funny though.
Awesome! I really like your rakdos version of Pinkie
And I could imagine Twilight's relationship to Niv-Mizzet being of the same type as her canon one to Celestia - he sends her to make friends because she gets a bit too bookish (and he wants more influence in the other guilds).
The entire extended Apple family would work well as Golgari, with Granny Smith as a lich. Maybe they even grow zap apples near the Izzet or Simic district.
Rarity would make a good Simic in turn, treating bodies like fashion and composing ever new plasma mutations.
What do you think of the rule changes?
I really hope you put Twilight in Izzet because Izzet is the best guild, and I also really want Sweetie to be in the story in like the Simic Combine or something, and I must say that you have written an excellent story. I am quite curious to see where this story goes, but I at least know it's going to be a great ride. Congrats on your superb story. Have 4 moustaches.
I love this depiction of Dash
She's brash yet very acceptant to other guilds. I assumed she already knew Twilight but considering how she didn't even recognize her brother makes me doubt that now. Or maybe, like the show, she just didn't know she had a brother? Anyway, I predict Dash is going to get on this case with Twilight at the Azorius Senate.
I WANT MOAR.
Twilight will either be Azorius or Izzet. I for one vote Azorius but it's your call. Nice going with Rainbow's character, realy fun.
Man, Shining Armor is an ass.
I suspected Celestia and Luna wouldn't be around.
That leaves one more...