//------------------------------// // Days Long Past // Story: Spike's Shadow // by DraconequusMaximus //------------------------------// Spike had allowed Zecora and Sombra to get comfortable on the sofa while he woke Lyra. Since she lived under the same roof as Spike and Sombra she deserved an explanation for what was going to happen soon. Sombra sat awkwardly next to Zecora, uncertain of how to act around her. Thankfully, after Spike returned with a sleepy Lyra in tow they were no longer alone. Lyra took her usual seat, and though she was tired she recognized that something important was going on. "Okay. Sombra, Lyra, there's some stuff you need to know. I've been hiding some things, but until tonight I didn't think they were going to be relevant for at least a few more centuries. "I'm about to tell you both the story of the Earth's early years, and about the time before ponies where dragons weren't cave-dwelling monsters. Zecora who was actually there for some of it told it to me, and I'm going to tell it to you two if you think you're ready. Lyra, Sombra?" Everyone nodded their agreement, signaling Spike to begin. "Right well, it all started an unbelievably long time ago." Spike began. The Earth was still cooling, and there was no life on the boiling sphere. There were seven gods in the heavens far above, formed from the infinite magics of the cosmos. Each one represented a primal aspect of magic, which very few creatures today are even aware of. The eldest among them had already planned out the entire future of the world. As soon as the newly sculpted Earth was cold enough, they were going to unite their powers to finish the earth and make life sustainable. However, the youngest of the pantheon was impatient and didn't want to wait for the Earth to be full of life. She was still a child in the eyes of her brothers and sisters, and had yet to discover her full potential. Her name was Cadmae. One day, Cadmae sneaked down to the Earth, careful not to let her siblings catch her. Cadmae took a large clump of still-hot land and molded it into the shape of an egg. In secret, Cadmae cared for the egg, going as far as feeding it some of her own divine power, but only a single spark. When her spark passed through the egg, life was imbued into it. And from that single act, Cadmae's potential was awakened. She had secretly become the goddess of fire, and of life. Cadmae hid her new power from her family, as they would ask questions as to how she awakened them. So in her secrecy, the egg became her confidant, as Cadmae didn't need to fear anything from the egg she had crafted. As the growing life dreamed, Cadmae showed it pictures from a special book using her magic. The pictures were drawings her brother and sister gods had made to be the blueprints for some of the first creatures to be born on the Earth in the future. She oohed and awed at her favorites with the unborn baby, hoping that when it was born it would love her for caring for it. The creature growing within the egg listened to Cadmae, imitating the shapes she showed it hopes that it would be loved by her too. The creature wanted nothing more than to make the goddess happy and to serve it's beloved mother. So it became all the best things about each of the creatures that Cadmae wanted to see. And one day, around a century in mortal time after the egg was shaped, it hatched. Cadmae was overjoyed to find that her little creature had finally emerged from the egg. It had sharp claws, sharper teeth, tough scales, powerful wings, keen eyes, and a piece of her immortal fire in it's belly. She named it Dramaal, meaning first-born son in the language of the gods. She decided it's kind would be known as Dragons, meaning first race. And just as they had both hoped, Cadmae and Dramaal shared the mutual love of mother and child. Overjoyed by the birth of her beloved son, Cadmae took Dramaal down to Earth, which had still not yet finished cooling. She knew her son had nothing to fear from the harsh lands or unbearable heat, but she was spotted taking him down to Earth by another of the gods. The goddess's eldest brother was outraged, but still he cared for his sister. Suuph, the eldest of the gods, builder of the Earth, and creator of law, left alone to fetch Cadmae. Upon setting foot on the Earth, Suuph saw Cadmae feeding Dramaal a jewel formed from the magma, teaching him to survive in any environment. The sight warmed Suuph's heart, but he still had a responsibility to keep to the plans that he and the others had laid out. "My sister, I am disappointed in you. You have stolen my book time and time again, and now I see you have even shaped a life without consulting the rest of the family." Suuph admonished her. Cadmae held Dramaal close to herself, fearing for her son's safety. "I have done these things my brother, but I could not wait as you could. I shaped my son, Dramaal from hot earth and love him as I do you and the rest of our kin. He can survive the unfinished Earth, and will protect the creatures that come after him with loyalty to us." The younger goddess pleaded and promised. The eldest god looked to his sister, seeing the innocence in her eyes. Suuph knew Cadmae had meant no harm, and sensed the divine light within her creation. Dramaal was much grander than any of the other creatures in his book, even if he would be loyal to the gods. Things would need to be rewritten, and that would take time. After deliberating the choices available to him, the eldest god came to a decision. Dramaal would spend a million mortal years asleep, deep within the Earth as penance for his mother's sins. During which time the gods would invent more creatures in the way their sister had done unintentionally, taking the parts from other beasts, seeing how well it had worked with Dramaal. When Dramaal awoke, life would start on the Earth and Dramaal would rule over the creatures the gods placed on the earth. So long as Dramaal taught the intelligent races to praise and worship the gods. Dramaal agreed to the pact, and allowed his mother to seal him into a cave Suuph opened up deep beneath the ground. As the Earth developed, Dramaal grew and the magics the Earth had inherited from the gods seeped into his body. Eventually, Dramaal awoke, bursting forth from the ground. He watched as the Earth began to be populated with living things and the gods planted all sorts of vegetation to feed the smaller creatures. Dramaal spoke to all the creatures of the land, telling them of the gods, and in particular his mother goddess Cadmae who had created him with love and the merciful Suuph who had let him live. All intelligent creatures payed their respects to the gods, and the gods came to be more powerful than ever before, but eventually the gods changed and became dependent upon their praise. Though the gods didn't realize it, their dependance upon the mortal beings would eventually be their undoing. All was well on the Earth for many thousands of years. Dramaal protected the other creatures from natural disasters, and kept them from warring with each other or abusing the environment. Eventually though, Dramaal grew to envy the other creatures of the Earth. There was one thing they had that Dramaal didn't have, even though he was made up of all the best attributes of the god's creations. Dramaal eventually asked his mother Cadmae down to earth, asking her to hear his plea. By that time she had grown into a full fledged goddess, just as powerful as even Suuph. But even still, she was Dramaal's mother and would never ignore her son's hurt. "Mother, I thank you for all my wonderful gifts. I am swift and powerful, intelligent and strong. I tower over mountain tops, and none besides you and my divine aunts and uncles can best me in the arcane arts." Dramaal said as he bowed down to his beloved mother. Cadmae sensed her son's gratitude was truthful, but her heart was the heart of a mother and she knew her son was troubled. "What do you hide from me my son? Do you tire in your role as herald of the gods? Do you tire protecting the other creatures of the Earth?" Cadmae asked her son. Dramaal hung his head low, nearly touching the ground with the weight of his thoughts. "I am alone. Though I am mighty and respected, perhaps even loved by the other Earth-dwelling creatures, I am alone. There are no creatures like me, I have no mate, no brothers, no sisters, and no equals. The others mortal creatures see me as they see you mother, and try as I might they will not see me as an equal. I am between god and mortal, and I know it is not my place to stand in the heavens with you." Dramaal lamented as boiling tears fell from his eyes. Dramaal's mother Cadmae shed tears of her own at the sight of her only son's sadness. She let them fall upon the ground, where the tears mixed with the soil and became mud. Taking the mud, she crafted it into bricks, baked in the same divine fire she had given her son. Cadmae then built a great well with the bricks, unlike anything ever seen on the Earth or in the heavens. The goddess bid Dramaal to the well, and Dramaal looked down into it's depths, seeing only the darkness one would expect to see at the bottom of a well. "Take a fang from your own mouth and cast one into the well each day. For each fang, a dragon egg will be born into the world from the Earth itself, just as you were born long ago. Each fang in your jaws will grow back soon, but each will only ever birth one of your new kin. From then on you must not let your new family use the well, lest your kin overrun the planet." Cadmae instructed Dramaal. Dramaal did as he was told and ripped a tooth from his own jaw, casting it into the well. A great rumbling shook the ground, and from the Earth a new egg was birthed. Dramaal did this each day for sixty-six days, and each night his fangs mended. On the sixty-seventh day when his fangs could do no more, Dramaal baptized the eggs in fire, birthing the new generation of his race. One by one, Dramaal named each of the newly hatched dragons in the language of the gods. Once they had all been named Dramaal began teaching them of the world and all the creatures in it. Dramaal had never been happier, watching his people flourish amongst the world and building it's first great civilization. As the eldest creature on Earth Dramaal became king of the dragons, and the mouthpiece of the gods on the Earth. Dramaal took a mate in the first of the dragons born from the earth, a female named Nati, meaning Summer in the language of the gods. Together they had six children, the first dragons born of naturally laid eggs. Five sons, and one daughter. Dramaal's children became known as the first-blood and each of them were taken under the tutelage of one of the remaining six gods, other than Cadmae. Once grown they were put in charge of each god's respective temples in various locations all over the Earth. The eldest of them was Dorta, a powerful male who took after Dramaal. He was chosen by Suuph, the earth-god who had spared Dramaal at the dawn of time. Vitra, the second oldest and the only daughter was taught by Xem, goddess of light and prosperity. Seifa, the next oldest son was taught by Muvubae, the god of water and change. Phomac, the next son in line was taught by Nyll, god of the air and peace. The second youngest was Molaka, favored by Phunda, goddess of electricity and war. Dootha, the youngest child of Dramaal and Nati was chosen to be the watcher of Larimett's temple. Larimett, the god of shadows and trickery went along with the will of his siblings and taught Dootha many things. But Larimett had sinister intentions for both the world below the heavens and his own siblings. While most of the gods and goddesses were pleased with Cadmae's creations and the worship and offerings they received because of them, Larimett thought otherwise. Larimett had been the god that had tried to tell Suuph of Cadmae's actions, hoping to get her into trouble out of spite. Larimett was unbelievably jealous of Cadmae, as she could do no wrong in her sibling's eyes. Larimett's ideas for creatures had all been shot down by his siblings while his younger sister was hailed as a hero to all of creation for defying their wishes. Larimett knew Dootha was the weakest of the first-blood, and chose him specifically for that reason. He knew Dootha resented his father and his brethren, even the dragons born from the earthen eggs and their descendants. Larimett taught Dootha his own magics, arts not meant for any creature less than a full-fledged god. The lessons changed Dootha, warping his mind and body into a weapon tailor-made to be used by Larimett. But Larimett was too vain and overconfident to realize he had created a monster greater than himself. Eventually, Dootha figured out how to use his new abilities in ways even his master had never considered. Dootha turned on Larimett and broke his immortality, killing him and spilling his black blood over the land. Out from the black mud rose an army made of countless vile creatures, all loyal to Dootha. Dootha's army destroyed the temples of the gods and goddesses and slew all but one of Dootha's siblings. Dootha's fangs were forever dyed black, marking him as the ultimate sinner, the slayer of a god. Dootha then ascended, becoming the first devil-god, the progenitor of all evil on Earth today. Dramaal and his surviving son, Dorta hunted and killed every demon and devil they could find, but Dootha always alluded them. It wasn't until Dootha struck the temple of Cadmae while they were away did they find him. Dootha was preparing to poison the well Cadmae had created, now known as Cadmus, in an effort to infect the world with his evil. Dramaal collapsed the well before Dootha could use it, causing Dootha to rage against his father and eldest brother. Dramaal and Dorta fought Dootha for seven days straight. On the eighth day Dootha maimed his brother Dorta and Dramaal was nearly to the point of exhaustion. Seeing he was grossly outmatched, Dramaal took the only course of action left to him. Dramaal called upon every last vestige of his power, and pulled upon the spark of divinity given to him by his mother Cadmae. The resulting explosion killed Dramaal himself, along with Dootha's body. Dootha was cast to the winds as a mere ghost, and his remaining forces retreated to the darkest regions of the world to await his inevitable return. Being only a spirit now himself, Dramaal sought out a sage of a race that hadn't been on the Earth very long when compared to the dragon. Despite the youth of their race, and the frailty of their bodies, they understood the spiritual and physical realms far more than most. Among their number was a spirit of great strength that Dramaal had sensed many times before. The sage was an old creature, very near the end of her life. Her eyes and the rest of her body had all but failed her, but her mind was sharper than any other creature in their prime of life. Dramaal whispered into her ear of the things that had come to pass. The sage listened to all he had to say, and she nodded her tired head once. "I know these things have come to pass already, oh first-born, father of the first-blood. I saw it all with my blind eyes, and I see even more still. The original spark of divine light in your heart was passed to your sons as it was passed to you. If you take the journey of my soul with me, I shall watch over the children of your remaining son, and when Dootha returns your descendant will learn all you have to teach so he may face Dootha and end him for the last time." The sage told Dramaal. Dramaal then took refuge in the sage's soul, and she died only moments later. Instead of meeting with death, her soul was instantly guided to a new vessel of her race. She was marked by the spectral claws of Dramaal at birth, and from then on till the end of time her race will wear stripes to signify their service and brotherhood to the first race. As for the gods, without Dramaal to guide the creatures of the world their worshipers stopped believing and they began to fade away. As a last act of retribution for dragons having drawn their blood, they made all the newborn dragons from then on greedy and hateful beasts unwilling to learn the ways of their elders. Only Dramaal's bloodline can overcome, and eventually break their individual curses. When the mother goddess Cadmae, last of the pantheon faded away, the sun and moon broke free of the heavens and a new age of hardships dawned on the world. To this day, Dootha seeks a suitable vessel, having been made unable to forcibly take the form of a dragon without permission by Dramaal's final act. Dootha can now never be a dragon again, as no dragon will concede to him, now that they are all greedy and self-centered. Still, Dootha would one day return somehow, and it will be up to Dramaal's heirs to put an end to him. "And that, is the incredibly ancient and over-complicated history of my people, and Dootha. Almost no dragons alive today know it, and even fewer care. I'm the last of the first-blood, descended from Dorta who survived the first battle with Dootha. Twelve dragons down the line, and all of them have met with their end before their time. Except for me." Spike finished sadly. Sombra and Lyra were both awestruck and confused at the story, while Zecora looked proud. She was glad to see Spike had memorized the tale in full, just as he had been told by her. "Your forefathers would be proud of your telling of their story. Though the original version was a touch more gory." Zecora praised. Sombra and Lyra's brains were piecing everything together. It was quite obvious what significance the story held to Spike. Sombra on the other hand, only now understood the gravity of the situation he found himself in. Sombra was the host for Dootha, god-slayer, potential conqueror of the Earth, and god-like figure worshiped by demons. Sombra fainted about a second after the implications hit him full force. "Yeah, that's what happened to me the first time I heard the story too." Spike admitted sadly.