"So... what was that dragon, then? Who was he?" Twilight asked, the duo warping back into Kel'Thuzad's chambers with a 'snap'.
"She. That dragon was a she." Kel'Thuzad droned, shaking some of the excess snow from his cloak, the winter winds of Icecrown having caked him heavily in the substance. "Her name was... is Sindragosa." the lich unclasped his right hand, a bout of blue fire erupting from his palm, igniting the dormant fire with a series of pops and cracks.
"Who was she?" Twilight asked, her half-frozen form plopping down in front of the fire, the heat from the hearth soothing her deadened nerves back into life. Kel'Thuzad sighed, waving his arm once. A piece of parchment and a quill flew into his hands, where he proceeded to draw a small diagram, the unicorn straining her stiff neck to peer in on his drawings. Nodding, Kel'Thuzad showed Twilight his creation. On each of the five points of a hastily drawn star, there were names.
Alexstrasza, the Life-Binder
Nozdormu, the Timeless One
Ysera, the Dreamer
Neltharion, the Earth-Warder
Malygos, the Spell-Weaver
.........
"How much do you know about dragons, Twilight?" the lich asked, handing the small parchment to Twilight. The mare chuckled lightly, and looked up to Kel'Thuzad.
"Quite a bit, considering my little brother is one." she smirked. Kel'Thuzad razed a brow, and spoke.
"Your... brother... is a dragon?" he asked, not quite in disbelief, just surprise. Twilight nodded proudly, her magic pulling a small picture of him from midair, the small photograph appearing before her with a sizzle of arcane magic.
Maybe dragons are not as dangerous in this world as I thought...
The picture was of her and a small whelp, most likely less than a year old. They were cuddling, the drake having fallen asleep in her embrace.
Purple, huh? Should've figured, I guess...
"What is the young whelp's name?" he asked. In the meantime, he had swiped the page back from Twilight, continuing his notes on the five aspects.
"Spike... what is a whelp!?" she questioned, more than offended by Kel'Thuzad's rather derogatory remark. Kel'Thuzad chuckled, and held up his hand in apology.
"My apologies, Twilight. In my world, whelps are immature, newborn dragons who have a while yet to grow. I meant no offense." he spoke, scribbling the last jots upon the descriptions of the aspects and their powers. Twilight visibly relaxed, but did not stop her explanation.
"Spike is not a whelp, he is a drake! He's almost fifteen!"
.........
At that remark, the lich turned from his writing, staring incredulously at the unicorn.
.........
"Twilight, how old can dragons native to Equus get?" Kel'Thuzad asked, ready to launch into aggressive debate mode if she initiated. Twilight chuckled.
"Well over five thousand." she spoke proudly, feeling rather accomplished that her little brother would some day be bigger than a house.
"HA! You think five thousand is old, Twilight?!" Kel'Thuzad chuckled. He drew up a magical image before her of the dragoness that had rallied the Lich King's army. "How old do you think SHE was?" Twilight stroked her chin thoughtfully with a hoof, and spoke.
"Ten thousand, maybe?"
The lich stared back at her, a shit-eating grin plastered across his skull.
"Triple that."
.........
"WHAT!?!" Twilight gasped. A dragon that was thirty thousand years old?! How could something even live that long? Alicorns were magically bound to Equus, granting them effective immortality, but dragons were just like any other animal! "How could a mortal creature survive that long?!" she exclaimed, her brain overloading. Kel'Thuzad just laughed, and spoke.
"Simple. They're immortal."
"What?"
"Azerothian Wyrms are immortal, for the most part. The presence of the five dragon aspects assures that." with that, he referred to his list.
"Alexstrasza, the Life-Binder, is usually considered the queen of all the dragonflights, or clans. A red wyrm, she is known for her compassion and kindness, and projects these aspects upon her children, which easily number in the thousands. Her powers as the Life-Binder effectively make her the 'Mother Earth' of Azeroth, healing and mending the ground she walks upon."
Nodding, Twilight cleared her throat. "What exactly are the dragonflights?" Twilight asked, repositioning herself on her small pillow in front of the fire, a small notebook and quill floating from her saddlebag in the corner of the room.
"Dragonflights are the 'clans' of Azerothian dragons. There are five in total, one for each aspect. Alexstrasza is the leader of the Red Dragonflight, alongside her consort, Korialstrasz.
Always hated the bastard...
"Okay... what are the other dragonflights?" Twilight asked, her quill scribbling as she talked.
"We'll get to that in time." Kel'Thuzad said, reaching for his chart once more. "Now, Nozdormu, the Timeless One. The lord of the Bronze Dragonflight, he alone controls the ebb and flow of time. His position is one that many have desired, but his all-seeing and all-knowing vision effectively assures Azeroth's survival, as long as he lives..."
"So... he controls time?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, for the most part. He cannot directly interrupt or stop time, but he may alter the flow and ebb of time, creating alternate realities with the flick of his wrist." Kel'Thuzad explained. "Now... Ysera, the Dreamer. Sister to Alexstrasza, Ysera controls the Emerald Dream, watching over the growing wilds of Azeroth from her own personal dimension. She is the queen of the Green Dragonflight." Twilight stopped scribbling, and looked with a curious expression to the archlich.
"I thought you said Alexstrasza was in charge of nature?" Kel'Thuzad chuckled, holding a claw up to silence the unicorn so that he could speak.
"Forgive me, Twilight. I meant to stress that Alexstrasza is in charge of life, not nature.” Kel’thuzad spoke. “While the two may overlap occasionally, they are treated as separate spheres.”
Twilight nodded in understanding, going back to her note-taking. "Now... where was I... ah. Neltharion, the Earth-Warder. While Neltharion was originally a well-respected member of the five aspects, but after his corruption by the Old Gods, he turned on his brothers and sisters, plunging the Black Dragonflight and himself into a bloody war with the rest of dragon kind. A powerful and intimidating wyrm, Neltharion was in direct control of the shifting of Azeroth's tectonic plates, effectively making him the most physically strong aspect."
"What are... Old Gods?" Twilight asked, her voice hinting vague fear at the mere mention of them. Kel'Thuzad himself thought about them as well, and an idea flew through his mind, terrifying him for a moment.
I pray there are none on or within Equus...
"Old Gods... Old Gods are beings that inhabited Azeroth LONG before the aspects took power. They embody evil in every sense, and are ruthlessly violent and selfish, acting not for themselves and themselves alone..." Kel'Thuzad physically shivered, unnoticed by Twilight.
"So... they were basically gods before the gods?" Twilight asked. Kel'Thuzad nodded grimly, and shook his head violently, shaking the image of Yogg-Saron out of his mind. He brought his chart back up, and pointed to the last name on the list.
"Malygos, the Spell-Weaver. The effective king of magic, he is the head of the Blue Dragonflight. Him and his children guard and regulate the flow of ley lines through the surface of Azeroth. During the final years of his reign, he launched a war upon all dragonkind, his flight following him into combat without question. No one knows for sure his intentions, but many say he was driven mad."
"So... who was Sindragosa?" Twilight asked. Kel'Thuzad sighed.
"Malygos' consort, long before Neltharion's betrayal. You see, there is a place in Northrend called Dragonblight, the ancestral burial ground of all dragons. If a slain dragon is not laid to rest within it's holy embrace, their soul may never find rest. Sindragosa was flung into Icecrown when Neltharion did battle with the Blue Dragonflight. She died there, on that glacier, her soul descending into madness and hatred for all mortals, and she swore revenge if she was ever to return..."
Twilight nodded, putting the pieces together.
"So... how powerful was she?"
"As a living creature, she was the second most powerful mage on Azeroth, second only to her husband. As a frost wyrm... she easily equaled, if not surpassed an aspect, her frost magics dramatically increased by the unholy power of the Lich King." Kel'Thuzad explained, a hint of sadness plaguing his voice.
"Kel'Thuzad?" Twilight spoke, walking up to the lich, who was quite obviously distressed. Kel'Thuzad looked to the mare, accepting the embrace she was offering.
Damn... I had forgotten how comforting a simple gesture like a hug can be...
"Yes Twilight?" the lich responded, heating his bones once more, so the mare didn't freeze to death.
"Before you explained all of this, you mentioned that her name is STILL Sindragosa... what does that mean?"
"She is bound by the same rules as I am, Twilight."
"Which means..." Twilight spoke, once again putting the pieces together in her head.
"She is most likely trapped as I was, forever floating through the Twisting Nether, never finding rest amongst her kind..."
I need to talk to Shining when he returns...
I must speak with my king when he returns...