Krishna

He was the one.

He came to be known as The Dark One -- quite literally. There were other Krishnas -- Mr. Blacks or Mr Browns so to speak -- but he was The Mr Black. At the time when The City always meant Indraprastha, The Black meant him. By the end, only few outside the Yadavs seemed to remember Vasudev (which was also his father's name).

Draupadi, him, and Arjun, the were the three sakhas. He was a close friend to all the pandavs -- he  had many deep conversations on dharma and justice and duty with the eldest brother, a liked practicing warcraft with the strong one, but it was clear to all that Arjun was the closest. His prior friendship with Draupadi helped, since she was also the closest to Arjun though she too was all theirs'. Draupadi was also a Krishnaa, and so was Arjun, and as great as her origins were and as beautiful as she was, it must have definitely contributed to their closeness.

They say she was the first to fall because of her partiality to Arjun. She had five husbands, and she should have loved then equally, they say.

Was it her that gambled away her spouses? Was it her that misinterpreted in the most literal and hotheaded fashion that was most certainly unique to Bhim her mother's simple request, and made her husbands' lives difficult and complicated? The brothers were greedy, and used lies and deceits when it suited -- she did none. She was the most pious after Dharma himself. Why was she the first one to go then?

Why did her sakha abandon her?

They are lies. No, they are lies. Draupadi did not go first.

Krishna, you understand, had to play two parts simultaneously: he was human, allying himself with the Pandavs in the great war, but he was also the highest god, knowing everything that was going to happen beforehand and making sure that destiny took its infallible course. He was the master of the Universe and all creation, but also the grandfather to a Musal (large pestle). So while he controlled everything, he was also an active (sometimes powerless) participant.