Somewhere in the Badlands…

Deep beneath the arid ground, in a large underground chamber, several of the most powerful beings in Equestria and beyond sat around a large, round, stone table.

Everything was exactly as it usually was at these meetings. Except that it was Hearths Warming Eve… and there were actually only two of them there now.

“Merry Christmas, my Evil Council of Doom! I appreciate you all showing up on Hearths Warming Day to discuss how to properly vanquish our mortal enem…”

“Actually, Adagio,” Chrysalis interrupted her. “Nobody else could make it. It’s just you and me.”

Adagio’s happy expression suddenly slumped. “Oh, joy,” she said sarcastically. She then perked up again. “Oh well, it looks like the rest of the council will miss out on this awesome present that we got from an anonymous fan.” She then reached under the table and pulled out something square, wrapped up in… well, wrapping paper.

“I hope it’s not another fanfiction.” Chrysalis said when she saw the present. “People are always sending me those. They think that because I feed on love, that I can get stronger from their shipfics.”

*Beat*

“I don’t.”

Adagio dismissed her worries as she brought the present out in front of her. “No, it’s not a fanfiction. It’s way too big, even for a fanfiction. Also it’s ticking.”

Chrysalis’ eyes widened immediately when she heard that, and her expression went back to normal just as fast. “Adagio, you might want to throw that out. It could be dangerous.”

Adagio smirked as she brought the present closer to her face. “Oooohh, I bet it’s a bomb. That would be perfect to get my revenge on Twilight Sparkle.”

Chrysalis sneered. “Adagio, we have about five seconds left to live. You might want to think about saying something profound.”

“Uhhmm, okay,” she stuttered. “Just give me a second. I’ve almost got something. It’s right on the tip of my tongue.”

Next Chapter: Third Meeting Estimated time remaining: 41 Minutes