"Stop them!" Calindria shouted frantically as another piece of cake flew by her face, "They're getting higher!" she raised her shield in time to fend off a cheese cake aimed for her. Next to the paladin, princess Luna did not fair as well as a big piece of strawberry cake hit her square in the face, making her topple over backwards.
"There's no end to this!" Twilight shouted in desperation as she took a shot at the ever-growing tower of pygmies.
They had been happy once they had found themselves outside the box again, but only a moment after Celestia left chaos erupted. The small box had grown to the size of a chest and the pygmies inside had started to build a living tower, all the while tossing cake up at the opening in an almost frantic pursuit of their former captives.
Seeing that their defensive of the opening was about to be toppled, the paladin quickly grabbed the lid of the chest and threw it shut, putting her whole weight on top of it. For a short, few seconds everything was peaceful again and all of them let out a sigh of relief.
To the side, Pipsqueak couldn't help but wonder what all the commotion was about. After all, the little creatures were handing out free cake. Next to him, the hand was sitting in the grass and watching the spectacle unfold itself.
"Should have done that right from the..." the paladin sighed, but was cut off by a shove from beneath that shook the whole lid, "By the gods, they are persistent." she turned to the two ponies, "Quickly, use your magic to..." there was another shove from below and the paladin flew from the box and onto the grass with a loud thump.
Instantly, the lid was thrown open and both Calindria and the ponies stared with expressions of horror as a pygmy with a huge frosted cake bound to its back poked its masked head outside.
For a moment it looked like it was about to jump them but then, the pygmy suddenly froze and stared at something behind them.
"Why do I have to do everything myself?" the ponies turned around at the voice and saw the necromancer approach with princess Celestia in tow.
Aergad ignored the ponies and walked straight past them, heading for the box in a straight line where the pygmy was still poking its head outside without moving.
The necromancer stopped in front of the box and gave the pygmy a cold and measuring stare, "Do we have a problem here?"
The pygmy visibly cringed and from inside the box the other pygmies could be heard muttering with impatient voices in their strange language, obviously waiting for their comrade to finally advance. The pygmy at the top responded by snapping its head back down and fiercely whispering a short string of words, the other pygmies immediately growing silent.
Aergad placed a foot on the edge of the box and took a look inside, "So... trying to get outside again?"
The pygmy shuddered and quickly started to make apologizing gestures, "CHmak mkar... heh..." Aergad's face darkened, "ZTrak?"
"Must I remind the lot of you of our agreement?" he replied, "Zuhm dka Tkrak?" one of his hands started to glow.
"Zuhm NKa! Zuhm Nka!" the pygmy frantically shook its little head. It repeatedly bowed its head before the necromancer while continuing to whimper, "Zuh ml'ka mur."
Aergad's eyes narrowed, "Oh? Really now? Does that mean you want me to come down there myself?"
There was a short moment of silence as the pygmy simply stared at him. Countless frantic and shocked whispers could be heard from below. Then, without another word spoken the pygmy simply grabbed the lid of the box and pulled it shut with another quick bow of its head.
The necromancer let out a sigh as he watched the box return to its former size, "Next time I'm getting myself a pocket dimension filled with sharks instead..." he picked up the little box and pushed down a little clasp, "I swear, every fucking time somebody forgets to lock this thing..." he put it into one of his pockets and turned his attention back to the others.
"Now..." his gaze traveled over the faces of everyone present, "I realize that some of you think my actions may deserve some kind of punishment..."
"I do." Luna replied with a glare, her face and mane were plastered with frosting.
"A beating would serve just as well..." Calindria muttered with a sneer, the was cake in every nook of her armor.
"And I can totally understand that..." he paused, "What are still lounging around outside for? Get back inside!" the hand immediately scurried off towards the tower, "Now, where was I?"
"Punishment." Luna stated with fire in her eyes.
"Ah, yes. That." he watched their expressions for another moment, "Normally I would completely agree with you, but seeing as I now have diplomatic immunity..."
"That has yet to be decided." Celestia replied with a sour voice, "You still have to hold your part of the pact."
"Of course, of course..." he chuckled, "But turning back to the matter at hand..." he turned back to the others, "Let me just say with the deepest of respect and sincerity..." he broke into laughter, "Did you girls gain weight?" he snorted, "I say, I could have sworn you were thinner the last time we met." and with a flash of light, he was gone.
The ponies and the paladin stared at the spot where he had been standing only a moment ago, none of them believing he had simply disappeared into thin air like that.
"I'm surprised he recovered so quickly." Celestia commented after a few seconds.
The paladin hung her head, "My armor feels tighter than before... This is going to take weeks of training to wear off."
Twilight sobbed to herself, "I'm afraid to step on the scale after this."
"This shall not go unpunished!" Luna scrunched her face as she tried to ignore her slightly wider girth, but she already shivered at the thought of the diet and exercise this would demand from her. She turned to Celestia, "And what was that about diplomatic immunity?"
"Trust me, sister. I can still hardly believe it myself."
"Oh, before I forget it..." they all looked up to see the necromancer poke his head out the window of his tower, "If you're looking to lose some of those extra pounds, and there's no denying that they're on you..." even Celestia blushed at this, "I have a nice set of challenges just perfect for the task." a small laugh escaped his lips, "I suggest you try them." he was about to pull his head back inside, "And Twilight? Be a good little pony and return my book before I do decide to turn you into a closet." he paused, "Oy! Is that you, kid?"
"Yes, mister necromancer." Pipsqueak called up.
"You decided on that wish yet?" he leaned on the window frame with a smile.
Pipsqueak suddenly remembered the reason why he had come here in the first place, "I did, mister necromancer."
"Splendid!" Aergad called down, completely ignoring the confused and angered looks of the ponies and the paladin, "So what can I do for you?"
The little colt seemed to hesitate, "Can you... can you teach me to do magic?"
There was a short moment of silence as the ponies watched the little colt with surprise, not believing what they had just heard.
"Are you insane, kid?" Calindria muttered with disbelief, "Magic? From that insane crook?"
"Magic?" Twilight asked the little colt with worry, "But you're an earth pony, you can't..."
"Magic, is it?" the necromancer asked from his window, "Sure, why not..." he chuckled, "Come on up kid, I'll see what I can do for you."