Short Eight: Mur Mur's Pillow Pile
Mur Mur the Great held her position against the Horsemen of the Plains, defending her seat of power, her castle and stronghold with volley after volley of black arrows and catapulting ball bombs onto the enemies below. The horses below her reared up, some of them throwing their riders and fleeing the battles and others snorting furiously, screaming for revenge. Queen Mur Mur laughed at their struggle, certain that she'd drive the Horsemen off, just like she drove off all other enemies that came before her in conquest. She got ready to throw the finishing blow when another enemy appeared before her fortress, staring up in amazement at the construction of the fifteen foot high pillow fort. (complete with spires and a drawbridge).
"Gah! Another intruder!" Mur Mur cried, holding her fire as Aru studied her impressive pillow fort. All of the girl's wooden horses poofed out of existence as she lost her concentration, decimating all her enemies with just a single thought.
"'Intruder?' I resent that. Deus lets me in here too, you know." The Observer stated, raising and eyebrow at the girl. "That's quite the fort there, Mur Mur."
"Thanks! I'm glad you think so!" The midget smiled from several feet up, her devil's tail swishing happily. She lead out of a pillow window to stare down at the boy detective.
"Is it all made out of pillows?" Aru asked.
"Yep! But it works like a real fort!" Mur Mur bragged, snapping her fingers and letting down the drawbridge.
"The perks of being the assistant to the god of Space and Time." Aru replied, leaning down to peek inside the three-pillow high doorway the draw bridge had opened up. He observed a pillow table, fireplace and stairs up to the higher levels, all Mur Mur sized.
"You got it!" The assistant called down.
"So what were you doing?" Aru asked next.
"Just fighting off a hoard of Horsemen." She replied as if she fought epic wars every day. "The greatness that is Queen Mur Mur almost had them running for their money."
"Do you want an opponent worthy of your greatness, O Queen Mur Mur?" Aru flamboyantly stood and bowed, offering himself up to play the villain, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"I thought you'd never ask!" Mur Mur grinned, gaining her own mischievous glint and snapping her fingers. Suddenly, Aru was dressed in black armor and standing on the opposite end of the Cathedral, surrounded by his Horsemen and facing off against Queen Mur Mur and her armies of dolls. "Have at you!" She cried, pointing her troops into action.
"The game's afoot." Aru whispered to himself before bellowing his own battle shout. "'Cry, 'havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war!" Both armies charged into action, clashing in a battle of wits and strength that would take an hour to wear itself out.
In the end, Deus materialized into the Cathedral of Causality and witnessed the huge mess left in the wake of his two charges. Wooden horses lay strew about with the bodies of defeated dolls and Mur Mur and Aru were collapsed in the uppermost chambers of a very impressive pillow fort, both having killed each other in the war (but in fact, they were just napping). An in all actuality, Aru had outsmarted Mur Mur on all accounts, but her resourcefulness matched his so they both "died" at about the same time (Aru stabbed first with his pillow sword). Deus, just shook his head at their melodrama and waved his large hand over the mess, dissipating the bodies of the two armies before he got back to work, but let the pillow fort stand, because his two assistants were still sleeping and he didn't want to disturb them and just let them rest after their battle.