//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 
// Story: Getting Spades Home 
// by BronyDan 
//------------------------------//

As the moon shone down over Ponyville, Pipsqueak, Featherweight and Chowder crept out slowly from a side street and began walking slowly through the empty town, Pipsqueak pushing his old bicycle alongside them. “Do you really think this is a good idea?” asked Featherweight.

“I think it’s a bad idea.” Pipsqueak sighed, “But Spades is counting on us to be there.”

Chowder looked up at the night sky as a faint rumbling sound could be heard in the distance, “Sounds like thunder’s coming.” he said to himself.

“There certainly will be thunder if Cillit catches us.” muttered Featherweight as they approached the bridge leaving Ponyville. 

They rounded a curve and headed down towards Spades’ house. “Shh, wait!” Featherweight hissed as they drew nearer to the house. He indicated to the living room window, where the light was still on from behind the blinds, “We need to wait until she’s gone to bed as well.” he whispered while Pipsqueak propped his bicycle on the wall. A few seconds later, the light went out, and Featherweight looked at his watch. “Right, we’ll give it fifteen minutes.” he whispered.

“We can’t just stand out here for fifteen minutes!” said Pipsqueak.

“Why not? It’s a perfectly normal thing to do, we just try not to look suspicious.” said Featherweight.

“Well I’m sorry Feathers, but I feel suspicious.” Pipsqueak whispered, “And he can’t help looking suspicious.” he pointed his hoof at Chowder.

“It’s just a knack you pick up.” giggled Chowder.

“Well unless you two can think of a better solution, I’d like to hear it.” grumbled Featherweight. Pipsqueak and Chowder sighed; there was no point in arguing with him when he got stroppy, so they moved in closer to each other, and just stood in the same spot for fifteen minutes, not talking and not moving.

Finally, Featherweight looked at his watch again, patted Pipsqueak and Chowder on the shoulders, and they moved slowly over to the gate. “Now try to be careful.” he hissed, but Chowder was already pushing the gate open, and the squeak of its hinges filled the air. Chowder opened it wider and quicker to stop the noise. He gave a weak smile to Pipsqueak and Featherweight, who both gave him a slap across the head as they passed through the gate and down the garden path.

Spades’ bedroom was situated on the right side of the house. As Pipsqueak, Featherweight and Chowder peered slowly around the corner; they could see a patch of light bathing a section of the path leading into the garden. They stood in its glow and Chowder threw a small pebble at the upstairs window. Spades’ head peered through the curtains, his eyes scanning the area, until he saw the trio standing in the light. “What kept you?” he hissed as he opened the window. He was wearing one of his old jackets that his mother made him wear for formal occasions, over his striped blue pyjamas and dark blue slippers. They could now see just how pale he was looking in the moonlight.

“Well excuse us for not having the magical ability to send your mother to bed whenever we can.” whispered Featherweight, as he went to the garden shed to fetch a ladder.

“And if we did have that power, I’d have had Apple Bloom over to my place ages ago.” Chowder butted in cheekily. Pipsqueak gave him a sharp prod and they both went to help Featherweight with the ladder.

“Are you sure we can’t persuade you to postpone this?” Featherweight asked as they held the ladder steady while Spades carefully pulled himself out of the window and began descending the ladder to the ground.

“Sorry. My mind’s made up, and I need to do this.” Spades breathed, scared to raise his voice any higher, in fear that his mother may hear him. When all four of his hooves were on the ground, the four stallions crept back up the path, through the still open gate, Spades then hopped onto Pipsqueak’s bike, while Pipsqueak held onto the handles and Chowder steadied the back and they slowly manoeuvred the bicycle down the path stone path and headed back into Ponyville.

Featherweight was moving further ahead of them, guiding them down the streets and making sure that no one was watching. Once in a while, he would stop and wonder what route to go down next, and move them in-between the houses like a game of ‘Pac-Pony’. Spades was beginning to realise what was going on when they found themselves on the road leading them into the main square, but Featherweight decided to take them down a side street and walk behind the shops. “Why are we taking the long route, what’s stopping us going straight on?” he whispered to Featherweight as Pipsqueak pushed the bike alongside him.

“Well, I don’t what to risk going past the police station, not with all those bright lights.” answered Featherweight and carried on walking.

Pipsqueak gave a deep sigh as he started pushing and looked up the moon just in time to see it covered by the clouds. “Luna, please have mercy on this damn fool pony, as he is being wheeled on a bicycle to a night of unintended and rash thinking passion.” he prayed quietly. The words had barely left his mouth, when a small drop of rain could be felt falling into his mane, suddenly a downpour started and soon all four of them were soaked to their skin. “Alright, be that way then.” Pipsqueak muttered as they picked up their pace and were almost running down the street.

The long route took them about ten minutes to get to Dinky’s house. When she saw them all standing there dripping wet, she ushered them all in, gave Spades a hug and a passionate kiss, and told them that they could all hang their clothes over the fire to dry. Pipsqueak, Featherweight and Chowder did feel a bit embarrassed to strip down in a mare’s home, so she went upstairs to get them some spare clothes to wear, told them where the beer was if they wanted any and then dragged Spades upstairs to her bedroom without a backwards glance at the trio standing in her hallway.

Soon the fire was crackling in the grate, their clothes were draped over the grille which had been pulled away from the fire, far enough for the clothes to dry but not too close to catch alight. Pipsqueak, Featherweight and Chowder sat around the circular table, wearing the clothes Dinky had brought down for them. Pipsqueak was wearing a pink fluffy dressing gown, Featherweight wore a yellow flower patterned winter cardigan and Chowder wore a pair of light blue silk pyjamas.

“It’s quite cosy in here, isn’t it?” said Featherweight, his eyes looking around the living room peacefully.

“Yeah, but it’s not as cosy as where Spades is.” chuckled Chowder, and they raised their glasses of beer to the ceiling, where a slow thumping noise could be heard above their heads.

As the rain continued to pour, and the thunder and lightning echoed throughout the town during the next hour, Pipsqueak had managed to find a set of cards on the top of Dinky’s side cabinet, but as he was dealing out the cards, the thunder roared loudly,  followed by a piercing scream of terror from upstairs. Pipsqueak, Featherweight and Chowder sat rigid in their seats, not daring to breathe, until another scream came again, so they leapt out of their chairs, threw the door open and bolted up the stairs, just as Dinky came running out of her bedroom, sobbing uncontrollably. She threw her hooves around Pipsqueak’s shoulder and cried loudly, as Pipsqueak patted her, awkwardly. “It’s Spades!” she gasped in between sobs. “He’s not waking up! I… I think he’s dead!”

“Dead?” Chowder whispered, as Pipsqueak gave Ditzy a comforting cuddle, while Featherweight moved past them, and led them back into the bedroom.

There was Spades, lying in Dinky’s bed, his right hoof outstretched next to him, his eyes closed and a big grin across his face. “Now, come on Spades.” said Pipsqueak nervously, as he shook the bed slightly, “You can stop messing with us now.” Spades made no reply.

“Look Spades, the joke’s gone far enough, just stop it!” said Chowder, his voice going higher than usual. Again, Spades didn’t move. Chowder was starting to get frightened now.

Featherweight moved up alongside the bed, lifted Spades’ hoof and began feeling for a pulse. He then looked over at his terrified friends, and shook his head.