When Frankie opened the door to his apartment, Dell strode in stripping off his coat and running his mouth a speed or two above normal.

“Dude, so what’s the problem? What was so fucking important you had to drag me away from the bar? The tits on that bartender, my god. I think her name was…”

Dell trailed off as he looked around.

“Frankie, what the fuck is this?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Dell.”

Frankie lived in a spacious one-bedroom off the 36 avenue stop in Queens. When he’d moved in, Dell and the guys had helped him paint and hang up posters of bikini girls and their favorite boxers. They’d toasted the apartment and the fact that Frankie had finally left Rita, that crazy controlling bitch.

But the posters were gone. So was the beer sign from a local bar. Every flat surface now had several small plastic horses, and the walls were adorned with posters and prints of the same, only bigger and in more vivid pinks, yellows, purples and sky blues.

“My Little Pony?” Dell peered at a poster, “Friendship is Magic… Frankie, what the fuck?”

“Dell…”

“Is this what you brought me over here for?”

“You’re one of my best friends. I need you to understand.”

“Understand? Dude, are you gay? Look I know shit with Rita…”

“I’m not gay.”

“Cuz this is some gay-ass shit right here.” He picked up a small plastic pony and its long pink mane brushed against his hand.

“Be careful with Fluttershy.” Frankie snatched the toy away from him.

“Okay, I get it. You’re fucking with me. Haha, you got me. Where are the guys? Jesus, this was one expensive prank.”

“It’s not a prank.”

Dell stared at Frankie until the silence grew thick and then sat on the couch, put his head in his hands and wished he’d either not drunk at all, or had gotten shit-faced. When he looked up, Frankie was running a tiny comb through Fluttershy’s mane.

“You’re fuckin for real with this shit.”

Frankie put Fluttershy down next to a pony with a blue mane and a horn.

“It’s really important to me. After Rita and spending so much time alone. I finally started to figure out what was important. The ponies helped me.”

“The ponies helped you. Would you fucking listen to yourself? Dude, the guys are gonna lose their minds.”

“You can’t tell them, Frankie.” Dell got up from the couch.

“Dude, I can’t keep some shit like this to myself, then I’m the fucking weirdo.”

“It’s not weird. It’s special.” Dell’s voice was wounded.

“Dude, it’s weird.” Dell looked at a pony next to him with three little purple umbrellas on its flank. “This thing’s got a fucking tattoo?”

Frankie shook his head. “No. That’s a cutie mark. It tells something about who the pony really is inside.”

Dell put his head back in his hands.

“I have one too.” Frankie added, wishing that he could make himself shut up but the truth tumbled out. “I couldn’t stay a blank flank. I got it in the same place…”

Dell heard Frankie unbuckle his pants and stood up.

“Don’t you fuckin dare show me that shit, bro. You’re outta your fuckin mind. You leave Rita and say you need some time alone, I figure fuck it, we grew up together. I can be understanding. But then tell me you’re playing with kids toys, and girls toys even? Dude… Have you been diddling kids?”

“Fuck you, Dell.”

“Fuckin Hello Kitty bullshit. You’re a grown-ass man, Frankie!”

“It’s not Hello Kitty,” Frankie shouted, “I fucking hate those guys. They’re dicks!”

“I gotta get outta here.” Dell stood up and tried to pass. “Frankie, get the fuck outta my way.”
“Are you gonna tell the guys?”
“Dude, I don’t fuckin know. Get outta my way.”
“I want to be the one to tell them, Dell.”
“Get the fuck outta my way, freak.” Dell warned.

Frankie screamed and shoved Dell who flipped over the couch and landed on his ass. Gasping, Dell tried to sit up but Frankie was on top of him bringing down the lamp from the side table. Dell glimpsed a lamp shaped like a pony’s head wearing a cowboy hat and then the lights went out.

He came to on the floor, unable to move his arms and legs. Dell curled up to look at his ankles, secured with pink and lavender duct tape covered with tiny ponies.

“Frankie, are you fucking kidding me? Where’d you find My Little Pony duct tape? In the My Little Pony Date Rape Kit? Let me go you fuckin’ asshole!”

Frankie looked sad.

“I’m sorry, Dell. I really am. If the ponies have taught me anything its how important friendship is, so I decided to stop hiding things. I tried to tell you about something that’s really precious to me. But you couldn’t respect that. You don’t understand friendship, Dell.”

“Frankie, you don’t understand that if you don’t quit fuckin around and untie me, I’m gonna beat the fuckin’ daylights outta you.”

Frankie frowned. “I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with you, yet. But I want a chance to tell the other guys first.” Frankie gagged him with a sock and more duct tape.

“I’m sorry, Dell. I didn’t want it to be like this.”

Frankie dragged him into the hall closet. Just before Frankie closed the door and left him in the dark, Dell saw that he lay among the old beer signs, pin-up girls and sports posters.

Dell heard Frankie dial his phone.

“Hey, bro, it’s Frankie. Who? Nah, I ain’t seen Dell. But could you do me a favor and come by? Something I gotta talk to you about.”