//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - The Holding Zone // Story: Fallout Equestria - Lockets of Love // by Azreale //------------------------------// Depression hung in the air like a smoky blanket all around Ivory Locket. From what she had heard when she was younger, Ivory had thought that the Holding Zone was a nice place, where the stallions were treated just as well as the mares were. The place was large – larger than she thought it would be. But the big box that she stood in was completely gray. The only furniture that was in the room was the necessities – tables, chairs, those sorts of thing. The only décor that she could see was the same poster of Fortune Fame over and over again with the stable’s catchphrase underneath: “In Stable 37, love is not permitted.” Around the perimeter of the room were 45 doors. The jeweller didn’t need to count how many there were – the Holding Zone was made for 45 stallions. A few of them were open, and Ivory could see inside. The rooms were all the same - plain, with its only features being a single bed and a toilet on the opposite wall. Gulping loudly, feeling naked and exposed under the harsh stares of the males in the room with her, Ivory Locket felt like she was in a prison. A female guard who stood in the room with her raised an eyebrow in confusion at her. “Ma’am? Are you alright?” The guard’s voice sounded unusually loud in the room. It felt as though the Holding Zone should be in silence at all hours of the day. Ivory nodded quickly at the guard wordlessly and took a shaky step forward. “I’m not so sure about this anymore…” She thought to herself, stealing glances at everypony in the room. Some of the stallions returned her gaze, others quickly looked away. “I guess I should talk to one of them…” Stepping forward boldly, trying to put on a brave face, she scanned the room to find one gruff looking stallion who sat at a table. She trotted over to him and awkwardly stared down at him until he looked up. “Can I help you?” He asked her, his voice shaky. Ivory fought to find words for a split second. “May I sit down?” She asked as her horn glowed and a chair from a neighboring table was pulled over. He nodded wordlessly and stared back down at the plain brown wood. Ivory sat down and stared at the top of his head for what felt like a good long time before she cleared her throat. “My name is Ivory Locket.” Silence greeted her. She pursed her lips, sighed inwardly and continued. “What’s yours?” “Steam Valve.” He muttered quickly without looking up at her. The two sat in another awkward silence. After a while, he looked up at her and raised a questioning eyebrow. Ivory returned it with a smile that was slightly too big. “That’s a nice name,” She said, a little too enthusiastically. The jeweller was never good at social interactions. “What’s your special talent?” She waited for an answer, but when he lifted his head, she knew immediately that she had said something wrong. Steam Valve glared at her with harsh eyes and any trace of uncertainty and fright that he might have possessed before had vanished. “Well, before I was taken from my home a few months ago and forced into here against my will, I was a repairpony in a little town not too far from here.” He barred his teeth at her. “But now that I’m here, I may as well not even have a special talent, should I?” Ivory quickly stood up, knocking the chair backwards as she did so. It fell down with a loud clang, and made the entire room look her way. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-“ “Of course you didn’t. Nopony down here ever means anything. I don’t know what sick freaks brainwashed you all, but in the name of Celestia, if anypony here thinks that I’ll be impregnating a mare in this Goddess forsaken place, they thought wrong.” Ivory looked to the guards near the door for help. Two of them had stun rods in their mouth, and they were glaring hard at Steam Valve. A third one had hers levitating in the air, and spoke for the group. “Stallion, step down. If you do not comply with us, we will use force. You know the rules, no threatening the guests, no yelling.” The guard lowered her rod so it pointed directly towards him. “Guests?!” He barked out, laughing. “I’m a slave for your so-called guests. Why should I show any amount of respect for you pathetic mares? What sick social experiment is going on down here? If you want me to show your guests respect, why don’t you show some of us a little first?!” Steam Valve took a step towards the guards as they stood their ground. “Go ahead; hit me with your best shot. If you don’t take the initiative,” He lowered his head, glowering at the guards, “I will.” The stallion attempted to charge forward. At the first sign of movement, the unicorn guard lashed out with her stun rod, pressing it firmly against his orange coat. The rest of the guards lunged forward and did the same. Ivory didn’t stay to watch. Shutting her eyes, tears pricking at the corners of them, she ran as fast as she could towards the exit, trying to block out his tortured screams of pain as she flung the door open. The two guard mares posted outside stared in shock at her before looking at the commotion that was happening within. Nearly tripping over her own hooves, Ivory Locket ran as fast as her tired legs could carry her, not stopping until her apartment door had slammed shut behind her, and her face was well and buried into the single pillow that lay on her single bed. She didn’t know how long she had laid there, sobbing and shaking with fear, until a loud knock and a concerned voice at the door interrupted her. “Ivy?” Ivory Locket looked up, and an even deeper pain filled her heart. “What am I gonna tell Seaspray?”