H*lding H**ves

Rarity walked, trepidation slowing her gait. She was heading toward Sweet Apple Acres to see her marefriend, Applejack. The two had been together for over a year, and she felt it was finally time to approach her love with one of her most private and embarrassing secrets. She was going to bring up her rather depraved fetish: hoof holding.

Apprehension gnawed at her belly, the butterflies within feeling more like a swarm of piranhas eating her from the inside out. Several times she stopped and turned around as she lost her courage, only to regain it and continue onward. The closer she got to the farm, the more oppressing the air seemed to become. It stifled her, made her have to gasp just go get enough air to- no, she knew she was just anxious. She pressed on.

When she arrived at the apple orchard, her eyes landed on her orange lover just as she bucked an apple tree. Normally, seeing her powerful legs working a tree like that really got Rarity's motor running, but presently, all it did was put a lead brick in her gut. She froze, once again reconsidering her decision. Unfortunately, her choice was robbed of her as the farm pony noticed her, waving a hoof. Rarity waved back, trying to force a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. Luckily, Applejack didn't seem to notice as she finished bucking the tree before approaching her lover.

"Heya, Rares," she said as she approached, giving her a quick affectionate kiss on the muzzle. "What's up?"

Rarity loved Applejack's little nickname for her. It was something nopony else could call her; a little intimate secret they could call their own. It did nothing to lift her mood. This felt like a make-or-break moment in their relationship. She thought of their time spent together, the nights dancing and laughing together, the hours spent disagreeing playfully about fashion and farmwork, the... steamy rolls in the hay. She blushed at the thought.

"Rarity? Somethin' wrong?" Applejack asked. Rarity realized she had just been standing there saying nothing.

"I... I have to tell you something, darling. It's about us," Rarity said.

Applejack's worry deepened, suddenly expecting her lover to be breaking up with her. "R-Rarity...?" she trailed off, on the verge of tears.

Realizing how it sounded, Rarity quickly backpedaled. "Oh! No, not like that, darling. I love you, you know that," she said quickly. Applejack relaxed visibly, but remained curious and worried. "I simply have to... admit something. It's something I feel is important, and if I don't get it off my chest, it might drive me mad."

"Anythin', Rares, you know that. Ah love ya no matter what," the farmpony said with a reassuring smile.

Rarity sighed heavily. She had to trust her marefriend. "It's... rather embarrassing. The kind of thing I honestly worry about losing you over," she said, hoping to prepare her for what was coming.

Applejack laughed. "You can trust me. Ain't nothin' we couldn't get through together, long as you ain't inta hoof holdin' or somethin'," she said with a giggle.

"Ahaha," Rarity laughed shrilly. "But even if it was... hoof holding... you'd still love me, right?"

"Heheh," she laughed, recovering from her little joke. "Well, luckily we ain't gotta worry about that. So, what is it?"

"H-hoof holding...?" Rarity said with a worried, uncertain forced smile.

"Now, come on, Rares, Ah'm the element of honesty. Much as Ah love a good joke, this is borderin' on lyin' now."

"Applejack... it... really is... hoof holding..." Rarity said, hanging her head shamefully. She had hoped this would be quick and painless, but so far, it was the most agonizing admission she had ever made to anypony.

Applejack swung her head left and right to make sure nopony was within earshot. "Rarity," she hissed, "this better be a joke. If yer yankin' my rope here, tell me."

"I'm... not yanking anything... it's true. I'm..." Rarity stopped as her shame caught in her throat. Her eyes watered as she struggled to continue. "... a hoof holder. I c-can't help it. I j-just want to do it. And the stupid desire won't g-go awa-ha-haaay." She said the final word as she broke into helpless sobs, unable to say more.

Applejack laid a comforting hoof on her broken marefriend, seeing her in a new light. She was clearly a deeply troubled mare, and Applejack did begin to wonder if their relationship could survive this kind of revelation. Being with somepony who was even incidentally involved in the degenerate act, let alone actively interested in it, had never crossed her mind. Facing it so directly now made her seriously question her dedication, however. If only it was something a little less harmful, like catching her diddling Winona or Apple Bloom. She sighed heavily.

"Look, Rares, Ah ain't gonna pretend it's okay. 'Cause we both know it ain't. But Ah think Ah can forgive ya. This kinda thing is gonna take some time, though," she told her quivering mess of a marefriend.

Rarity just nodded dumbly, glad to still have the most important pony in her life, but terrified for the future. She already knew she was going to want to hold Applejack's hoof, the urge even stronger now that the truth was out. Her mind was already swimming with ideas of obtaining an illegal silicone hoof to hold in private, to take the edge off.

One heartfelt and tearful apology from Rarity later, the two hugged, the odd embrace feeling almost like it was shared between two strangers. Rarity went home and spent the day crying and eating ice cream in her bedroom, hidden away from the world.

Over the next few months, Rarity created several faux hooves to keep her immoral desires in check. Each successive hoof was just a little more realistic than the last, and her newest one almost felt like the real thing... if the real thing were cold and dead. It just wasn't the same as it would be with a pony. Surely not the same as it would be with Applejack.

The extreme fetish was only ever brought up in passing, when Applejack wanted to know how her marefriend was doing. Rarity told her about the rather illegal imitation hooves, which made her uncomfortable but happy she found a way to cope. Unfortunately, Rarity knew it was only ever temporary. She couldn't admit to her love just how important the real thing was to her.

One day, while taking Applejack's measurements for a new pair of boots, she had to wrap her measuring tape around her lover's hoof. She could easily have done so with telekinesis, but decided to use her hooves instead. Applejack, ever fidgety during measurement sessions, was lightly bumping Rarity's hoof with her own. Normally, she had a great sense of professionalism, and would ignore the nearly debaucherous act as a meaningless everyday mistake. Now, however, with her lover being the one making brief contact, Rarity let her hoof linger against Applejack's just a little longer before pulling away. Each time it happened, she became more bold. Applejack either didn't notice or was pretending not to. Until one particularly lengthy touch...

"Rarity, cut it out. Somepony might... see ya doin' that," Applejack said, looking around anxiously.

"I-I'm sorry, dear..." Rarity said. Then noticed how her marefriend had phrased her concern. "A-are you saying your only concern is whether somepony sees us? Because we can go somewhere private if-"

"No!" Applejack said worryingly loudly. She winced at her outburst and tried again. "Ah mean, no. We can't risk ever doing that. In private or not, aside from it just bein' wrong, it's dangerous."

"Well my room has a very good lock on it and I've learned several soundproofing spells-"

"Rarity! Ah can't... Ah mean it just ain't... look. Ah've thought about it some, and Ah jus' don't think Ah can do it. Even fer you," Applejack said, looking pained. "There's a lot Ah'd do fer ya, Rares, but that's just a bit too far."

"But... if it weren't too far... you might enjoy it?" Rarity asked. Her heart was hammering in her chest, feeling like she was going just a few steps past her lover's comfort zone in asking, but hoped that at worst, she would be forgiven.

Applejack said nothing.

Rarity felt she knew what that meant; that at least some part of her was morbidly curious and perhaps even a bit eager to try the sinful act. She buried that little tidbit away for later and changed the subject, taking measurements with her magic. She didn't want to press further... yet.

As another relatively uneventful month passed, Rarity managed to keep her forbidden desire repressed. She slowly grew more impatient, however, as she failed to find an opportunity to lure her lover into giving the depraved act a real try.

Her chance finally came just after they had had a lovely dinner at Rarity's boutique. It was all closed down for the night, and the two had moved to the bedroom, kissing passionately and preparing for an evening of delightful carnal pleasures. Rarity noticed her lover had a bit of tomato sauce on her hoof. Her eyes locked onto it like Opalescence watching her favorite mouse toy swinging about. This was her chance to go for the kill, so to speak.

The two ponies were lying on the fashionista's large comfortable bed. Rarity kissed her lover deeply, tasting the faint mix of spaghetti and saliva, before pulling away, eyes half-lidded. "Mmh," she softly moaned, then made a show of looking down and 'noticing' the bit of sauce. She gasped lightly, in her overdramatic way. "Oh dear, you have some sauce on your hoof, darling. Let me get that." Before Applejack could react, Rarity reached her pristine white hoof forward and brushed it very deliberately against the orange one. Aroused as she was, Applejack took some time to notice just how long Rarity's hoof lingered there. It was still pressing against her own. It wasn't going away. It quickly dawned on her that the situation had gone from cleanup to filth, and she still hadn't protested.

"Aah!" she yelped, pulling her hoof away from Rarity. "R-Rarity! Ya can't just... what if Apple Bloom saw?" She knew she was being ridiculous, but for some reason it was the first thing she could think to say.

"Did you like it?" Rarity asked, pressing her advantage in the heat of the moment. "You didn't hate it. Admit it!"

"Ah... Ah can't... It ain't..." she sputtered, then stopped herself to think before answering. She was the element of honesty. She couldn't lie. She searched her memory, how she had felt just before she had pulled away, and found that... no, she did not hate it. It was weird, unnatural even, but she didn't hate it. "Yer... yer right... Ah didn't hate it. But that don't mean we should be doin' it, neither! Ah got a family, Rares. Ah can't go betrayin' 'em by doin' Hades' Hoofshake."

"Applejack... please. It's been driving me mad not being able to do it with a real mare. The silicone just doesn't feel right anymore. I need it to be you. Please," Rarity pleaded, sadness in her large eyes.

"Ah... Ah... can't..." Applejack said, clearly struggling internally. Then something inside her broke, and she wilted. "What Ah mean is... Ah can't... say no to you." She looked away and held out an unsteady hoof, unable to face what she was about to do.

Rarity held back a squee of delight and respected her partner's discomfort. "Darling, if... if you want me to stop at any time, just tell me. As important as this is for me, it'll never be worth losing you over." Her heart soared when she saw Applejack's lips upturn ever so slightly into a comforted smile.

"O-okay, Rares. Go ahead," she said, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.

Rarity slowly reached her own trembling hoof out with reverence. The moment felt surreal, like she was watching it happen from somepony else's perspective. The instant their shaky hooves met, Rarity gasped and Applejack winced as if in pain. To Rarity, the intimate contact, when made with such wicked intentions, sent jolts up her leg and down her spine. Feeling her lover in a way Mother Nature did not intend made her feel so much closer to her, as if their very spirits were intertwined. As terrible and degraded as it was, it was also one of the most liberating and beautiful things she had ever felt.

"Ohh!" she moaned, helplessly. "Applejack!" She pressed her hoof harder against the farmpony's. Applejack felt like pure sin as she let Rarity have her way with her. She kept reminding herself it was for her love, and that nopony would ever know. However, she could feel it too. The sensations of a kind of contact so intimate that it should never be made. Her lover, exposed before her in a way that normal circumstances would never allow, felt almost like a new mare to her. A part of her that Applejack had never known, she was presently becoming familiar with.

The two mares were tense, Rarity in unfettered rapturous pleasure and Applejack in self doubt, fear, and confusion about her own enjoyment of the depravity. The lewd contact made Rarity shiver, her nethers suddenly winking at the open air. The touch seemed to spread up her forehoof and down her belly, where it aftected her marehood, bringing on a powerful hooves-free orgasm. She moaned and writhed, pressing tightly against her beloved's hoof. The deep well of love she felt for Applejack seemed to erupt within her, then outwardly in a more literal sense as a spray of marecum spurted from her depths and onto her bed.

Applejack whimpered, extremely turned on by the mere fact her beautiful mare had cum, but she doubted she would follow suit from hoof holding alone.

As Rarity cooled off, she eventually removed her hoof from Applejack's and sighed with a small smile. "That was... really something. Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?" Rarity asked.

"No, Ah'm fine, just... weirded out is all. Ah love makin' ya happy though, so... Ah might be willin' ta try it again some time. Gimme a few days so Ah can cool off an' think about it, though. This is a lot ta take in. How's that sound?" Applejack offered, smiling past her discomfort.

Rarity surged forward and hugged her partner close. "Take all the time you need, darling. And... thank you. This really meant so much to me. I love you, Applejack."

"Ah love ya too, Rares. Ah'm glad it helped. Uh, speakin' a' helpin'..." Applejack spread her hind legs to show off her dripping marehood. "Think you could help me with this here problem?" She had a sly grin as she winked.

Rarity licked her lips and nodded. She knew exactly what to do.