>Patience
>A lady, above all else, in nearly all situations, must master this
>When one can exercise their will in such a way so as to resist temptation, to restrain themselves whilst both their body and mind scream for release or need or want, then they show strength that so many others lack
>A mare with enough patience can build empires, craft masterpieces never before seen, do things that others deem as impossible
>But it is an admittedly difficult thing to master
>It is not in a pony's nature to resist happiness or goodness or joyful things
>Some go their whole lives learning the art of patience and most come out of the whole business with nothing more than a rudimentary understanding of it
>Though I was still very much a student in the craft I liked to fancy myself an adept one
>My will was not made up of the stuff of heros but I could control myself very, very well if the situation demanded it
"Oh... Where is he? He should have been home an HOUR ago..."
>For most of the afternoon I had been feeling the effects of the heat
>It had hit me like a runaway cart, stealing my creativity and my will to ply my craft
>It ravaged my body and mind, as it did every year, but wherein I had been able to stride through those first awful days with my head held high previously, this year felt like a whole different beast
>I could feel the blood pumping throughout my being
>I could feel the sweat across my brow
>I could feel my lungs expanding and deflating with each breath that I took
>I could feel the softness of my bedding as I grinded myself against it, hot and needy and ravenous
>I could smell my need, that musky, sweet, overpowering smell that drowned out all else
>I could feel the wetness on my sheets and my legs
>But most of all I could feel that dreadful, painful ache
>The ache to be held, to be loved, to be bred until there was a new life budding inside of me
>I had been lying in my bed for most of the afternoon, but with each passing second it felt like an eternity
 
"Oh darling, please come home soon. Please come through that door. Pleasepleasepleaseplease..."
>A whimper escaped my throat as I nuzzled my chin deeper into my sheets
>I could still smell him
>His scent clung to the bedding, to my bedroom, to the very air itself
>It was a potent scent, an alien, almost otherworldly smell, but it had an odd allure to it
>It was the scent of a stallion; a stallion who's upbringing had led him to lead a life of hard work and labor, but a stallion still
>It was a smell that I had grown accustomed to, a smell that I had grown to love as dearly as I love anything else
>It was almost like he was sitting next to me, his hair teasing the fringes of his eyes and that smile on his face that put any gem to shame
>My stallion...
>My love...
>Though I wanted nothing more than to let one of my hooves wander in between my legs to ease some of the ache I resisted
>I had no right to do such a thing now
>The ring upon my horn signified that it was my stallion's right to take away this ache if he was so willing 
>And he would be willing
>He would take away this sickness on my body
>He would hold me, love me, make me an even happier mare than he already has
>Which is why I must control myself
>I must wait for him, show him that I can control myself, show him that I am a lady worth his love 
>I whimpered again as my tail slapped against the bedding
>I rubbed my back legs together, biting my lip as the sound of sodden wet fur rubbing together graced my ears
>Patience...
>Control...
>My gaze was ever on the door to our bedroom
>I could look at nothing else, and I most certainly couldn't close my eyes
>If I dared do that then my mind might wander off to places where I did not wish for it to go
>One of my hooves might sneak between my legs on its own accord
>My breathing grew ragged as I grinded myself a little more firmly against my sheets
 
>The white silk felt absolutely divine against my fur, against my belly, against my erect teats, against my swollen, puffy, soaked marehood
>The fabric was so light that it felt as though nothing was there, and so soft that it nearly tickled the hooves as one touched it
>When caressing my body as it was it felt as though I was being kissed my angels
>A wet, meaty clap filled the air as I slapped my back legs together, squirming 
>If I was a weaker mare I might have imagined that it was my dear husband's hand that I was grinding against
>I would have closed my eyes and pictured his well looked after nails brushing against my lips with each need buck
>I would have pictured him teasing my sensitive nub with his thumb as his fingers pumped into me
>I might have even moaned aloud as I imagined him doing this slowly, so as to draw out my pleasure until my only focus were his fingers and my screams
>But I was better than that!
>I was Rarity, fashionista extraordinaire!
>I was ABOVE such things
>I was...
>I was...
>...
>Oh sweet Celestia I hope that he comes home soon...
CLICK!
>I started as I heard the front door click
>My nostrils flared and my ears perked up
>Though my bedroom door was closed and I was on the second floor I could smell him already
>The smell sweat and exhaustion was overpowering
>It must have been a long, hot day in the fields
>He would likely be shirtless, his muscles slick and shining, and his eyes would be half lidded
>Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the silent house as my love stepped inside and closed the door behind him
>I listened intently as he made his way into our kitchen and helped himself to a glass of water
>Even though Applejack made sure that all of her workers were properly hydrated throughout the day I knew from first-hoof experience that applebucking was thirsty work
>No doubt that he had walked the whole way home positively parched, his lips cracked and his throat as dry as a desert
 
>My eyes slipped closed as I imagined him bringing a glass to those lovely, shapely lips of his
>Water would spill down his chin as he gulped large mouthfuls of water, his thick, powerful neck bulging each time he swallowed
"Hurry. Please. Celestia please~"
>The faucet in our kitchen was turned off and on three times as my darling, my love, my gem helped himself to two more glasses of water in quick succession
>There was silence for a few moments before I heard those boots of his making their way through our house
>He was coming
>He was making his way to me
>I wiggled deeper into the covers as I heard his footsteps traveling up our stairs
>With each step it felt as though a lightning bolt raced through my body
>My stallion was close
>This heat, this ache, would soon leave me
>I could smell him; his sweat, his musk, the dirt and dust from his work on the farm, the unique scent of clothing after a hard day's work; every little thing that made him him
>I whined under my breath, grinding myself into my the silk bedding with breathless eagerness
>He was just outside the door
>I burrowed myself even further into the sheets, waiting with bated breath as I heard the doorknob turn
>More than anything I wanted to leap off of my bed
>I wanted to rush over to the door, throw it open, climb stand up onto my back legs, and pull my love into a kiss, but I resisted the urge
>Patience...
>A lady must know and practice patience
>The door opened, revealing my shining gem
>The poor dear looked exhausted
>His hair and face were marred by sweat and dust
>His bare chest was black with dirt and other grim, as were his pants and work boots
>He held his shirt, which was as equally as filthy as the rest of him, in one hand, and in the other a tin lunch box
>I small frown came to my face when I saw the state that he was in
>It was beyond me why he was so insistent on working with Applejack
>Work at the Apple farm was long, hard, and dirty
 
>Such work did not befit a stallion, and doubly so since for us the money that he brought home was not needed
>I made far more than enough to support the two of us
>He did not need to work himself so, to come home with a vacant stare that came only from exhaustion and dirt under his fingernails
>If he would but ask he would never have to lift a finger again
>If he would just say the word I would stop at nothing until all of his needs, all of his wants, all of his desires were met
>As my love stepped into our bedroom I couldn't help but quietly huff, though there was a small, knowing smile on my face
>He knew just as well as I that he did no need to work, as I had told him on NUMEROUS occasions, but my husband was somewhat of an oddity
>It wasn't about the money; it was something deeper, something that he himself could not truly explain to me
>To him there was no greater joy than to work out in the open sky
>He enjoyed toiling the earth, working under those apple trees, seeing after animals and digging and moving things about
>It was his pleasure to come home, dirty and exhausted, and while I did not necessarily agree with him working himself so I did not have the heart to deny him the joy that the farm work brought him
>I heard him sigh as he shuffled toward, muddying the carpet with his boot as he dragged them across the floor
>His gaze was hopeful as he stared at the bed
>No doubt he wanted to take a rest before he went off to take a shower, and what better place to lie down than on the bed?
>I held my breath, staying completely still and utterly silent
>I was expecting this, and had laid here in wait for this exact moment
>I knew that he would sit lay on our bed before cleaning himself, as he did every day
>While this would irritate me to no end today it would work to my benefit
>The snow white covers would render me mostly invisible
>I could only pray that he did not notice my mane or tail before he sat down
 
>My nostrils flared again as he drew closer and closer to me
>A shiver ran down my spine
>His scent was overpowering, tantalizing, exquisitely mouth-watering in every way imaginable
>The urge came to pounce at him, to take him, to rip those bothersome pants off and reveal the treasure underneath, but here was when patience stood as the keystone to my wavering will
>For hours I had waited for this moment; I could easily wait for a few more moments
>My love let out a groan as he sat down with his back to me, completely ignorant to my presence
>"Good lord," I heard him murmur, dropping his lunch box to the floor below as I began to silently crawl toward him. "What a day... What a day..."
>My movements were careful and precise
>I did not wish to make any unnecessary noise to alert him to my presence
>My love began to pull off his boots just as I came within hoove's length 
>At this distance I could see the muscles on his back ripple with each breath
>I could see the beads of sweat sliding down his body
>My nostrils flared, and with one last whine I gave into temptation
>I lunged forward, wrapping my hooves around his neck and pulling him onto the bed
>My love grunted in surprise, his hands reaching behind him even as I rolled the two of us around on our bed with a happy mewl
>I could feel his dirt and sweat dirtying my fur, dirtying our sheets, but found that I could not give a single horse apple at that moment
>He was here!
>He was going to take this horrid ache away!
"It's me, darling," I playfully growled. "It is your Rarity~"
>Within a few moments my husband relaxed, allowing me to move the two of us where I will, playfully touching and kissing as I playfully touched and kissed
>I soon found myself looming over him, absolutely filthy and panting but grinning like a mad mare
>My love was looking up at me, his green eyes shining
>His hands were on my hips, his fingers tracing my cutiemarks
>I whined at the feeling, my hips bucking in need
 
"My love...," I murmured, looking into his eyes even as he looked into mine
>The two of us said nothing for a few moments, but there was nothing that needed to be said
>I could see the love in his eyes, the joy that outshone even his exhaustion
>My horn glowed, and with a spell those bothersome pants of his were gone
"My darling..."
>I bit my lip as I felt his fingers digging into my fur
>The love in his eyes morphed into something else
>Something wilder and hungrier and all the more wonderful
>I knew that he could smell my need
>I knew what it did to him; how it excited him to see me in such a state
>And I loved it
>Breathless and shaking, I leaned down as he leaned up
"My gem..."
>As the two of us kissed I could not help but smile
>Though the art of patience was difficult to master there was always something that made the wait all that better~