The Golden Harvest

by EXOLIEF

Rating: mature
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike, Romance, Carrot Top, Sex
Length: 9667

Carrot Top lives a pleasant, yet lonely life, but all that is about to change when she notices a certain teenaged dragon might have feelings for her.

Carrot Top lived a pleasant life, selling vegetables at the Ponyville market even through healthy competition. In recent times, she hasn't been alone, as she has had help from Twilight's assistant, Spike, on his off days. The teenaged dragon started coming by more and more recently, glancing at her and looking away while blushing. A mare like herself got to wondering...was he interested?

Published 2012-12-14 02:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-01-02 10:37:44 UTC

Part 1: Plain

“Another day, another bit,” Carrot Top mused as she entered her humble abode with little fanfare. The door opened with a creak and she shut it quietly behind her, just as she preferred it to. Back when she lived with her parents, she always had the joy of announcing when she was home, but now that she lived on her own, she saw no need for it.

The gardener’s daily activities had become routine at this point, and by sundown, she was all set to crash on her somewhat comfortable couch and just relax. She had packed up her stand after having sold her entire supply that day, vowing to always find her carrots a good home to feed. Silently, she looked forward to tomorrow, when she’d finally get to harvest the new crop and make them especially fresh for her next trip to the market.

For now, though, the mare rolled over to face her fairly wide living room. Even while making comfortable earnings selling carrots in Ponyville’s healthy food competition, she never felt as if she needed any more furniture than she had. As her tired green eyes roamed around the room, however, she began to think that the room felt...empty.

At first, Carrot Top couldn’t quite put her hoof on it. She had everything she needed, and her house, while only having a few rooms, felt very spacious. After only a few seconds, she jumped to a conclusion that shocked even her.

Maybe the room didn’t feel empty. Maybe she was just lonely.

“No, that can’t be it,” she reassured herself. Carrot Top had plenty of close friends. Derpy Hooves had joined her on picnics a few times, and she often went to the movies with her friends Lyra and Bon Bon. She even had someone helping her at the market recently. It was that dragon assistant of Twilight Sparkle’s that had met her when he was still just a baby.

When she remembered Spike, she couldn’t help but think back to the circumstances that led to the mare getting to know him in the first place. A few months ago, disaster struck her little vegetable stand when her clumsy friend Derpy crashed into it on her way to deliver a package. Her sign that she used to attract ponies to the stand had been ruined! Admittedly, she hadn’t spent that much time or effort on the paint or cheap wood, but it was the problem at hand that mattered.

Derpy called back that she was sorry, but the bubbly pegasus was in such a rush that she had barely gotten out that much. Carrot Top could only look up at the giant hole through her sign and sigh. The things she had to put up with sometimes astounded her. Was she just incredibly unlucky? Or was there some cosmic force that wanted to throw unfortunate circumstances at her just to see how she’d react?

As these bemused thoughts ran through her head, she heard a decidedly masculine voice call to her from nearby.

“Hey. Do you need some help?”

She looked to the source of the voice and found a familiar face staring back at her. Spike, Twilight’s library assistant and errand boy, was standing just a few feet away. He looked as tall and gangly as ever while his forked tongue stuck out and licked a cherry lollipop he held in his clawed hand. A remnant of being bored flashed in his bright green eyes before a look of intrigue at the mare’s plight befell him, which had obviously prompted him to ask if she needed assistance.

The mare offered a nervous smile as she returned her gaze to the still-gaping hole in her sign as a small piece of wood still hanging broke off and fell to the ground. She wanted to be stubborn and decline the teenaged dragon’s offer, but she had to admit that a little bit of help would be much appreciated.

“Umm...yes, I could use some.”

Sucking the lollipop into his mouth, he looked up at the damage for himself. For a few brief moments, he sat there looking it over before, finally, he pulled out his sucker with an audible “pop” and remarked to the mare lying in wait of his response.

“Gimme a sec. I’ll be right back.”

Without a moment to lose, Spike dashed over to a nearby store with an air of determination about him. Carrot Top merely stood, looking over with a blank stare on her face as she waited, just like he said. A slight cough, which she covered with her hoof, escaped her lips before she finally saw the young dragon return, all the while carrying a load of small wooden planks and some tools.

It looked like too much to carry on his own, as she couldn’t see his face past the amount he held in his arms. As he walked by her and placed everything down, she could even see him holding a paintbrush with his tail. Quickly, and without another word, he climbed up the side of her stand and crawled onto the top of her sign, carrying a few planks and nails on his back with a hammer between his teeth.

The sight of him climbing all over her stand immediately frightened the mare. “What about his weight? Is the stand going to fall apart under him!?” she panicked. Watching him work, however, she discovered that he must have been pretty light for his size. She had no idea how his weight would compare to an average stallion, but she was sure if a stallion was as flexible as him and could reach up there, he would have definitely crushed the stand and all of her hard work with it.

After only a few seconds, the sign had been completely re-boarded and looked practically good as new. Carrot Top couldn’t believe her eyes as she saw that he hadn’t even stopped working just yet. Reaching down with his long and thin tail, he tapped and pried open the few paint cans he had down below, one after the other. Every second that passed was a whole new surprise when it came to this dragon, and the gardener had to admit that she was very impressed with his capability.

Her eyes widened as she was finally able to make out what it was he was painting, however. With a slight nod of a job well done, he hopped off the sign and made sure all the tools he used were in order on the ground nearby. A quick mumble reminded him that he still had the hammer between his mouth, which he promptly removed before asking the mare about his work.

“How’s that look?”

It wasn’t perfect, as there was a little bit of paint around the edges, but he still had majorly surprised her. There, sitting atop her stand was a picture of her very own cutie mark, with a bright yellow sun behind it, shining beautifully and attracting even her own eyes. It was absolutely perfect, and even showed a lot of personality for the operator of said stand.

Carrot Top’s smile seemed to widen to twice the size she thought possible, and with a very ecstatic nod, she happily answered the dragon.

“It looks amazing! Thank you so much, Spike!”

The teenage dragon smiled back at her, watching her emerald green eyes shimmer in the sunlight as she took in his handiwork. Then, she suddenly lunged at him and wrapped her hooves around his chest, pulling him into a hug and practically crushing him against her. She was incredibly thankful for his timely and almost professional work, and may have lost herself in the moment.

Spike had honestly never gotten to know the mare known as Carrot Top outside of her occupation as a gardener. At this very moment, however, he felt the soft mane caress his belly and lightly tickle his chin. Outside of Twilight and her friends, he hadn’t exactly hugged many ponies, and he hadn’t hugged any especially recently, either. He didn’t know whether or not to hug her back, and her strong hooves from years of gardening had strengthened her grip to the point of potentially crushing his lungs.

In an instant, however, she realized how hard she was holding the poor dragon and released him with a nervous laugh.

“Oh! I’m sorry, it’s just...thanks.”

She decided she wanted to spare herself the embarrassment by this point, but Spike laughed it off as no big deal, thankfully allowing her to mentally sigh. She couldn’t live with herself if she scared off the only one to help her out so quickly and with such skill. The purple and green dragon leaned over to heft the big supplies back into his arms and remark back to the mare as he started on his way.

“No problem. If you ever need anything at all, I’ll be around!”

Carrot Top considered his offer and nodded, even though she knew he probably couldn’t see it, before gesturing a wave back at him. Taking her place back at the stand, she noticed the small crowd of ponies around her stand, clamoring for her carrots as if they were the most enticing vegetable of all at the market. In no small part to the new and improved sign that Spike had made, she had gotten a lot more customers that day. Probably more than she had ever had before.

The orange-maned pony rolled over on the couch again, this time letting her head rest on the soft pillow next to her. She couldn’t help but recall that hug she gave him, but not just because it was embarrassing for her. The way he felt against her face was...really soft for a dragon. His hairless chest and impressive figure had given her something to think about, even if she hadn’t considered him even remotely attractive before.

She remembered that he began to stop by more often after that first real encounter. At first, it was fairly innocent. He’d pick up a few carrots for Twilight as well as other vegetables from the market, but he’d linger and make conversation with her about pretty much anything. He was an inquisitive dragon, and she hadn’t really foreseen that when she had first gotten to know him.

Soon after, he found himself having a day off and had essentially nothing productive to do. Carrot Top herself absolutely hated that feeling. When he stopped by and awkwardly asked if she needed any help conducting her business, as he worded it, she giggled and accepted happily. The mare didn’t know that it was the start of something entirely new, and still chose to see it as two good friends simply spending more time together.

On the first day, things were relatively tame, with only a few words spoken all day as the mare focused on selling and Spike assisted by gathering groups of carrots and supplying them to the customers. She had to admit, he was a lot better at that than she was, what with his dexterous claws. On the days after, however, she had started to notice his wandering eyes.

When they were simply looking around and making idle conversation, she would occasionally catch his eyes roaming along her body. Down her neck and and along her back; his gaze was kind of intrusive, if more curious than she had assumed. Even if she did catch him looking, however, he had always looked away when she turned to face him. Sometimes, she even caught the dragon with a blush on his cheeks, something she thought he couldn’t even do. There was still a lot she didn’t know about dragons, but this one in particular had surprised her on numerous occasions by now.

Carrot Top had never really stopped to consider the very possible conclusion she had come to as she took the time to analyze his behavior. Was he...interested in her? She couldn’t find any real reason for it, and there was plenty of evidence to prove that this concept was silly to the gardener. Even if he did have eyes for another pony, it would probably be Rarity. Twilight had told her that he had quite a crush on her a while ago.

Not only that, but Carrot Top was certainly not a fashionista, nor did she consider herself particularly attractive. She was plain, and the only care she put into her appearance were her occasional trips to the spa on weekends, where she merely had her mane and coat cleaned from all the dirt she got covered in after the previous harvesting day. How could Spike see something that she herself didn’t see?

At that thought, she moved the pillow over her head and squished it against her mane, sighing lightly as she realized just how little self-confidence she had. “I’m a full-grown mare for crying out loud and the only thing I can take pride in are my crops!” she groaned to herself. She had to to do something about this, and soon if she wanted to clear her mental sky of this dark cloud hanging over her.

What could she do? She couldn’t just talk to her friends about it, they’d just reassure her that she was beautiful and probably tell her to find a nice stallion (however hard that might be for some). Heck, if she told Lyra and Bon Bon, they might get it in their heads that she had been living alone because she hadn’t found a marefriend, which was the absolute furthest from the truth.

No, she needed action on her part, and she quickly threw the pillow off her head and onto the ground beside her. Launching herself from the couch, she galloped up the stairs, having had an idea that just might help her solve two problems at once. When she reached her bedroom, her eyes darted over to her closet and she dashed over to open it and reveal the few pieces of clothing she had for Ponyville’s many celebrations and even her familiar nightgown that she often enjoyed wearing on particularly cold nights.

There was one particular outfit on the far right side of her closet that she had always kept in mind for a special occasion. Her attention was immediately drawn to it, with its multiple leggings, frills, and even hairpins that she never saw fit to wear before. A smile crossed her face as she reached for it and thought to herself “Maybe I can get his attention with this.”

A gleam in her eyes reflected the color of the dress before she laid it across her bed and her face quickly turned to a frown. This was always the hardest part for earth ponies who wanted to look nice. She had to put on this outfit all by herself with her own hooves.

It was going to be a early morning tomorrow.

Part 2: Elegant

The bright sun shone its light on the town of Ponyville below, and the many ponies who shared its warmth all blissfully went about their days. It seemed like a quiet day, one to enjoy without much commotion, but would be easy to call attention to if one were so inclined. Life in Ponyville may not have been perfect, but it was peaceful, and a certain dragon had gotten used to that fact long ago.

Spike made his way through the market square as he often did on days like these. Gripped in his clawed hand was a cone topped with strawberry ice cream, which he happily licked. He learned to keep it fairly close to his mouth so he wouldn’t have to extend his tongue too far. Remembering what happened last time, Spike rolled his eyes as he recalled the entire scoop of ice cream being tugged and retracted into his mouth when his long appendage accidentally coiled around the cold ice cream.

While the sight of such a tall dragon had occasionally frightened foals and newcomers to Ponyville, he had seamlessly blended in with the ponies that grew up around him. Twilight made sure he got plenty of exercise and often sent him out on errands as he got older, only further increasing the time he spent outside of the library. Honestly, he couldn’t be happier, seeing as he had his eyes on a certain gardening mare for a good while now.

There was something about Carrot Top that just stuck out like a sore hoof when it came to all the farming ponies in the market square. Maybe it was her golden coat, or her carefully curled mane, or maybe it was her heartwarming smile...he couldn’t know for sure. All the teenage dragon knew was that he saw something in her that made him want to spend more and more time with the gardener. It could’ve been how nice she smelled, too. He hadn’t thought of that before, but that definitely could be a factor.

He waved to the many nearby farming ponies, whom he’d all known by heart at this point. Sure they competed for customers at times, but the market was in no danger of holding any sort of contest over whose food was better or something silly like that. When he finally reached the stand where Carrot Top would normally be found, he discovered that there was nopony watching the stand. Had she set it up and left? Maybe she had to use the little filly’s room or something.

Spike took it upon himself to watch the stand for her, making sure that nopony would steal anything and he could sell in her stead. Watching the ponies as they walked by, he finished his ice cream cone and tossed it in a nearby wastebasket, only barely making it in and silently congratulating himself on the small feat. The relaxed dragon took a moment to breathe and take a look around. He thought it was strange of Carrot Top to leave her stand unattended like this.

Just then, his vision went dark as he felt two hooves cover his eyes from behind. He wasn’t as jumpy as he used to be, but it did cause the spines on his neck and head to stand straight up, somewhat frightened by the sudden loss of sight. All worry vanished from his body as he heard a familiar laugh breeze past his ears.

“Guess who?”

Spike hadn’t pegged Carrot Top as much of a jokester, so the mare’s shift in behavior came as an unexpected surprise to the dragon. Seeing fit to chuckle, he calmed his body and relaxed against what he had hoped was her soft fur behind him. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as close as he thought she was, and he ended up bumping his back against the stand. A slight bruise formed on his back as he jerked forward again and pretended like that didn’t just happen.

“Eheh, hey Carrot Top! Uhh, what’s with the trick all of a sudden?”

His voice showed his curiosity, but the gardener wasn’t intending to lift her hooves off of him just yet. She decided that she had to play it cool if she wanted him to react in the right manner.

She leaned forward toward his ear and whispered seductively.

“You really wanna know, big boy? Why don’t you turn around and see for yourself~”

“Wait. No no, that’s way too strong,” Carrot Top hesitated as her mind replayed the possible outcomes in her head. She tried to think of what to say, but every time she drew a blank. “Oh, I’m blowing it already!” she worried as the embarrassing situation consumed her thoughts. A short pep talk was all she needed, but she couldn’t just leave the poor boy hanging. With no option sounding right to her, she simply leaned in and whispered, her voice showing a bit of weakness.

“It’s, umm...It’s a surprise.”

“Huh? A surprise?”

Spike had gotten to know Carrot Top pretty well over the past few months, and if there’s one thing she hated, it was surprises. Well, mostly bad ones, anyway. However, if she had a surprise in store, there was no way for him to guess what it could be.

Across the square, another mare who could easily be identified by her rose-colored mane and pale coat had just finished setting up her portion of the flower shop and could see Spike with his eyes covered from afar. She noticed a familiar orange mane behind him and waved to the pony as she attempted to greet the pair.

“Hey Carrot Top! What’re you doing with- oh my!”

The florist gasped before holding a hoof to her mouth, trying to contain her surprise at what she had just seen. Carrot Top offered a simple “shush” in response as her tail swished happily. The exclamation of surprise had Carrot Top feeling quite flattered, but she tried not to lose focus so easily.

“Was that Rose?”

“Uhh, no! Just...do me a favor and close your eyes, okay? Don’t look yet.”

“Okay, I guess.”

Carrot Top lifted her hooves from his eyes and quickly snuck a peek over his shoulder to make sure he had his eyes shut. True to his word, they were, and the mare quickly stepped back and adjusted her outfit to make sure she had the right look. “Come on, Carrot. You’ve still got plenty of juice left. You just have to make sure he sees it.”

With a final mane adjustment, she knew that she was as ready as she’ll ever be. After managing a long, deep breath, she muttered.

“Okay, you can look now.”

Spike’s natural curiosity got the better of him as he whirled his head around and his eyes flicked open to find the “surprise” that Carrot Top spoke of. In an instant, his eyes widened as a loud gasp left him.

What a surprise it was.

Standing upright behind the counter a few feet away was none other than the gardening pony Carrot Top, but something was different. Actually, a lot was different. His eyes scanned her from top to bottom, trying to take in the sight of her as she was fully dressed in an outfit that he had never seen her wear before.

The mare wore a tight-fitting emerald dress with lacy frills extending out from the hem every which way. The way it looked on her was simply dazzling, so much so that it almost seemed to beg for attention in a mature, but very sensual manner. It led to pairs of silk leggings strapped to each of her legs, accentuating the softness of her coat as well as briefly drawing focus to the cutie mark on her flank. Spike had to do a double take at this, only now paying so much attention to the luscious rear of hers. Bringing his eyes up to meet hers, he saw the eye shadow and cherry red lipstick she was adorned with only further enhancing her beauty.

He could only gawk, mouth agape, at how amazing she looked at that very moment. This, of course, pleased Carrot Top greatly as she blushed deeply at the sight of his stare. His eyes were all over her, and his rapt attention was starting to make her just the tiniest bit embarrassed as the silence went on.

The truth is that Spike would never truly know how much she went through to doll herself up like this. Hours spent struggling with her hooves’ unreliable grip and pulling over clothes with her teeth, all the while thinking about how so worth it seeing that look on his face would be. Exactly as she predicted, the look on his face appeared starstruck with how impressed he was.

The teenaged dragon took one final look along her outfit before realizing that he was staring quite obscenely. He turned away and stammered as he tried to compliment her as best as he could.

“Y- You look really nice, Carrot Top.”

His own blush as well as the compliment itself made Carrot Top’s face significantly warmer. “Yes! Oh, he’s so cute when he’s embarrassed!” the mare congratulated herself with a smile. As she looked at him, she could already see his body language making it more obvious that he was excited. Spike’s tail stuck straight up and clung tightly to his back, where his spines travelling along his head that normally acted like hair seemed to appeared rigid and perfectly vertical.

Its effect was obvious, and she mused to herself that she “still got it,” before her eyes picked up on something else that should have been noticeable around her. From left to right, her outfit had drawn the eye of many stallions, and there must have been at least 10 of them surrounding her simple stand.

The blush on her face deepened as they drew nearer and into a frenzy as she lowered herself onto all fours to address them.

“Err, welcome! Can I interest you all in some delicious and nutritious carrots today?”

One particularly cocky stallion stepped up to bat, so to speak, and placed a bit onto the counter with his hoof. His smug smile and styled mane told her all that she needed to know, and the way he spoke certainly didn’t impress her like he intended.

“I think I’m lookin’ at something a bit juicier than a carrot, heh.”

Carrot Top simply rolled her eyes at the terrible joke and opened her mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by Spike. The dragon slammed his clawed hand onto the counter next to the stallion, startling him and causing him to withdraw with surprise as the teenaged reptile stood menacingly tall to his right. Staring the stallion down with the slits in his narrowed, green eyes, Spike stood firm and defended the mare.

“Hey, Ponyville’s in no shortage of pickup artists, pal. Here’s your carrot.”

His other hand reached behind the counter and tossed the carrot at the stallion, who couldn’t manage to catch it in time, accidentally hitting him square in the face before dropping to the ground. Knowing she was being guarded and that he’d been effectively deflected from courting the mare, the stallion grumbled as he picked up the carrot in his mouth and walked off, leaving the other potential customers behind.

With a nervous laugh, Carrot Top simply pretended to ignore that occurrence, instead facing the group of stallions now looking awkwardly at the stand, as if unsure of whether or not they could approach.

“Anypony else?”

After a long day of selling carrots and a surprising amount of customers, Carrot Top had sold more in that one day than she had in the entire past week! Packing up with a smile on her face and three bags full of bits collected from both stallions and mares alike, she couldn’t help but think to herself that she should have done this sooner if it meant she could have gotten business like this all the time. Wandering eyes draw customers, after all, but that wasn’t normally how Carrot Top preferred to operate.

The day’s events were decidedly more interesting thanks to the leering Spike at her side. He tried so very hard not to appear as if he was gawking, but she saw him sneak peeks many a time, especially when she turned her back to him to reach into her supply. The teenage dragon was totally enthralled by her appearance, and she giggled to herself as she remembered every instance of his staring, knowing full well that she was the object of his attention.

Once Carrot Top had all that she needed for the moment, she strapped her earnings in two light saddle bags to her sides and smiled happily. A footstep caught her attention, however, and she turned to find Spike smiling back at her, blushing mildly as he spoke.

“Looks like you made a lot today, huh? Guess you don’t need me anymore...”

With a dejected sigh, he seemed to accept that Carrot Top was perfectly capable of running her own business, and got to look as beautiful as ever while she did so. Surprisingly, the mare offered a laugh at his saddened revelation, and he looked up to see her covering her mouth with a hoof as multiple giggles escaped her lips. In order to calm him and dispel his worries, the well-dressed mare quickly replied with the utmost honesty and a caring glance.

“Of course I need you, Spike. With all the extra time you’ve spent helping me run my stand, and even scaring off that total jerk earlier...You’re one of the most helpful assistants I know! And certainly the most handsome.”

“Gosh...”

A single hoof reached up to gently caress the dragon’s face and draw his gaze back into the deep eyes of one of the most gorgeous mares he’d ever seen. For a moment, his heart fluttered as he wondered what it was he was feeling. He had crushes before, when he was young and confused, but now he just seemed to...connect with the pony before him. Spike knew It was more than a friendship if it meant he felt this way.

His heart beating in his chest, he thought to himself just how appetizing those lips of hers looked. If only he had the courage, he could lean in and-...no, he couldn’t make a move on her; not after what she’s had to deal with today. Even if he did decide to confess to her how he felt, he couldn’t up and say it when all she asked of him was a helping hand every once in a while.

“Speaking of which, I kind of need a favor, if it’s not too much trouble.”

Carrot Top removed her hoof from the dragon’s quickly heated face, and snapped him out of his thoughts with a simple admittance of needing a bit more help before he could leave. It had since gotten dark, but that didn’t mean he was tired or anything. Years of living with a night owl like Twilight and staying awake had ended up becoming a bad habit for him, as well. He could certainly help the gardening pony with whatever it was she could possibly need.

“Sure, anything. Name it.”

The mare appeared somewhat nervous as she looked down and nervously dug a hoof into the ground, making small circles in the dirt. She knew what she was trying to say, but trying to form the right words was still fairly difficult for her. Instead, she chose to go with an old standby.

“Well...can you walk me home first? It’s a surprise.”

Spike’s eyes widened at her request. He had walked her home many times before, but the nervous air filled with tension surrounding her request changed everything for him. He nodded his acceptance and simply watched as she started off in the direction of her abode. Her flanks looking equally as luscious as her lips, he found himself staring once more before he quickly hopped into a dash to keep up with her.

Whatever it was, he was more than eager to assist a beautiful mare like her in whatever she might need, and that was exactly what Carrot Top had planned on.

Part 3: Complex

Once the door closed behind the two, Spike felt a rush of nervousness flow through him. It was his first time being inside Carrot Top’s house, and he grew cautious so he wouldn’t clumsily break anything or do anything rude that might just get him kicked out. Eyeing the furniture, however, he discovered that the humble home was a lot more simple than he thought.

A cleared throat from up ahead calls his attention, and he turned his face to find Carrot Top looking back at him with a warm smile. Nervously, he cleared his own throat as he took a few brief steps forward and questioned her.

“What did you need, Carrot Top?”

“I need some help getting out of my outfit.”

The mare requested his assistance with a weak laugh. She didn’t want it to seem like she was helpless, she just preferred to be able to move freely after wearing such tight-fitting garments.

“I got it on this morning, but it’d be a lot easier with your help.”

With little fanfare, Carrot Top turned her back to him and stood straight up, lifting her hooves up into the air and presenting herself to the dragon behind her. She was positioned quite awkwardly, in Spike’s eyes, but this was how she could best be undressed after all, so he ignored that for the moment. What was on his mind, however, was the simple fact that he had just been asked to strip the mare of her clothing, garment by garment.

For the next few moments, the air was full of dead silence. Neither dragon nor mare were brave enough to do or say anything, instead choosing to let the lack of action serve as a moment of simple reprieve. Carrot Top began to think that her attempt to ask for help was ignored before Spike finally worked up the courage to move toward her.

At first, there was nothing, but then she felt his breath on her neck, weakened by his excitement as he lifted the dress up and over her head. It slid off fairly easily, reminding him that it was still just a dress. It proved no match to him as the frills accidentally tickled his chest. Briefly, he worried that he might have been overstepping his boundaries by doing this, but the concern quickly left him.

After laying the dress on the same couch she had been moping on the previous day, Spike eyed the leggings on her front legs next. The fishnet material impressed him with how well it showed off her legs underneath. Slowly, he slipped one off without incident, and felt he could relax knowing nothing had gone wrong as of yet. All of a sudden, he heard her voice speak to him once more in the middle of reaching for her other leg.

“So, Spike...Did you like what you saw, today?”

“Crap!” he exclaimed to himself. The teenage dragon had miscalculated and knew that he had to be honest with her, even if he was nervous about what he had to say. “C’mon, dragon up! Say something!” he forced himself to speak from the heart.

“Y- You’re really pretty, Carrot Top. I don’t know why a mare like you would live all alone.”

As soon as he said that, he clamped his mouth shut. “Stupid stupid stupid!” he berated himself for speaking so hastily and believed that he had unwittingly insulted the mare. He swiftly takes off the other legging and watches with caution as she lowers her hooves. All the while hoping that she wouldn’t outright boot him out of her house, he waits patiently for some kind of response.

A light giggle followed soon after.

”That’s sweet, Spike. Thanks again for all you’ve done for an old mare like me.”

Spike’s expression changed to one of pure disbelief at Carrot Top’s description of herself. She looked as young as ever in that getup, and even without it, she was far more youthful than she gave herself credit for. Unfortunately, he found it difficult speak to her with her back turned to him, so there wasn’t much he could say that would make for a good heart-to-heart talk. Still, she continued as she lowered onto all fours.

”What can I say?...Having you around makes me feel young again.”

Carrot Top hid a blush and bit her lip as she thought about what she was getting herself into. She couldn’t help herself at a time like this. It had been years since she had a stallion in her home, but Spike had the same effect, regardless of the difference in species. The musky scent of her arousal wafted in the air, and she briefly flicked her tail out of the way, excited for what she had in mind.

“Don’t forget my hind legs.”

Spike shook his head, trying to regain some sense to stop staring but obviously failing to do so. Taking a step back, he lowered himself onto his knees to face the amazing rear the mare possessed. With her tail no longer obscuring his view, her privates were in full view before him. The poor dragon could say absolutely nothing as she lifted a hind leg to him, expecting him to snap out of his reverie and get on with the task at hand.

He decided that her moist sex, while very alluring, should not be his focus at the moment and tried to stand his moral ground and be a gentleman. He had seen plenty of mares' forbidden parts before, practically every day, even. “So...why am I so distracted by Carrot Top’s?” he questioned himself briefly, before he finally allowed his hands to hesitate before tugging off the second to last legging. He did the same with the other one and within seconds, the mare was free of all her garments.

A thick air of silence gripped the room’s inhabitants afterward as Carrot Top looked back at the dragon behind her. She made a vain attempt to conceal her flustered face behind her mane, but it didn’t really work as her chartreuse eyes bulged as she called out.

”Spike?”

“Yeah?” he called back, after a slight pause.

“Could you...”

The mare’s heart began to thump in her chest. She found this task far harder than she originally thought it would be. She had to do this, if not just to find out. One hoof after the other, she turned around and stared the dragon down, their shades of green battling as she tried to be brave under her guise of innocence.

”Could you kiss me?”

Carrot Top went quiet as she watched Spike’s face turn bright red with shock and embarrassment. She was torn between finding his expression cute and growing worried that she might have somehow broke him by asking. Thankfully, without having to wave a hoof in front of him, the mare heard him stammer a response.

”Y- You want me to- to- to- k- kiss y-”

Carrot Top interrupted Spike’s frantic surprise at the offer by planting her lips right on his and holding it for a moment. She couldn’t leave the poor dragon stuttering like that, so she made the first step for him.

It was...interesting, to say the least. While she hadn’t felt the spark she was expecting, she certainly felt a lot hotter as she pressed against the male that she had to remind herself was much younger than her. He seemed to settle down after only a moment, choosing to close his eyes to match hers and lose himself to the feeling. It didn’t last long, however, as by the time he had pulled his lips off of her to go in for another kiss, she had backed away and giggled at the dragon hanging there with his lips puckered.

With an embarrassed look away from the mare, he could only mutter “sorry” along with a nervous laugh in response. Carrot Top eyed him and his incredibly slender body with more curious intent than before, and she was blessed with the sight of a certain teenage dragon’s erection as it stood proud between his legs. She would never tell, but she had noticed it before, and the way it stuck out in such contrast to his rough body still surprised her.

She may have caught herself drooling for a moment as she considered what it would be like to bed such a beast, but Spike managed to interrupt her before her mind wandered a little too far. He noticed her flushed face and, while trying to ignore his own, he questioned her.

“Are you gonna be okay, Carrot Top? D- Do you need me for anything else?”

Looking at the cute dragon with such a hard-on for her and asking if she needed him sent her brain into some kind of perverted overdrive. All of a sudden, thoughts of him plowing her from behind as she moaned loudly formed in her head. Another vision flashed before her eyes of her riding him gently and thrusting her hips up and down on his rough member. The vivid imagery had gotten to her so much so that she could feel herself getting wetter by the second just thinking about it. First and foremost, she had to get him where she needed him, and she felt increasingly desperate to do so.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine...if you come to bed with me.”

Carrot Top immediately regretted those words, wishing that she could just hide her face and pretend like she hadn’t just uttered them. What she had said threw Spike for a loop, as if he didn’t catch the gravity of the situation until just now. Carrot Top, the mare who up until this point seemed like the most straightforward and least temptress-like of any pony he’d ever met (besides Twilight, anyway), wanted him to sleep with her!?

Only words like befuddled or dumbfounded could possibly describe the expression that crossed his face at that very moment. Spike had never been with any pony before, even though he admitted to having thought about it a few times. Hell, he had quite a few wet dreams about Rarity years ago, but he was a gentleman, now. He couldn’t take a mare like Carrot Top to bed...could he?

Deciding to take a chance and play things up a bit, Carrot Top slowly made her way over to the stairs, a swish of her tail flicked Spike’s nose playfully as she passed him. The gardener gave a final look back to Spike, who couldn’t take his eyes off of her and the come-hither gaze she threw him. This is his opportunity, he had to take it, otherwise he might end up making her feel denied, and that could put their whole friendship in jeopardy.

He gave it some thought as he watched her ascend to where he assumed was her bedroom, and came to the conclusion that he was putting more than just their friendship at stake. If he was going to go up those stairs, he was going to very well lose his virginity to Carrot Top.

Spike found the risks acceptable and quickly dashed up the stairs and after the mare.

When the teenage dragon finally made his way up the stairs, he saw an open door at the end of the hallway that seemingly called out to him. He tried to appear calm and relaxed as he took a deep breath and, despite his conflicting emotions, slowly walked down the hall toward the doorway. Thoughts dug away at him as he took his first step inside, and the sight before him quickly caught his gaze.

Carrot Top lay sideways with her hoof keeping her head aloft on her comfortable, albeit unimpressive, bed. From this view, the mare he’d seen hundreds of times appeared very...inviting. Whether he wanted to or not, he now had a perfect view of her entire, mature frame as he took a mental snapshot for later.

While his eyes scanned over her rather nervously, she beckoned to him by waving a hoof lightly in his direction. He gulped and took a few brief steps forward before he had to force himself to avert his gaze. When Spike reached the bed, he turned about-face and ended up sitting with his head between his claws, looking as guilty as he began to feel. Noticing this, Carrot Top raised an eyebrow before she made her way closer to him and wrapped a tender hoof around his shoulder, all the while asking in as concerned voice she could manage with her heart still pounding.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t think I can do this, Carrot Top. Wh- What if I’m really bad and you never wanna speak to me again?”

The dragon responded with the utmost sincerity and worry he truly had. She found it difficult to restrain herself from simply hugging the poor teenager close and kissing him right then and there, but she managed to keep her instinct contained.

“Is that all? Spike, lots of ponies, and I’m sure even dragons, ask themselves that. First times are scary and confusing, and even though you’re with a partner, you sometimes feel all alone...”

The mare’s hoof nudged his cheek to face her, and she wore the most kind-hearted smile he’d ever seen. Spike couldn’t help but flush red as she continued.

“...But it’s not like that when you’re with someone you really care about...I’ll help you, so don’t feel bad, okay?”

Spike smiled back at her, enjoying the peace and warm feelings this mare inspired in him more than anything. If she was asking him to put his care in her hooves, then he’d be out of his mind to decline an opportunity like this. As he stared into her eyes, however, he noticed they slowly drew closer. She brought her lips toward him and closed her eyes, leaving him to return the kiss and hopefully accept her as she did for him.

The moment rushed to Spike’s head and he quickly planted his own reptilian lips on her soft mare ones. Her snout made things a bit difficult at first, but a small adjustment later, and he could only focus on the wonderful feeling of her closeness. Kissing was...nice for him, to say the least, but Carrot Top was lost in the pleasure of finally having someone to kiss her after so long. Even if he was a bit inexperienced, she could fix that, no problem.

As the kiss went on, the teenage dragon felt her tongue probing his lips and eventually invading his mouth, the texture of it taking him by complete surprise. It wasn’t like his own at all. Carrot Top’s tongue was wide and rough, and practically covered his underneath it as soon as he felt it exploring. Similarly, the mare found his thin and slick tongue odd, but still very warm and flexible, much like her own. She only encouraged him as her hoof rubbed along his neck and kept him so close.

Even though they both enjoyed themselves, Carrot Top saw fit to back away for the moment, leaving only a trail of saliva between the two. Spike panted a bit, his eyes narrowed but focused on the mare in front of him while he spoke with his currently limited vocabulary.

“Whoa...That was...wow.”

“And that’s just the start.”

She punctuated her words with a giggle before she slinked off the bed and onto the floor in front of the dragon, putting her face to face with his incredibly hot member. Her mouth opened wide in surprise at just how big he appeared now that she had put herself in this position and had him aroused for her. The image burned into her retinas forever, she gently rubbed along his impressive length and caused him to shudder weakly. Her touch was new, and far softer compared to his own.

“What are you doing?”

He asked even though an idea began to form in his head after having seen several mature-rated “movies” in his life. Twilight had done her best to keep sex and foreplay off the topic of discussion most of the time, but that didn’t mean he didn’t find out what ponies did together on his own eventually. Carrot Top only smiled up at him and casually whispered back.

“Just lay back and relax, okay?”

Without another word, Spike did as she asked and rested his head comfortably on the bed, putting all but the mare’s mane out of his vision. He stared down at her, waiting to feel what she was going to do next and was pleasantly surprised when he felt the same warm, wet tongue he had just felt now tenderly sliding over the tip of his pink flesh. The sensation of her mouth gingerly taking him inside soon followed, and every second that passed thereafter was like another bolt of pure pleasure.

He soon found out that Carrot Top’s mouth and her eager licking had gotten him harder than he could have ever imagined. Throbbing and pulsing in her mouth, his member reflected the beats of his heart in response to the sudden sensations that gripped him. The mare seemed to notice this and began to suck on him, sliding her lips along his shaft before lowering her head to take in more of him. Just the feeling of his warmth in her mouth had started to make her nethers soak with anticipation. She really did like the poor dragon, but in a situation like this, all she could feel was her lust and the hope that he might fill her with the love she so desperately craved. A few words mixed between his groans of pleasure pulled her away from her fantasy as Spike called out to her.

“Uhh...Nnh...I’m gonna cum, Carrot Top...”

Her eyes grew wide at the revelation that she might’ve brought him to orgasm with her mouth if she continued. With a long suckle and an audible “pop,” he left her mouth and the moment gave them both some time to breathe. She wanted to prolong this as much as possible, intending to savor this for the rest of her life, even if she could never convince the teenage dragon of a repeat session. As she spoke to warn him, she couldn’t help but feel guilty herself about what she wanted him to do.

“Not yet! I-...I want you to do it inside me...”

She rose from the floor and saw Spike immediately sit up straight and stare at her in disbelief, all the while thinking to himself how crazy that sounded to him. His face blushing wildly as he watched her crawl onto the bed and flip over beside him, resting on her back and allowing her hooves to cling to her chest nervously. She was no stranger to this position, and although it wasn’t easy for her, she was sure it would make it easier for Spike to go at his own pace.

Spike had trouble getting to the next step of the act, adjusting himself between the mare’s legs and awkwardly holding himself a little too far above her. After a few moments of this, Carrot Top wrapped her hooves around him and pulled him closely, forcing his member to rub along her belly while his chest pressed up against her. Wearing a seductive smile, she gazed into his eyes and he immediately noted the heat he could feel emanating from her as she whispered.

“Just kiss me...I’ll take care of you tonight~”

Spike did as instructed and closed his eyes before he leaned in to kiss the beautiful mare. He focused his effort into loving those lips of hers as his claws reached up to curl through her mane lovingly. He was still very hesitant, but at least he seemed more comfortable being this close to her now that he was as aroused as she was. Carrot Top reached a hoof down to lightly fondle his hard shaft before lowering him to guide it to her now dripping slit. A tense moment followed as she closed her eyes and lifted her hips to meet him and allowed him entrance inside her.

Had their mouths not been muffled from the intense tongue-wrestling they took part in, both surely would have shouted in pleasure from the initial entry. Once the tip was in, she slid the rest of him in with both trepidation and a hint of eagerness. She wanted him inside as soon as possible, though, while the overwhelming sensation continued as she felt her thoughts cloud over.

The same ridges and bumps she felt on her tongue only a few minutes prior were inside her and pulsed against her walls. It gave her far more pleasure than her hoof on a lonely night ever could. By the same token, her incredibly hot insides clenching around every inch of Spike’s member made him want to thrust deeper into the mare, desiring more of this previously unknown ecstasy. On one hand, this is exactly how he imagined sex was like, but on the other, he had no idea he could predict the feelings coursing through him for the mare that offered not only her body, but the caring soul that came with it.

Holding him closely, she pulled away from the kiss to allow them both a moment to pant and stare into each other’s eyes. Her own chartreuse gaze reflected the thin slits of his narrowed look. An unspoken truth that this was going to end far sooner than either of them had expected came to light, but Carrot Top knew it was only the beginning. He was going to climax, even if she hadn’t quite reached the peak that was fast approaching for the teenage dragon.

Everything came to a screeching halt, full of moans and grunts as Spike thrust into her a final time before releasing the thick stream of jism directly inside the mare. She howled as the release, while less than a stallion’s, went on for much longer and continued to fully coat her insides. It managed to leak onto the bed below them and create a small mixed pool of their juices as Carrot Top’s previous wetness had already left a stain.

His hardness began to withdraw and receded slightly as his body slumped atop Carrot Top’s feminine frame. With little grace, he pulled himself out of her slowly and rolled over to rest beside the mare. All the while he started to feel himself drift away after the exhaustion began to settle in. Carrot Top’s voice called out to him as he felt her gentle hoof press into his chest and rub his scales delicately.

“You did great, Spike~”

A sound from downstairs caused the dragon to wake with a start. Spike rubbed his eyes and scanned the bedroom to find the clock, only for his eyes to widen as he realized that this was not his bedroom. He was in Carrot Top’s bedroom, after they had sex last night! The panic of his lost virginity and relations with the mare only lasted for a few moments before he saw her enter the doorway.

“Oh, you finally decided to wake up?”

Her giggle and teasing question only made him want to turn away and blush more, but he managed to push that desire away to keep staring at her, albeit in his nervous fashion. Carrot Top wore a confused look at seeing this, however. What was there for him to worry about?

“Are you alright, Spike?”

His hesitation led to stuttering as he tried to eke out a response.

“Th- That wasn’t b- bad, right? What we did...in the bed?”

Sitting down on the bed next to him, her warm-hearted smile returned to dispel his worries and softly greet him. Admittedly, she had questioned it, herself, knowing that she was well above his age and of another species, but they just...needed each other. It had to happen for her sake, but she didn’t see a problem in throwing the helpful dragon a bone (no pun intended). She didn’t regret it, and she saw no reason for him to, either, but with that look on his face, she had to say something reassuring, and not sound like the smartass she often did when dealing with some of her occasionally annoying customers.

“Not at all. It was...natural, and it made me feel really happy. Didn’t you enjoy it, too?”

Her voice as smooth as silk and a hoof reaching up to rub along his back, she wanted to instill a sense of calm and ease in the dragon and it was working. Chuckling nervously, he sat up straight and faced the mare, a smile quickly developing on his own face.

“We don’t have to tell anypony about this, right?”

“It’ll be our little secret.”

A slight wink and another kiss followed to remind the two of how much they enjoyed each other, and the rest of the day was a blur for Spike. They ate together, they talked together, and he even helped her tend to a patch of her garden. In memory, they placed a signpost with a heart on it to mark the section he had helped with, holding firm belief that they might just make for the best harvest she had ever seen with a strong dragon like himself assisting her.

When he finally returned to the library, night had fallen and many other ponies had already fallen asleep. If there was one pony he could count on being awake, however, it was Twilight. Her magic was heard turning a page on her book stand as her voice rung out.

“Welcome home, Spike! Where were you all day?”

Her reading glasses levitated away as she eyed the teenager who carefully shut the front door behind him. When he turned to her and began to make his way to his up the stairs, he responded casually.

“Just helping Carrot Top with a few things.”

She rolled her eyes and smiled at the dragon she had always known so well. He really did have it in his nature to help the ponies he cared about, and as his friend, Carrot Top was certainly one of them. With a light giggle, Twilight teased him as she returned her gaze to the book in front of her.

“Oh, Spike. Keep that up and you might just become her assistant.”

“Th- That’s crazy, heh.”

He gave a nervous laugh at that remark and finally headed to his cozy bed, all the while wishing he would have sweet dreams of the orange-maned gardener for the rest of his nights.