Author's Note

As the description says, this story was written for me by a lovely friend and wonderful author named Jeeves The Roo. He can be found at http://www.furaffinity.net/user/jeevestheroo and has given me permission to upload it here.

Three

Three.

The pub was quiet. A couple of regulars sitting sipping their mugs of ale or cider, a few families chatting over the remains of their dinners, and the young foals Windfall and Trailblazer snoozing calmly in one corner as their mother rested across the bar, smiling softly as a customer asked her a question that she had answered many a time since her family took ownership of these premises.

“I really hope you don't take my curiosity as any kind of disapproval. I certainly don't mean anything of the sort. I just... I'd love to know how you came to feel the way you do. How you ended up with two lovers... and how each of them ended up with you and one another.”

Coal chuckled warmly, the strong, deep grey haired earth pony shaking her head in a manner that made the front of her short blue mane sweep gently from side to side across her forehead. She responded honestly and simply, her warm, lilted accent brimming with the confidence of someone whose heart had long since come not simply to accept her own way of life, but relish and take great pride within it.

“There's no offence to be taken. It's a valid question. I know everypony can't possibly feel the way that we feel about love, just as we can't feel the way everypony else does. But I'm afraid the answer may not have the detail you're hoping for. You asked how I ended up with two lovers... I ended up with two lovers the same way anyone ends up with their special somepony. By falling in love. The only difference is... we all did it twice. With one another.”

The customer took a long draught of ale from their mug, contemplating this response, before continuing with their probing questions.

“But... you were with Dai first, right? I mean... you're married to him. He was the first special somepony you chose to dedicate your life to. Doesn't that mean you care for him more?”

Close by, Trailblazer whinnied softly. Their mother turned a kind eye towards her young foals, ensuring that all was well. The two young ponies were simply chattering back and forth to one another in their own private little language though, and upon seeing her glance their way, giggled and glanced at one another conspiratorially.

Coaldust beamed.

“Of my twins... do you think I love the one who was born first more than the other? Do you think anypony with more than one child loves the first-born more than those who came after?”

The customer's mouth opened to reply, to say that wasn't a fair comparison and that she wasn't implying anything of the sort. Except... now she thought about it, she realised that in fact she probably had been inferring that, albeit unintentionally. After all, this was familial love they were talking about, regardless of whether for a husband, a partner, or a child.

“I... I see. Of course not. I admit, that was a bit of a foolish question. Sorry.”

Still smiling broadly, the earth pony shook her head.

“As I have already said, there is no offence to be taken in this conversation. You simply asked a question, and I answered. So please, if there's more you wish to understand... ask away. Believe me, it's far from a chore to talk in detail about the love I am lucky to share with my two amazing partners. Even in their absence.”

With those final words, Coaldust glanced at the ceiling above. A gentle glow settled upon her cheeks, which the customer sitting just across the bar saw all too clearly.

“So... they're upstairs together, right now?”

Coaldust's blush deepened bashfully, but she nodded nonetheless.

“Yes. We're... we're trying for foals again.”

The customer's eyes widened sharply, as did Coaldust as she realised that the pony with whom she was talking hadn't actually meant anything romantic by her query about the other two being upstairs together, never mind anything explicitly sexual!

“Oh! I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to share that detail unwarranted. I just assumed that you had assumed... c-correctly, what they were up to!”

Beneath her own pale purple coat, the customer's own face burned crimson, and she shook her head sharply.

“No. I... I didn't think. I thought... I mean, I don't know what I thought they would be doing. B-but...”

Her voice trailed off, and she forced herself to gather her composure before continuing.

“But... i-it's wonderful, to hear that you're wanting to bring even more ponies into your wonderful family. I wish you all the very best of luck.”

With that, the customer seemed to have said her piece. She settled back down upon her bar stool, still blushing, and sipped at her ale silently once more. Coaldust however could see a lingering redness upon her cheeks, and an unwanted but undeniable curiosity remaining in the twinkling depths of her eyes.

“Why do I get the feeling there's another but you're trying to hold back?”

Again the customer opened her mouth to deny what her hostess was implying, and again she found herself unable to go through with the deception.

“B-but... a-aren't you just the tiniest bit jealous?”

Coaldust's eyebrows rose sharply. That was quite the but!

“Jealous? Jealous of what?”

Sighing heavily, the customer shook her head.

“I... I shouldn't assume. I know it's wrong of me, I'm just not very experienced when it comes to such matters. Romance is... it's not a huge part of my life. I don't have a special somepony, and I'm not even really looking for one yet. I guess I just have an overly traditional viewpoint in my head from stories I've read and couples I've spoken to more regularly. It's telling me that surely, if your husband and your partner are upstairs right now... t-trying for a new child, without you even being present to be a part of such an intimate and important moment, you should be jealous. Maybe you can explain to me why that's not true.”

Coaldust nodded, her expression calm and sincere, no longer surprised by the customer's question; indeed almost proud that she was being given a chance to answer, and to open up the other mare's mind to a whole new point of view.

“Let me put it to you this way. I don't believe that love is in any way, shape or form, be it through friendship or romantic love or familial love, a finite resource. I don't think it needs to be split and divided between competing sources. A heart is capable of fitting all of those it cares for inside, and the more the love it feels for them grows... the more the heart grows. Right now, Dai and Friday are together. They're with each other, and devoting every ounce of passion and joy they possess to bringing a new life into the world with one another. But as much as they may be devoted solely to that one purpose right now, I don't believe for a split-second that it diminishes their love for me. I don't need to be present beside them all the time. I don't need to stake a claim for my third of the relationship. Its still there, locked away inside their hearts, and with every moment they spend together my love for them and their love for me is a part of that.”

Her face reddened, and her eyes grew tearful; a powerful sight upon such a strong, potentially imposing pony as Coaldust was from a physical point of view.

“Just as Windfall and Trailblazer are loved and parented by all three of us, I will be the mother to our new foal or foals when they're born. And the fact that I may not have been there for the conception changes nothing.”

Coaldust's eyes met with her customer, and they both felt their red faces brighten as the earth pony made one last, swift admission.

“If I am envious of anything... it's simply that I am not there to share in the pleasure of the act with them, just as any of us would be upon knowing that such fun was being shared while we were busy with other responsibilities. But even that envy is fleeting. Because I know that before the night is done, we will all be together. And until then... I wish my lovers nothing but the very highest heights of bliss and passion.”

***************

The thick wooden ceiling, beams and floorboards between the pub and its upstairs living space permitted very little sound to traverse between the two levels. This was a boon for nights when Trailblazer and Windfall went to bed early as it meant they weren't disturbed by potentially tipsy customers getting loud and giddy on the latest batch of cider, but also for nights like tonight... when certain ponies were likely to become rather vocal in the upstairs rooms as the evening went on.

With her wings spread out on either side of the bed beneath her, Friday trembled in anticipation as she felt Dai's hot breath wash over her thighs and the burning crevice between her legs. Her red and white striped tail swished broadly from side to side, its tip just about brushing the floor at the foot of the bed while the pegasus' four hooves trembled where they rested up in the air, waiting in rapt anticipation for her lover to begin.

It had been almost ten minutes since Dai had slipped between her legs and stopped, staring, breathing, occasionally granting the softest nibble to her bare flanks but nothing more; driving them both crazy with the anticipation of what was to come. The worst thing was, this wasn't even a precursor to the act itself; to the joyous union which would hopefully bring a baby to her fertile body. This was foreplay to the foreplay of the night, for Dai had long since promised Friday that the night a new spark of a pony would begin within her, she would be wracked with pleasure from beginning to the marathon session's lengthy, many hour long end.

“Dai, please... I... I know you've told me so many times about the night that you and Coal became pregnant with Trailblazer and Windfall, a-and I know I always told you both that I wanted my first pregnancy to begin the same way, b-but... I was horny then. You'd told me about a night of the purest pleasure you've ever shared, a-and... and given all that the three of us had shared before and have shared since, you know what kind of effect that sort of encouragement would have on me.”

Friday's accent, a gentle Manehatten tone very distinctive from the lilting celtic vocalisations of Dai and Coaldust, was already rife with sharp, urgent desire. She didn't just want or hope or long for pleasure. She needed it. And she knew she would have it too. Her lovers, either one of them, never let her down in that regard. In any meaningful regard, really. Every bit of devotion and adoration she felt for her two partners, they had always reciprocated what felt like a thousand-fold upon her. Yet still, though she knew deep down that Dai was certain to deliver on his promise of a long, hot night of procreative passion, she couldn't control her base urges. The fevered desires which didn't want to wait, which didn't want to pause to savour the moment.

The instincts ravaging her fertile form, which demanded that she be given a baby to share with the family she adored so intensely. Now.

“Please. Please! Dai, I... I need it. I can't take it. I... I... ahhhh!”

Another sharp nip to her flank from the playful, damnably teasing stallion was more than Friday could stand. She felt his teeth sink momentarily into the flesh directly upon her cutie mark, nibbling at the martini glass and olive which declared her famed talent for cocktail making and drinks mixing, and then felt her back arching off the bed as her head swung wildly upon her powerful neck, and her rear legs locking tightly around Dai's own neck; dragging him helplessly down into her crotch as a spontaneous yet surprisingly potent climax tore through her unsuspecting, as yet untouched loins.

“That's it... that's it, my beauty...”

Dai huffed and whispered breathlessly as his face was pressed up against Friday's trembling, throbbing crotch, not even thinking about using magic to free himself from the vice-grip of her hindlimbs as her warm, richly scented fluids dribbled out, tempting his tongue to sneak out for a taste.

“To want this... to want a child so badly that the mere idea is enough to bring you to the edge of ecstasy, so close a little nibble is enough to carry you over... that's how I knew the time was right for me and Coal. And that's how I know now that you're ready, too.”

***************

“Now you know what they're up to... I hope you don't mind me being a little more candid in my answers to your questions. Because you understand, this isn't just about romantic love. It's about all aspects of our relationship and how we work as a trio. And sexual love is an important part of that.”

The purple hued pony nodded, her face red and yet her eyes shining with continued curiosity and admiration for this powerful woman before her. So open. So honest. So willing and even eager to share how deeply and completely she was in love with her two partners. It was a wonderful sight to behold, and an even more incredible one to learn about in such detail.

“We're together as a trio sometimes, but lots of the time it is just two of us. Because one of us is busy, because one of us might not be in the mood, and... frankly, because sometimes it's just easier for two ponies to make love than three. The way our bodies are built, it doesn't exactly lend itself to three-way fun. Though I assure you, there are plenty of ways to make it work so that everyone has a good time! But a lot of the time, it's just easier for two ponies to make love to one another while the third of us is busy, and then when that pony returns home or finishes whatever job they were doing, there's always at least one warm body eager to welcome them in a similar fashion.”

Coal's face had been flushed with passionate excitement for some time now, and indeed she was glad she was standing behind the bar, that way none of her customers or indeed her children could see how visibly excitable certain parts of her anatomy were becoming given the topic at hand.

“Sharing things is an important part of keeping our relationship working though, just as it is with any form of relationship. So if we try something new, or fun, or... well, anything really, it's often a great excuse to tell a story. To lie in bed together, all three of us, and get whoever wasn't present at the time all worked up with the fantasy of what we've already been up to. For weeks Dai and me have been telling Friday stories about the night we conceived our first two... making her feel like she was there for every moment, but also ensuring that she was excited for today not just because she will hopefully be with child soon... but because of the pleasure it will bring her. Pleasure that we want her to understand first-hand, because it's one more thing we'll be able to share a unique understanding of as lovers.”

The customer shuddered slightly, a pang of longing running down her spine and settling in an uncomfortably intimate spot. She shifted upon her bar-stool, and licked her lips in anticipation of... of precisely what she wasn't quite sure. Her face reddened even more so than was already the case, and with a slightly hoarse voice she murmued to her hostess.

“C-could I get another ale please?”

Coaldust giggled, nodding warmly.

“Of course. I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable.”

Shaking her head, the other pony passed over payment for her drink and waited, gazing longingly at the golden beverage as it flowed from the wooden keg at which Coaldust was now standing.

“No. Not at all. I just... I'm not used to such openness. I suppose you have to be though. Open, that is, with your feelings and emotions. It must make your relationship much easier.”

Coal chuckled, handing over the drink and shrugging her shoulders.

“I don't know about that. I don't think any relationship is easy, no matter how many parties are involved. They all need work. Jealousy comes naturally as a part of life for all ponies, even those who are in a relationship with just one special somepony. So yes, I will admit that polyamorous relationships aren't for everyone. If they were, they'd be the norm. Not a subject even deemed necessary of an explanation. But just because you totally and unreservedly love one pony, it doesn't mean you can't feel exactly the same way for somepony else. And if your heart is open to feeling that way, and is able to hold any irrational jealousy at bay... then yes, I suppose it is easy to be in a relationship as a more open hearted, open minded pony. Relatively speaking.”

The two women smiled at one another, and the customer glanced upwards as she sipped at her new tankard of ale.

“I wonder what your lovers would think of this deep conversation, given what they're probably up to right now.”

Coaldust grinned.

“Oh, I'm sure they'll be fascinated to hear about it. In about five or six hours. Well... actually, maybe tomorrow morning. In five or six hours, I think all they'll want to hear is the sound of their own snoring. And until then...”

***************

Dai whinnied excitably as he mounted Friday, finally feeling his forelegs grappling at her torso, the weight of his upper body pressing down upon hers with a primal urgency that had doubtlessly existed since the very moment that Celestia and Luna first lifted the sun and moon up into the heavens. At that moment there was nothing he wanted to do more than simply drive himself home and rut feverishly within Friday until his inevitable and powerful release. But he didn't. He reined himself in, holding back his fevered desires for one simple reason. It would drive the beautiful mare beneath him absolutely wild to be made to wait again after all they had done together already.

Sure enough, Friday groaned in desperate disbelief as she felt Dai resting upon her, but not seeking to shuffle forward and drive his swollen stallion shaft into her all too receptive body. Her nether regions throbbed with pleading lust, the near-black hair of her coat shining silvery around her intimate regions with the quantity of fluids she had already issued forth at the behest of Dai's mouth and tongue. To either side of her flanks, just in front of where the stallion's forelegs were locked around her, the pegasus pony's wings stood rigid with desire; flared and trembling in unbearable longing. She heard him clear his throat, preparing to speak in that gorgeously soft accent that she adored hearing issue forth from both her lovers, and fought off yet another spontaneous eruption of pleasure at the mere thought of what he might be about to say.

“I love you.”

Friday's knees weakened. She moaned softly, and her eyes rolled back in her head as for the second time that evening... the fourth if you counted more direct means, Dai's gifted tongue drew her over the edge of rapture. Her inner walls tightened and flexed, she felt a surge of wetness gushing forth from within, and suddenly she was huffing and gasping and grunting Dai's name in a fit of orgasmic glee.

Regardless of her state of mind though, whether the bliss-stricken pony was able to hear him or not, Dai did not stop speaking with his I love you. He continued, and with every word grew closer and closer to finally losing control of his own rampant arousal.

“I love you... a-and I can't wait for me and Coal to curl up around you, rubbing and cuddling your big round belly. You're already an amazing mother, and we're so lucky that you want to bring more lives into the world with us. A brother or sister, maybe more than one, for Windfall and Trailblazer. New sons or daughters for You, Coal and me to care for and adore. Oh... Friday, I hope you understand how happy you've made us since you came into our lives. We didn't even know something was missing before you showed up, but now you're here... we're complete. You make us complete. Our amazing, special mummy somepony.”

Only then, as Friday trembled in the final throes of her most recent orgasmic convulsions and as a few joyous tears ran down Dai's caramel coloured cheeks, did the male pony finally shuffle forward with his lower body, bucking and thrusting his hips blindly until after just a few missed strikes his swollen manhood plunged deep into Friday's damp, already well worked and super-sensitive body.

The mare shrieked in pleasure as Dai's sizeable erection pressed deep into her, and the stallion himself cried out loudly in triumph as he drove their bodies together at last. This was far from the first time they had made love, but knowing what tonight's purpose was, knowing what it meant on this occasion... it might as well have been the first, such was its importance in their hearts. Not to mention the heart of their lover in the pub below, who alongside many patrons of the pub were now glancing at the stairwell leading to the upper floor of the venue... cheeks red and eyes wide at the rather distant but unmistakably lewd cries that had echoed down them.

***************

“O-oh my... d-do you think it's happened? Are they finished? I-is your marefriend going to be a mother?”

The customer's cheeks were flushed brighter than ever, but equally notable were her eyes; wide with excitement and sparkling vibrantly with curiosity and perhaps a little more oddly, hope. As though she was not only happy for the lucky trio, but actively eager to hear that she was correct in her suspicions of having just heard a snippet of their foal-making in progress.

Coaldust however was only able to offer a guess, and it wasn't exactly what the pale purple hued pony was expecting.

“If I know them, and I do... I very much doubt it. Rather than the end, I suspect things are just beginning to get started upstairs. To be honest, I was surprised that we hadn't heard from them before now. Last month Dai told us there were ponies taking bets on how late me and Friday would continue together, and that was based solely on what they could hear throughout the evening. Turned out nobody won... because we were still going at closing time.”

The purple pony's eyes closed, and she swallowed heavily in poorly concealed excitement.

“Oh... t-that's. That's very... um... i-interesting. I don't know if I could go through with that. Knowing someone was hearing me when I... t-that is, if I was... um...”

Coaldust smiled.

“Don't worry, you don't have to share your own stories. Tonight I'm quite happy just to tell you ours, and I think I've almost told you all I think you need to know to understand how our relationship is every bit the same as any other... only with three hearts and minds and bodies involved, instead of two. The bottom line is that I love Dai and Friday, and they both love me. Making you understand that, understand how it's possible... I hope I've done a good job of it, of explaining that we fit. That our hearts and minds share common goals and desires... things we're striving for every day, and many of which we already have right here with our family and our business. But really, all you need to know is that basic fact. We love each other unconditionally, because there is no limit on love, whether in family or romance or friendship. And you know just how much can be achieved through love. Its power. Its magic. Don't you, Princess.”

The purple coated pony blushed as her eyes widened sharply, glancing at the mirror hanging over the bar to ensure that her guise hadn't slipped; that her magic was still concealing her horn and wings, and maintaining her temporarily altered cutie mark; a leather bound book and feather quill.

She did not attempt to deny the truth though, and even seemed to sag in relief as she responded honestly.

“I do. And... I'm sorry for not showing or telling you who I was. It's just, since becoming a princess... people who don't know me tend to behave rather properly around me. They treat me like royalty, and sometimes sugar-coat the truth with what they think is suitable for royal ears. When I heard about the three of you living here, running this pub together... I admit, I was curious. I wanted to see the kind of friendship that had blossomed into romance, and how it was sustained between a less conventional number of ponies than the traditional two. But now I realise, I didn't need to visit at all. It's funny, but for all that you've told me... I've learned just one thing. Love is the same, no matter how many people it involves. Two lovers or three. Two best friends, or six. Love is love... and so long as it is cherished and worked at, it can blossom anywhere it takes root.”

Coaldust beamed.

“I'm glad you understand. And I hope that when you next see your friends, you'll thank Applejack for our latest delivery of cider. We think its the farm's best batch yet, and the customers seem to agree!”

Twilight Sparkle smiled, nodding warmly.

“I shall. So long as you promise to tell your lovers of my visit, and how wonderful an example I believe you're setting for all ponies who are with someone, or even still looking for their special somepony. You sound like a wonderful trio, and your new child or children will be so lucky to find themselves a part of such a loving family.”

Grinning from ear to ear with pride, Coaldust hopped happily from hoof to hoof as she nodded.

“They will be. In fact, we all are. We are all so lucky to have each other.”

***************

“Oh! Oh! D-Dai, d-don't stop!”

Dai had always wondered why both his lovers called this out during sex, why they and no doubt many others asked their partners not to stop in the midst of passionate love-making. He supposed it made sense on some level, that at the heights of rapture the fear of such a thing ending prematurely must have been extremely intense. But at the same time, he had never begged his lovers not to stop for one simple reason, the same reason why he found it so confusing to be asked that now.

Why in all of Equestria would he ever stop more than a moment before he needed to?! Why, when so utterly committed and throwing everything he had into the act of making love to his dear special someponies, would he cease his actions and bring an end to all of their pleasure any sooner than was absolutely necessary. It was one thing to be a tease, but to toy with their feelings at such an intense moment as this would just be... downright cruel!

Nevertheless, he quelled his lover's worries with a kind murmur of passion just the same.

“I won't stop. I can't stop! G-gotta put a foal in you. Gonna make you cum again, and again. I love you so much, Friday... so much.”

Closing her eyes as the male's powerful yet tender words washed over her, Friday felt yet another potent peak building within her body. Her forelimbs had long since already given out, leaving her upper body now resting on the edge of the bed whilst her trembling hind-legs held herself up purely on the adrenaline rush of knowing that she had to stay standing in order for Dai to keep on breeding her as hard and fast as he could. Her mohawk of a red and white striped mane was flopping down all over her head and neck by now, drenched in perspiration from the force of their actions, and between their feverishly rutting bodies she could feel a warm puddle of their combined arousal forming around her hooves.

The pegasus pony's mind raced as she approached yet another bone-shaking climax, countless images, fantasies and joys flickering in front of her eyes. She saw herself, stomach swollen with an unknown number of babies, lying back on her bed, content and brimming over with pride and protective love for her unborn children. She saw Dai and Coaldust lying next to her, surrounding her, cuddling and kissing her, caressing her belly and whispering to their dear foals. Images so sweet and tender, yet so oddly erotic at this moment; as she sought to bring new life into the world with her two dear lovers affection and unyielding support.

And of course, she saw herself in more obviously sexual situations. As Coaldust had whispered to her while they lay together one night, Dai's tongue dividing his attention between their damp nether regions as they cuddled and kissed and talked in breathy moans and whispers. She saw herself heavily pregnant, so pregnant that she couldn't see over her belly; let alone reach over it enough to masturbate. She saw herself lying back once more, but this time with both her lovers lying between her legs; licking and nibbling at her all at once, and teasing her with whispers of how wonderful a mother she was going to be even as they committed deliciously naughty, adult acts upon her.

“Friday... Yes. Oh yes, F-Friday!”

The lust-stricken pegasus snapped back to reality just in time to hear her lover crying out, his hips pounding at her trembling rump with such urgent and haphazard desperation that it could only mean the imminent arrival of his climax. In a split-second she tried to fight her own orgasm's arrival, to delay it by just a few seconds so that they could cum together. But it was hopeless. Her mind may have wanted to wait, but her body was already putting the necessary physical steps into motion. Now it was all up to Dai.

Unless... unless she could make him cum just the tiniest bit quicker.

Friday gathered together the very last of her sanity, the very final remnants of her sane, conscious mind as it teetered on the edge of orgasmic oblivion once more. She whinnied joyously, and cried out pleadingly to her lover.

“C-cum for us. Cum for me and Coal. We l-love you so much, so please... cum. Make us mummies again!”

Dai's eyes widened, and as they did so he found himself seeing beyond what was real; seeing the beaming, blushing, joyous faces of both his loves. The dear mothers of his children.

With a combined wail of pleasure that echoed unmistakably around the pub, prompting several blushes from some ponies and a loud cheer from more of the regulars, Dai and Friday erupted together in joyous consummation of not only their family's union, but their attempts to extend that family even further.

Upstairs, juices flowed, bodies trembled and writhed against one another, and voices cries out in wordless, mindless lust and love.

***************

And downstairs, shameless in her show of emotions as trotted over to her children and gathered them close to her, Coaldust wept with joy. Overwhelmed not only by the love she could hear being shared between her two very special someponies, but by the sheer scope and intensity of the love she had spent a fair portion of the evening explaining to their somewhat incognito royal visitor.

They were an amazing family; the three of them and their children both present and yet to come.

An amazing, loving family the likes of which anyone in Equestria would be proud to be a part of. A family of which she was a vital part, and would be alongside Dai and Friday and their kids, now and always.