//------------------------------// // Magic in Manehattan (Cheese Sandwich) // Story: Potty Training Tales // by SuperPinkBrony12 //------------------------------// There were disadvantages to growing up in a big and bustling city like Manehattan, at least as far as Cheese Sandwich was concerned. He was an only child. And while that meant he got all the love and attention his parents could give to him, when they were always so busy with their jobs that didn’t mean a whole lot. It was only made worse by the fact that Cheese was so shy. He didn’t really know any foals his age, or any foals period for that matter. The few times he would try to talk to them would always end with him being defined as “the weird little colt” because of something he did. So Cheese started looking inward for friends and for security. He had a lot of stuffed animal friends to be sure, ones he always slept with for security. But he also had other friends, friends that wouldn’t think he was weird and would always be there for him. He started to consider inanimate, everyday objects his friends. Chief among them were his diapers. Now you would think that with that in mind, when the time came for Cheese to enter potty training he would be all for it, not wanting to go in his diapers and thus “hurt” his “friends”. That’s what his parents hoped for and were so sure of this that they even bought pull-ups in anticipation of graduating their only son to them. But Cheese viewed the whole idea of potty training and of giving up his diapers as the equivalent to having to give up his friends. To him, diapers offered him security and peace, a chance for him to be himself. Potty training would make the colt more like everypony else and would take away the friends with whom he felt closest. So he made no real effort to try to use the potty: Either the admittedly colorful plastic bowl his parents had bought him, or that big white throne that grown-ups used. So weeks went by, then months. Soon, Cheese was turning three and he was no closer to getting out of diapers than he had been the day he’d turned two. His parents started to worry. They feared that if they didn’t think of something soon their son might never get out of diapers. That he would either go to kindergarten still wearing them, or would have to be homeschooled when no kindergarten or higher education would take him because of what he wore. And try as they might to explain to their son how that was wrong, he didn’t seem to quite grasp it. However, that all changed one day when, out of the blue, a mysterious plump earth pony mare appeared at the front door of the Sandwich household. The mare sported a coat of baby blue and eyes the same bright orange as the sky at sunset, her mane and tail were orange too and were done up in a rather lovely bun, and her cutie mark was a red saddlebag that was loaded with foal supplies (kind of like what she had strapped over her shoulder). Strangely enough, this mare wore a cowl that covered up her tail, and the cowl was white with red polka dots. “Zis is ze home of Cheese Sandwich, correct?” She asked. For a moment, the two parents were speechless. It was Mr. Sandwich who found the courage to speak first. “Who are you?” The mare bowed her head. “My name iz Nanny De’Foal, foalzitter for hire.” “But we didn’t put out any requests for either a nanny or a foalsitter.” Mrs. Sandwich replied to the strange nanny. Nanny De’Foal simply chuckled as she threw back her head. “Do not vorry, you didn’t need to. I simply go verever I am needed. And my sources tell me zat you have a son who needs help vith his potty training, iz zat correct?” Mr. Sandwich blinked and slowly nodded. “Y-yes,” He exchanged a nervous glance with his wife. “He’s been having a very hard time with it. Largely because he treats his diapers like his friends and doesn’t want to be without them.” “Does he not have any friendz hiz age?” Nanny De’Foal questioned the parents. Mrs. Sandwich unhappily confessed. “No, I’m afraid he doesn’t. We tried to get him to socialize with other ponies and it just never worked. Everypony says he’s weird.” At that Nanny De Foal smiled. “Zat vill not be a problem. I am a mazter at handling foals zat are ‘weird’. I know how to make even things like potty training zeem fun and amazing!” “So, you’ll do it then?” Mr. Sandwich asked the nanny. Nanny De’Foal nodded her head. “And we can discuss your payment at a later date. I’m sure you vill find the charges for my services to be quite agreeable.” And she began to prepare a plan for her latest charge. The next morning, Cheese Sandwich woke up in his crib. Yawning and stretching, he sat up with a light squish. He was used to waking up a little wet. “Nothing to worry about, Mommy or Daddy will change me soon.” He thought to himself. But instead of his parents, the little colt suddenly found himself being lifted out of his crib by a rather strange looking plump earth pony that he had never seen before. “Hello Cheese Sandwich!” The mare happily declared. “It is I, Nanny De’Foal!” “Nana?” Cheese blinked as the mare held him close to her chest, allowing him to look up into her bright orange eyes. De’Foal replied with a smile brighter than any Cheese had ever seen before. “Why yes, zat’s me. I’ve come to help teach you about ze potty, as I hear you’ve not been making much progress vith using it.” “I don't wanna use potty!” The little earth pony protested. “Don’t wanna give up my diapers! Diapers make me safe!” “Have you ever asked zem what they think? I am zure your diapers would think otherwise.” Nanny De’Foal simply retorted as she reached into her saddle bag, pulling out what looked like foal powder. The plump mare promptly sprinkled it all over Cheese Sandwich and his soggy diaper. Suddenly, a voice Cheese had never heard before started speaking up. “Hey, Cheese Sandwich. You gotta ease off on the bottles before bed!” To the surprise of the little colt he discovered that the voice was coming directly from his diaper. “Y-you talk?” He said to the sentient undergarment. “I can now, kiddo. And so can the rest of my brothers, sisters and cousins.” The soggy diaper replied happily. “And it’s all thanks to your magical friend over there.” Nanny De’Foal seemed to blush. “Oh, now Mr. Diaper, it’s nothing.” Cheese was filled with wonder and amazement! “You make diapers talk?” Nanny De’Foal nodded as he asked. “But how?” Nanny De’Foal answered. “I have my ways. I am quite magical,” Then she turned to the colt still in the soggy diaper. “But right now, ve need to get you to the bathroom. For it iz time for you to ztart taking your potty training seriously. Besides, zere is one more new friend you need to meet.” “But I'm already wet.” Cheese protested. He wasn’t afraid of the bathroom, he just really didn’t see why he needed to be in it. “Zo, you may still have to go vether you know it or not,” Nanny De’Foal replied to him. “I’ve known many little ones who think zey know what their body tells them even if they don’t. There is one exception, though. A rock farm filly not much older than you. Perhaps I shall introduce you to her someday ven you both are potty trained.” Nanny De Foal carried her charge to the bathroom and stripped him of his wet diaper. Before the diaper was tossed into the trash it said to Cheese. “Say hi to Mr. Potty. He’s a good friend of mine.” “Who Mr. Potty?” Cheese asked in confusion, before he was lifted up by De’Foal and then set back down on the toilet seat. Some of the magic from the “foal powder” that had brought the diaper to life did the same with the toilet. “Hello, Cheese Sandwich,” The toilet greeted. “I’m Mr. Potty. Nice to finally meet you.” Cheese Sandwich was filled with a sense of wonder at this! “Y-you alive too?” The toilet gave a rather odd smile as it confirmed. “Yes. Thanks to the incredible powers of Nanny De Foal. For she too wants to be your friend, just like I do.” “Now, Mr. Potty,” Nanny De’Foal instructed. “Please tell Cheese Sandwich what he has to do to befriend you.” But the little colt already had an idea of what was expected of him. His parents had told him the basics of potty training almost a year ago. “I'm just supposed to use you instead of diapers, right, Mr. Potty?” The toilet happily replied. “Correct! You’re so smart, Cheese! Now go ahead and relax. And don’t worry, I won’t eat you. I would never eat anypony who wanted to be my friend.” That reassurance alongside Nanny De’Foal's encouragement was enough to make Cheese decide to at least try and use the toilet. Nanny De’Foal turn away to give him some privacy. It took a while, but Cheese Sandwich soon heard a series of splashes coming from underneath him. “You did it, Cheese!” He then heard Nanny De’Foal’s voice. “You vent in the potty!” “I did?” He blinked before looking down into the bowl. What he saw made him smile. “I did!” He cheered, leaping into the air! Nanny De Foal waited for him to come back down, then wiped his flanks clean with a couple rolls of toilet paper. After tossing them into the toilet bowl, she turned to the little earth pony. “And now comes ze best part!” She said while picking Cheese up. “You get to feed Mr. Potty!” “How I do that?” Cheese asked as got close to an odd, handle shaped device. The toilet smiled. “Just pull down my handle to feed me.” It told him. “Go ahead,” Nanny De’Foal encouraged to the little colt. “Give zat handle a pull and zee vat happens. You’ll be amazed!” Slowly, Cheese reached out a hoof until he felt it touching the handle, and after pausing for a second he pressed it down. Suddenly, there was a loud roaring sound! Looking down into the bowl, the little earth pony’s eyes widen almost instantly! He could see the water spinning and swirling rapidly around. Then it became a dizzying whirlpool which began to pull everything floating in it over towards a hole at the bottom of the bowl. “WOOOAH!” Cheese Sandwich said in amazement as he watched as one by one everything was sucked down through the hole, making the water crystal clear! After a few seconds, it swirled down the drain and disappeared! Then as if by magic, the water returned moments later. “WOW!” The little colt cheered. “Thank you for feeding me, Cheese Sandwich,” The toilet said with a smile. “And for being my friend.” Cheese smiled back. “Your welcome, Mr. Potty” Then he turned his head over to Nanny De’Foal. “And I promise to take my potty training seriously from now on.” This made the mare smile. From that day forward, Cheese Sandwich started using the potty his parents had bought him when they went out. He could only use the toilet when he was at home. He especially started to delight in the flush whenever he was done, watching everything disappear as if it was a magic trick. Yet it was just as the little colt started to be filled with joy in his life, and had a friend who was a pony that didn’t think he was weird, that it all seemed to come to an abrupt end. All he knew for sure was that one morning he woke up, and Nanny De’Foal had gone away, as if she had never existed in the first place. Cheese wanted to believe otherwise. He wanted to believe with all his might that he hadn’t imagined this magical nanny that had been a source of laughter and friendship in his early years. But when no one else seemed to ever even heard of her, he started to believe and even accept that he’d just imagined her. That his strange and weird nature had made up somepony, or that he had substituted a random figure in place of his parents. Especially since nopony had ever heard of diapers or toilets that came to life, even through magic. Well, regardless of how he had achieved it, the little colt knew that his potty training had been an unusual and interesting experience. And years later he would again try to seek out that unusual sense of happiness and longing that he’d briefly known before. It was part of what would lead him to leave Manehattan and strike out on his own. And although he wouldn’t quite find the same as what he had before, he did find something equally as good: A purpose in life! He would even go on to dedicate a special song about his magical nanny, though when asked for the story behind it Cheese Sandwich would change some details so as to avoid ponies thinking he was crazy (well, crazier).