Potty Training Tales

by SuperPinkBrony12

Foalish Fantasy (Vapor Trail)

Author's Note:

Tags: [Slice of Life] [Comedy]
Characters: [Vapor Trail] [Mr. Trail] [Mrs. Trail]
Written By: SuperPinkBrony12

Although the methods for teaching foals about the “big pony” way of taking care of their bodily needs changed a great deal with every generation as new technologies and schools of thought came into being, not all parents saw a need to rush headlong into the new way of doing things. Some were quite content to do it the way they recalled their own training being done, even if such was no longer the popular method (or even a method at all).

That was the dilemma that the Trail family faced with their only daughter and their pride and joy, little Vapor. In hindsight, it was probably unwise to let her go around diaperless outdoors and just let her take care of her business whenever and wherever she could. They were always careful to make sure their daughter didn’t fall through the clouds while going, and it seemed to mean fewer diapers to change for the happy couple.

But now Vapor Trail was getting to the age where wearing diapers, even just inside the house, wasn’t considered acceptable for a foal her age. It was time for her to learn the “big pony” method, something that Mr. and Mrs. Trail had been rather reluctant to consider. They hadn’t even really bothered with that new fangled toilet that they’d been convinced to install, using it only if there wasn’t time to secure a chamber pot (or couldn’t find a place to empty out the pot after use). They kind of knew how it worked, the pony who they’d paid to come and install one (after talking them into getting one) had explained it in rather complicated fashion but the two pegasi thought they got the gist of its intended operations.

So how were they to convince Vapor that it was no longer okay for her to “go” outside wherever and whenever she wanted, but it was okay to do her number one and number two in a weird, noisy and sometimes smelly object in their bathroom?

“Oh, we really should’ve started on this much sooner,” Mr. Trail said to his wife one day as they discussed and debated the proper approach to teaching their only foal about the toilet. “I know we didn’t really like changing her diapers, but we should’ve done more to at least get her interested in chamber pots. Then she’d come to understand that she has to do her business in a certain place and not just wherever she happens to be when she feels the need to go.”

Mrs. Trail nodded while looking at her husband. “I know, I know. It’s our fault for showering so much praise on her for going potty the old fashioned way. But we have to do this! She’s gonna have to learn if she wants to get into the best schools, I hear they’re requiring all foals to be fully trained with these new toilets.”

“I guess we’ll just play it by ear then,” Mr. Trail reluctantly decided. “We’ll explain everything to her as best we can and go from there. Vapor’s a smart little filly, I’m sure she’ll figure it out before too long.”

“I hope you’re right.” Mrs. Trail nervously agreed, and the two pegasus parents decided then and there that they could put off this transition no longer. One way or another, their daughter was going to be potty trained the way foals her age all over Equestria were now being trained. How hard could it really be?

---

Vapor Trail was, needless to say, quite surprised and confused to be brought by her parents into the bathroom of their house. She’d just been ready to go outside, which meant she’d get to enjoy the freedom of being bottomless. The only rule for that was that she had to go potty before she could come back inside, or else she would have to change herself (and the filly didn’t know how, so that wasn’t an option).

“Now Vapor Trail,” Her mother declared. “It’s time you learned how big ponies answer nature’s call. It turns out that the way you’ve been doing it up until now isn’t really acceptable anymore.”

Vapor blinked slowly. “Then, what me supposed to do?” She questioned while looking down at herself. “Me have to wear diapers all the time?”

Her father shook his head. “No, that’s not the answer, Vapor. There’s a reason why your mother and I brought you here,” He then seemed to gulp, as if dreading what he was about to say and do next. “From now on, if you have to do either number one or number two, you’re to come here and do it in...” He gestured a hoof to an object resting by itself in a lonely corner, a rather tall looking object at that. “The toilet.”

Being naturally quite curious (like most little ones her age), little Vapor waddled close to this “toilet” to get a better look at it. It most certainly commanded attention with its gleaming white frame, bowl like shape and strange box like back. It also seemed to have some kind of seat, like a chair.

Mrs. Trail smiled at her daughter. “It’s alright. It may seem big now but in time you’ll grow and it won’t seem big at all. Besides, it has to be big since your father and I use it.”

“Mom and Dad use toilet too?” Vapor Trail blinked again while backing up, trying to determine what to make of this object she was seeing for the first time. Her parents used a lot of things she wasn’t allowed to use, why exactly was this an exception?

Mr. Trail nodded. “Yes we do, Vapor. You’re so smart,” Then he picked his daughter up from the floor and brought her closer to the toilet. “Now you’re going to learn how you’re supposed to use it. It’s actually not as complex as it may seem. You just come get your mother or I, or another grown-up and we’ll help you do it. Your wings aren’t quite strong enough yet to get you up on the seat.”

“Seat? Me sit on toilet?” Vapor pondered as she was lowered onto the rim of this unusual contraption.

Mr. Trail nodded once again. “Yes. It’s not unlike when you sit down on a cloud. In fact, here,” With a hoof he placed a bunch of clouds in the same shape as the rim, then set his daughter upon said clouds. “We figured it would be easier if you had something like this. It’s a special seat your mother and I made just for you.”

Mrs. Trail then explained. “Once you sit down, you do what you’ve always done before. Then whoever is helping you will clean you up with this,” She produced a paper like substance. “This is called ‘toilet paper’. And when you’re done, you just put in the toilet bowl.”

“And then you flush it all away.” Mr. Trail declared as without warning he put a hoof on a silver colored object off to his daughter’s left and brought it down.

A mighty roar reached Vapor’s ears and she shot up into the sky! “Help! Monster!” She cried in fear! She wouldn’t lower herself down until the noise had stopped and she was certain the coast was clear. Then she immediately ran off before either of her parents could stop her!

---

Mr. and Mrs. Trail could only stand there, wondering where and how they had gone wrong. Both parents felt they’d done a pretty good job explaining everything about the toilet to their daughter.

“I don’t understand. That should’ve worked.” Mrs. Trail commented while scratching her head.

Mr. Trail let out a sigh. “I guess it was a bad idea to teach her everything about the toilet so soon. We at least should’ve warned her about the flush, it is a bit loud after all. Even I sometimes get startled by it.”

Mrs. Trail seemed to agree. “But she’s never gonna want to use the toilet if she’s always afraid of it. Think about how long it took to get her to be able to sleep through the night by herself. I don’t wanna have to go through the same thing while we’re trying to potty train her like this.”

It was then that the pegasus stallion got an idea, his eyes lighting up as he did so! “Hey, you remember how it was that we finally got Vapor to overcome her fear that there was a monster under her bed? How we were able to show her that she had nothing to fear and therefore didn’t need us to be nearby all the time?”

The pegasus mare vaguely recalled the memory as she came to a realization about what her husband was proposing they do. “You really think a similar thing will work with… well… you know?” She nervously looked back at the toilet, the specially made cloud seat still on it. “It’s not like with her bed, she’s gonna be seeing the toilet a lot.”

“All the more reason why we need to make her believe that she has nothing to fear from it, and therefore she won’t try to avoid it,” Mr. Trail declared. “Besides, what’s wrong with indulging her a little bit? She’ll grow out of it when she gets older, just like with the monster under her bed.”

Reluctantly, Mrs. Trail agreed. “If it means our daughter has the best future possible, I suppose we can humor her. But we’ll have to make it look convincing.”

“I’m one step ahead of you, dear,” Mr. Trail dramatically proclaimed as he trotted to the bathroom door! “Now come on, we’d better find Vapor before she finds a good hiding place!”

And the two pegasus parents exited the bathroom to look for their frightened foal, now with a new plan in place to try to help her conquer her newfound fear.

Fortunately for both Mr. and Mrs. Trail, Vapor Trail hadn’t gotten too far. She had predictably run back to her bedroom, trying to no avail to hide herself amongst her many stuffed animals.

“Ah, there you are, my little angel,” Mrs. Trail cooed as she gently coaxed her daughter out of hiding. “You know you’re such a brave little filly, right? After all, you don’t sleep with a nightlight on.”

Vapor slowly nodded. “Uh-huh, me brave filly!” She even tried to puff out her chest in a rather adorable fashion.

With a knowing wink to his wife, Mr. Trail then said to Vapor. “Well, only the bravest of brave fillies can stand up to the monster in the bathroom! You saw it with your own two eyes, and you heard what it sounds like. But did you know that that monster has a weakness?”

Vapor Trail blinked in newfound surprise. “It does?”

“Indeed it does,” Mr. Trail declared with dramatic fare. “And you’re just the sort of brave little filly to teach that monster a lesson! That is, if you’re feeling up to it. Your mother and I found out its weakness a while ago, we just sort of forgot to tell you what it was earlier.”

Mrs. Trail then declared. “Are you ready to go back into the bathroom and give that monster the business, my little pony?! It’s not going to go away until you do.”

Though still a bit frightened (and who could blame her?), Vapor nodded her head as she slowly stood up. “Uh-huh, me gonna try! Me wanna be brave and be big pony!”

---

So it was that the three pegasi returned to the bathroom, Vapor Trail soon being brought before that “monster” in all its frightening detail. It was truly an unnerving experience. But Vapor wanted to be brave, and brave ponies didn’t turn tail and run just because they were afraid.

Mr. Trail proceeded to pick up his daughter and place her preciously upon the cloud seat again. “Just sit still and don’t make any sudden movements,” He instructed his daughter. “If you do that, the monster can’t see you and therefore it can’t hurt you. If you move around too much it’ll see you, and you’ll end up in its belly. You wouldn’t want that.”

“So, what me have to do?” Vapor questioned as she looked up at her mother and father, sitting as still as a statue.

“Why, whatever you have to do,” Mrs. Trail simply replied. “Don’t worry, you’re perfectly safe now. Your father and I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

That reassurance went a long way towards helping Vapor Trail to relax, the little filly barely noticing when her tail hiked up and a familiar smell began to reach her nostrils. Was it really that easy?

Mr. and Mrs. Trail were overjoyed, and both clapped their hooves! “Well done, Vapor Trail! That’s how it’s done! You’re such a smart little pony!” They cheered with exaggerated praise. At least it seemed to have its intended effect of making their daughter beam with pride.

Mr. Trail then produced some toilet paper, helping his daughter to wipe. “Now we just clean up. Hold still and this will be over in just a minute.”

Vapor obliged, letting her father wipe her rump clean and then deposit the used rolls in the toilet bowl. “Can me get up now? Is it safe?” She asked afterward, not wanting to spend a moment more on the cloud seat than she had to. Comfortable as it was, she wasn’t entirely certain she was safe from the monster as long as she was on it. The only way she’d be sure she was safe was when her hooves were on the bathroom floor again.

Mrs. Trail nodded while picking her daughter up. “Let’s go wash those hooves now. You were very brave just now, braver than you’ve ever been before.”

But as Vapor Trail was lifted up, she heard a familiar roar as her father flushed the toilet once again. This time, she happened to glance down and see how everything inside the bowl was swept up by some kind of whirlpool and then disappeared, almost like magic. It was kind of cool to see, but also kind of frightening since she didn’t know where everything went. Plus, there was something that troubled her. “Why there noise if me defeat monster?” She asked her parents.

“That’s a roar of defeat. You put that monster in its place, it’ll never bother you again,” Mr. Trail explained to his daughter. “Just do what you did this time, and the toilet will never give you any trouble.”

“And when you get really good at using it, your father and I will have another surprise for you!” Mrs. Trail declared, hoping to encourage the little one to keep at it.

Vapor Trail eagerly exclaimed! “Surprise?! What surprise?!”

“Let’s just say, toilets and the proper usage of them aren’t the only new thing when it comes to foals your age.” Mr. Trail vaguely responded.