Potty Training Tales

by SuperPinkBrony12

The Stork & The Mail Mare (Dinky)

Author's Note:

Tags: [Slice of Life] [Crossover] [Mystery]
Characters: [Dinky] [Derpy] [OC]
Written By: Yosh E-O
Note: Related to “Big Muffin and Little Muffin”

Derpy Hooves, who was known also as ‘Muffins’, ‘Bubbles’, ‘Ditzy-Do’, and other such names, was the least likely mare any pony would believe could be a mother. However, despite having thought she had just eaten numerous batches of bad muffins, she was surprised to learn all the weight and sick feelings meant she was giving birth to a foal.

The Ponyville pediatrician opened the front door of his practice to find the mail mare appearing very confused as she stood frozen in plac,e holding out the mail meant for the doctor as a newborn foal now lay upon the ground. “I say,” He stated as calmly as he possibly could to not distress the already confused mail mare. “I think you must’ve met the stork on your way over here.”

Derpy felt relaxed enough to finish handing over the mail to the doctor after hearing this statement. “Really?” She asked. “But the stork delivers babies to mommies and daddies.”

The doctor remained calm and composed. “Well, my dear,” He said with a smile. “It would appear it is your turn to get a delivery from the stork.”

“Oh, wow!” The grey-coated pegasus chirped. “I’m a mommy!”

The pediatrician looked about to see if anypony was gawking at the scene. Fortunately there were no ponies around. “Okay, Derpy,” He calmly instructed. “Why don’t you bring your special delivery in, and we’ll get you both acquainted as mother and child?”

The wall-eyed pegasus looked to her mail satchel. “But I still have mail to deliver,” She protested. “Ponies get mad when they don’t get their mail on time.”

The pediatrician was amazed at how innocent and simple the yellow-maned pegasus was. “Tell you what, Derpy,” He informed the mare. “I’ll call the post office and let them know you have a doctor’s excuse to be off work to get time with your ‘special delivery’.”

“Really?” Derpy wondered as she was now admiring the foal that was trying to reach for her. “Who will deliver the mail while I’m off of work?”

The doctor laughed. “There’s always somepony,” He replied. “Now let’s get you in here so we can see what the stork delivered to you.”

---

Derpy found it very easy to bond with her daughter, who she named Dinky for how small she was. The bubbly mare also felt something in herself change as she looked into the normal-appearing eyes of her similarly appearing filly. Similar with the exception that she was a unicorn and not a pegasus. There was also her eyes being normal and the fact she was a baby and not a full-grown pony.

As Derpy and Dinky enjoyed their time together, Mayor Mare, the pediatrician, and some local representatives for child welfare went into a meeting on how to go forward. The discussion was focused on if Derpy was fit to be a mother. Mayor Mare remained neutral as the pediatrician argued how Ms. Hooves was showing signs of a fit mother as the child welfare department representatives countered with how some pony with Derpy’s ‘condition’ could successfully raise a foal.

The meeting got quite heated until Mayor Mare finally intervened. “I hear both parties and see how each has a good reason to believe their choice for Ms. Hooves child should be one in the child’s best interest,” She firmly declared. “So I propose a compromise. Henceforth, Ms. Derpy Hooves will retain custody of her daughter. But will, without being made aware of the role of child welfare, be appointed a ‘helper’ to take notes while assisting her in being a good parent. We shall then meet every month to discuss progress and update the arrangements if so deemed necessary.”

Both parties appeared pleased in this outcome and went about preparing for Derpy’s return to her humble home.

---

An independent party was hired to serve as a nanny/caretaker. Her name was Nixi and she was one of the best when it came to parenting strategies, child welfare, etc. None knew where she hailed from but she was always reachable through mailing to a special PO box within Ponyville’s post office.

Nixi was a unicorn mare who had white fur and a blue mane. She appeared a bit larger than the average mare, but nopony really gave it much thought. Most ponies only cared if she could help them with their foals while making solid decisions to ensure what was best for the little ones.

---

On the day of Derpy’s return from the hospital, Nixi made a solid effort of converting the pegasus’ small home into a warm, welcoming, and safe place for little Dinky. Some questioned her on how she could support helping a pegasus who had no knowledge of how ‘the stork’ happened to find her. However Nixi would calmly touch on how she had seen other situations that were as hard to believe and had her own sons whom ‘came to her’, and which she cared for. This could’ve been questioned further, but Nixi was known for using clever words to share her thoughts. Nopony would ever doubt what she did as a result of just how good she was at being a mother.

Derpy, for her part, was surprised at how much her home had changed since she had been away from it for over a week. “Oh, wow!” She awed. “It’s like a little nursery in here.”

“That it is, Derpy,” Nixi nodded. “Now how about we get Dinky into her crib so I can show you how everything works?”

“Okee!” Derpy sing-songed.

---

Derpy soon found it hard to leave her daughter’s side. She was even noticing her eyesight getting better, for she bumped into fewer-and-fewer things than she once did prior to her visit by ‘the stork’.

Nixi was quick to pick up on this. “You’re an amazing pony, Ms. Hooves,” The white coated unicorn remarked while magically powering a bottle warmer. “I do believe the stork made a good choice when he delivered your bundle of joy.”

“You think?” The wall-eyed pegasus wondered. “I heard some ponies think I’m making up that the stork came and how this filly is mine.”

Nixi nuzzled against Derpy. “I guess we’ll just have to show them that miracles do happen,” She soothed. “But we still have some things to get used to before Dinky wakes up.”

“Okee!” Derpy beamed. She was definitely feeling ‘Bubbly’.

---

Time passed and Nixi had written very detailed reports on Derpy’s progress on being a mother. Some felt Nixi’s findings were all a work of fiction, but anyone who would be ‘casually invited over for dinner’ would see just how independent Ms. Hooves was in caring for her happy-go-lucky daughter (who was more than meeting her milestones). It seemed impossible but it was happening. And by Dinky’s first birthday, Nixi had officially signed and notarized a document that would prevent anypony from taking Dinky from her loving and caring mother.

“Ms. Hooves,” The unicorn beamed towards the wall-eyed pegasus who had her daughter safely harnessed in a travel chair upon her back. “I must go now to tend to some matters back in my home dim-err-hometown.”

“Oke.” The grey coated mare replied. Her mind was more on her daughter than Nixi’s words.

“Just know,” Nixi continued as she hoofed a small envelope to Derpy. “If you ever need anything, please deliver this to my PO box, and I’l come back to help as soon as I can.”

“Okee.” Derpy replied again as the playful babbling of Dinky was her current focus.

“Be well, Ms. Hooves.” Nixi declared as she headed out of the Hooves’ home and soon left.

---

Ponies were amazed over the following year. They noticed how Derpy brought Dinky everywhere she went. She even brought her daughter to work upon being reinstated to return. Most thought this was insanity for how often the mail mare was known for running into walls, posts, trees, etc. However this had now become more the exception than the rule for Derpy.

“Perhaps a miracle did happen?” Some ponies would openly declared as they’d see how the mother and daughter combo worked together in delivering the mail. Ms. Hooves could have easily found someone to foalsit while she was at work, but she wouldn’t have it. Dinky was her ‘special delivery’, her ‘little muffin’ and she felt more confident, appreciated, and loved when her baby unicorn was around.

---

All was going well until the pediatrician saw Dinky still in diapers after her fourth birthday. He pulled Derpy aside to discuss the matter with her. “Ms. Hooves,” He said as caringly as he could. “Your daughter is very bright. And smart unicorns like Dinky start going to school at around her age.”

“Oh, goody!” The bubbly mare chirped and clapped her hooves. “Does this mean I have to deliver some papers to City Hall to get her enrolled into school?”

The doctor seemed surprised at Ms. Hooves knowing of the procedure to get a child started on their education. However he soon realized that Derpy had learned a lot of how pony society worked from being a mail mare. “Yes,” He responded, knowing he should cease trying to talk down to Ms. Hooves. “But, has Dinky showed any interest in not being in diapers?”

Derpy thought about this for a bit. “No…,” She answered and trailed off. “We just say her diaper is like my mail bag and I get to find special deliveries in it that I clean up, just as Ms. Nixi taught me.”

Derpy than laughed. “Dinky’s a mail carrier in her own way,” She continued. “We call her diapers ‘mail bags’ and she lets me know when she is ready to deliver to the nearest ‘mail box’, which is actually a diaper pale but don’t tell her that.”

The doctor was impressed, yet again, on how Derpy’s childlike mind just found all sorts of ways to make positive things that other ponies would never be able to do in a similar situation. “Well,” He tried to continue. “Dinky can’t be making ‘deliveries’ when she’s at school.”

“Why not?” The mail mare asked with a baffled expression. “It’s not a problem if somepony changes her. And she’s always happy to play, and she is safe as a foal in diapers. Potty training was a difficult experience for me, I don’t want to make Dinky go through the same thing I went through.”

The doctor felt he was getting a little hint of what the bubbly mare’s past was like. Perhaps a part of her, without knowing it, was trying to protect her daughter from traumas that had happened to her when she was her child’s age?

Either way, the doctor knew that something had to be done. Ponies would start to take notice and would get suspicious. “Hey!” He announced. “What if we got Nixi back here to help you get Dinky happily out of diapers?”

“Okee.” Derpy replied as she didn’t really know what else to say. Plus, she did like Nixi and knew theuUnicorn cared about her and her daughter. If there was anypony who could help make the difficult aspects of parenthood easy, it was her.

---

“How are your boys, Ms. Nixi?” The mail mare asked as the unicorn went about creating an encouraging system for Dinky to get out of her diapers.

“Leon and Parker?” The unicorn beamed. “They’re doing great. They’re probably both back playing video games right now.”

Derpy’s eyes blinked. “What’s a video game?” She asked.

“Oh!” Nixi blushed. “Just something my little hatchlings like to play while Mommy is away.”

Derpy still remained confused. “How old are your boys?” She asked.

Nixi, knowing Derpy wouldn’t give out any of her secrets, and having no worries in sharing some truths she’d nomrally hide from those who asked for her assistance, replied. “Whatever they want their age to be. They’re good boys when they aren’t fighting over the space battle toys.”

Derpy was now officially lost. “Okee,” She replied again. “How did you get them out of diapers?”

Nixi had to pause as her boys had been in diapers for years. However her boys also were this way due to the magic that made up her realm (and it was also partially by their choice, though where she was from that was not uncommon). “They’re still having some trouble,” She decided to answer. “Though every dragon is different.”

“Dragon…,” Derpy trailed off, focusing on that.

Nixi now knew she was overloading Derpy with information that would not be of any relevance to her task at hoof. “Well it doesn’t mattter. We’re here for Dinky,” She deflected. “So how’s about we go with the ‘lead by example’ approach?”

“Okee,” The wall-eyed mare nodded. That’s what the books she’d consulted had advised “What do I do?”

SHING

WHOOSH

SNAP-SNAP

“Whoah!” Derpy gasped as she was suddenly strapped into a diaper. “I don’t need diapers, Ms. Nixi.”

The unicorn nodded and smiled. “You and I know that,” She encouragingly replied. “However, Dinky seeing your model behavior to go potty will help her see how important it is to not rely on diapers, and instead use the potty.”

“Oh…,” The pegasus considered. “Okee.” Dinky was going to be in for a very big surprise when she next saw her mommy.

---

Nixi’s approach didn’t go exactly as she had planned. Derpy sort of “accidentally on purpose” did the wrong thing with her diaper so Dinky would know what not to do. It all worked out in the end when Dinky used her potty without a fuss, and Derpy offered her muffins in exchange for not telling anyone what had happened.

Dinky soon came around to the idea of making her “special deliveries” to the nearest “mail box”, the only thing that changed is that she no longer had her “mail sacks” to help her. There was just the one, the plastic training potty in the bathroom. Even though she wasn’t afraid of the bigger model, the one that did that cool flush thing, her mother wouldn’t let her use it.

“You’ll graduate to the big potty when you’re a little older and can make it to the potty on time more often.” Derpy advised. And Dinky was never one to disobey an order from her mommy. Her mommy could be so silly, but that was just what Dinky liked about her.

Nixi, for her part, just smiled as she observed Dinky’s progress from afar.