Potty Training Tales

by SuperPinkBrony12

Stripes, Swirls and Bowls (Zecora)

Author's Note:

Tags: [Slice of Life] [Sad] [Comedy] [Alternative Universe]
Characters: [Zecora] [Applejack] [Apple Bloom]
Written By: Foal Star
Note: I credited Foal Star with writing since this takes place in his age regression AU.

Applejack had been putting this off for a long time, because she was dreading having to do it. She felt justified in her fears after all the crazy happenings that occurred after Zecora was taken in by her family. So many mishaps and chaotic situations.

But she could believably put it off no longer. Her whole family agreed that Zecora was ready. Applejack found herself out voted. It was time to start potty training Zecora.

The regressed baby zebra was excited about the prospect, especially since so many of her friends were already undergoing it. She couldn’t wait to potty train and graduate to pull-ups the way others had. They all made it sound like fun.

Applejack did her best to work out a plan that she felt was fool proof, or at least mostly fool proof. She wasn’t going to take any chances. And she could only hope Zecora’s enthusiasm wouldn’t be too much of a problem. Once everything was ready, Applejack went to Zecora’s nursery and picked the baby zebra up. “Alright, Zecora. You know what’s comin’,” She sighed as she steadied her nerves. “The whole family agrees it’s time you started gettin’ out of diapers and started potty trainin’.”

Zecora started bouncing up and down in excitement! “Uh-huh, Appwejackie! I so excited I can hawwdy wait!”

Applejack found the young one’s enthusiasm to be quite contagious, and she couldn’t help but giggle. “I bet they never really had potties or anythin’ like that in your home world.”

Zecora shook her head and sported a goofy grin. “Nu-uh, we nevew had a need fow them! We just go in natuwe, natuwe ouw potty!” She told Applejack as the earth pony farmer carefully led the zebra down the long hallway to the bathroom..

“Well I hope you at least remembered to use leaves as toilet paper.” Applejack replied.

Zecora nodded her head. “Thewe was tis one time a zebwa used poison ivy. His whowe butt was itchy, it was so funny!”

“’ll bet it was. Wonder what would happen if one used poison joke to wipe themselves?” Applejack pondered. “Probably be a lot worse than an itchy behind,” And she was quick to caution. “Zecora, don’t you go gettin’ any ideas. I don’t want you doin’ your business without a potty. Just because we Apples live on a farm doesn’t mean we just go wherever and whenever we want. We’re civilized ponies, after all. Even we have acceptable ways of doin’ our business.”

Zecora nodded back in confirmation, remembering the time she had slipped out of her crib and wandered about the farm. It had ended with her falling into the pig pen and getting covered in mud. To say nothing of that time visiting her old hut where she’d mixed up a potion that had basically been a powerful laxative.

---

Applejack and Zecora arrived in the bathroom a short time later, and the mare immediately gestured to a well worn plastic bowl that had clearly seen better days if the faded and dulled paint on it was any indication. The zebra was disappointed, she’d been hoping for something much more bright and colorful.

“This here’s Apple Bloom’s old trainin’ potty,” Applejack explained to the zebra who stood before the old object. “Reckon it’ll work just fine for you, and it’s cheaper than havin’ to buy a brand new one,” She then cleared her throat. “Now, you may have learned a thing or two from the other foals, but just in case I’m gonna walk you through the process. Whenever you think you have to go number one or number two, you tell somepony and they’ll bring you to the potty.”

“Uh-huh, potty can go with ya whewevew ya go!” Zecora nodded. “Is powtabwe, unwike big potty.”

The farm mare nodded back. “Exactly. So then you make sure to take off your diaper so you don’t use it instead. Then you sit down on the potty and just wait until you’ve… well, you know what I mean. Sometimes it’ll be quicker than Rainbow Dash on cider day, and other times it’ll take a while. Heck, sometimes you may think you’ll have to go but you actually won’t. That’s okay, sometimes false alarms and accidents will happen. But if you do go, when you’re done you tell a grown-up so they can clean you up and clean out your potty. Got all of that?”

The baby zebra reluctantly nodded for what felt like the tenth time already. “Y-yeah, I tink so.” She waddled her way over to the training potty and moved to sit down on it. But when she did so she heard a crinkle and felt her diaper compress. Zecora blushed as she realized she was already forgetting an important step. She rose from the potty and started fiddling with the tabs on her diaper as she tried to undo it.

Applejack only chuckled as she trotted forward. “Need a little help there, sugarcube? It’s alright, those tabs are kinda difficult for your little hooves. You’ll find pull-ups much easier, once you graduate to ‘em anyway.”

“How wong tiw I gets to weaw puww-ups?” Zecora asked as Applejack undid the tabs on the zebra’s diaper .

“You gotta go at least a week or so without havin’ any accidents in your pampers,” Applejack explained, pulling down Zecora’s diaper. “Don’t feel too bad about not gettin’ into ‘em right away, though. Apple Bloom was a late bloomer when it came to potty trainin’, and so was I. Kind of runs in the family. Who knows though? Maybe you’ll be one of the lucky ones?” Zecora didn’t like the sound of that. She already lagged behind pretty much all the other regressed foals when it came to potty training. She had been hoping to graduate to pull-ups pretty quickly so as to not feel left behind.

Quickly sensing Zecora’s mood and how fast it was souring, Applejack intervened to stop it. “Hey, cheer up. Everyone learns at their own pace when it comes to potty trainin’. Granny always say there ain’t no sense in tryin’ to rush these things. Same as it with a cutie mark. In time anythin’ is possible. You graduate to pull-ups when you’re ready and not a moment sooner, simple as that. “And to help you keep track of your progress, we can set up a potty chart with all sorts of fun stickers.”

Zecora nodded, albeit reluctantly. “Otay, Appwejackie. Tat sounds good.”

Applejack smiled and winked. “Excellent! Knew you’d like that. Now get comfortable, you gotta sit on the potty for a while still.”

---

But although minutes passed, Zecora didn’t feel the need to do anything. And she felt particularly bothered by this because she knew it had been a long time since her last diaper change. Usually she just went whenever the need to go potty arose, so why was it becoming so difficult now? “Well, at least you tried, Zecora,” Applejack commented as she helped pull the tabs of the diaper back up. “Reckon we can try again later. I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it before long.” She then carried the baby zebra out of the bathroom. Zecora, for her part, couldn’t stop thinking about her inability to go potty. Her friends made it sound so easy, so why was she having so much trouble with it?

“Hey, Zecora,” Apple Bloom greeted sometime later. “So, how was your first potty time? You’d like your potty?”

Zecora let out a sigh. “I twy to use it, but I no use it, Appwe Boom,” She frowned. “Wha I doing wrong?”

“I don’t think you’re doin’ anythin’ wrong at all, really,” Apple Bloom replied. "Granny always say that potty trainin’s about learnin’ how to feel the rhythm of nature as it flows through your body. That’s how ya learn when you have to go and when ya don’t have to go. I was in diapers longer than any other member of the Apple Family. Course, that’s ‘cause I kept wettin’ the bed up until a year or two ago, but it was still embarrassin’ to have to need diapers long after most ponies did. And of course, Applejack had a hard time learnin’ when she was goin’ through potty trainin’. Even Big Mac had a couple of problems.”

“So it not my fawut?” The baby zebra questioned the farm filly.

With a shake of her head Apple Bloom replied. “It ain’t anypony’s fault, Zecora. And you’ve only just started potty trainin’. Ain’t met a pony or zebra yet who could be trained in one day, or even one week. I know it probably stinks knowin’ that so many of your friends are further along at it than you, but they’ve also been foals for longer than you have or didn’t regress as far back as you did. As long as you keep tryin’ though, sooner or later you’ll be a potty pro and rockin’ your big girl pull-ups!”

---

After that pep talk, Zecora felt a little bit better about things. And she was able to focus on matters other than potty training. At least until she felt her stomach start to rumble ominously, and a pressure build up in her rear. “Uh-oh, gots ta go!” She said to herself as she stood up, only for the pressure in her stomach and her rear to increase greatly!

The baby zebra reluctantly realized that she’d have to crawl. She forgot all about trying to call for somepony. Fortunately, Applejack and her younger sister happened to stumble upon Zecora. They were about to ask what was wrong when they both saw the zebra’s scrunched up face, and quickly deduced what was happening.

“Just hold on, Zecora! We’ll get you to the bathroom!” Apple Bloom declared as she scooped the baby zebra up and both she and her older sister rushed down the hall as fast as she could!

The three entered the bathroom as Applejack closed the door behind them, giving them privacy. Quick as a flash, Apple Bloom pulled her training potty from its resting place, undid the tabs on Zecora’s diaper and plopped her onto the plastic bowl.

And just in time too, because Zecora’s tail hiked up and she began to push as her face turned red! It was over in a matter of minutes, after which the zebra felt incredibly relieved.

“Woowee, Zecora!” Apple Bloom cried, plugging her nose. “You been mixin’ up potions again?”

“Nu-uh, I just weawwy, weawwy had to go!” Zecora declared, overcome with pride for her deed. “But now I big girw!”

“Yes you are, and you’ll continue to be one as long as you keep doin’ stuff like that in your potty,” Applejack said while holding her nose. “I think we need to start watchin’ what you eat, though.” Zecora wasn’t bothered by the smell as much. Back in her homelands smells ten times as powerful as this were a common occurrence due to a lack of indoor plumbing. She just held still as she was wiped clean by Applejack.

Apple Bloom took the training potty and emptied into the toilet with a series of splashes. She was just about to pull the handle to flush it all away when she got an idea. “Hey, Zecora, how ‘bout you do the honors by flushin’ it?” She asked. “I reckon it’ll be safe as long as either me or Applejack are watchin’ ya.”

“Uh-huh, not gonna be wike Hoity Toity!” Zecora nodded as she was lifted up and placed onto the toilet seat.

“I guess Sweetie Belle must’ve told her friends about how Hoity Toity accidently ended up getting flushed down the toilet while Cannon Feather intentionally flushed himself to try and save him,” Applejack thought to herself. She wanted to question her younger sister’s plan but decided not to do so knowing that Apple Bloom had made a very good point. “After all, Rarity did said that her sister tried to save them both.” She watched as Zecora carefully turned herself around so she would be able to look down into the bowl. Then she reached out and grasped the shiny silver handle with her hooves and pressed it down.

The loud flush surprised Zecora so much that she almost lost her grip! But somehow she managed to hold on as she watched with interest as the water inside the toilet started spinning rapidly around before turning into a dizzying whirlpool which sucked everything down though the hole and into the pipes. Seconds later, the water swirled down the drain and disappeared. When it returned, it was now sparkling clean.

Zecora sighed in relief and let go of the handle. But as her hooves again touched the toilet seat, she misjudged her step and ended up falling backwards and splashed face first into the waters of the toilet bowl.

Apple Bloom quickly pulled the zebra out and dried her off. “Are ya alright, Zecora?” She asked.

“Uh-huh,” Zecora said and made a gag face. “At weast I no go down ta howe!”

“And ya were also tryin’ to be really careful.” Applejack added.

“Well even so, I reckon I oughta give you a bath so you don’t get sick,” Apple Bloom reluctantly commented and prepared to turn on the tap and fill up the bathtub. “Don’t need Granny Smith to get mad at me for somethin’ that wasn’t our fault.”

“Exactly,” Applejack agreed before whispering into her younger sister’s eat. “The next time ya allow Zecora to flush the toilet after emptyin’ out her trainin’ potty, try placin’ her on the tank.” The farm filly just nodded.

Zecora hopefully asked. “But I stiww gets a stickew fow going potty, wight?”

“Eeyup!” Applejack modded. “And once you get enough stickers, you can start wearin’ pull-ups.”

Zecora cheered. “Yay! Puww-ups!”