"Come on, Sparky!" Hitch groaned under his breath as he pushed the little dragon along the floor of his office. "Don't try to fight it! When I say it's potty time, it's potty time!" The currently off-duty sheriff was not so subtly nudging the baby dragon towards the open door of his office's bathroom. It was a task made difficult by the fact that Sparky showed no willingness of any sort to cooperate.

Sparky protested as best he could, angrily babbling and growling at his adoptive father. Alas, it made no difference. Despite being a baby dragon, Sparky was powerless against a full grown stallion like Hitch. Soon, dragon dad and dragon child were in the bathroom, Hitch taking the liberty of shutting the bathroom door so as to deter Sparky from trying to make a run for it.

"Now just hold and let me get everything set up for you so you don't fall in again." The earth pony stallion scolded his charge. Then he lifted up the lid of the toilet, before bending down and clumsily fiddling with a special toddler seat as he fixed it in atop the normal toilet seat. Once he was certain it was in the right place, he reached out a hoof to scoop up Sparky and plop him onto the toilet.

Sparky wiggled about on the seat, babbling and whimpering as he gave Hitch the best pair of sad puppy dog eyes he could muster up.

Hitch didn't budge. "Nice try, mister. You're gonna sit there until I say you can get up. So get comfortable, Sparky."

The little dragon unhappily sighed and seemed to resign himself to his fate. He just sat there, his legs dangling off to either side of the seat. At least it was soft and warm, nothing like that cold, hard, regular toilet seat he'd used before.

For how long Sparky sat there with Hitch watching him, he knew not. All he knew was that eventually Hitch approached him and lifted him off the seat. What he saw seemed to impress him, prompting him to clap his hooves! "Good job, Sparky! That's the way to do it! Now was that worth making so much of a fuss about?"

The baby dragon just cooed.

"Well, you know what's coming next, mister," The off-duty sheriff declared as he pulled some toilet paper off a small rack nearby. "Hold still, please." He quickly carried out the wiping job, then discarded the used rolls in the toilet, before flushing it.

Then there was trouble: Midway through the flush cycle, the toilet made a strange gurgling sound and the water stopped flowing. Hitch knew immediately what the problem was. "Again?! That's the third time this week you've clogged it!" He complained whilst briefly looking to his charge. When he saw Sparky whimper and shrink from his gaze, he quickly apologized. "It's not your fault, Sparky. I just wish we had a dragon compatible toilet." With a sigh, he then retrieved a plunger and started plunging.

It took a lot of hard work and effort, but Hitch was eventually able to break up the clog and get the flush cycle to complete. He wiped the sweat from his brows as he did so, before removing the toddler seat, putting the lid of the toilet back down, and washing his hooves in the sink (whilst making sure Sparky did the same thing with his claws).

Potty training Sparky was always a struggle. And the earth pony stallion could only mentally reassure himself that he was rounding a corner. "A few more weeks, and Sparky will be fully trained. Then he can manage everything on his own." He thought to himself.

Just as dragon dad and dragon child exited the office bathroom, there came a knock at the door. Hitch immediately called out. "It's open, come in!"

And who should come trotting into the office but Misty, one of Hitch's more recent friends? She was quick to apologize. "Sorry. I just didn't see anypony in the office, so I assumed it was closed. I was just going to see if you were coming to the brighthouse today? You haven't really been back since we defeated Opaline," And she questioned. "Your job can't be keeping you that busy, can it?"

The off-duty sheriff laughed ever so faintly, leaning back in his office chair as he sat down in it. "Of course not. Everything's been peaceful and quiet here in Maretime Bay. And that's just the way I like it. It means I finally have time to get around to doing something I've been trying to do for a long time."

"Oh? What would that be?" Misty pondered.

Hitch gestured a hoof to Sparky as the little dragon waddled over to him. "Getting Sparky Sparkaroni here potty trained."

At that the unicorn with a beautiful blue coat blinked in surprise. "I thought he was already fully trained. You know, seeing as he doesn't wear diapers."

At that the earth pony stallion blushed. "Actually, I did try that with Sparky when I first got him. The results were... not pretty to say the least. No matter what diaper brands I tried, he'd either rip them off with his claws or burn them up with his fire breath. And then he'd just go potty wherever he wanted to. I was actually just starting to train him when you started trying to kidnap him."

A wave of guilt washed over the unicorn mare. "Oh."

"Hey, it's alright, you didn't know," Hitch pointed out. "But after all that went down with Opaline, and then you joining our group, Sparky's potty training just sort of slipped through the cracks," He proudly puffed out his chest as he then proclaimed. "I'm more than up to the challenge, though. After all, I was out of diapers faster than either Sunny or Sprout. Heck, I don't think there was anypony I knew who was potty trained faster than me. That's how good I was at it."

"Really?" Misty questioned, sounding equal parts amazed and skeptical.

The currently off-duty sheriff nodded his head quite affirmatively. "Yup. Just ask Grandma Figgy and Phyilis if you don't believe me. They'll tell you, they've even got the pictures to prove it," Leaning down at his desk, he opened up a drawer and pulled out two pictures that showed him as a toddler. One showed him proudly posing in just a plain white diaper. And the other showed him in a similar pose with nothing at all on his rear. "See? That was me just two weeks apart. In just two weeks I went from not even thinking about potty training to pottying like a pro! It's a fact I'm very proud of!" And already, he was flashing back in his mind to that time, to when he had first dedicated himself to following the rules other laid out for him.

"Alright, my little Hitch," Mrs. Trailblazer said one day to her two year old son. She had the same coat color as him, but sported a beautiful blonde mane and tail styled short. Her cutie mark depicted a lovely pink fedora with a red feather sticking out of it. And her blue eyes sparkled like diamonds. "Your father and I along with your Grandma Figgy are all in agreement. Today's the day you're ready to give up your diapers."

"What? Give up diapers?" The two year colt blinked in surprise. As he did so, the padded undergarment hugging his rear crinkled audibly.

Mrs. Trailblazer smiled, effortlessly leading her son through the fine single story house they lived in in the very heart of Maretime Bay. She soon brought him into the bathroom, and ushered him towards a small, plastic bowl colored an uninspiring shade of white. "Yes, my sweet little angel. It's time you learned how to use the potty. Everypony uses it, and you will be no exception."

Hitch was a bit hesitant about the idea. To do what he was used to doing in his diapers in some plastic bowl he'd never seen before sounded strange, and not the good kind of strange. He turned to his mother, asking her. "Do I really have to, Mommy? I like my diapers."

Mrs. Trailblazer could only laugh at her son's reluctance and hesitation. She then effortlessly stripped the toddler of the aforementioned padded undergarment and tossed it aside without fanfare. "I know you do, Hitch. But you're too old to still be wearing and using them. Besides, you'll find that using the potty is very easy and far more convenient." She soon had him seated upon the potty, standing next to him with an encouraging smile.

"So... what do I do?" The toddler asked his mother as he sat there and stared at her.

"Well, whatever you used to do in your diapers. I'm sure I don't have to elaborate," Mrs. Trailblazer explained, effortlessly slipping into that posh tone of hers. "Just relax, feel the flow of nature as it moves through your body. Then let it all out."

Hitch was still anything but sold on the idea. "I don't think I have to go, Mommy. Can I please do something else instead? I promise I'll try to use the potty if I have to go."

"No, my little pony. You need to try!" Mrs. Trailblazer sternly scolded. "You're not getting up from the potty until I say you can get up, and that's final. Quit being so fussy and stubborn. You will learn to use the potty whether you like it or not."

The earth pony toddler found that he couldn't argue with such logic, especially not from his female parent. So he just sat there, and sat there, and sat there, and sat there some more. After a while, however, he felt something move inside of him. And within seconds, his tail hiked upward as a familiar scent reached his nostrils. "I... I did it, Mommy!" He proudly raised his hooves into the air! "I used the potty!"

Mrs. Trailblazer clapped her hooves in approval, not the least bit bothered by the smell wafting through the air. "You most certainly did, Hitch. I'm very proud of you! Now, can I count on you to do that again for your father and for Grandma Figgy? I know they'll want to see your success just as much as I do."

Hitch nodded. "You bet I will, Mommy! And you were right: Using the potty was easy."

The flashback ended as Hitch smiled, returning the photos to the drawer from which they'd come. "Yup, those were the days," He said with a giggle. "Now I just have to hope with Sparky that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"I see," Misty blinked quite slowly, unsure of what else to say. "Well... I guess I'll just tell the others what you told me. Best of luck with the training," Turning to Sparky, she briefly cooed. "And Sparky, be a good little dragon and do what Hitch tells you to do, okay?" Then she trotted out of the office.

As fate would have it, at that very moment a certain familiar red coated earth pony stallion quite literally bumped into Misty. "Hey, I'm not invisible, you know! You must be able to avoid me!"

"Sorry, Sprout. Didn't see you there, really," Misty sincerely apologized. "I was just leaving. Hitch is very busy right now, in case you couldn't tell."

Sprout frowned as he looked at the baby dragon currently running around the office unsupervised, giggling and making a mess of things. "Yeah, I can see that. I have eyes too, you know," He humphed and swished his tail. "That Hitch likes to think he's so smart. Yet he's letting that kid do whatever he pleases. I know when was Sparky's age, I could never get away with doing any of the things Sparky's done. And not just because I'm not a dragon."

"He's just a baby!" Misty pointed out. "He's not even potty trained yet."

At that the former deputy threw back his head and laughed heartily. "Oh, is that so? I guess it's not so easy controlling a baby dragon the way Hitch likes to corral critters. But you know what, he should be asking me for advice!"

The unicorn mare was immediately skeptical of such a claim. "Why would he need your help? He told me he was potty trained before either you or Sunny."

Sprout frowned as his brows narrowed in reply. "He told you that?! Well, did he also tell you about a little secret of his that I know?" Without being prompted to do so, he leaned in close and whispered into Misty's ear. "He actually went back to diapers for a while. Whereas when I was potty trained, once I got out of diapers I stayed out of them. And for the record, I could've easily been trained sooner than Hitch, I just didn't feel like it. Luckily, my mommy decided not to wait until I thought I was ready." And he began reflecting back to that fateful day when everything had changed for him.

It had started out like a normal day for Sprout, who was then just over two and a half years old. He'd already seen his friend Hitch get out of diapers, but had been in no hurry to join his fellow colt in diaperless freedom. His diapers suited him just fine. He would give them up when he felt darn good and ready. And of course, his father (who served as Maretime's Bay sheriff) had seen fit not to challenge such thinking.

The red coated colt's mother thought otherwise, however. Today just so happened to be one of the days she had taken off to raise her only child. And in her mind, there was no better day than today to start on an important development for her son. "Sprout," She said to him a while after breakfast. "The time has come for you to learn how to be a big pony, like your father and like me. That means learning how big ponies do their business."

"'Business'?" Sprout blinked his eyes rapidly, such a word sounded funny and foreign to him. "I have to go to work like you and Daddy?"

Phyllis had to resist the urge to chuckle. "That's not what I meant, sugarcube. I guess a better way of putting it would be answering nature's call," When her son still didn't acknowledge what she was saying, she sighed and settled for. "I'm talking about what you've been doing in your diapers. But now, you're ready to give them up."

"But if I don't wear diapers, Mommy, what will I do when I have to go?" The earth pony toddler nervously asked. "You said it's not polite to just go on the floors, or do it behind a bush."

Phyllis held out her hoof to her son. "Follow me, and I will show you." Holding tightly to her son's hoof, she led him through the house into a place he was already somewhat familiar with: The bathroom.

Soon, Sprout was brought before an object that was tall, gleaming white in color, and weirdly bowl shaped. He had glanced at it occasionally before and thought nothing of it. Looking at it now, he still didn't have the faintest idea what it was or why it was there. "Mommy, what is that?" He asked as he eyed the strange contraption with a mix of fear, curiosity, and most of all reluctance.

The glasses wearing earth pony mare was quick with the answer. "This is a potty. More specifically, it's one that grown-up ponies like your father and I use. And we call it a toilet."

"So... I have to use... that?" The toddler earth pony questioned. Just looking at it unnerved him. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't like the look of the toilet at all.

"Of course you do, sugarcube," Phyllis cooed as she removed her son's diaper and then lifted up the lid of the toilet, exposing a curved horseshoe seat with water and some sort of hole underneath it. "I probably should've started potty training you sooner, that way we wouldn't have to jump right to this. But the Trailblazers have gotten Hitch fully trained, and I'm sure even Argyle is starting to think about potty training Sunny. So you are just going to have to do better than them, and go right to using the toilet."

Sprout frowned and questioned. "How do I use it, Mommy? I don't think I can get up on the seat."

Phyilis didn't let that stop her. She just scooped Sprout up and delicately placed him on the toilet seat. "There we go, problem solved. Now get comfy, sugarcube."

The red coated colt groaned as he hesitantly asked. "When can I get down, Mommy? I don't like this, it's too high up!"

The glasses wearing mare replied. "Just sit still and you'll be fine," Then she realized something. "Oh my hoofness, I forgot to get the timer!" Turning to her son, she instructed. "Stay there and don't move, I'll be back as soon as I can. If you have to do something, go ahead and do it." And she raced out of the bathroom as fast as she could!

Sprout, however, was not content to obey his mother on this. He wanted nothing to do with something so big and so cold to the touch (not to mention a little smelly). He had to get down somehow. Yet as he tried to maneuver his hooves about, he found himself suddenly losing his balance! Without warning, he slid off the seat and plunged into the bowl! The next thing he knew, his entire body was soaking wet! And to make matters worse, he was struggling to keep his head above the water's surface! "Mommy!" He screamed as he flailed about!

As luck would have it, Phyllis just so happened to come dashing into the bathroom at that very moment! Upon seeing her toddler son panicking and struggling to stay afloat in the toilet bowl, she immediately dropped the egg timer she'd been carrying! Without hesitation, she ran to the toilet and fished her soggy son out, plopping him down onto some nearby towels! "Sprout, what did I say about not moving?!" She scolded and lectured him!

Sprout whimpered and shrank from his mother's gaze. "I'm sorry, Mommy. I didn't mean to mess up. I just didn't like sitting on the toilet. It's too big and too wet, and sitting on it takes forever!"

The glasses wearing mare just sighed, putting a hoof to her forehead. "I know it's not very fun, Sprout. But it's something everypony has to learn. Nopony can stay in diapers forever."

The red coated colt frowned and snorted in reply. "Why not? Hitch is going back to diapers. He says his Grandma Figgy's going to let him."

At that, Phyllis stumbled back in disbelief! "What?! I can't believe she would ever entertain such an idea! She should be encouraging him to value his potty training, not disregard it."

"So how come he doesn't have to use a toilet, but I do?" Sprout complained as he stomped a hoof down in protest. "It's just not fair!" He then pleaded, throwing himself at his mother's hooves. "Please, Mommy! Don't make me do it!"

Phyllis could only groan and sigh anew in dismay. "I really didn't want it to have to come this, Sprout. I'm not letting you stay in diapers, no matter what your father or anypony else says. You're old enough to not need them. But if you don't want to use the toilet, then fine. We can hold off on that until you're a little older and a little bit bigger. In the meantime," She trotted over to a cabinet underneath the sink and pulled out a much smaller bowl made of plastic. "You can use this. This is a potty intended for ponies your age. From now on, you're going to use this to do your business whether you like it or not. Do I make myself clear, Sprout?"

The earth pony toddler frowned anew, but resigned himself to his fate. He knew that whenever his mother got into this sort of stubborn mood about something, it was best not to fight her and to go along with whatever she wanted. In that case, it meant using this toddler potty she had gotten for him.

"So there you have it. I actually got to start using a toilet before either Hitch or Sunny!" Sprout boasted as the flashback ended. "And if they ever tell you otherwise, Misty, they're lying. You can thank my mommy for practically forcing me to potty train even when I didn't want to. She was right, like she usually is on such things."

Misty just frowned and squirmed, shrinking from Sprout's gaze. "I'm not sure that's what Sparky really needs. Hitch knows Sparky better than anypony."

Sprout just swished his tail and trotted away. "Whatever," He remarked with indifference. "I guess it was nice bumping into you," Before disappearing all together, however, he was quick to turn around and add. "Oh, and I guess I do have to thank you for getting rid of that freaky fire pony that tried to steal all our cutie marks: Whatever you said her name was." And with that, as if to make himself heard, he strolled over the horizon and vanished from sight.

The unicorn mare could only blink. Even after all this time and all that happened, Sprout was still Sprout: Boastful and highly opinionated. But he was still friends with Sunny and Hitch, apparently. So who was she to question what they saw in him?

It took Misty but a moment afterward to remember what she had been doing prior to meeting Sprout. She made a beeline for the Crystal Brighthouse, now ready to let her other friends know why Hitch wouldn't be coming to visit it again for the foreseeable future.

On the way, the unicorn mare with a beautiful blue coat happened to pass by Sunny's smoothie cart. And sure enough, Sunny called out to her unicorn friend as she trotted past. "Hey, Misty."

"Oh, hi, Sunny," Misty cheerfully greeted as she trotted over. Then she took notice of a glasses wearing unicorn stallion standing nearby. "And hello to you too, Comet."

Comet waved a hoof. "What's up, Misty?" He asked. "You looked like you were in a hurry."

Misty slowly nodded. "Yeah, I was just going back to the Crystal Brighthouse to tell our friends about Hitch. He's not going to be coming by anytime soon," She whispered in explanation. "Apparently, he's working on getting Sparky potty trained."

Sunny smiled. "I had a feeling that was the case. He mentioned it briefly just before we found the magic map leading to the Isle of Scaly," She put a hoof to her chin. "Maybe we should go back there sometime and ask Spike if he remembers anything about his potty training that could help us with Sparky's. Or at least, if he knows where we could find some flameproof diapers that Sparky won't be able to destroy."

"Actually, while I was talking with Hitch about it, I ended up finding out more about his own potty training," The unicorn mare explained. "And I also heard about Sprout's," She giggled in spite of herself. "Only he could've done something so silly on his first attempt. From what it sounds like, though, the toilets here in Maretime Bay are a lot different from the ones I remember back in Bridlewood," She frowned, trying to picture the memory more clearly. "It's so fuzzy. I swear, I used to remember it more in detail before I met Opaline. But now, when I try to remember it, I can't seem to recall much of anything."

Sunny Starscout's smile grew brighter as she reached out a hoof to her unicorn friend. "It's okay if you don't remember, Misty. Comet doesn't really remember much about his early years either."

Comet slowly nodded and gulped a bit as he confessed. "It's true. They're kind of a blur. I remember Violet Frost being a big part of my life, even back then. And I think I remember how I used to look up to her and wanted to be like her. I think that led me to start potty training at an earlier age than other foals, but that's about it."

Sunny began to giggle as Comet finished speaking. "You mentioning wanting to be more like Violet Frost actually made me remember something. Hitch and Sprout are half-right if they said I didn't start potty training until after they did," She began to recall memories long since passed. "My dad let me stay in diapers until I was at least three. But even he eventually decided I had to give them up and be a big pony." And a particular memory started playing again in her mind as if it had all happened just yesterday.

"Good morning, my little princess," Argyle cooed as he strolled into Sunny's nursery and lifted her out of her crib (which was due to be taken down and converted into a normal bed in a few weeks' time). "And how are we today?"

Sunny beamed happily as she stretched out her hooves, reaching up to touch her father's face. "Doing great, Daddy!"

Argyle smiled back as he pulled back his diaper's daughter. "Did you remember to keep your diapers nice and clean like I asked you to after I changed you last night?"

The toddler earth pony filly happily nodded. "Uh-huh. You said you'd have a big surprise waiting for me if I did."

Argyle inspected the padding and found it to still be in pristine condition. His daughter had done what he'd asked of her. "You bet I did, Sunny. And I think you're going to like it. Come on, now." He quickly carried her to the bathroom, taking great care to support her diapered bottom as she held tightly to him.

Sunny Starscout didn't know what to expect as she was set upon the bathroom floor and stripped of her diaper, watching her father unceremoniously discard it into a wastebasket nearby. "Now Sunny, you know that if it were up to me I'd gladly let you stay in diapers for as long as you wanted to. But it's not up to me. If you want to go to school with Hitch and Sprout someday, you're gonna have to learn how to manage without diapers," He briefly let out a sigh. "Much as I hate to admit it, Phyllis has a point about how you're getting too big to be using your diapers as a bathroom."

The earth pony filly whimpered a bit as she felt a faint breeze blow past her bare bottom. "You're really going to make me potty train?" She asked her father. "I know Hitch and Sprout are already doing it, but it doesn't sound like fun even if they say it is."

Argyle simply adjusted his glasses, smiling as he produced a package in a bright green bag. Ripping it open, he pulled out something thick and white. But it was clearly not a diaper. "I had a feeling you might say that, Sunny. Which is why I came prepared," He set the object down and unfolded it, revealing that it had colorful tabs that could easily be slid down or pulled up, and a very familiar six pointed star printed on the seat. "These pull-ups were specially made. But for you, they're worth the expense."

"Pull-ups?" Sunny blinked in surprise.

Argyle nodded. "You can take these on and off much easier than any plain old diaper. And they all have custom prints to boot. They're themed after those ponies I told you about in my research," When he saw his daughter try to reach for the pull-up, however, he quickly snatched it up and held it out of her reach. "Ah-ah, Sunny. You have to prove you're worthy of them, first. And you know what that means."

The filly hesitantly and somewhat sadly replied. "I... have to use the potty now?" And her question was soon answered as she was seated upon a plastic potty colored a shade of pretty pink. It had the words "My Little Potty" printed on the side in almost cartoonish fashion.

"Luckily for you," Argyle said with a smile as he laid his back hooves down and sat upon the floor next to his daughter. "I have plenty of interesting stories about Princess Twilight and her friends that I've discovered. And now I'm going to share them all with you to help you pass the time. I know using the potty doesn't seem like fun right now. But we can work to change that."

"My dad was right. Thanks to his stories and his encouragement, potty training was so much fun!" Sunny fondly exclaimed as her recollections came to an end. "But I started feeling bad for Hitch when he let himself go back to diapers while with his Grandma Figgy. So whenever she came over to watch me and Hitch was with her, I'd let her put me back into diapers too. It was our little secret. We tried to convince Sprout to join us, but he never did. Yet the fact is," She said with a chuckle and a cheeky grin. "He actually was the last one among us to get out of pull-ups. He really really didn't like having to use toilets, although he wouldn't say why."

"That's... fascinating," Misty uncertainly replied. "I never would've imagined you, Hitch, and Sprout could all have such different stories about such an important time in your lives. I mean, I guess I knew no two ponies would have exactly the same experience, but still..."

Sunny Starscout could only comment. "Well... it's something you never really think about. I just remember it because it was a time when everything seemed simpler, more magical. And I'd be lying if I said I haven't felt trying to go back to those days every once in a while, just to pretend my dad's still there."

"I'm... sorry. I didn't mean to make you..." Misty began but trailed off, feeling it better not to dwell on the issue.

Sunny wiped a lone tear from her eyes. "It's alright. It's good to talk with friends. And even if I wanted to, I can't change the past. The best I can do is try to change the future."

Comet nodded. "And look on the bright side: It was because of your dad's stories that you met Misty and I, and we all became friends. I can't imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't met you when I did."

The unicorn mare then replied. "Well... I think I'm gonna get going, now. I wouldn't want to delay you from opening up your smoothie cart for the day. Besides, I still need to tell Zipp, Pipp, and Izzy about Hitch not coming back to the brighthouse."

Just then, however, there came a loud whooshing sound! And what should touch down in front of Misty but the Marestream itself in all its glory?

"Hey, Misty," Zipp greeted as the side door of the flying machine opened up. "Pipp and I got tired of waiting for you. Actually, we were just on our way to Zephyr Heights. Would you care to join us?"

Author's Note

This really has no connection to the first "Potty Training Tales", but the title was the best thing I could think of. It's really intended to be more like the Bear in the Big Blue House episode, more of a series of indirect reflections and conversations about potty training.

And yes, this obviously involves a lot of headcanon, because the family situation for a lot of our main characters is unclear. As for Comet, I really couldn't think of how to fit him in, seeing as we haven't even the faintest clue what his past was like and likely will never learn anything of substance.