Tags: [Sad] [Slice of Life]

Characters: [Big Sugar] [Big Macintosh] [Sugar Belle] [Applejack]

Written By: SuperPinkBrony12

Note: A loose continuation of "Housebreaking Applejack", which was written prior to Big Sugar's existence.

Autumn Glory (better known as Big Sugar to his friends due to his similarities to his parents, at least in terms of physical appearance) had more or less accepted the idea of potty training when he was told he was finally old enough for it. Despite some initial confusion about how his Auntie Applejack had originally not been particularly keen on using potties or toilets, he quickly grasped the overall concept and what was expected of him.

The outhouse training, as was tradition for every member of the Apple family, actually went pretty smoothly. Despite the fact that Sweet Apple Acres had long since gotten indoor plumbing inside the farmhouse, the outhouse was kept on hoof both because of Granny Smith's insistence (she was always going on about how it had been with her family from the day they'd built the barn) and in case of "emergencies" whenever ponies were working in the fields.

Like his father before him, Big Macintosh led his son along to the outhouse and explained everything to the best of his ability while doing so. "You just gotta learn to feel the rhythm of nature as flows through your body, that's how you'll learn when you have to go pee pee or poo poo," He told his son. "And when you do, you just come get me, your ma, or your Aunt Applejack and we'll help you do your business. Don't be ashamed if ya don't get it right away, no sense tryin' to rush it. Everypony learns at their own pace, after all."

"Okay, Pa," Big Sugar agreed as he was brought to the outhouse and escorted inside, soon spotting the large pit at the back of it. He gulped a bit even though he tried not to show outwardly that he was afraid. "So, I just gotta stand over… that until I… go?" He asked.

"Eeyup," Big Macintosh said with a smile and took off his son's diaper. "Don't worry, I'll help ya get into the right position. Then you just let nature do the rest."

Big Sugar cooperated, and it wasn't long before he was using the outhouse like a pro. His progress coming as quite a surprise to his father, he'd been expecting a repeat of the difficulties his parents had faced in training him (Apple Bloom had been the only sibling who hadn't had any real difficulty when it came to potty or toilet usage).

Sugar Belle, for her part, just smiled and winked. "I told you things would go much more smoothly this time." She told her husband as she couldn't resist bragging a bit. She'd prided herself on being a pretty quick learner in potty training, and it seemed her son was much the same.

It wasn't long before Big Sugar proved ready to take the next step in his training: Transitioning to the indoor toilet. It was hoped that he would master it just as quickly as he had mastered using the outhouse.

However, before the training could begin in earnest, an unfortunate tragedy befell the Apple family. It happened quite suddenly, catching everypony by surprise even if they probably should've anticipated such an eventually. Granny Smith died. She didn't even really take ill. But one day, seemingly out of the blue, her strength failed her and she was confined to bed. Only a few days later, she breathed her last and was buried beneath the tree that had grown from the seeds her son and his wife had planted all those years ago.

Everypony was devastated by this development, but Big Sugar took it especially hard since it seemed to him like he had barely gotten to know his great grandmother.

Naturally, with the Apple family distracted by grief and mourning, somethings began to slip through the cracks. Big Sugar's toilet training was one of them. His parents didn't seem to truly make an effort to get him to go on the toilet, or even just to the outhouse which he had mastered so easily just months prior.

"Pa." Big Sugar spoke up one day almost three months to the day of Granny Smith's death.

"What is it, son?" Big Mac asked. Was it supposed to be his turn to watch the kid? He couldn't remember, so distracted was he as the more or less family head now.

Big Sugar whimpered and crossed his legs. "I have to go potty! Like really bad!"

"Oh, you do?!" Big Mac exclaimed as he looked up and saw the distress on his son's face. "Well, why didn't you say somethin' sooner?!" He hurriedly took his son by the hoof! "Come on! Let's get you to the toilet!" Now more than anything he wished he could teleport like his wife could do on occasion. It would make situations like these so much easier.

Father and son raced through the farmhouse, the stallion cursing under his breath that there was only one indoor bathroom and therefore only one toilet. It had never been a problem before, but now it seemed it was becoming a real issue. Why hadn't he tried to talk Granny Smith into getting at least one more toilet built?

Well, those were thoughts for another time and place as Big Macintosh finally approached the lone indoor bathroom in the farm house. "Well… we're here…" He panted, nearly out of breath.

Unfortunately, Big Sugar whimpered anew as he looked down at himself and sniffled. "Pa, I didn't make it! I'm sorry!"

A quick look at the colt's diaper indicated a clearly visible stain, and a familiar stench began to permeate the area.

Big Mac sighed. "It's alright. You couldn't help it. At least you tried to make it in time. Guess we'd better get you changed," He took his son by the hoof. "Come on, let's go back to your nursery and get you into a fresh diaper."

"Am I gonna get another stormy cloud on my potty chart?" Big Sugar asked his dad as he was led away to be changed.

The stallion sighed anew. "I'll talk it over with your ma and see what she thinks. How's that, junior?"

Big Sugar smiled, feeling slightly better about the whole ordeal now that he had the slightest hint of reassurance that he might not be punished for his accident.

The very next day, Applejack could be heard voicing her displeasure of her nephew's progress in his toilet training. And she made it clear in no uncertain terms as she lectured at length to his parents. "This has gone on for long enough!" She declared with narrowed and slanted eyebrows. "At this rate, he's gonna be the only foal in his class, maybe the entire kingdom, who still wears diapers! He's gonna grow up teased and bullied for the rest of his life because he can't use a toilet like a proper pony!"

"But Applejack…" Big Macintosh tried to reason with his sister.

Applejack stomped a hoof down. "-But nothin'! I know we've all been distracted since Granny Smith died, but if she were here right now she'd agree with me that enough is enough! Bad enough we had one pony in this family who took forever to learn how to use toilets, ain't no reason in the wide world of Equestria why we gotta let history repeat itself! You two need to start doin' a better job at enforcin' potty time, it's the only way he's ever gonna stop havin' so many accidents!"

Sugar Belle's lips quivered as she nervously protested. "Applejack, you all of ponies should know what it's like to be a slow learner. I heard that story about how you didn't learn how to use a toilet until you were in school, and you had to pick up bits and pieces from other ponies. Surely, you can relate. Big Sugar's not like you when you were his age. He's not a potty rebel. He's just having a hard time adjusting, that's all."

Applejack wasn't convinced for a second. "I ain't proud of the fact that I had to learn toilet usage far later than I should've. Far as I'm concerned, that was one of the stupidest things I ever did when I was a youngin'! I'll be darned if I let Big Sugar fall into the same trap! If he's ever gonna learn to stop havin' accidents in his diaper, he's gotta learn here and now! And if you two ain't gonna teach him properly, then I guess I'll have to do it! And I ain't doin' for him what Ma and Pa did for me! He's not gonna be so lucky!"

"You really think you can get through to him and get him to start using the toilet like he's supposed to?" Sugar Belle asked with concern. "I don't want him to feel like he's being pressured into giving up his diapers, or that he's being punished for things he can't control. He knows how to use the outhouse. Isn't that good enough?"

Big Macintosh shook his head. "Not if we want him to go to school. They may not exactly have toilets like the one we got here at the farmhouse, but they're not the same as usin' an outhouse. Besides, he's gotta be able to learn how to tell when he has to go. Applejack's right," He told his wife. "Our son's been in diapers for long enough. We let things slip away from us 'cause of Granny Smith. But we can't keep usin' that as an excuse."

Applejack smiled. "See, Sugar Belle? Big Mac agrees with me."

Sugar Belle reluctantly replied. "Seems I'm out voted. Just please don't be too hard on him. I don't want him to hate the process."

Applejack only replied. "You just leave him to me. I'll set him straight and see to it that he starts usin' the toilet like he's supposed to."

A little later, Applejack trotted into her nephew's nursery and locked eyes with the colt. "Hey, Big Sugar," She spoke up. "You got time to listen to your Auntie Applejack?"

Big Sugar nodded. "Uh-huh." He suspected nothing.

Applejack took a deep breath and steadied herself in preparation for what she was about to do. "Listen, sugarcube, I know you're probably not doin' what you're doin' on purpose. I know you wanna be a big pony like your ma and pa, and like your Aunt Apple Bloom and I."

Big Sugar nodded again. "Uh-huh, wanna be big pony."

The farm mare then replied in a serious, straight tone of voice. "Then it's time for you to stop slackin' off. You gotta start learnin' how to use the toilet like you're supposed to. You should know by now when you have to go, and there's plenty of grown-ups around to help ya out. So there ain't no reason why ya should be havin' so many accidents," She gestured a hoof to a small calendar nearby. "Just look at your potty chart. When's the last time it wasn't filled up with storm clouds and frowny faces?"

The little colt whimpered. "Sorry, Auntie Applejack."

Applejack took another deep breath. "Listen, I know what you're goin' through. I wasn't exactly keen on usin' toilets or potties, and Granny Smith told you why. I put off learnin' how to use a toilet for as long as I could 'cause I felt it wasn't fair that I had to be boxed in like sheep or cattle. But eventually, I started realizin' that was just 'cause I wasn't focusin' on the signals my body was tellin' me. If I'd just paid attention to 'em, I'd know when I had to go and when I didn't. Instead, I had to practically learn from scratch how ponies are supposed to take care of their business, instead of doin' it doggy style."

The cold said nothing as he recalled that story.

Applejack then told her nephew. "So you gotta promise me that, from now on, you'll start makin' far more of an effort to make it to the bathroom in time to use the toilet. You'll start payin' more attention to the signals your body's givin' you, so you'll know when it's time to go. If you can do that and can get good at not havin' accidents, I'll talk with your folks about lettin' ya be bottomless around the house. And I'll see about askin' your Aunt Apple Bloom about lettin' ya help her make zap apple jam. But that's only if you can fill up your potty chart with smiley faces and gold stars, understand?"

"Yes, Auntie Applejack," Big Sugar agreed, before asking. "Can you help me? I think I have to go potty."

The farm mare smiled, taking her nephew by the hoof. "'Course I can help ya, sugarcube. Come on, let's go!" She led him down the hall to the bathroom, soon ushering him inside and pulling down his diaper while she helped him onto the toilet seat. "Okay, you know what to do now." She told him and turned her head so as to give him some privacy.

Big Sugar sat on the seat for what felt like ages. He was so sure he had to go, but it felt like nothing was coming out. Had he misread his body's signals somehow?

But just as the colt was ready to give up, he felt something move inside of him. Next thing he knew, his tail hiked upwards and then there came a plop and a splash. "I… I did it!" He exclaimed when he was all done!

Applejack turned around and smiled, clapping her hooves in approval. "Ya sure did, Big Sugar! Wait 'til I tell your parents, they're gonna be so proud of ya!"