Two Months Later . . .
"Now that we've covered the basics of combat, you'll need to learn more advanced techniques to free the ponies of Equestria from this new evil." Spoke Sterling as he led Virtue around the back of the cottage to an artificial fight-ring they had constructed.
It wasn't much to look at. A simple fence which surrounded a confined space with an equine dummy in the center. The target held numerous dents spread all around it's exterior while a plethora of adhesive kept it from falling apart. However, the small backyard had it's advantages. Located deep in Ponyville's industrial sector, the minuscule plot of land was well hidden among the buildings that towered above it.
"Great! Does that mean I can try on the suit?" Virtue asked eagerly.
"No. You haven't earned it yet." Said Sterling as he nudged open the gate to the little arena.
"What? It's been two months! Hours of endurance training! How am I not ready yet?"
Sterling stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the young stallion. Noble Virtue had come a long way from the pony he was two months ago, his readiness and ambitions confirmed it.
"If you are to defeat the tyrant princess and her cohort of guards, you must master the ability to adapt to every changing situation. You are a simple Earth pony. Tell me, have you ever battled a Pegasus in mid-flight before? Have you even once dueled a Unicorn in open combat? I must teach you how to fight these fights and beat the odds, even if they're stacked against you."
"Fine, where do we begin?" Deadpanned Virtue.
"Where we've been for the last two months." Spoke Sterling as he motioned his hoof toward the target dummy.
Six months later . . .
"Huff . . . huff . . . YAH!"
Noble Virtue thrusted his practice lance into the side of the dummy once more, sloppily yanking it out of the frail target.
"Tsk tsk, your entry was sloppy as was your recovery. Again." Scolded Sterling Valor.
Noble Virtue inhaled deeply and readied his lance once more, striking the center mass of the target dummy.
"Sigh . . . better. We'll touch down more on the intricacies of lance recovery after a short break, all this yelling-at-your-useless-flank has worked up an appetite."
"No, no! I can keep going! I'm not that tired!" Panted Virtue, faltering as his legs quivered from over exhaustion.
Sterling ignored him and continued his matter-of-fact trot inside the cottage. A defeated Virtue followed shortly after.
"Go get the paper while I prepare our meal." Said Sterling as he set a pot of water on the stove.
Noble Virtue nodded with a smile and crept out the door.
It was morning in Ponyville, yet that didn't stop the average hustle and bustle of ordinary civilian life that occurred every day on the dot. As Noble Virtue trotted down the pathway he observed a variety of posters pasted on the wall of Sterling's home. The one that stuck out the most depicted the regality of Princess Twilight Sparkle as she stood among factories and refineries, food and light pouring from her open hooves.
The caption below read, "The Fruits of our Labor"
Virtue scoffed as he knelt down and spread the newspaper with his hoof. He grimaced as he read the front page.
Another factory worker executed.
With a deep sigh Virtue-
"LOOK OUT BELOW!"
Despite his reflexes that had been fixedly honed for months, Virtue still couldn't avoid the tumbling grey pegasus as she careened into the earth pony. The two ponies fumbled on the ground for a moment before standing up and stammering out their humble apologies.
"Oh my goodness Virtue, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there!" Said Derpy Whooves, the local mailmare.
"Oh that's alright, I'm sorry I was in your way!" Spoke Virtue as he leaned over and picked up a bundle of letters that had fallen out.
"Well, that's a silly thing to apologize for," Derpy spoke with a grin. "How's the old curmudgeon doing these days?"
Virtue zipped up Derpy's mailbag and hoofed it to her, brushing his now-frazzled mane to the side.
"Oh he's alright. Stubborn as usual." He said.
Derpy Whooves ran the last hoof-delivered mail route that ran through Ponyville and even with all the advanced transportation that her rival companies had mustered, Derpy's was still the most reliable, albeit a little more hazardous on account of the chance that the poor mare could come flying through your window at any given moment.
"How's little Dinky?" Asked Virtue.
"Oh you know her, always-"
"HEY! H-HEY LET GO!"
Virtue turned on his hooves and located the source of the disturbance, a stallion being carried away by two guards adorned in a distinctive purple armor, a violet crest boasted upon their helms.
"WHAT THE HAY ARE YOU DOING!?" Shouted the stallion.
"Arresting you, what does it look like?" Answered one of the guards.
"WHAT FOR? FOR REMOVING A POSTER FROM MY SHOP?"
The stallion received a sharp buck to the stomach from one of the guards, who quickly retorted the poor Unicorn's question.
"I DON'T LIKE YOUR TONE WHELP! You are under arrest for defacing her majesty's property and vandalizing the city!" Yelled the Sergeant.
"What! I removed one of those stupid posters because it was blocking the open sign on my store!" The stallion cried.
"QUIET!"
The Sergeant pinned the stallion against the wall and gave him a hard punch in the gut and ordered his lackey to continue carrying him Celestia-knows-where. Most likely to the Jailhouse to be tried and sentenced.
The sentences were almost always harsher than the punishment demanded.
"Another one. They're grabbing ponies for breaking the most menial rules now." Derpy spoke in a sad tone.
Virtue seethed with rage. He had some training. With a little foreleg-grease he could probably beat those two thugs to a pulp if he wanted to, but that wouldn't be wise given his current situation.
"I remember Twilight before her coronation." Derpy piped up, eliciting Virtue's surprised attention.
"She was always so happy, a little bit of a pencil pusher and worrywart at times, but still happy. She cared for her friends and everything around her, but now . . . Y'know, she wrote that book, "The Study of Friendship" right? Can you believe that?"
"I still cant believe you used to know Princess Twilight." Virtue spoke.
"Me neither, that was all before the propaganda, the fake smiles, the veiled threats . . . I just worry so much now."
Derpy had begun to tear up.
"Not for me, but for my little Dinky. My husband barely pulls a decent wage from the textile mills and I'm losing customer after customer to those big-whig jerks who try to run a decent post service."
Virtue gave her an understanding look and a pat on the shoulder, reassuring her all the while.
"You'll pull through. You're too tough not to!" He said with a goofy grin.
"Sniffle, thanks Virtue, I do enjoy our little conversations. It's just, one day, someone's going to finally stand up to that witch, and when they do, the whole country will follow. Hay, I'll be the first one in line!" Derpy spoke triumphantly.
With a final exchange of niceties, Derpy Whooves took off, heading for her next destination. For Noble Virtue, his conscience set him back on his original path with a newfound determination seen only in fairytales and poems.
He had a tyrant to take down.