It was the day of the jousting tournament. Too many nights Just Lance had lain awake, wondering how he would handle this day. The pageantry, the passion… all of it was so delightfully overwhelming. Already, Lance’s heart was racing in anticipation of the tournament. Win or lose, the being there excited him. Other ponies with his same passion! His same love! And oh, the setup of the banners. Phonies presenting their lineage, the lords and ladies who they served… there was nothing better in the world.

He was at the tournament grounds before the rising of the morning sun, stretching and limbering up to prepare for the tournament. These things often started early in the day, so the fighting did not stretch into the night. Besides that, having time after gave the competitors the time to spend with their loved ones! To celebrate with one another! It simply made no sense to delay such a wondrous event to later in the day.

Light on his hooves, Lance made his way to the board of competitors. There were no names he had recognized- unfortunately, his dear sister has been unable to enter the fray. While it might’ve been tumultuous to best his sister publicly, the thrill of the battle would’ve been such fun! And they could’ve celebrated with ice cream!

But no, instead he was against…

“…Shining Sword?!”

Fantastic. Oh, fantastic. Of all the luck in the world, his final round (for not to be arrogant, he WOULD make the finals) was against SHINING SWORD. Favored to win every round, endlessly talented with a sword… and endlessly handsome too! The little unicorn groaned inwardly. At the very least, it would be a good match? A great test of his strengths.

And besides that, perhaps he could even make another friend interested in knighthood? Someone beyond the members of his family would be a welcome change of pace.

As expected, the tournament flew by in a rush. Just Lance blinked and rounds one, two, and three had flown by before he could even process what was going on, and here he was in the finals. The stage was set, and across from him… there was Shining Sword. Tall, handsome, surrounded by fans. Lance’s ears set back, and he regarded the other unicorn with an even mix of fear and excitement. He wouldn’t be put off by this! He wouldn’t! Head held high, he approached his opponent and raised a hoof.

“Well met, Shining! I look forward to our fight!” He offered, extending the hoof for a shake. The other unicorn stared down at his hoof, and sneered.

“Please. A foal like you isn’t worth my time.” And that was that. The fillies around him laughed as they walked away, and Lance was left on the stage, embarrassed and stunned. So… so making another knight friend was out of the question, then. Returning to his own side of the stage, Lance adjusted his magic, and glanced out to the audience. Perhaps this wasn’t the best idea. A flush took his face, and he wondered if it would just be for the best to forfeit now. But then… there, in the audience, was his family. And they’d made a banner! They believed in him!

What kind of knight-to-be would he be if he did not take their faith in kind?

With a flourish of his magic, tapping every last resource he could, Just Lance summoned up his magic lance. He would not waste his energy with fancy tricks and flourishes- no, his focus today was on giving the best match he possibly could.

And so he did.

Shining Sword’s attacks were unrelenting. Each time Lance found his footing after the last, his enemy’s sword would clash against his lance once more, backing him closer and closer to the edge of the stage. He hadn’t even landed a single hit, he was so busy avoiding the blade of his opponent. Feeling his back hoof hang over the edge of the stage, Lance gulped.

“Hah! Not so arrogant now, are you?” Shining called to him, tone mocking and unkind. The taller unicorn spun his sword, soliciting cheers from the assembled fillies with him earlier. This was not a good position to be in. Sweat formed on his brow as Lance considered what to do.

…This wasn’t good, no. This was grand.

Done with his showboating, Shining Sword turned and lunged for Lance. He waited… and waited… and at the last moment, feinted out of the way rather than meet Shining’s clash. With all the force he’d built, expecting to knock Lance from the stage, Shining Sword had too much momentum to stop. With a graceless cry, he tumbled from the stage and straight onto his face.

“Just Lance is the last pony on the stage, and the victor of our tournament!”

…His gambit had paid off. Grinning to himself, Lance turned and bowed to the audience, in a daze of victory and delight. If he listened closely above the cheering, he was certain he could hear Dragonfly yelling her lungs out. It was absolutely perfect. But…

Just Lance realized Shining Sword had not yet rejoined him on the stage. Trotting to the edge of it, Lance looked down to the fallen foe. Shining stared up at him, the hint of tears at the edge of his eyes.

“Come to rub in your victory?” He sneered, looking away in embarrassment. Just Lance shook his head.

“No. I’m here to help you up, Shining Sword.”

“…Why?”

“Because that’s what knights do,” he replied immediately. There was no other option- you were always kind, always righteous. You never mocked your foes, not when they had fought so valiantly. Lance offered the other pony a hoof up.

“You were great out there,” he continued, offering Shining a smile. The other unicorn took his hoof, and with a tentative smile of his own, joined him on the stage.

It was moments like these that Just Lance lived for. Not victories, or crowns, on celebrations, no. But these moments where he could share the importance of chivalry and justice with others- where he could show other ponies the importance of the qualities of a knight. These really were the sorts of things that drove him.

And if he got ice cream at the end of the day? Well. That never hurt, either.