Velvet Step fidgeted nervously, and that fact struck her as silly. She had danced in front of hundreds, or thousands of ponies, with her reputation and the reputation of her troupe on the line. There was no good reason for her to be —

“Nervous?”

Velvet looked up at Socket Wrench, the repairpony she had once mistaken for a changeling. “Why would I be nervous?” she asked. “I’ve only done this never.”

“You’re nervous,” Socket Wrench said with a teasing grin. “Don’t be. You’ll do just fine.”

The reassurance did little to calm Velvet’s nerves. “What if it doesn’t fit?” she asked.

“It’ll fit,” Socket Wrench replied. “I’ve done this dozens of times, and I know it looks too big, but it’ll fit.”

Velvet was quiet for a moment. “Ok. I trust you,” she said. She took a deep breath, and then stuffed her hoof through the slot in the vending machine. Without wasting a moment, Socket Wrench put his shoulder into it, and after several seconds of grunting and violent rocking, they were greatly rewarded as a shower of candy spilled onto the ground.

“Jackpot!”

Author's Notes:

Fooled you!