"There isn't much in the way of... technology available," Twilight said apologetically, "it used to be a smithy, but it has plenty of space and a bed and bathroom large enough to comfortably fit you."

"Is it dragon proof?" Alex asked.

"Is that really necessary?" she asked. "I mean, Spike did apologize and promise never to do it again."

Alex nodded. "He did," he agreed, "but the materials I used, he described as 'the best candy in the world' so maybe something in their composition makes them literally irresistible to dragons."

"That is possible..." Twilight said thoughtfully. "I suppose I can put up a bounded field around your lab, so he'd be unable to enter."

"Can you set it to block pegasi?" Alex asked as he examined the two-story building and attached smithy, pleased with what he'd found as the earth pony who'd owned the place had been enormous for a pony and built the place to match.

"If I did that, Fluttershy couldn't visit you," Twilight pointed out.

"Good point," he replied. "I'll just set up Rainbow Dash traps then."

"That mare," the purple unicorn groaned out.

"I don't mind her constant attempts to capture me when I'm out and about, but I don't want her messing up the shop or interrupting my sleep," he explained.

"I can probably get her to agree to that," Twilight said. "You know, if you'd let her tackle you once, she'd stop."

"But then she'd figure out I let her and that would hurt her pride," he replied. "I'd rather put up with constantly dodging her attacks than hurt her that way."

Twilight winced. "Yeah, her pride would take longer to heal than her body ever would."

"I can set up an arcade in the smithy storage area, since I won't need the space and I can start writing up areas of research that Princess Celestia may want to invest in to recoup all the bits she's spending on me," he decided.

"Arcade? Research?" Twilight asked.

"Video games are the closest thing you have to my travel medium, so I'll need to work on improving both of them and increase interest in them," he explained. "Best way to do that is to run an arcade. I can let the children test out new and improved games and set up writing contests to expand the backstories of their favorite characters."

"And research?" she asked eagerly.

"While I'm not a scientist, I know a lot about advanced technology and the things that are possible. Just that information alone will allow ponies to advance faster technologically and avoid some of the problems we had," Alex explained.

"Problems?"

"New medicines for pregnant women that weren't properly tested, environmental pollution, radioactive elements... there are a lot of possible disasters that can be avoided if you know about the dangers in advance," he explained.

"That would be wonderful!" Twilight exclaimed.

"And a decent repayment for what you guys are doing for me," he told her.

"You don't need to," she assured him, "We're just doing what is right."

Alex shrugged. "And so am I. I don't really need a reason to do it beyond that, but it feels good to do good for people who have done you good, because then you know they're good." He grinned at the confused unicorn as she struggled to parse the convoluted sentence. "You good?"

She groaned. "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you and Pinkie were related."

Alex just grinned.

"Oh, that reminds me, Pinkie is planning a housewarming slash welcome to Ponyville party for you, just so you know."

"Sounds like fun," he said. "While I'm not normally one for parties, I believe I'll enjoy that one."

"Really?" Twilight asked curiously. "Why do you think you'll enjoy this one if you don't normally enjoy them?"

"Because ponies are more upbeat and friendly than humans are. Humans have a much higher percentage of jerks than you guys do, since you are a herbivore species and we're omnivores," he explained.

"I hadn't thought of that," Twilight said, telekinetically pulling a quill and notepad out of her bag and making notes. "I'll have to see if there's been any sociological studies done."

"It's part of the basis for your society, so I doubt anyone has noticed," he replied.

"Fish don't notice water," Twilight muttered. "Life would be so much better if we didn't have any unconscious biases."

"It's an evolutionary leftover from when snap decisions could help keep you alive," he told her, "and it still comes in handy for making quick decisions, you just have to take time and rethink things every once in a while."

"Yeah, even if it is less useful and somewhat disruptive, it may still serve a purpose," she said absently as she wrote it down.

"So, when's the party?" Alex asked as he unlocked the front door with the keys she'd provided.

"Surprise!"

"Right about now," Twilight said smugly.

Alex laughed as he saw all the ponies crammed into his living room, a living room covered in party decorations.

"You!" Pinkie exclaimed in shock and froze, staring at him.

"I did mention he was human," Twilight said in the sudden silence and Pinkie was frozen as still as a statue, something that was freaking everypony out as no one had ever seen her stand still before.

Alex felt a connection as he looked into the eyes of the pink earth pony, one he'd only felt once before but instinctively knew how to respond to. "Junior adjustor, what is the status of the beam?" he demanded.

Pinkie Pie snapped to attention. "The beam stands strong, sir!"

Alex smiled. "The beam stands strong," he agreed and suddenly he fell backwards as his field of view was composed of nothing but pink and his arms were filled with earth pony.

"How did she do that?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"You're here! You're here! You're here!" Pinkie Pie babbled as she hugged him so tightly that if not for his spider powers he would probably have been suffering from cracked ribs.

"I am here," he agreed gently, "and will be for quite a while." He sat up, Pinkie sliding into his lap.

"But I thought I was doing a good job," she said in confusion.

"You are doing an excellent job," Alex assured her, "I got the directions wrong while traveling and ended up stranded here because a dragon ate not only the tool I use for travel, but the three backups and the repair case I could have used to kludge something together."

"Ohh," Pinkie said with a wince, "should've made a left turn-"

"At Albuquerque," he chorused with her, making her laugh.

"I take it you two know each other?" Twilight asked.

"Nope," the two chorused once more as Alex got to his feet, holding Pinkie in his arms since her grip on him hadn't loosened one iota.

"So, what do you have planned for the evening?" Alex asked her.

"Lots of introductions, cake, ice cream, punch, and games," Pinkie told him cheerfully.

"Can those games be played while holding a pink pony?" he teased.

"We're about to find out," she replied with a grin.

The Next Morning

Twilight and Rarity entered Alex's place to help him clean up and perhaps ask a few questions about him and Pinkie when they heard the two of them talking...

"Come on, I have very soft hooves," Pinkie whined.

"Fine, you can aim it," he reluctantly agreed.

"Helicopter!" the pink earth pony's voice rang out.

"Pinkie!" he exclaimed, but burst out laughing. "You're lucky we're in the shower."

Twilight and Rarity exchanged shocked glances.

"Wouldn't have been nearly as funny anywhere else," she replied. "Now, wash my mane."

"Are you going to make orgasmic sounds while I do it?" he asked, trying to sound suspicious but unable to stop himself from snickering.

"I was, but Twilight and Rarity got here quicker than I thought they would, so it'd be a wasted joke. We'll be right out!"

"They know each other too well not to have met before," Rarity told her friend.

"And are far too comfortable around each other," Twilight agreed.

"We'll be out in a minute, we gotta dry off," Alex called out as the sound of running water cut off.

"I just gotta poof my mane and I'm good," Pinkie said.

"And I'm guessing poofing it will get me wet again, so poof it in here and then I'll dry off," he said firmly.

"Aww, you already know all my jokes," Pinkie whined.

"Hardly," Alex replied, "but some are obvious to me and they just aren't as funny when you already know the punchline."

"And if you let me do it you'd worry about hurting my feelings like Rainbow Dash would be if you let her catch you."

"Exactly," he agreed. "I may spoil some of your pranks, but it's because I don't want to hurt your feelings or make you feel like I'm just putting up with you rather than enjoying your company."

"I think you're over thinking your thinker on that one, but I appreciate the thought," Pinkie told him.

Twilight and Rarity began telekinetically cleaning up the leftovers from the party as the two finished in the bathroom and had all the trash bagged up by the time they'd entered the room.

"Good morning," Twilight greeted them, "we came over to help clean up."

"And poke our noses into things," Rarity offered shamelessly, making Twilight facehoof.

"Sure," Alex replied, unconcerned, "what would you like to know?"

"How do you two know each other?" Rarity asked eagerly. "I know you said you never met, but Pinkie doesn't just jump on anyone. Well actually she does, but you know what I mean. You both seem to have some knowledge of each other and even get the jokes that we who have known Pinkie for years don't understand."

"We're adjusters, we help keep the universe running," Alex explained.

"That... tells us nothing," Twilight said with a sigh.

"It's hard to explain in a way you'd understand," he said with a shrug, taking a seat on the couch, Pinkie on his lap.

"I've tried explaining things to people before but it just gets me strange looks," Pinkie offered.

"They don't have the right frame of reference to understand," Alex told her. "I'm not sure they can understand without being adjusters themselves."

"Can you please try?" Twilight begged.

"We can see deeper into the inner workings of the universe and we nudge things, usually people, erm ponies, to make things run smoother... to hold off entropy," he explained.

"But it's not really entropy," Pinkie added, "it's more a time based... no, that's not right, it's a concept or idea there isn't a language for. We keep the beams reality rests on strong and keep the worlds from moving on, sometimes with a wiggle and sometimes a song!" she sang out cheerfully.

"I don't get it," Twilight said with a frown.

"Who gave you the job?" Rarity asked, trying to approach it from another angle.

"No idea," Pinkie replied. "You just wake up one day able to see more and the rest is instinctive. We just know."

Alex nodded. "Yeah, it's a bit like a religious experience, a spiritual awakening where you can suddenly see and understand more of how everything works and doesn't."

"That's how you can do all the things you do that I can't understand!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Basically," Pinkie agreed, "and I can't explain them to you because you're running the wrong software on your wetware to get anywhere."

Alex nodded once more as if what Pinkie had said made perfect sense while Twilight just stared in confusion.

"And the reason Pinkie is so taken with you?" Rarity asked, easily dismissing the rest as unimportant since she couldn't understand it anyway.

"He's a senior adjustor," Pinkie said with a bright smile while snuggling into him, "he can understand me!"

"So... you're older or have had the job longer?" Twilight guessed.

"Neither," Alex replied, "my universe is just more complicated."

"Ours is standard, his is automatic and has a lot more fiddly bits," Pinkie replied.

"Ain't that the truth," Alex agreed. "You guys run your seasons and solar rotation manually, that really cuts down on maintenance."

"And one of our earlier adjusters was beyond smart and designed cutie marks," Pinkie added. "Talk about a time saver!"

"Someone designed cutie marks!" Twilight exclaimed, wide eyed.

"We should probably change the topic before she goes into shock," Alex suggested.

"A little late for that, darling," Rarity said with a sigh. "Twilight is a bit high strung, but she'll be fine. So... is there something romantic going on between you two?"

"Romantic? That would be awful!" Pinkie said, snuggling deeper into his arms.

"Ignoring the fact that we are two very different species, I can't stay, so that's just asking for heartbreak," Alex told her.

"What? Why?" Rarity asked.

"Because his universe needs him," Pinkie explained. "Adjusters can't just up and leave!"

"Then how did he get here?" Rarity asked.

"Because I can," Alex replied with a shrug. "My world has more than one adjuster and he's senior to me, so I can move about the beams and assist others."

"What? Really?" Pinkie asked, surprised.

Alex nodded. "He's insanely good at his job, so I have plenty of free time. I actually have so much slack I can pick up some freelance work."

"Lucky," Pinkie teased.

Alex shuddered. "No, not really."

"I- I've gotta talk to Celestia about this!" Twilight declared.

"She probably has charts and graphs and everything to help you understand," Pinkie offered.

"She knows?" The purple unicorn asked hopefully.

"I haven't asked, but she's really old and wise, so I'm sure she's met at least a couple," Pinkie said. "Besides Star Swirl, I mean."

"Star Swirl was an adjuster?!" Twilight vanished in a burst of light.

"How wude," Pinkie drawled out with a giggle.

"No stealing other people's catch phrases," Alex said and tickled her, making her laugh and squirm.

"Well at least I don't have to feel bad for not getting all your jokes," Rarity decided, "as apparently you need to be able to see a deeper level of reality to understand them."

Typing By: Abyssal Angel

Beta By: Abyssal Angel and Mist of Shadows