Ford's POV

I leap through the portal and come out into...a nouveaux-Greek society? Pillared temples and buildings dot the grassy hills, and corgis scamper through the long tufts, some playing frisbee, others lying in shafts of sunlight. It doesn't seem like something the pyramans would like - unless they like dogs.

"Greetings," a voice comes from the left. I turn to see - wait. I adjust my glasses. Four corgis carry a stand, on top of which is another corgi wearing a red-and-gray crown. The crowned corgi continues, "I am Atticus, King and Uniter of the Cardigans and the Pembrokes." The dogs stop a couple yards away from me, and the leader bows, his tail curling up. "I extend to you my greetings."

Out of all the worlds I've been to since I escaped the barren wasteland, this has to be the strangest. And I landed in a world populated with green-furred monkeys shooting fireballs from their butts. "Er, greetings," I say slowly. It has been so long since I introduced myself to someone. I forget how to do that. "I am Stanford Pines, man of science."

"Welcome, Stanford the Intellectual, to Corginia!" The king hops off the stand and sniffs my shoes. "You have traveled from far away, I can smell. Please, follow me." Atticus turns and trots into the center of the town.

A swarm of dogs mobs me as I follow Atticus. "No, no, down, sit - hey, that is not a chew toy!" I snatch the hem of my coat out of a corgi's mouth. Spotting a nearby chew toy, I scoop it up and toss it. "Fetch!" The dogs yap as they chase the squeaky bone.

"Please forgive us," Atticus says. "We don't usually get visitors, and get excited when we meet one."

A world of intelligent, English-speaking canines? Wonder how they like talking triangles. I jot down a couple notes in my journal before turning to the king corgi. "So, has anything strange happened here? The past fifteen worlds I've been to had magic fading or bizarre creatures appearing and taking people away."

"Hmm, well, now that you mention it-"

"Atticus!" another corgi yells, running up to us. "It's back!"

The ground shakes and rumbles, a twisted shadow rising over the river. It seems to make the water level rise as it comes into view.

Everyone yelps, barks, and whimpers as they hurry into the Greco-style houses. I glance back at the strange multi-limbed creature before pushing back the dog door flap and crawling inside as the river swells. "What was that?" I ask.

"That is the second time we've seen the monster," Atticus says. He gazes around at his people, some sitting, others lying down, most with their ears back. "It appeared once a few days ago, and it caused the river to wash away some of our favorite spots for lying around. Now, we only have one grass patch." He glares. "One acre of land isn't enough for two-thousand dogs to roll around in."

I almost contradict him, letting him know that an acre is plenty - but I have more pressing matters on my hands. "I need to find a way back home. Do you know of any portals or gateways that lead there?"

Atticus cocks his head, twitches an ear. "We do believe that there is a multi-dimensional gate of sorts across the river - but none of us dare cross it." He lays down, resting his head on his paws with a frustrated whine.

"What if I go with you?" I offer. "I help you get across the river, defeat this monster, and then find the way out of here."

"Great idea!" the corgi says, nearly jumping to his feet. "With your help, we can rid Corginia of this foul creature."

"Then, let's go!" I crawl back outside, but only a moment later realize I'm the only one. I poke my head through the dog flap. "Aren't you coming out?"

"Yes." He stands there.

"Don't you want to?" I hold the flap up for him.

"No."

"Outside?"

He gets excited and hops in place. "Well-"

"Outside?"

"Maybe."

"C'mon," I coo, feeling stupid.

"Yes, I wanna go outside!" Atticus dashes out of the building. I follow behind, dragging a hand down my face. This is why I never got a dog.

Half an hour later...

Ugh, this is taking forever. My knees tremble from hiking so long, and I have to stop and rest on a nearby boulder. I plop down with a sigh, feeling my aching shoulders relax.

"We can't give up now, Stanford the Intellectual," Atticus speaks, trotting over to me. "We're almost where the monster lurks."

"Sorry," I huff, adjusting my glasses. I never thought I would have to carry a corgi over a river, hike nearly thirty minutes up a hill, and soon battle a monster. It makes me feel...old. "I guess I'm not as young as I used to be." I run a hand through my hair, now realizing just how gray it is.

Atticus sniffs my boots. "Where did you say you were from?"

"A town called Gravity Falls."

Atticus yelps and jumps back. "The Final Town!"

"The...what?"

The corgi "faints," rolling up to show his belly. "All those on board the Infinity Train know about the Prophecy of the Crossroads!"

It takes me a moment to realize I'm staring. "Infinity Train? Prophecy of...What are you talking about?"

The king explains how even though we're in a sun-filled land, this entire kingdom is just one car on something called the Infinity Train, where countless cars contain numerous worlds, or the portals to them. But the only way to get from car to car is to solve a puzzle or conflict. The train itself always travels (hence, the name) - however, the inhabitants talk about a rumored "final town" where the train will finally come to a stop. It's also called the "final town" because, supposedly, the apocalypse will occur at that time and place.

Once I jot the last of my notes down, I ask, "And why do you think Gravity Falls is the 'final town?'"

"It is named in the Prophecy of the Crossroads." He cocks his head upside down at me. "If you help me defeat the monster, I'll show you the-"

"You!"

We both jump, and Atticus rolls onto his feet, when a metallic voice shouts at us. From behind a huge boulder comes...whoa. I step back and tilt my head to get a good look at the robotic creature. Blue fire leaps from its eyes, and coils of wires with pincers at the end make up its body. Its stiff, porcelain face is focused on me. "Where is your ticket?" it demands.

Oh, it thinks I'm a passenger. "Don't mind me, sir...ma'am? I was just passing through, and-" I drop to the ground as its eyes turn into machine guns.

Atticus whines and flinches as one comes within a hair of piercing his chest.

Glaring, I scramble to my feet, charging the creature. It ceases firing bullets, instead swinging its "arms" at me - one slices my arm, another knocks me onto my back. I hit the ground hard, my glasses flying off. My ears ring, the world around me spins, everything is out of focus. Pressure on my limbs yanks me back into full consciousness. The creature has me pinned to the ground, its fiery eyes dangerously close to my face. "I don't allow stowaways on my train," it says.

I can't wiggle my arms or legs free from the pincers, which are starting to cut off my circulation. I grit my teeth to keep from hissing in pain.

It seems to regard me for a moment before saying, "You look like the fugitive I was warned about. I must turn you into the Ki-"

Atticus knocks the creature over, and I roll out of the way. I take a moment to rub the feeling back into my arms and legs before getting up. A moment later, I find my glasses - a little cracked but still functional - and watch as the corgi chomps down on one of the creature's wires, making it shriek and attempt to shake him off. He just hangs on tighter.

"Atticus!" I yank the gun off my back and start shooting at the creature. Some hit its limbs, but do nothing to slow it down. With a grunt, I leap and latch onto one of the swinging "arms," rising higher and higher off the ground.

The creature throws Atticus, who whines in pain when he hits the ground. I stare in horror - unaware of the arms wrapping around me until they pry me off the limb I was attached to, lifting me up to the creature's face. "I will turn you in to the King." When it turns, I see, mounted along a wall of rock, a large metallic circle.

Just like the one back in Gravity Falls.

Just like the ones in the Kingdom.

"No! Let me go!" No matter how much I writhe and squirm, I can't escape as we near the portal gate. It activates as we get closer, the center lighting up and becoming a whirlpool of magic. No, I can't go back! I just got out of there! I wriggle once more. No luck. No. This can't be it! I won't go back! I won't -

The creature cries out as Atticus chomps on one of its limbs again, this time piercing it enough to let steam escape. Before it can flick him off, he lets go and bites another limb. Screeching in pain, it releases me, and I roll to my feet and stand up. I help Atticus incapacitate the creature before shoving it over with all my might. It lies silent and still on the ground...but its eyes still spark blue every now and then. I retrieve my gun and sling it around my chest. "Hopefully the monster shouldn't bother you anymore," I say.

"Thank you, Stanford the-"

"Please, just call me Ford."

Atticus sits proudly. "Ford, I cannot thank you enough for helping us defeat the monster. Is there anything I can do for you?"

I ask about the Prophecy of the Crossroads, as I left the prophecy book in the Kingdom, and I'm not risking my life just to get it. He tells me about a pair of twins who will create a "crossroads" in which more than one world will collide, and that they will determine the fate of the multi-verse. More than ever, I sense the importance I bear in the prophecy, as does Stanley. I have to make it back home.

Something comes out of the portal. Instinctively, I dive behind the fallen creature. Atticus waits patiently for whatever to come out of that portal. I hear a throaty voice grumble, "What's goin' on here? Why's the portal open?"

"I did not open the North Gate Portal," Atticus says.

"What happened to the Steward?" the voice demands, stomping closer to the creature. I press myself into the ground.

"I came here to check on something for my people, and it was like this."

"I gotta tell the King and Queen. If anythin' suspicious happens, use this." I hear the person cross back through the portal as it shuts down. I also hear dog paws trot over to where I hide. Atticus appears, a ball in his mouth. He spits it into my hand.

"I think you could use this on your journey," he says.

Blech, it's slimy. I wipe off the shiny ball on my coat - wait, it's not a ball, is it? Holding it closer to my eyes, I notice that the sides constantly shift. "What is it?"

"An infinity-sided die," Atticus says. "Everyone on the train knows of it, but they are very rare and don't help us get off."

"Why not?"

Lying down, he explains, "Anything can happen when you roll it, but there is only one chance out of quadrillions that we could roll the option that lets us off the train. But maybe it could help you get off, as you are not from here."

Biting my lip to keep from contradicting the king's math, I tuck it safely into the pocket with the journal, securing it snugly until I can find a box for it. "Thank you, Atticus. Oh, and also, how do you feel about one-eyed, triangular creatures?"

"Never heard of them," Atticus says, scratching behind an ear. "Do they like fetch?"

I bite back a smirk at Bill Cipher playing fetch with a bunch of corgis. "I'd say there's a high probability." I straighten. "Well, I guess I should move on."

"Goodbye, Ford. I hope you find what you're looking for." He starts trotting off - then stops dead in his tracks, lowering his tail as he turns to me. "Um, could you bring me back across the river? Before you go?" He presses his ears back and gives me the saddest eyes.

Rubbing my face, I mumble, "Fine."

A/N: If you haven't seen the mini-sode "Infinity Train," I highly recommend watching it! :D I wish they would turn it into a full show! Even a short season-length like "Over the Garden Wall" had would be great.

Also, sorry for this chapter taking forever. I'm figuring out the ending of the story soon, and that will have an influence on how I write the rest of the chapters. While there are some things that I will for sure keep in the final chapters, I'm also thinking of including some cameos - sort of like Ofelia and "Infinity Train," except much shorter. If you'd like to see anything in later chapters, leave suggestions in reviews, and I'll see if I can find a way to weave them in. :)

Hope you're enjoying the story so far! Next time, we'll see Dipper and Mabel again!