Nearly thirty years. It had been nearly half his life that Ford had wandered the multiverse. He'd long since resigned himself to the fact that he would never get home. He hoped he would never get home. The idea that his brother would recreate the portal... it was unthinkable. Not only was Stan less... scientifically minded than Ford, but the universe would never stand for such a rift to be created.
And yet...
And yet Ford kept seeking out newly opened portals; jumping through wormholes with little regard to where he might end up. A part of him still hoped to return, even after all this time.
So when a portal opened up during a high-stakes poker game, Ford left the game without a thought and dove through the swirling green vortex.
He'd done this so often, the disorientation lasted barely a second. His surroundings were unfamiliar; he was somewhere new! After all his travels, it was rare to end up in a new place any more.
The dimension in question was one of those places where gravity was optional, since he was currently floating. Purple doors levitated aimlessly through an expanse of swirling green and black. A few floating islands peppered the horizon. So far, there was no sign of life, but that didn't mean anything. For all he knew, he'd landed in this dimension's equivalent of the wilderness.
Ford picked a direction and willed himself forward. He'd tentatively determined to land on the largest island he could see, using the logic that a bigger platform meant a higher chance of finding society, and therefore food. The supplies in his backpack would last him a week -- maybe a month if he paced and starved himself -- and he had no idea when another portal might appear.
Distance, in this dimension, seemed as changeable as gravity. Or possibly, the island itself was sentient, and approaching him just as he approached it. Though the thought was unnerving, he'd survived much stranger than a sentient island.
The island was nearly close enough to touch when Ford heard a voice behind him. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"
Ford turned quickly, subtly placing his hand on his concealed gun, hoping that the inhabitants of this dimension were not immune to its effects, and hoping even more that the gun wouldn't be needed.
"My name is Ford. I'm just a traveller."
The other person -- being? -- eyed him speculatively. He looked young, like a teenager, but Ford wasn't swayed by his youthful appearance. This kid could potentially be very dangerous. He looked almost human, were it not for the white hair and glowing green eyes.
"You're human." The kid's eyes grew brighter. The words had been phrased like a statement, but Ford knew it had been a question.
"Who are you?" Ford asked.
The boy narrowed his eyes, considering the question before answering. "I'm the Ghost King."
Ford blinked. He'd met gnomes and ogres and even demons. But this kid didn't look like a ghost to him. He was too... present. Too corporeal. "You're a ghost?"
"Thekingghost," the kid reiterated. "I don't let strangers wander my realm without good reason."
"And I don't let strangers hear my story without good reason," Ford said. He still couldn't get a good reading on this kid. He was young, but with old eyes. He looked weak, but he exuded power. His tone was firm, yet with an undertone of kindness. As far as Ford could tell, this Ghost King was a paradox.
The Ghost King said, "The reason is, I control everything in the Zone. And if I can't trust you, I have to get rid of you."
It seemed there was no way around it, then. Ford caved. "It's a long story, that begins with a portal. Thirty years ago." Ford explained the dispute with his brother, and how he'd gotten trapped in an unfamiliar dimension, though he left out any mention of Cipher. Best not to arouse suspicion if this Ghost King was familiar with the demon. "So even though it's stupid, I go through every portal I can find, hoping to somehow find a way back home."
The Ghost King listened intently to every word. He allowed a moment of silence after the tale was done, then said, "The dimension you left... I don't recognize the coordinates, but what you've said about it sounds familiar. I know of a stable, permanent portal between there and here."
Ford didn't allow himself to hope too much. But this was the closest he'd gotten in thirty years of searching. His rational side could barely contain his excitement. "How do you know it's the same place?" His tone didn't betray his emotion, for which he was glad.
"I don't," the Ghost King shrugged. "But you mentioned a year, thirty years ago, and the dates matched up. And my portal was based off of a prototype from twenty years ago, which was loosely based on a theoretical outline someone had written thirty years ago. It makes me wonder if they're the same. Oh, what was the scientist's name? Something ending in 'ford'."
Ford's eyes widened against his will. He'd never published any of his findings, nor any of his theories, especially concerning the portal! His heart sank at the thought that someone must have found and published his journals.
"Ford Bucket? No, that's not right..." the Ghost King was still trying to recall the name. But his musings didn't match up with Ford's fears.
"Fiddleford McGuckett?" Ford suggested.
"Yeah! That's it!" cheered the ghost.
So that explained things. Fiddleford must have written a few theories and published them, possibly before he'd erased his memories. Perhaps he'd wanted to keep a record of the event, despite all that had happened.
"Fiddleford was my partner," Ford said softly, the memories surfacing more clearly than they had in years. "I... I think you're right. I... I can go home. After so many years, I'm almost there!"
The Ghost King smiled. "Then I'll show you the way. The portal opens to a town in Illinois. You sound American, so hopefully it's not too far from where you lived."
"Gravity Falls, Oregon," Ford said. "It's far, but much closer than I've been in decades!"
The Ghost King glanced at Ford's backpack. "The portal isn't far from here, but if you want to rest and replenish supplies, I have lodging in my castle that's suitable for humans."
All Ford wanted to do was head for the portal at top speed, to not waste any time. But Oregon and Illinois were far. He didn't have a vehicle. He didn't even have earth money to pay for transportation. He might need his rations for a really really long walk. So he grudgingly agreed to follow the Ghost King to his palace.
Ford was silent, but the Ghost King spoke enough for the both of them. "I have human friends who stay here a lot, so they have their own rooms. But I have extra spare rooms, too, and lots of food since I get hungry too. Um, that's not... I mean, I like the taste of human food.
"Oh, by the way, you don't have to call me 'Ghost King' any more. My name is Danny Phantom. You can call me Danny or Phantom; I answer to both."
"Does that mean you trust me?" Ford asked gruffly.
Phantom stopped to look Ford in the eye. "I understand wanting to go home. I understand family."
"I didn't know the ghost king would have a family," Ford said.
Phantom turned away and continued on toward his castle. "I'm... not like other ghosts."
"Ah. I'd wondered why you seemed more corporeal than other ghosts I've met."
Phantom laughed and scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, no that's not what makes me unique. All ghosts are corporeal here, or anywhere they can get a stable source of ectoplasm."
Ford recognized the attempt to distract his attention. Though he was curious about the boy's secrets, he had to admit the science of ghosts captured his mind more. "So a ghost becomes incorporeal as soon as they leave this dimension?"
"No, they maintain their form as long as they can maintain their energy. So if they don't use too much energy, they can potentially stay corporeal for a long time. Years, even."
Ford noticed the use of the word "they". So the Ghost King didn't consider himself a ghost?
"Here it is," Phantom said. "The castle."
It was a small castle, with flags bearing the same logo the king wore on his jumpsuit. Ford followed Phantom inside. The windows didn't show the green sky he'd seen outside, but rather a night sky with once-familiar constellations. A sky that didn't exist in this dimension.
"You must be very familiar with dimension 46'/ if you have their sky projected on your windows."
Phantom rubbed the back of his neck again. A habit that seemed to stem from nervousness or embarrassment. "Well, yeah. I wanted to be an astronaut... before I died."
"And now you're the ghost king," Ford said. It was a question, even though he hadn't spoken it as one.
"That was... an accident," Phantom said. "My home was threatened by the previous king, so I fought him to protect my family. Apparently that was counted as a 'Challenge' and winning the old king in single combat made me the new king."
"Is that what... killed you?" Ford asked.
Phantom shook his head. "Nah, my death was for a much dumber reason. I was a stupid teenager poking into something I shouldn't. Got electrocuted."
"Ouch," said Ford sympathetically.
"Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it," Phantom laughed. "That was the most painful thing I've ever experienced. Oh, um, if you meet any other ghosts, most of them don't like talking about their deaths, so don't bring it up unless they do."
"Is that one of the ways you're different?" Ford asked.
"Kind of," Phantom said. "When I died... I didn't go directly to the Ghost Zone like other ghosts do."
"The Ghost Zone is this dimension," Ford confirmed.
Phantom nodded. "I stayed with my family, tried to live a normal life for a while. I've had to explain the whole 'I'm a ghost' thing a few times."
Ford tried to wrap his head around the idea of a ghost trying to live a normal life. He tried to picture this glowing, white-haired teen going to school, doing homework, hanging out with friends. "Is your family still alive?"
Phantom's glow increased incrementally. "Yeah! My sister just graduated from Harvard with her associates. And my parents run a thriving business."
Ford tried not to feel bitter about the pride this dead kid had for his family. He wished his own family could have shown a modicum of this pride for each other. "What kind of business?"
Phantom chuckled. "They sell ghost hunting supplies. They're the leading ectologists in the field."
"Paranormal research is a thriving business?" Ford asked. He probably should have paid more attention to the fact that that the ghost had ghost-hunting parents, but he didn't particularly care about other people's family problems.
"Oh, yeah, it really took off after the portal was opened. Amity Park became the ghost capitol of the world, and now nobody there can deny the existence of ghosts."
Ford wasn't sure how long they'd been idle, but he now noticed he was in a room that seemed comfortable and modern, like a hotel room. There was even a television in front of the bed. "Does the TV get... human channels?"
Phantom nodded. "There's some interference, but it works alright. I got Technus to install them a while back. He was so excited about it, too!"
Ford had no idea who Technus was, but he was looking forward to catching up on news from Dimension 46'/.
"There's snacks in the minifridge, but if you want a meal, you can meet me in the dining hall. I can get you whatever you like."
"Thanks," Ford said. "I think I'll get settled in here for a bit."
Phantom nodded. "Alright. I'll be back in the morning. Or, well, after some sleep. There aren't really day/night cycles here."
"I'll manage," said Ford.
Once he was alone, Ford sat at the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. Home. He was going home. He wasn't sure what the word meant any more, but it tickled him with a pleasure he didn't think he could even muster any more. He'd see Fiddleford again. He'd see Stan again. They'd had some rough times, but he liked to think that they may have grown up a bit in the nearly-thirty-years they'd been apart.
Home.
He hadn't dared think of home in years, but now he couldn't get the thought out of his head. Was his house still unoccupied after all these years? Had Stan traveled in his absence? His brother probably had all sorts of crazy stories now! Had Fiddleford become a great inventor?
He was going home!
He fell asleep amidst pleasant dreams for the first time in as long as he could remember. The next morning, Phantom treated him to a lovely breakfast and led the way to the portal. The portal to his home dimension.
The Ghost Zone was truly fascinating, but his thoughts were distracted today. The portal was green and swirling, like the one that had brought him here. He jumped into it, surprised when Phantom matched his pace, jumping into the portal with him.
They appeared in a room that was clearly a lab. Metal conglomerations adorned shelves in a backdrop of sterile white walls. Two scientists in jumpsuits were welding something in the opposite corner until the smaller of the two noticed their presence.
"Oh, hi, Danny! Who's your friend?" she asked in way that was far more familiar than Ford would expect.
"Oh, uh, this is a human that got trapped in the Ghost Zone. I'm just helping him get home," Phantom explained.
The larger scientist ruffled Phantom's hair. "That's our Dann-o! Always being a hero!"
"Da-ad!" Phantom protested, intangibly evading the man's show of affection.
So these were the parents of the Ghost King. Somehow, Ford never imagined that the portal would open into his parents' own lab.
The woman held out her hand to Ford. "Any friend of Danny's is a friend of ours! I'm Maddie Fenton, and that's my husband, Jack."
"Ford Pines," he replied, grasping the offered hand for a handshake.
Phantom began to ascend the stairs to exit the lab. "I have a friend who can probably get you a flight home. I'll just give her a call. You can come upstairs with me or wait down here."
Ford decided to follow Phantom up the stairs. He hadn't expected to see a normal-looking kitchen attached to the lab. "Is this your house?" Ford asked.
Phantom nodded. "Yeah, my room is just upstairs, but I promise you don't want to see it. I haven't cleaned in a while."
Ford nodded, watching as the ghost boy scrambled through the pockets of a jacket which hung in the closet. Phantom pulled out a device which looked like the communicators of one of the worlds he'd visited. Ford learned that this was a communicator when Phantom raised it to his ear to speak into it.
"Hey, Sam... Yeah, I know, sorry... But I have a favor to ask... No, I'm not in danger... Come on, you know me!...I found someone wandering the Zone last night, they just need a ride home... Oregon... Thanks, Sam, you're the best!"
"A lot has changed in thirty years if you can make a phone call on that," Ford said once Phantom hung up.
"Oh, yeah, I didn't think of that," Phantom said. "You probably haven't even heard of Google"
"Of what?" Ford asked.
Phantom laughed, "We can go over all that on the flight. Sam scored us a ride on her family's jet, and it'll be ready to go by the time we get there. Um, it'll be faster if I fly us there. Do you mind if I..."
"Oh, um, yes, that's alright," Ford said.
The ghost was cold to the touch, as if he'd just emerged from a snowstorm. Ford tried not to let his apprehension show as they flew over the city. The blessedly normal, human city. The cars below seemed rounder, newer, but similar enough to the ones he'd known. He also noticed with relief that no one else was wearing the jumpsuits that Phantom and his family seemed to favor. If that had been the modern fashion, Ford would have resigned himself to dress like the old man he was instead.
Phantom flew him to a mansion, where a jet waited in the yard, guarded by a young woman dressed in black and purple.
The girl introduced herself as Sam and then led the way onto the jet. Phantom began to walk on afterward.
"I didn't realize you'd be coming with me," Ford said.
Phantom stopped. "Well, we can't let a stranger take Sam's family jet on his own."
Oh, that made sense. Ford followed Phantom onto the jet, then felt a sudden sinking feeling in his chest. He was falling.
"No!" Phantom cried.
Ford finally recognized this familiar twisting sensation: a portal had opened up beneath him, sending him somewhere new. He tried to fight it, but with no success. He was already gone.
He'd been so close! He was almost home!
The universe must truly hate him, to let him get so close and then rip away his hope like it didn't matter. Yesterday, he'd never felt so close to returning home.
Today he'd never felt farther away.
AN: Sequel is now available!! It's called A Promise to Help