Rain was pretty sure the poster read "Protect Your Fellow Fictionals: Join Up to Defeat Villains, Make New Friends, Have Fun!"
Honestly, it sounded something like an advertisement for the army.
No one had seen it yet, no one had torn off the small tabs that gave the email to the place. Rain grabbed a tab and ran home.
As soon as she got into her room, she opened up the small, white laptop on her bed. She had gotten it only a couple months before for her birthday. She double clicked the mail icon, and began to write.
Hello there!
I'm Rain, and I am very interested in your program! Please let me know of any extra information for the program!
Thanks!
It was modest, as she didn't really know anything. It was late at night, the clock read 10:07 PM, so she wasn't expecting any-
Ding!
-reply...
She opened up the email floating at the top of her laptop's small screen, and read it.
Hello, Rain!
The PYFF program welcomes you! Please reply with your address and a time that would work for our bus to come and pick you up. We will be taking you to the program building, where you can sign up and fill out some extra information!
We hope to see you as soon as possible.
She replied to the email, stated her address and that, really, any time would work for her, heck, even right now, and waited for a response-
Ding!
-a response that came quicker than the blink of an eye.
How do they write that fast? I only replied a second ago...
She read it nonetheless.
Thank you, Rain! Our services will be here shortly.
Shortly?
Wait, crap, hold up-
She heard the beeping of a bus from outside. Rain snapped shut her laptop, plugged it in, and set it next to the bed, and got on some shoes and her black-blue striped jacket. She still had her day clothes on, as she never really changed into pajamas until she was ready for bed, being the lazy person she was, and was out the door in less than a minute.
The axolotl-like creature moved about lazily, waking slowly from its long slumber. Its glowing white eyes peeled open, not surprised to find a small, yellow, triangular demon sitting in front of it.
No, Axolotl was more surprised to see that the demon in question looked like he had been run over by a train. The brick-like figments that made up his glowing body looked cracked, some even nudged out of place, and Axolotl noticed as its eyes trailed upwards, that the demon's only eye looked simultaneously livid, terrified, and utterly exhausted.
"Oh, my," Axolotl mused, chuckling just a bit. "What predicament did you get yourself into this time?"
"Can it, wise guy," Bill Cipher snapped, against his better judgement, "you've known me long enough to know that this is serious." Axolotl grunted angrily at the triangle's harsh tone, but looking at the withered state of the demon, it decided to push it aside for now.
"Well, you do seem to be a bit more out of sorts than usual," said Axolotl. "And by your tone earlier, I see it is no laughing matter."
"Well, is there anything you can do about it?" said Bill, not trying whatsoever to hide the annoyance in his voice. Axolotl shifted its gaze to the sky, or what would've been, considering the two were currently in what humans would call "the void," and hummed thoughtfully.
"There is a way," it said, "but I doubt you'd like it."
"I'd like anything but death at this point."
The creature nodded its head, and looked back down at the demon.
"You'll have to inhabit one of those-what did you call them?-meat popsicles."
Immediately, Bill's only eye went wide with fear.
"There has to be another option," he breathed.
"You said you'd like anything but death at this point, and this is far from death."
"But...but what about their life spans?! I'm at least a million, I've lost count of the number, what if I get in one of those fleshy little meat sacks and all of a sudden, boom, dead, my age is too much for it?!"
"We can work our way around that. Dumb it down to a physical age of a teenager or young adult and call it good."
"Call it good?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"
At this comment, Axolotl's eyes turned a threatening shade of read, an it brought itself up to its full height in order to stare the demon down. Bill shrunk in the creature's gaze, knowing right away that he probably should've just swallowed the words and have them scratch his insides rather than let them out.
"This is our last option, Cipher." Axolotl's voice echoed across at least ten planes of existence. "If our only other option is death, then I will give it to you myself. Your defiance is highly unnecessary, and I advise you to keep your mouth shut unless you want to be obliterated. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior."
Bill shuddered, trying his best to calm himself. The axolotl lowered itself to what would've been the ground, and its eyes turned back to their usual white.
"Are you going to cooperate now?" it asked. Bill nodded cautiously. "Good. Do you want to go through with your final option, or would you rather choose death?"
"Final option."
"Good. This might hurt."
He felt...something happen. A little shift in his form, completely involuntary. It was small, practically nonexistent, and if he hadn't known what was about to happen, he would've ignored it, maybe not have even felt it. But he knew what it was. His form flickered, and he yelped as he felt himself break apart.
Bill realized, in a matter of moments, that Axolotl wasn't joking. His entire existence burned. His mind was searing with pain. He found himself gasping for air, and his lungs, or the closest thing to them, felt lie they were going to explode. He was blinded by the pain, the only thing he could see was a blinding shade of vibrant, pale blue, and he suddenly realized why he felt like he was burning.
He was burning.
His figure was coming apart, his limbs seemingly separated from his body as his entire form started to crumble. He was separated in two planes of reality, his mind was coming apart. He could feel his powers starting to decline, and he was almost completely sure he was going to dissipate. He couldn't think, he could barely move, and he couldn't stop screaming.
He wouldn't put it past Axolotl to be enjoying this.
"NONONONO, MAKE IT STOP, PLEASE-"
And then it did stop, leaving him limp and exhausted, heaving and gasping.
Something wasn't right. He knew it. It felt like a part of him had been removed, and the rest of his consciousness had melted down in order to fit together again. Almost in an instant, a flood of new-found senses clotted his brain. The fresh smell of grass, the rush of a spring breeze, and the prickly feeling of the cold air on his skin.
"What..." Huff. "...did you..." Puff... "...do?!"
He suddenly realized, at the lack of the creature's voice, that he was no longer in "the void."
He was back in Gravity Falls.
His eyes went wide with fear.
"No, no no nonono, anywhere but here-!"
He felt his knees give way under him, and he fell into the soft grass. He could taste something coppery in his...
Mouth?
No...that shouldn't-
In the surprise, and also the pain, he blacked out.
You know the rest.
The Hatbox Ghost didn't know what he was signing up for, but he did it anyways.
Wheatley had returned to Aperture, only to find coming back was much worse than staying in space.
Dr. Flug Slys was overworked and needed a break.
Newton Pud wanted something new.
Without Chad in town, everything became boring again. Dennis wanted some excitement.
And so it began. The program was working smoothly, thousands signed up.
There's just one more person who needed to get in on it.