Sally’s first call for help was still echoing around the forest as she frantically dug around in her pack for something useful. This forest clearly wasn’t normal, and as such she knew she had to be careful of everything. First things first, no matter how pretty and convenient that glow seemed, it was probably not something she should be staring at, and as such, she pulled out her flashlight. She turned it on at max settings and shone it all around her, not seeing much more than trees unfortunately. The others often poked fun at her for how bright her flashlight was, but in this case it was very helpful. She’d be able to see where she was going without having to worry about being misled by the glowing or anything like that, and additionally it would help the others find her easier. Sure, it might attract other types of attention… But it was also decent for self defense, both in terms of blinding people and also bludgeoning them with the heavy metal body, so she hopefully could deal with that… So she started walking, hoping she could find the others before it was too late…

She walked for a long time without hearing so much as a footstep from her friends. She wasn’t sure how long exactly, because her watch had started displaying a strange flower icon instead of the time, and so she threw it away out of panic a while ago. She groaned in exhaustion as she sat down on the ground to take a rest, not willing to risk resting against a tree. After one more scan of her surroundings, she turned off her flashlight to conserve battery while she rested. As her eyes adjusted back to the forest, she got the feeling that the glow seemed a little brighter than last time… And as she rested, it seemed to grow ever so slightly prettier… She closed her eyes, trying to ignore it, and tried to think of what to do next. The issue was….She had no idea! She hadn’t seen anyone after what felt like over an hour of walking around, and she was even more clueless about how she’d even leave if she did find her friends. She… All she could do was just avoid focusing on the bad, and avoid spiralling into a panic… That’s really all she could do… As she tried to think of something to get her mind off of it, she suddenly heard something in the distance… Humming. She quickly turned on her flashlight and yelled out, “HEY! OVER HERE!” The humming stopped, and Sally was worried she might have made a mistake, but she soon heard a voice nearby. “Hiii! Are you lost in here?” Sally nodded, looking around for them. “Yeah, we were on a hike and got lost, and… Where are you?” The voice giggled. “Look up, silly~!” Sally looked up, and for a second she thought the person was still really far away. But no, she realized, they were just really small… And hovering in the air… With a set of shimmering butterfly wings… The pixie waved happily. “Hii! Aren’t I pretty?”

Sally stared up at the pixie in awe. She looked like a particularly beautiful woman with pointy ears and iridescent eyes, and of course the butterfly wings in a gradient of purple and blue. She also wore a lovely dress that reminded Sally of some 1600s period pieces she’d watched. The pixie spun around, happy to show off her fashion, which also included a nice pair of shoes, before flying a bit closer and extending a hand. “Well, I think we should get to know each other! May I have your name, please?” Sally was just about to answer when she registered exactly how that question had been phrased. She cleared her throat and tried to think of exactly how to phrase her own response. “…No, you may not have my name. But… You can refer to me… Using the name, ‘Sally’, if you want to.” The pixie shrugged. “Worth a shot~! Alright Sally, you can call me… Glimmer! So, you and your friends got lost in here?” Sally nodded, glad she didn’t feel like a piece of her had been taken. “Yeah… Four of us… We were on a camping trip with a group we’re part of, and we decided to take a hike away from the others for a bit. Unfortunately, Vane- Our Navigator, I mean, misread the map, and then when we were trying to find our way back we somehow ended up in here separated from each other… I mean, I was suddenly separated from them, but I assume it happened to them as well… I’ve been wandering for a while, but I haven’t seen any of them yet… Or any way out… Do you know if you could help?” Glimmer nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like what the forest does. And I’m not surprised you haven’t found anyone else yet, this place doesn’t like letting its victims find each other.” Sally raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “…Wait, then how did you find me?” Glimmer laughed. “Oh, I’m not a victim, I’m an… Intruder! I’m magic enough that I can counteract the forest's magic and come and go as I please! Though…” She glanced away. “…We aren’t quite immune to the ways the forest lures and entrances its victims… So I do still need to be careful…” She looked back at Sally, grinning. “But that does mean I know what to avoid! And I can tell you too!” 

Sally nodded. “So, you and other pixies can enter and exit this forest whenever you want? Why do you come in? To find travelers like me?” Glimmer nodded enthusiastically. “Yep! That’s at least one thing we do here!” Sally raised an eyebrow. “And you help them get back to where they came from safely, right?” Glimmer grinned mischievously. “That is something we do, yes!” Sally sighed. “Yeah, thought so… Okay… Hmmm… Let’s see…” She thought for a bit, Glimmer taking the time to examine her hairstyle, before nodding and pulling out her phone. “Alright. This is my cell phone, it is a very powerful technological artifact, and I will give it to you on one condition.” She turned it on, and Glimmer looked at it, very interested. “If you help me find my friends before anything bad happens to them or us, and then lead us back to where we came in and ensure all of us are able to leave back to our home world, then you may have this phone. Do you agree to those terms?” Glimmer nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, of course!” Sally smiled and shoved the phone into Glimmer's arm. “Good. Now that we have formed a contract, please do what you just agreed to do.” Glimmer almost fell out of the sky from the comparatively large and heavy phone being shoved into her arms, and looked at Sally with wide eyes. “Oh. Okay, I will then!” She pouted, clearly annoyed at having been outsmarted, and suddenly flew over and sat on Sally's shoulder. “Hey, what? You agreed to lead me, remember?” Glimmer giggled, her chipper voice now right next to Sally's ear. “Only for the second half~! I can give you all the advice you need while sitting right here for now~ Now, start by heading that way, it’s where I came from so the magic should be weaker there!” Sally sighed, but was happy to at least have something to help her now, and so she started walking as Glimmer yapped in her ear about the various dangers of the forest…

Glimmer's voice was oddly pleasant for how rapid and high pitched it was, even right next to Sally's ear, and Sally found herself relaxing as Glimmer told her all about what to avoid. Don’t follow floating lights or a Wisp might trick you, don’t follow any pretty smells or an Alraune might trap you, if you see a particularly pretty tree then immediately go a different direction… It was nice having someone knowledgeable able to help her. And sure, Glimmer sometimes did annoying things like fluttering her wings right in front of Sally’s eyes, or accidentally playing music from the phone at max volume right next to her ears, but she was overall quite helpful… And Sally couldn’t pretend that Glimmer gently running her tiny hands through her hair and deftly removing all the tangles wasn’t a very pleasant feeling… Or that the strange song she hummed wasn’t very soothing… And she wasn’t worried about being enslaved, because she’d made a contract with her, so even if she was in the deepest, most obedient trance, she’d still be going home with the others… So she walked, obediently following Glimmer's directions, a warm, fluttery feeling filling her mind… Not really thinking about anything other than Glimmer's voice until she noticed a weird shimmer wash over the forest, and everything became slightly prettier… “…What was that…?” Glimmer grimaced. “Ohhhh, yeahhh, that’s what happens when the forest takes someone. It uses their essence to make itself prettier and stronger… So, uh… I think one of your friends is gone, sorry.” Sally's stomach lurched, and her knees grew weak. “W-Wait… B-But… I-I saw this happen… t-twice…. T-Twice already… I-I… I-I… N-Nooo…” She collapsed to her knees and began to sob. Glimmer gently stroked her hair and sang to her, and fluttered her wings before her eyes, and sprinkled fairy dust all over her head… Soon, Sally had mostly stopped crying, her eyes nearly closed… Glimmer sweetly whispered in her ear. “…I can still bring you home, Sally… Do you want that?” Sally nodded, her face still stained with tears, and Glimmer smiled. “Just follow me then…” Glimmer began to flutter before her, filling her eyes with a hypnotic light, and Sally slowly followed her, barely able to think anymore, and not wanting to either, because all she had left to think of was sad… As she shambled away, she didn’t notice the phone lying on the ground behind her… Glimmer did, but, well, she couldn’t exactly go back and get it… After all, she’d no longer earned it…