SWITCH!!! Enjoying amusement parks can be hard work! [Part 5]

Of all times for Red Sandrea to show up! Why here? Why now? Did she see the video of me kicking that thug earlier and decide to launch an attack? With all the people coming up to me, I’m sure photos quickly made their way online. I didn’t know if Red uses social media, but if she did, then I’m sure she’d have noticed.

Numerous shadow portals opened on the ground, revealing Shadownyans. People on the ground were quick to panic. The person running the Ferris Wheel must’ve also ditched their post, leaving everyone on the ride stranded.

“Red Sandrea, huh?” Jack said, peering over the edge of the carriage as well. “This isn’t good.”

I nodded my head in agreement.

Jack turned to me. “It’s a good thing Magical Knight Lune is around to stop her, though.”

Hearing that made me wince. Yes, she was, but she’s currently stuck several stories up in the air locked in a cage. Only way out was to reveal to her boyfriend that she was also his best friend. There was no way I could do that. Not after keeping it a secret this long. How would he react if he found out that he’d really been flirting with, and even kissing, Daniel all this time? He would’ve yelled “Bleh! You mean I kissed my best bro?! Disgusting!”

Disgusting…

Just the thought of his reaction broke my heart.

I could have waited and hoped that the ride started up again so that we could ride it out and then exit. Even if it did, I still would have been stuck on the ride for another eight minutes while Red ran amuck with nobody to stop her.

Neither option was a very good choice. However, one was the less painful of the two.

I sat there staring at the floor and waited. And waited. And waited…

Jack continued to watch the ground, commenting like some sort of sportscaster, giving me the play-by-play. Shadownyans chased park guests around, and Red marched in circles waiting for me to show myself. A Shadownyan flew up to the carriages, checking to see who was inside. One peeked inside ours, looked at us, let out a small sigh, and moved on to the next.

Finally, it got to the point I could hear Red shouting in frustration at my lack of appearance. “Where are you!!!” she screamed, reaching even my ears.

“Shouldn’t Lune be showing up now?” Jack asked.

I pulled up my legs onto my seat and buried my face in my knees, frustrated by my inability to do anything. I had sent text messages to Belliney begging her to come bail me out, but all the messages were labeled as “unread”.

Great time to be busy with something, Belliney! You should know by now that Red’s out and about causing a disturbance! Can’t you come and bail me out like before?!

No, I shouldn’t be angry with Belliney. It was my actions that led me to this predicament. My job as a magical girl was to be prepared at all times and to put a stop to Red Sandrea’s attacks no matter the time or place. And there I was, stuck in the sky in a cage, unable to do anything as she ran loose.

To make matters worse, even if I managed to get out somehow, what would I have done? It’s not like I had my armor or anything to protect me from her attacks. And my pouch holding my sword was back at home! What was I supposed to have done? Tell Red to give me a few minutes to run home, grab my stuff, then come back to fight?!

Minutes passed as the carriage gently swung back with a sharp squeak in the evening wind. There was nothing to do but hope for the best or that Red would get bored and go home. How would people react to that? That Magical Knight Lune was at Ten Flags that day, but when duty called, she went AWOL?

It seemed that Lune’s absence affected Jack as he grew increasingly frustrated. I was sure he was worried that something must’ve happened to his girlfriend. And with him being up here with me, there was nothing he could do. Not like Jack was so dumb as to do something as reckless as break out of the carriage and climb down the Ferris Wheel.

WHAM!!!

The carriage shook violently, causing me to nearly fall out of my seat.

“What the heck?!” I cried, unsure what had happened. Did a Shadownyan attack the carriage?

WHAM!!!

I got my answer not a second later, as I saw Jack kick the door to the carriage.

“What’re you doing?!” I yelled.

“Getting out of here,” he said as a matter of fact.

“What?! Why?!”

“Because Lune obviously needs help. That’s why.”

WHAM!!! WHAM!!! WHAM!!!

After a few more kicks, the lock securing the carriage gave way, and the door swung open. Without saying anything, Jack climbed out of the carriage.

“Jack!” I cried. “Get back here! You’re not an action movie star! You’re gonna get yourself killed!”

“Don’t worry about me,” he shouted as reached over to the spoke of the Ferris Wheel. “If anything happens, I know Lune will come and save me!”

“How do you know that for a fact?!”

“I just do.”

“That’s reckless!!!”

Jack thought of what to say, probably trying to think of a cool one-liner. Eventually, he gave up and shrugged. “Yeah. I guess it is. But I’ve got faith in her.”

From where our carriage sat, the spoke securing our carriage was at roughly a forty-five-degree angle to the ground. It wouldn’t be impossible to slide down, but with how high we were, hitting the ground would be instant death.

Once Jack grabbed hold of the spoke, he kicked off the carriage, secured his legs, then began a slow descent. I thought about transforming then and there to grab him and bring him down, but if I were to do that while he was still so close to the carriage, he’d quickly put two-to-two together and realize it’s me. All I could do was watch as my stomach churned.

“H-hey!!!” yelled Red Sandrea, seeming to notice Jack’s theatrics. “The heck ya doin’?!”

Even she knew how stupid of a stunt this was. Regardless, Jack continued climbing downward.

Things seemed to be fine until he came across the first of several rings going around the Ferris Wheel. He tried maneuvering his legs around it but appeared to struggle. I kept watching, fearing for his life.

And then…

“Ah!”

As Jack placed a foot against the ring to get past, it slipped, causing him to fall.

“JACK!!!” I cried, nearly falling out of the carriage myself.

Out of nowhere, Red Sandrea leaped into the air and grabbed Jack as he fell. She then landed on the ground, seemingly safe.

I was relieved to see Jack saved, but then felt absolutely disgusted with myself. Jack put himself in danger with absolute faith that Lune would come to his rescue.

Instead, it was Lune’s archrival that did the rescuing.

I crawled back inside the carriage, tears forming in the corner of my eyes.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!!!” I cursed myself.

Alone and out of sight from Jack, I transformed into Lune and quickly hopped down to the ground where Red and Jack stood.

“Finally!” Red Sandrea said, seeing me. “Er, hold up. Why aren’t ya dressed in–”

I quickly ran past Red toward Jack and hugged him, tears streaming down my face.

“Whoa! Hey!” Jack said.

“You idiot!!!” I yelled at him. “Why did you do something so stupid?!”

Jack was silent for a moment before he spoke. “Things were taking so long, so I–”

“You couldn’t have just waited?!”

“I was waiting,” Jack responded. “But since you weren’t going after Red, I felt the need to do something.”

“Do what?! What could you possibly do?! You’re no match for her!”

He fell silent.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “I should’ve been the one to save you. But instead, all I could do was standby and watch.”

“Why couldn’t you?” he asked.

“Because…” I tried to think of some sort of excuse, but no such excuse existed. I looked down at the ground, gripping the hem of my dress in frustration. “I can’t tell you.”

Jack gently brushed his thumb across my cheek, wiping away my tears. When I looked up, I noticed he too looked apologetic.

“Look, Lune. I–”

Red squeezed herself between us. “Nyow, sorry to interrupt yer little moment with Mr. Daredevil here, but aren’t ya forgettin’ somethin’?”

“Screw off!” I exploded at her. “Why do you always pop in at the worst possible times?”

She was taken aback by my sudden outburst, appearing genuinely hurt as she gripped her chest. But that went away as she became furious with me.

“Screw off? Screw off?! Ya want me to… Fine! If that’s what you want, then so be it! I’m sick of the way you’ve been treatin’ me this past month!”

“Huh?” I said, tilting my head in confusion.

“Doing things off schedule… Interrupting me while at work… And straight up ignorin’ me?! It’s like ya don’t even care anymore!”

She then looked over to Jack, glaring at him.

“I get it. It’s cause of ya, ain’t it? I should’ve realized it weren’t no coincidence that ya keep poppin’ up. Y’all the one who changed Lune!”

“I don’t know what you’re going on about. But it sounds to me like you could let off a little steam.”

Ooooh no. I did not like where this was going.

“Jack, no,” I told him.

“It’s fine. I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself. She seems to have some beef with the two of us together, so I figure I can help get her over it. Besides, I was the one who offered to spar with her a while back. Remember?”

Red stared at him with a furrowed brow, appearing to contemplate his offer. Then undid her cape and armor and chucked them over to a wooden park bench, smashing it. She then held up her fists. “I ain’t holdin’ back like I normally do.”

Jack chuckled. “I wouldn’t have it any other–”

In the blink of an eye, Red got in front of Jack and punched him right in the gut. She hit him with so much force that it caused the back of his shirt to explode outward on the opposite side of where she decked him.

It was an immediate KO. So quick that Jack didn’t even notice before becoming unconscious.

“JACK!!!” I screamed.

He collapsed forward, but Red caught him before he could fall to the ground. She then lifted him over her shoulder, grabbed her cape and armor, then looked at me.

“Now I’ll screw off,” she said as a portal opened behind her.

She held out her hand, summoning a swirl of black smoke. The smoke condensed into a small, black card, about the size of a regular business card. Indecipherable red runes were written across it.

“Here,” she said, flicking it at me. “Cut this with your sword when you feel like rescuing your boyfriend.”

She then walked into the portal.

“No! Wait!” I cried, extending a hand.

But she was gone. So too was Jack.

I collapsed onto my knees as tears welled up in my eyes, making my vision blurry.

Not only did I fail to act as a magical girl and stop Red when I should’ve, but I put Jack’s life on the line. Not only that, but I failed to act and save him when he almost died, forcing Red to be the one to rescue him.

For someone who fights for love and friendship, how could I put the one I love the most into such danger? I had been so preoccupied with not exposing my lie and the effects it could have on me instead of focusing on Jack’s safety.

On that day, I felt I was a failure as a magical girl.