Happy New Year, everypony! Wait, wrong fandom…
Everykoopa? Everytoad? Everyoshi?
I give up.

It's not just new years for the world; it has been almost 1 whole year since I join FanFiction. And on the 20th, it will be the one-year anniversary for this story. Party. If I don't get a chapter up around that day, then this is the anniversary chapter.

Disclaimer: I didn't get them for Christmas.

Chapter 20: Lost Remedy

Mario reached out his hand and helped one of the nurses up. She shakily thanked him as he looked around. The strange Bullet Bills seemed to have left, and the strange gas dissipated. But the door had been broken off its hinges.

"Roy?" Mario said, hoping he was okay.

"Yeah," came Roy's reply.

Mario looked toward the hospital bed, but Roy wasn't there. Bowser Jr. was also absent. Mario looked over to the last cot and blinked in surprise.

There was Roy, standing on the foot of Larry Koopa's bed with fists raised in an orthodox boxing stance. Junior lay next to Larry, both of whom were still unconscious. Roy was breathing heavily from exhaustion, but the fire in his eyes burned healthily.

"They're gone," Mario said.

Roy lowered his arms. He then gripped his hand tightly and massaged it.

One of the doctors walked over to him. "Let me have a look at that."

Roy hesitated, but eventually obliged.

"Hm," the doctor said, "it looks like you sprained it."

Roy's nostrils flared ever-so slightly. "One of those Bills was headed over here, and I punched it off-course. Hurt a lot more than I thought it would."

Mario blinked again. "Really? But they looked just like regular Bills. They certainly weren't Bombshell Bills, but even that wouldn't be a problem for you, right?"

Roy looked Mario in the eye as the doctor wrapped his hand. "I don't think those were Bullet Bills or Bombshell Bills."

One of the medical staff spoke up, "Why were they even here? All they did was bust down the door and blot out our vision. Everything else is intact."

"I don't know," Mario thought out loud.

"Wait," Roy ordered. "Something's wrong…"

"What do you mean?" Mario asked.

Roy sniffed the air. He looked at the doctors. "Has Larry gone through surgery yet?"

One shook her head. "No. Why?"

"You need to have Life Shroom extract for after it's done, so the shell can mend."

"We have vials right in there." She pointed to a stack of metal crates that was right by Larry's bed. "Always."

Roy frowned. "I don't smell any of it."

Uh-oh, Mario thought. He ran over to the crates and put the one on top on the floor. Mario pulled out a container and emptied it on the ground. Everyone's eyes widened.

Nothing but grey dust poured out.

*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*

Vivian pulled everyone up from the shadows. "Is everyone alright?"

Gonzales Jr. staggered. "Warn me next time you're gonna do that."

"Sorry," Vivian apologized, "I just didn't want any of you to get hit by those things."

"Didn't you see where one of them went, though?" Goombella ran into the hospital.

Vivian gasped when she saw the broken window. "I didn't see that!"

Everyone followed.

The doctors were frantic. The gang could see that most of the chaos was focused on the operating room. Lemuel Koopa's room.

"What's wrong?" Koops asked one of the nurses.

He frowned, visibly troubled. "We were just finishing the operation when those Bullet Bills came in. Now that they're gone, our entire supply of Life Shroom extract is gone! Just… turned to dust!"

The three Koopas present gasped.

Goombella explained to the rest, "Without the extract, a Dragon-Koopa's shell can't mend properly. Actually, it can't mend at all!"

The nurse nodded. "And given the state the poor thing is in, he won't be able to move is his shell isn't properly healed."

Gonzales Jr. grew anxious. "Can't we do anything?"

No one had an answer.

Except for the new voice, salty and aged, that came from the doorstep. "Perhaps I can be of assistance!"

*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*J*

Pauline coughed and crawled out from under the chairs. Kraig did the same.

"What in the world was all that?" Pauline wonder aloud.

Kraig shrugged. "Who knows? But I get the sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with last night."

Pauline looked at him. "You mean… Lud… him?" She found herself forgetting the Dragon-Koopa's name, but Kraig got her message.

He nodded. "Let's go back upstairs."

They ran.

So… yeah. I guess that's it for Chapter 20.

In case I don't see ya — or in case Bowser, Ludwig, Roy, or/and any of the like get me — good afternoon, good evening, and good night.