A/N: Hey, guys! In the previous chapter, Mario spent the night delivering Christmas presents to everyone with Yoshi's help. Luigi couldn't go and help him because he was too tired. Despite some problems with Kamek, Mario and Yoshi delivered the gifts to their friends. Now it's time for the New Year's special! I thank breathk20 for partially inspiring me. Let's start!

Chapter 18: The New Year

(''The Star Festival- Super Mario Galaxy OST'')

It was a hectic Sunday night in the Mushroom Kingdom. Soon the new year would come, and Mario and Luigi were outside Peach's castle for the party. The courtyard was full of people chatting loudly.

''What a year, huh, Mario?'' asked Luigi.

''Yeah. It's been a crazy year.'' Mario replied, chuckling. ''It seems like I always have to expect everything.''

''As usual.'' said Luigi.

''I always seriously wonder what's going to happen the following year.'' Toad said.

''Every year is more unpredictable than the last.'' Toadette added.

And it was true. The Mushroom Kingdom was a wacky world by itself, and strange things happened frequently. Castles uprooted from the ground, birds that stole everything they saw, mysterious diseases that sprang up out of nowhere, alien invasions, paper characters, and so on, yet no one asked too many questions anymore. With each adventure, Mario and Luigi always wondered if there would be another adventure crazier than the last one.

''I just hope someone doesn't mess with the firecrackers.'' said Luigi. He didn't want anyone to do something stupid, it reminded him of Mario.

''Why, may I ask?'' asked Daisy.

''Because you might lose your hands.'' replied Luigi.

''Not if you're careful.'' Mario said.

''Well, yes, but you know how it is. I always wonder if New Year firecrackers are legal or not, because there are a lot of incidents.''

''The firecrackers are legal, but some are illegally bought. Anyway, don't worry, Lu. You'll be fine.''

''If you say so.''

Everyone kept busy with singing, dancing, and other activities, and Mario spent time with Peach on the balcony.

''If only I could become relevant, for once...'' Waluigi snorted.

''Please, you'll relevant the day you date me. That is, never.'' Daisy silenced him. Waluigi looked like he wanted to slap her. He had always been very dramatic, and with his bad temper, he was hated by practically everyone. Wario tolerated him, but was often annoyed by him.

''Mario, Luigi, is the party fun?'' asked Peach.

''Yes, we're having fun, but I have a feeling something is going to go wrong soon.'' Luigi replied. ''Not to jinx it, of course.''

''We're not offended, Luigi.'' said Toad.

''Actually, I should fortify the castle's defenses at some point,'' Peach mused.

Everyone agreed with Peach. Bowser kidnapped her frequently, and the Toads weren't exactly good lines of defense.

(''The Star Festival- Super Mario Galaxy OST-s'')

(''Bowser Battle- Super Mario Galaxy OST'')

It was twenty minutes before midnight when a cannonball fell a short distance from the castle.

''Who's there?!'' Toadsworth exclaimed.

Peach ordered all the Toads to flee to the main square of Toad Town and more cannonballs began to fall. Luigi looked up and saw in horror two helicopter-like vehicles with an all-too-familiar face. ''Koopa Clown Cars! They're attacking us!'' he shouted.

Mario was almost hit from behind, but managed to dodge a cannonball, and Luigi dodged another one. However, the cannonballs created a thick cloud of smoke, and Yoshi was hit in the back by a series of explosions that incapacitated him. Peach tried to escape, but was caught in the commotion, as the smoke prevented her from finding a way out. On the Koopa Clown Cars were Bowser and Bowser Jr. The latter blew a raspberry to Mario and Luigi.

''Them again?!'' Daisy exclaimed.

''Bowser! Seriously, this is not the time!'' said Mario, irritated.

''Did you think you could get away with it after the prank you played on me last week, Mario?!'' Bowser shouted.

''Well, you'd have crashed into the party and stolen the presents!'' replied Mario. ''And anyway, if you think you can make out with the princess, forget it! She's got enough to think about without you causing trouble!

''You're all too predictable Bowser.'' Luigi added.

''We'll see how predictable I am when I defeat you both!'' said Bowser.

''Yoshi, go to Toad Town and protect the citizens! We'll take care of Bowser!'' Mario told Yoshi, who nodded.

Mario and Luigi dodged the Koopa Clown Cars' cannon fire and returned fire by firing fireballs. However, as the fireballs fell to the ground, they struggled to hit them. Since he had the Thunderhand, Luigi could hit them more easily by firing electric beams from his hands, but they had no homing, so it wasn't easy for him either.

''Is that all?'' Bowser Jr. taunted them.

''Not even close.'' Mario said.

Luigi jumped and grabbed onto Bowser's Koopa Clown Car, causing it to swerve. Bowser knocked him off with a sharp turn, but this was a diversion. Luigi had distracted him enough for Mario to jump off a tree and hit him on the head with his hammer. Bowser Jr. had two boxing gloves appear on his Junior Clown Car, but Luigi dodged its punches and pushed it away with a quick spin.

Mario was hit by a wrecking ball on Bowser's Koopa Clown Car, but recovered and threw fireballs at him from the other. Bowser Junior hit Luigi with his toy hammer, but he pulled himself together and countered with his own hammer In the collision between the two hammers, Luigi overpowered Bowser Junior, causing him to lose the hammer and hit him.

Bowser and Bowser Jr. changed their strategy, flying high and firing fireballs and cannonballs that put Mario and Luigi in difficulty.

''We have to strike from above!'' said Luigi.

''The walls! Of course!'' exclaimed Mario.

They jumped over the castle walls, and from there, they could hit Bowser and Bowser Jr. with more precision. After dodging a cannonball, Luigi fired a lightning bolt from his hands, hitting the Junior Clown Car and causing it to malfunction. Both Koopa Clown Cars flew out of the castle and towards Toad Town.

''What's the matter, Mario?'' Luigi asked, noticing the look on his brother's face.

''Oh, no! They're attacking the town!'' shouted Mario. ''Let's hurry, Luigi!''

From the castle walls, Daisy saw Bowser and Bowser Jr. wreaking havoc on Toad Town. ''If I wasn't here yet, I'd make Bowser pay for it!'' she snapped. She headed to Toad Town with Toadsworth and the others to get the other Toads to safety. Meanwhile, Peach watched in horror as Toad Town was slowly being devastated.

A circular saw flew from the Junior Clown Car and Luigi barely dodged it. After dodging another one, he fired green fireballs. The first two missed the mark, but the third one hit Bowser Junior, who took his magic brush and hit Luigi in the face with a spray of goo, blinding him.

Meanwhile, Mario tried to jump up to Bowser, but each time, he was grabbed by the leg and thrown away, and he also had to avoid Bowser Jr.'s attacks.

Out of instinct, Luigi jumped towards the Junior Clown Car managing to cling to it, and punched it several times until Bowser Jr. fell, then wiped his eyes with his sleeve. ''Great thought, Luigi!'' Mario praised him. He saw a cannonball fired by the Koopa Clown Car and kicked it back.

Luigi disarmed Bowser Jr. with a karate chop. Bowser's son tried to attack him with his claws, but Luigi pinned him down with one arm, leaving him exposed to a blow of his palm that released an electric shock from his other hand. A combined fireball from Mario and Luigi knocked him out.

''You should have stayed at your castle.'' said the younger brother.

''Not after the joke that rotten brother of yours played on me!'' screamed Bowser.

''You made a fool of yourself, Bowser. It's not my fault that you're so obsessed with the color pink.'' Mario said. From inside the Koopa Clown Car, Peach chuckled a little.

''I'll bite your nose off!'' roared Bowser.

''Do your worst!'' replied Mario.

It was ten minutes to midnight. Bowser threw Mechakoopas, which approached Mario and Luigi in an attempt to explode in their faces, but the two brothers remembered well when he used that strategy, and threw them at him.(1)

''You're predictable, Bowser.'' Luigi said.

''Oh, yeah?!''

A storm of fireballs started bombarding Mario and Luigi, and those that missed them caused further damage to the houses. Before long, they began to struggle against the pressure.

''Mario! Luigi! Take these!'' Peach shouted, throwing two Super Mushrooms at Mario and Luigi, who grabbed them, replenishing their strength.(2)

''Don't think it's so easy to beat us, Bowser.'' Mario said.

Mario's and Bowser's fire collided several times, but both he and his brother were knocked away a couple of times by the wrecking balls coming out of the Koopa Clown Car.

Minutes passed, but at one point, Bowser a pair of arms from his Koopa Clown Car, and Mario and Luigi couldn't dodge them. Unable to escape, they were exposed to their fiery breath at close range, and after a large explosion, they were gone.

(''Bowser Battle- Super Mario Galaxy OST-s'')

Peach watched in horror as Bowser laughed. She was distraught, but she shook off that feeling. She didn't want to think about it.

''Think again, Bowser!'' Mario declared.

''I don't think so!'' added Luigi.

Mario and Luigi were very high up, but they were parachuting down. Peach breathed a sigh of relief.

''What?!'' Bowser exclaimed, shocked. ''How?!''

''Very simple, shell head. Luigi put parachutes on us.'' Mario explained.

Bowser looked as if he had something particularly annoying stuck under his shell.

Mario and Luigi charged their fire with a nod. ''Goodbye, Bowser!'' they declared, and fired a large fireball that hit Bowser, causing an explosion and blasting him off.

Peach was blown off the Koopa Clown Car from the explotion, but she opened her parasol, slowing her fall. There are about two minutes left then.

''Are you okay, Peach?'' Mario asked, taking her in his arms as they descended to the ground.

''Don't worry, I'm fine. Thank you.'' Peach said, and kissed Mario on the nose. ''I knew you and Luigi would come out unscathed.''

''You have nothing to fear.'' said Luigi.

They reached the ground a minute later, to the applause of the population.

''Well, it's been a crazy year. Luigi, Peach, a new year is beginning.'' said Mario. Something like a ball was descending on some sort of lamppost.

''The new year scares me, honestly. What things could happen that haven't already happened?'' asked Luigi, nervously.

''It doesn't matter. We'll handle it together.'' Daisy told him. ''Right?''

''I suppose...'' replied Luigi.

''You said it yourself, Luigi. As long as you and Mario are here, I can rest easy.'' Peach said.

(''Happy New Year!- Animal Crossing Wild World OST'')

Midnight was coming. There was less than a minute left, and Mario, Luigi, and all the others counted down.

''10!''

''9!''

''8!''

''7!''

''6!''

''5!''

''4!''

''3!

''2!''

''1!''

And midnight came. There was a flurry of fireworks in the sky, and the atmosphere was festive.

''Happy New Year, Luigi.'' Mario said, giving Luigi a big hug.

''Happy New Year to you too, Mario.'' said Luigi, returning the hug.

To their surprise, both Mario and Luigi received a kiss on the lips from Peach and Daisy respectively, and this caused them to blush deeply, as they had lipstick marks on their mouths. Afterwards, they went to celebrate with all their friends, throwing their hats in the air along with Wario and Waluigi.

''New year, new missions!'' Wario said.

''You're gonna go treasure hunting, right?'' asked Mario.

''Of course! Treasure calls, and Wario answers!'' replied Wario, and he left shortly after.

They stayed with Peach and Daisy to watch the fireworks for a while, until Mario decided that he and Luigi should talk a little privately.

(''Happy New Year!- Animal Crossing Wild World OST-s'')

(''Shooting Star Summit- Paper Mario OST'')

''What a beautiful sight...'' Luigi murmured, his eyes turned to the sky.

''Yeah. I will protect this place until the end. The Mushroom Kingdom is just unique.'' Mario said, smiling.

''I agree. But we can't protect him forever,'' said Luigi. His face showed a look of concern.

''What do you mean?'' asked Mario, worried too.

''Well, we won't always be there to protect the Mushroom Kingdom.'' Luigi replied.

''If you think we're going to lose sooner or later, you don't have to worry about that,'' Mario reassured him.

''It's not just that. We never know what can happen, and we have to expect every possible thing by now. One day, we won't be here anymore, and this will be inevitable. So, if... if we die or something happens to us, who will protect the Mushroom Kingdom? What will become of this world? What if Bowser usurps Peach, or something?''

The plumber in red recognized that Luigi had a good reason to be worried. After all, their defeat or some other terrible event could cause the Mushroom Kingdom to collapse. On the other hand, they were not the only ones who could protect the kingdom. ''We're not the only protectors of the Mushroom Kingdom, bro. There's Yoshi, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad, Toadette, even Nabbit.''

''I know, but... do you know what happens if you lose to Bowser?''

Mario was taken aback. For a moment he thought he was saying all this just out of anxiety, and sometimes he laughed about it, not because he teased him about his worries, but because he denied them or sometimes ignored them even at the cost of putting himself in danger. But when he looked his brother in the face, he realized that there was nothing to laugh about. Luigi was completely serious, and he could see that he was about to cry. ''Luigi...'' he murmured.

''If we fall in battle, everyone will lose hope and the Mushroom Kingdom will fall with us. And I don't want to imagine what Bowser is going to do to Peach, that would be too disgusting! Oh, it will be the end if we lose!'' said Luigi, and he began to cry on his older brother's shoulder.

Mario hugged him. ''Shhhhh... It won't be so easy anymore, I know. But it'll be all right, you'll see,'' he reassured him.

''How can you be so sure?'' asked Luigi, unconvinced. ''That overconfidence of yours is going to kill you one day, and I don't want to lose you.''

''Because we're too experienced. We've faced countless challenges, and we've won against a lot of bad guys. But don't worry about the future. Nothing can beat us as long as we're together.'' replied Mario, gently cupping his brother's head and giving him a small kiss on the cheek.

Luigi felt a little better. ''Thanks, Mario.''

''Hey, you should welcome the new year with more optimism.'' Mario said, keeping a tight grip on Luigi's shoulder.

''I guess you're right. ''Happy New Year, Mario. I love you.''

''Happy New Year to you too, Luigi. I love you too.''

''Hey, big bro, did I tell you I love you?'' With this question, Luigi kissed Mario on the cheek.

''Loud and clear, little bro.'' replied Mario, holding him tighter.

The two brothers stood watching the fireworks, eager to find out what the new year had in store for them.

(''Shooting Star Summit- Paper Mario OST-s'')

A/N: Considering all of Mario and Luigi's adventures, we never know what else they'll ever face. Did you like this chapter? Let me know. Until next time!

(1): In Super Mario World, Bowser fights by throwing Mechakoopas from his Koopa Clown Car. To defeat him, Mario and Luigi must jump on the Mechakoopas to stun them and throw them back at Bowser. After six hits, Bowser will be defeated.

(2): During the final battle against Bowser in Super Mario World, Peach will appear every two hits dealt to Bowser and throw a Super Mushroom.