(A/N: You guys probably had a feeling that this story would have 3 chapters in it. Originally, it was going to have 2, but the second one was long enough for me to divide, so I did. Now I'll get it started for you.)

About a day later, Mario and Peach received an invitation to Daisy's Castle in Sarasaland. Their family was invited to attend a birthday party for Princess Daffodil and Princess Amaryllis. Mario and Peach couldn't say no to their beloved nieces. So they informed Mario Jr. and Pesca about this party, and they were really excited at the idea of attending, if it meant spending time with their cousins. In fact, it gave Pesca a great idea.

"Mama, may I please bring my violin with me when we go to Sarasaland? I was thinking that maybe I could use it to play "Edelweiss" as kind of a present for the birthday girls. And you know that I still need to continue practicing my violin if I want to be as good as you." Pesca suggested to Peach that night as she brushed her hair

Peach saw no harm in that, since Peach also remembered that she used to bring her own violin to Daisy's back when she still played it. And she thought it was really sweet that Pesca wanted to use the instrument to play a nice song for her little cousins. She talked to Mario about the matter, and they agreed to let Pesca bring the violin along, much to her happiness.

The following day, after Pesca's violin lesson had ended, Mario and Peach told Henry that they would be going to visit Sarasaland for a few days, so the lessons would have to be called off for a while, but he was okay with the idea. He just told the Royal Family to have fun, and asked Pesca to keep practicing her violin.

"Non preoccuparti. Don't worry, Henry, I will. In fact, I'm actually planning to take the violin with me so I can continue practicing it while I'm away. That's because I want to use it to play a song for my birthday cousins." Pesca replied to her instructor.

"You're really going to play a song for your cousins on the violin? Aw, that's really sweet of you!" Henry smiled. He thought Pesca was as sweet as her mother. Then he said, "I would like a report on how that went when you return to the Mushroom Kingdom."

"You got it!" Pesca replied, winking at Henry and giving him a thumbs-up.

A few days later, the family had packed their bags, and when they were ready, they jumped down the warp pipe to Luigi's Mansion, and from there they took the warp pipe to Daisy's Castle. Once they were there, Mario knocked on the door, eager to see his favorite twin brother again. And to his great surprise, Luigi was the one who opened the door.

(A/N: They didn't take Poochy because his job as a Royal Guard Dog means staying in the Mushroom Kingdom and making sure that everything is totally safe.)

"Mario!" Luigi exclaimed happily at the sight of his brother.

"Luigi!" Mario exclaimed back.

Then the brothers hugged each other very tightly, glad that they were able to be together again. As twins, Mario and Luigi had always been very close, and the strong bond that they shared could only be described as 'unbreakable'.

"Come on in, everyone. Daisy's going to be glad to see that you turned up." Luigi said after ending the hug, motioning for Peach, Mario Jr., and Pesca to follow him and Mario inside the castle. Upon seeing them, a maid ran to inform Daisy that the Royal Family of the Mushroom Kingdom had arrived.

Once they were in the castle's sitting room, Luigi hugged everyone else, and they were happy to hug him back. But before anyone could say anything, Daisy walked in, and when she saw that Mario and Peach's family had arrived, she was overjoyed.

"All right! You came!" Daisy cheered, and she hugged Peach first.

"You didn't think we'd refuse the invitation, did you?" Peach asked as she returned her cousin's hug.

"No. I had a feeling you two would want to be here to see the twins as they become toddlers. And you really should see them. They're getting to be so big!" Daisy replied.

"And bellissima, just like their mama." Luigi added, making Daisy blush slightly. Being a tomboy who didn't mind getting dirty, she never used to think of herself as beautiful, even though she was a princess and looked lovely. She always thought that Peach was the prettier one of them, since all the boys usually had their eyes on her. But whenever Luigi said that Daisy was beautiful, she took it as a compliment because he was so sweet to her.

"And how are the soon-to-be birthday girls doing?" Mario asked as he got his chance to hug Daisy.

"Last I checked, they were doing just fine. Elvin and Doggy are currently keeping an eye on them in the castle nursery, and they know to alert me or Luigi right away if something is up." Daisy said.

"Aunt Daisy, can I please go up to the nursery and spend some time with Elvin?" Mario Jr. eagerly asked.

"Of course you can. I would never deny you the chance to spend time with your cousin. Unless he wasn't feeling too well, but you don't need to worry; he's perfectly healthy." Daisy replied as she knelt down and hugged him and Pesca at the same time, and the children gladly returned Daisy's hug. Then Daisy turned to Pesca and asked, "And how about you, Pesca? Do you wanna go to the nursery, too, and visit with your cousins for a bit?"

"Yeah!" said Pesca eagerly. But then she looked like she suddenly remembered something very important and said, "Actually, no. Not right now..."

"No?" Daisy asked in surprise.

"You don't want to see them?" Luigi asked, equally surprised. That struck him as odd, for visiting with her cousins was usually one of the first things that Pesca liked to do when she was here.

"I mean, I'd like to, but maybe a little later. I was going to ask: is there una sala da musica, a music room in this castle?" asked Pesca.

"A music room? Yes, there is. But why are you asking this?" Daisy asked.

"Because I need to practice my violin." said Pesca.

"Your what?" Luigi and Daisy asked.

"This." Pesca replied, holding up the case for her violin.

"Oh! I'll send for one of the maids to take you there." Daisy said. She whistled for a passing maid.

"Yes, Your Highness?" asked the maid, walking over to the royals.

"Could you please take Princess Pesca to the castle's music room? She needs to practice her violin in there. I'm going to take Mario Jr. to the nursery so he can spend time with his cousins." Daisy said.

"Yes, my lady." said the maid with a curtsy. She motioned for Pesca to take her hand, and she walked the child to the music room.

"Don't worry, Princess. When we get there, I'll patiently wait outside the room so I can take you straight to the nursery when you feel as though you've had enough practice for the day." the maid told her as they made their way to their destination.

"Grazie. Thank you for helping me." Pesca replied politely.

"Well, we can't have you getting lost in this big castle. Your parents and Her Highness would never forgive me if you were to get lost, since guiding you was my responsibility. But you don't need to worry; I'd never let you get lost." the maid said.

Once they reached the castle's music room, Pesca opened her violin case. She carefully pulled out the sheet music for "Edelweiss", set the sheet music on the stand before her, then pulled her violin out of the case. She carefully tuned the instrument, rosined the bow, then began to play the song. The maid listened carefully to the song the young princess was practicing and recognized it at once.

"That song... It's "Edelweiss", isn't it, Princess?" the maid asked.

"Sì." Pesca replied.

"You're playing it very well." the maid told her.

"Thank you. I'm hoping to play it for Daffy and Amaryllis on their birthday. It'll be kind of a present for them." Pesca replied.

"Really? That's so sweet of you! The little princesses are really going to like that!" said the maid.

"I hope so. And I need to practice so I don't screw it up." said Pesca.

"Keep up the good work, and perhaps you'll be playing the song like a professional musician, without even looking at the music." said the maid.

"Non lo so. Well, I don't know about that; Mama needed to look at the music for some songs when she showed us that she could play the violin, but then again, she hadn't played the violin for a really long time." Pesca said.

"That's understandable. If you practice more than she did, I can see you learning these songs to the point where you can play them in your sleep." the maid replied.

"All right." said Pesca. Then she added, "Oh, and don't tell the twins what I'm doing. I can't surprise them with the song if they know about it."

"I won't tell. Cross my heart." said the maid, getting a smile from the princess.

While Mario Jr. and Daisy walked to the nursery, Daisy said to her nephew, "Your little sister is reminding me of your mother when she was growing up."

"Is it because they look so much alike?" Jr. asked.

"Kind of. But I remember that your mom used to play the violin when she was a kid. However, she stopped when we were teenagers. I wonder what got Pesca into learning it." Daisy replied.

"Mama found her violin in the attic one day, and after she played lots of different songs for us, Pesca wanted to learn how to play the instrument herself. So Mama and Papa got her a violin, and hired someone to teach her how to play it." Mario Jr. explained.

"And how is she doing when it comes to playing the violin?" Daisy asked.

"She's doing fine now. She can play the violin without making it screech anymore, but she's still not as good as Mama is." Jr. told her.

"I think I'm going to have to ask her to show us what she knows sometime." Daisy said.

"You'll find that out when Daffy and Amaryllis celebrate their birthday. Pesca wanted to bring her violin because she wants to play a song for them. I'll bet that's what she's practicing right now." said Jr.

"She really wants to play a song for the twins? The girl's just as sweet as her mama!" Daisy said, impressed with the good things she was hearing about her little niece. Then she asked, "Which song is she going to play on it? Is it "Happy Birthday To You"? That's a really popular one to play at birthday parties."

"I'm not really sure what song she has in mind. I think she only told Mama and Papa what the song is. She didn't tell me, which I think is weird, because she usually tells me everything... except what I'm getting for my birthday or Christmas. Those are the only times I've known her to be good at keeping secrets from me." Mario Jr. replied.

"Oh well. I suppose I can wait until the girls have their birthday party to find out what the song is." Daisy sighed.

At that moment, they entered the nursery to hear the sound of one of the twins crying.

"Mama! Am I glad you showed up! I was just about to send Doggy to get you or Papa. Daffy started crying, and it's not a fussy cry. We could handle it if that was the case." said Elvin as he rushed up to his mother.

"I understand, sweetie. And I think I know what the problem is." Daisy said as she picked up the crying child to find that she needed to be changed.

"All right, Daffy, there's no need to cry anymore. Mama's here to take care of the problem and get you all cleaned up. You're going to be just fine. No more tears." Daisy said in a gentle voice as she carried her crying daughter over to the changing table. Polterpup stayed near Amaryllis, keeping her company while her sister was getting her diaper changed. The other twin happily patted the ghost dog, which prompted him to lick her face, making her giggle happily.

"Hey, cuz!" said Mario Jr. to Elvin.

"Mario! I was wondering if I would get to see you!" Elvin exclaimed in happiness, and the two boys gave each other a high-five. It felt good for them to see each other again.

"So, how have you been?" Mario Jr. asked.

"Fine." Elvin replied.

"Are the twins doing well?" asked Mario Jr.

"Yeah. I can't believe they're about to be another year older." said Elvin.

"I know. They're both getting to be big, and really pretty, too." said Mario Jr. as he turned his gaze to Amaryllis.

"They're princesses, just like Mama. We should've seen that coming." Elvin said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." said Mario Jr.

Amaryllis noticed that her big cousin was looking at her, but she didn't know him very well, and she looked back at him a little nervously. Elvin noticed the way his little sister looked at Mario Jr., and he said to Jr., "I got this." He walked over to his little sister, knelt down next to her, and said, "It's okay, bambina, don't be afraid. He's nostro cugino, our cousin, and he can be trusted. His name's Mario, like nostro zio, our uncle."

Her big brother's reassurance caused Amaryllis to smile at Mario Jr.

"What do you know? That really worked." Mario Jr. said as he gave Amaryllis a pat on the head.

"Papa told me how your papa is his big brother, and he talked about all the nice things that your papa would do for him back when they were growing up. Now I've got to do the same thing for my little sisters; let them know that I love and care about them." said Elvin.

"I know. When Pesca was born, Papa told me that I'll have to help look out for her, the way that he always looked out for his own little brother, your papa." Mario Jr. replied.

"And you boys seem to be doing a fine job at being big brothers." Daisy smiled as she finished changing Daffodil and set her next to her sister. The two girls seemed happy to be together again, like Mario and Luigi always were. They even hugged each other, the way Mario and Luigi would.

"Papa told me that the girls are twins, like him and Uncle Mario, and that twins have a very special bond." Elvin pointed out to Mario Jr.

"I see that bond in action whenever our papas see each other. They always share a big hug when they're together again." Mario Jr. recalled.

About 30 minutes later, Pesca finally joined her brother and cousins in the nursery and asked the maid to please take the violin back to her parents.

"As you wish, Princess." said the maid as she left the nursery, carrying the violin case.

Later that evening, when it was suppertime, the children (save for the twins) were all sitting at the far end of the table, away from the grown-ups, but that was okay. And they were able to talk to each other, albeit quietly, mainly because the adults all thought 'children must be seen and not heard' was a rather stupid rule.

"Pesca, while we were in the nursery, Mario told me that you started playing the violin. Is it true? Are you really playing the violin?" Elvin asked his younger cousin.

"Yes, Elvin, that is true. I've been playing il violino, the violin, for a few months now." Pesca replied before taking a drink of milk.

"He also said you're planning to use it to play a song for the twins on their birthday. Is that also true?" Elvin asked.

"Sì. And I'll tell you what the song is... as long as you don't tell your sisters what I'm trying to play." Pesca replied.

"I won't tell them. I'll be quiet." Elvin promised.

"Let me hear it, too. It wasn't fair that you told Mama and Papa and left me in the dark. You know that I hate being left in the dark." said Mario Jr.

Pesca looked towards the grown-up's end of the table to make sure that they were engrossed in adult conversation, then leaned in and whispered to her brother and cousin, "The song that I want to play for them is called "Edelweiss", and it's from a famous musical known as "The Sound of Music". I hope they like it."

"Okay." said Mario Jr.

"They're not gonna like it; they'll love it. I know because their mobile plays that song. And it was Mama's idea because she also likes that song." said Elvin.

"That's great!" Pesca smiled.

The twins' birthday party happened about two days later, and everyone in the kingdom was celebrating the fact that Princess Daffodil and Princess Amaryllis were now toddlers. However, Luigi was highly nervous about the whole thing, since the girls were now two-year-olds ('terrible twos'), but Daisy reminded him that Elvin hadn't been bad when he was that age.

"Like Mario Jr. and Pesca." Mario reminded his brother.

"That's right. They were very well-behaved when they were toddlers. But I think it's because we rasied them right." said Peach.

"With you as their mama, they were gonna be just fine." Mario said.

"Mario, you helped, too, and you're a terrific papa to our kids." Peach reminded him.

"We've done a fine job raising our children, too, Luigi. The girls are not going to be terrible." Daisy assured her husband. She didn't want him to be nervous about the whole affair. This was supposed to be a happy day, remembering the day their little girls were born, even though they were born at night.

"Okie-dokie. If you say they'll be fine, then I can't argue with that." Luigi said, relaxing a little.

The birthday party was a lot of fun, and the birthday girls were very pleased to be the center of attention today. They enjoyed the chocolate cake (which Peach helped prepare) and Neapolitan ice cream, as well as the presents everyone got them. Pesca was the last one to give her gift, since it wasn't something you could put in a box and wrap.

When it was Pesca's turn to give her present to the twins, she took a deep breath and said, "All right, here we go." She was holding her violin and standing before a music stand that was adjusted to her height. She flashed a smile at her little cousins (who smiled back at her) and said, "This song is for you girls. I hope you like it."

Everyone went quiet as the sound of "Edelweiss" on the violin filled the room. Pesca had practiced the song well during the past few weeks or so, and it sounded just perfect, without any squeaking or screeching. She didn't allow herself to be nervous; she was focused on the music.

Daisy was very surprised to hear the song, since it was always one of her favorite songs. Even the twins had to smile when they heard it.

When the song was finished, everyone in the room applauded the young princess, who carefully put her violin back in the case before making a polite curtsy to her audience.

"That was amazing! I'm impressed!" Luigi praised.

"I'll second that! You GO, girl!" said Daisy to Pesca.

"I'm glad you all liked it." Pesca smiled before closing the case to keep her instrument safe.

Pesca also received hugs from the birthday girls when she approached them and asked how they liked the song she had played for them. Everyone had to go 'Awww...' at the adorable sight of the princess being hugged by her young cousins. And Pesca returned the hug, glad that her cousins loved her performance.

When the Royal Family returned to the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario and Peach called Henry to tell him they were home again. But he waited until Monday rolled around before resuming Pesca's music lessons. This gave Pesca more time to practice other songs, some of which Peach played with her.

On Monday, Henry was pleased to hear that Pesca played "Edelweiss" for her cousins, and that she made no mistakes when she did it.

"Think you could play it for me?" Henry asked.

"Well, I don't see why I couldn't..." Pesca said as she got the sheet music for the song and set it on the music stand. Then she got out her violin, tuned it, rosined the bow, and played the song for him.

When she finished the song, Henry applauded her and said, "You're doing very well, Princess. You played the song perfectly. However, you still need more lessons, so let's continue them, shall we?"

"Yes. Let's-a play." said Pesca, ready to practice some more.

Peach was so impressed with her daughter's skill that she also went back to playing the violin more often, and before long, the mother and daughter were able to play lovely duets that pleased Mario, Jr., and anyone else who heard them.

The End

All right! I hope this story was good enough to please you guys, especially danielman21, since this story was written for him.