Freshened and ready, the adults headed out to enjoy their resort. Winter took his new book of magic along with him. "We should thank Trixie, if we see her today."

Summer snickered at that. "Ya can do it by blasting her in the face." She flicked her tail. "If ya got that kinda power, best we try an' figure it out, huh?"

Maple laughed. "He does have a big power hose down there, yep." She snickered at her tawdry joke. "But all that spell's gonna do is air dry her. That'll annoy her, or make her happy."

Winter led them towards the hotel restaurant. "Well, we should try again with that too, if you want to keep trying new spells." He patted each foal on the head, running into them along the way. Soon the entire family was eagerly on the hunt for a snack. "Let's get something light, no need for heavy meals three times a day."

Dawn giggled at that. "Yay! More food later!"

Spruce licked his lips. "Oh, yum! Gimme that!" He rushed forward and jumped up on a table to grab some biscuits that had been set out as a free food option.

Dusk hopped up next to Spruce and sat down. "Is it good?"

Spruce ripped open the package of biscuits with his teeth and tossed one at Dusk. "Mmph, see fer yerself!" He stuffed a whole biscuit in his mouth and chewed with great enthusiasm.

Summer settled at the table. "That's a 'it's good' if ever ah saw one." She leaned in at the menu propped up on the table. "Mmm."

Winter joined her, along with the rest of the family. "A light breakfast, then we should go and play games or something."

Dawn lifted up a hoof. "Can we go to the game rooms? The kids have been talkin' about it all morning."

Dusk nodded quickly. "They have games you need foals and adults for! I wanna try them."

Spruce gulped down the last of his biscuit. "Yeah, c'mon, let's do it!"

Summer looked between the foals. "Ah dunno if it's my idea or yers, but let's go have fun."

Maple slapped down a hoof. "After breakfast! Sheesh, y'all gettin' mighty excited."

Winter nuzzled her softly. "We're going to enjoy our vacation, and that's what matters. Let's eat a little, then we play some games."

The foals all cheered in agreement with the idea before the table quieted. A waiter brought them their desired foods and the quiet sounds of their eager chomps and silverware replaced former chatting. They finished quickly, they were too excited to be sitting around the table any longer. "Play time!"

Summer stood up as the food vanished down into hungry stomachs. "A'right, let's head on over." She shook herself out. "Spruce, clean yer face afore we head out."

Spruce grunted at that, reaching up to swipe at his face with a hoof, not wanting to stop moving for too long. "Mmm, looks good." He scampered along towards the gaming area. "C'mon! Don't want the games to get away!"

Dawn snickered at that. "Wouldn't happen, dummy." She raced after him, Dusk not far behind.

With the parents trailing behind, they arrived at a tall room full of squealing and joyful cries from other little foals having a great time.

Dusk gawked up at the upper levels of the gaming area, where he saw ponies running on circular tracks. "Look! Look!" He pointed upwards. "What's that?"

Dawn bumped Dusk lightly. "That's if you want to run crazy. You can't play that with an adult." She put her hooves on his sides and shook him with a laugh. "Too dangerous."

Spruce pointed at something closer to them. "There! We can go in there!" He bounded towards the wide door that lead into a smaller room, the ceiling still rather high above their heads.

Inside, the darkened area lit up the moment they stepped inside, colored tracks becoming visible on the ground. "Welcome to the Family Maze!" announced an excited voice. "Who will be the first to the end? Work together or none of you will be."

The foals cheered at that. Spruce, being the fastest, was about to dart forward before Summer gently put a hoof out in front of him. "Y'all don't know the rules yet." She chuckled softly. "Asides, the voice jus' said ya gotta work together."

Winter trotted forward and pointed out a small path outlined by red lights. "Looks like we start over here. Let's go!"

He led the group along the twisting paths, lit up only by the bright and changing lights underhoof. There were puzzles and physical challenges along the way, designed to keep little foals quite stimulated as they bounced and vaulted past the physical obstacles. The whole family was proceeding though, together.

Dusk huffed at one such obstacle, having stopped alongside Summer and Winter to let Dawn and Spruce have a go. "Why'd they build this? The voice just said work together, not get in the way of each other."

Dawn bounced up onto the rolling past and reached out a hoof back towards Dusk. "C'mon! We're not in the way."

Dusk hopped up, giving her his hoof to help himself up onto the top. "That's pretty cool." He scampered along the thing until it reached its end and sent them both off. With the foals landing on a glowing pad, the way opened up for their parents to follow.

The whole group was soon laughing and jumping around as they explored the little maze, delighting in each challenge that came up. Soon enough, they were nearing the end, and a big line of light with a big gold medal at the end.

"Did Trixie really agree to this? Fine." She trotted into view just behind the line, coughing into a hoof. "Congratulations, first winners of the weekend. Step forward!"

It was only then that she noticed who the family was. "Oh, you! Come and tell Trixie how the book is going."

Summer led the foals towards the medal, which dispersed into several small ones. "Y'all take 'em!" She patted each child on the head. "Ya earned it!"

Winter leaned against Summer with a chuckle. "Hello, Trixie. Thank you for the book. We've learned our first spell." With a glowing horn, he gently sent wind blowing at Trixie like a pleasant spring day.

Trixie smirked at the light display. "And now you've mastered it?" She raised a hoof and wiggled it with her showboating flare. "Wonderful, simply wonderful. You are now better than a two-year-old foal." She snickered at her backhoofed compliment. "But you've also proven that a kirin can learn unicorn magic, and that is worth knowing. Trixie thought this was the case, and she is very rarely wrong."

Dusk bowed. "Thank you so much! We all love the book!"

Summer poked Winter on the shoulder. "Now's yer chance to be nice to her."

Trixie tapped a hoof on the ground with a loud clack. "Hrmph. Be nice to Trixie? What do you mean?"

Winter stepped forward, reaching out a hoof. "I had my doubts, but that book is very good. Thank you for offering it. When did you want it back?"

Trixie quirked an eyebrow at the offered hoof. "Whenever you're done with it." She looked around at the foals, then sighed and lifted her own hoof up to shake his. They met with a soft clop. "Which she doubts is right now." She snickered as the foals demonstrated for her that they also knew the wind spell. "You have a whole family to educate in the wonders of magic."

Winter let out a light laugh. "There are many other spells to learn." He lifted his head slightly. "You made this course, right? It was quite fun. And you, well, didn't explode me."

Trixie cocked a brow. "Mm? As much as Trixie loves taking credit for things, she did not make this. She is hired help. They told her she had to congratulate any ponies that finished the course." She glared at the air for a moment. "Not sure why, as there are others also performing this menial task." She turned back to Winter. "But that is her job this weekend, and she will do it properly."

Maple laughed at that. "Well, we all gotta earn our bits, Miss Lulamoon."

Trixie huffed. "Trixie will do, but yes. Now, you didn't come here to converse with Trixie, and she has other things to do, so, begone!"

Winter snorted at that. "How rude of us to want to have a chat." He bowed his head in an overblown flourish. "We shall take our leave. Perhaps we'll meet again this weekend."

Trixie seemed to ignore the comment, trotting off behind a nearby curtain. She was not one for many words, it seemed, especially when she had her eyes on another task.

Victorious, the family emerged from the challenge room. The foals bounced excitedly as they headed towards their next game. Summer glanced aside. "You wanted to play games? Lead on, ya know where yer goin'."

Dusk bounced along with Spruce at the lead. "Over there! That one!" He pointed with a hoof, but they all knew what he meant, having already been to the other game rooms. The foals were soon clustered around one that involved sending balls flying at moving targets.

Winter led his wives to a less colorful game that involved playing cards. "Let's have a seat and enjoy ourselves."

The card table was just one of many that were filled with ponies engaged in friendly competition, or sometimes not so friendly. As Winter slid into a seat, he was greeted by a few nods from other players.

Maple moved in cross from Winter and grabbed at the cards, shuffling them as well as she could with her hooves. She was not an expert card player by far. "I hope yer ready to go down!"

Summer tapped a hoof on the leather seats. "These're nice." She kicked out her legs, hooking them under the small legs attached to the table so she could be level with the table top. "Real fancy."

Winter shifted to get comfortable, reaching out with a hoof to touch the shiny red felt on the table. With a glowing horn, he gently pulled the cards away from Maple. "Allow me." With magic, and practice, he shuffled the deck swiftly. "Let's play."

The first few rounds went over quite quickly. They played at simple betting games, with small bets to match the start of the game. Soon enough, Winter was proving that he was no stranger to card playing. He never ground in his victories, always clapping each time one of his wives pulled off a good play, and never gloating over his own.

Summer was holding her own at least, if not winning each round. "Yer damn good at this, Winter." She flicked her tail gently. "Don't know how y'all've managed to stay humble."

Maple snickered softly. "He's doin' it on the inside! He an' the stallions play cards every week, and ah hear he holds his own with real bits on the line."

Winter chuckled as he gathered up the cards for the next round. "Only sometimes." He moved around a hoof on the table, organizing his little cards into neat piles. "There are some that have even better luck than I."

Summer scowled with thought, but it came to her. "That one wit' the big hat, bigger than the rest of 'em?"

"Ten Gallon," chuckled out Winter. "Sometimes he's really lucky, and sometimes not. A real wild card. He's always a good friend though." He dealt out the next turn of the game. "Happy to have made that one."

Maple nudged him. "Now yer supposed to be bad-mouthin' them! Isn't that what ya do when y'all are playin' cards?" She rolled her eyes at the soft looks she got from Summer and Winter.

Winter laughed at that. "No! We're friends. If we tease, it's only teasing. If somepony's not having fun, we're not doing it right." He placed down a card with a slap. "Tapping out!" He gathered up the pile of cards, shuffling them in with his own hand. "What other games are there to play?"

Summer snorted softly. "Plenty. Ah hear there's a pool table up on the upper floor. Or we could go fishin'?"

Maple made a face at the thought of going fishing. "No thanks. Y'all can go do that without me." She shivered gently. "That much water makes me nervous."

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