“I’ll be back, Mom!” Hilfe called out as she opened the front door to her family home.

 “Where are you going, dear?” Her mother answered back as she struggled to walk herself down the stairs.

 “Dad said he needed more nails for the roof!” 

 The older unicorn mare brayed, “I told that damned fool to get extra just in case! Well, hurry back, then! I’m about to make everyone lunch!”

 “I will!” Hilfe promised as she trotted off to the old dusty road.

 The winter season had been bitter that year. Heavy snowstorms had battered the homes of the local Northern Fillydelphians, and Hilfe and her family were no different.

 Just as Hilfe made it to the road, she turned back to get a good look at her house again. An old, chestnut brown, pinto Clydesdale, her father, sat on the roof banging away at the shingles. He took a moment to catch his breath and comb his beard. His eyes met with his daughter’s and he waved back to her with a hammer in his hoof. Far into the field, Hilfe could see her two younger twin brothers at play, hitting each other with sticks they found. 

 It was a beautiful day with only a few remaining patches of snow along the path. The sky was clear, save for a few clouds the local weather busters were still working on. The sun was bright and yellow and the animals were awakening from their slumber. 

 Yet, despite this new beginning, Hilfe couldn’t help but let out an exhausted sigh. As she walked along the cobblestone road to the town’s local market, she noticed her neighbors suffering from similar damages as her family’s home.

 While she was relieved that the winter had subsided for spring, Hilfe already dreaded what the next winter would bring. Last year, the winter rain flooded their grain silo and spoiled the crops they were saving. The year before that, a chill brought a hail storm and it clobbered their fields before it was time to harvest. Spring felt less like a new beginning, and more like a brief respite from the next setback in an endless cycle of setbacks.

 A broad rippling puddle blocked Hilfe’s path, covering the entire width of the road. ‘If only…’ Hilfe thought as she scoured back and forth along the water’s edge, ‘If only, there was a way to get ahead for once.’

 Bracing herself, the young half unicorn leaped to the other side of the road. While her front hooves made it to the cobblestone, her back hooves splashed in the pool. Freezing water ran up her legs and hindquarters as she scurried out. Hilfe scowled at the pool, shaking herself dry, ‘It’s like we only ever make it, but just barely.’

 Through her cloud of grumbling, Hilfe briskly made her way to the local market. Absentmindedly, she meandered through a noisy crowd that had gathered in front of all the storefronts. So deep was she in her thoughts, that she didn’t question why the market was so busy. That is, until she saw the line in front of Pone Depot. Only then did she realize that everyone else in town probably needed to make repairs to their homes too.

 Blowing air through her lips, Hilfe begrudgingly got in line. She peeked over the heads of the other waiting customers without much trouble, but the line was locked, slithering along at a snail’s pace. As she waited, the weather busters continued to clear the skies, beating every cloud like it owed them money. By the time it was Hilfe’s turn to enter, only a few straggling puffs remained at the mercy of the pegasi’s assault. 

 Inside, Hilfe’s disappointment grew immensely. All the shelves of wood, tools, candles, bulbs, and bricks were cleared by needy townsfolk. Several were arguing over who had ownership of various supplies as Hilfe walked over to the register where the owner was waiting.

 “Hey, Mr. Hammersmore!” Hilfe said as she leaned against the register counter.

 The portly minotaur was too busy shuffling boxes of supplies to notice her at first, but when he turned around, his nostrils flared with a warm smile. 

 “Why, Hilfe! Is that you?!” The gray bull grunted as he scratched his coarse fur. 

 “Yes it is!” Hilfe smiled brightly.

 The minotaur leaned his weight against the counter with a prolonged creak, “You’re still growing after all these years? You’ll be taller than Schaffer if you keep on at the rate you are!”

 “Oh, God, no! I don’t want to look like a giraffe! Dad already made me too tall, as is.” Hilfe chuckled.

 Mr. Hammersmore’s slapped the counter with a loud thud, guffawing, “Well that’s fair! I don’t think his pride would allow that either. What about Dearly Dove? Schaffer said that she’s about ready to have a fourth now?”

 “Yep!” Hilfe nodded, “She’s a bit tender, but she’s trying her best. She said she was making lunch before I left.”

 “Oh! Well then I better not keep you waiting. Does your papa need something, then?”

 She shrugged, “He needs more nails for the roof. Got anymore?”

 Mr. Hammersmore’s lip flopped to one side, “Well, let me check. As you could see, the whole town has gone and wiped me out! No matter how much stock I order, I still get emptied by the first week of spring.” 

 As the great beast lumbered into the back to check his wares, Hilfe rested her cheek onto her hoof while she waited. Before she could get lost in her thoughts again, a pair of young mares passed by, smacking their lips full of gum. While the rest of the store wasn’t particularly quiet either, the mare’s thick valley accents and constant popping of gum demanded Hilfe’s attention.

 “... so then I said, ‘have you tried to get a real job and stop being poor?’ Then he, like, just stormed off to the power tool aisle. Started to stare at a bunch of saws and hammers, or whatever. So I just left him there.” One mare, with thick mascara, sneered as she blew a bubble.

 “I know what you mean!” The other gasped as she stared longingly into a compact mirror, “I don’t know why everyone acts like it’s difficult to get rich! My Dad did, and that’s why Mom got married to him. She knew how to pick ‘em, before he even got there!”

 Hilfe scoffed at the couple of airheads as they passed. 

 “My aunt got rich too! All she had to do was work at the Princesses’ castle for a few years as a maid. And they’re always hiring, you know!”

 “Really?” The mascara-ed mare asked.

 “Yes! She had life insurance and everything. The only downside was-”

 “Hilfe?” A deep voice snorted.

 Hilfe gasped as she came back from her eavesdropping. The minotaur had returned and mirrored her posture with a teasing smile.

 “Welcome back from dreamland,” He said playfully as he placed a box of nails on the counter, “just in time too. This was one of the last boxes I had.”

 She took the heavy box in her hoof and shook it to hear the metal gently ring in her ear. Tossing a few bits on the counter, Hilfe said, “Thanks, Mr. Hammersmore, I’ll tell Dad you said hi.”

 “Sounds like a deal! You get home now, before someone snatches your nails and the rest of your lunch money!” He joked.

 She waved him goodbye as she cantered out of the busy store. Outside, the busters had caught the last cloud, savoring every last kick. However, what Hilfe focused on was what the two mares were talking about. 

 ‘That must be nice,’ Hilfe thought, returning back to the quiet road, ‘to be able to retire early and well off. I wish I could do that.’

 The young half-unicorn kicked a stone down the road, pondering how she too could make that kind of money to provide for her family. But suddenly, she stopped and a smile began to perk her lips.

 “Wait, why can’t I?” She said aloud. A soft breeze pressed her cheek, the newly defrosted fields swayed gently. Her pace picked up again, happily galloping home.

 While the wind blew past her ears, her home came into view before she could break a sweat. The roof had been cleared off, save for a few panels of wood covering the holes in it. The fields were also free of the twin’s rowdy bickering.

 ‘Perfect, they’re all at lunch. I can let them all know at the same time.’ Hilfe thought, climbing up the front steps.

 Hilfe’s eyes slowly adjusted to the dimly lit home. Inside, her family quietly enjoyed the picnic-esque meal of sandwiches and a heaping bowl of pasta salad at the center of the table. The remaining empty seat had a fresh sandwich waiting for Hilfe to take a bite.

 “Hilfe! What took you so long? Your father and I were beginning to worry.” Her mother said, getting up to serve Hilfe some pasta. The faded purple unicorn struggled to stand as the heft of another life weighed on her midsection. 

 Hilfe quickly held out her hoof, “Mom! It’s okay, remember what the doctor said! I’ll get some myself.”

 The slippery pasta fell to Hilfe’s plate with a splat, “Sorry to keep you waiting. It was a zoo over at the Pone Depot.”

 Her father grumbled, as he hunched over his plate, “The winter was heavy for everyone, huh?”

 “Mmhm,” Hilfe nodded while she took a bite of her sandwich, “I was lucky though, got one of the last boxes of nails.”

 “Good job, dear. I can probably finish the roof now.” Her father said, wiping food from the twins’ faces.

 Hilfe shifted her eyes from side to side, “That’s not all though, I got some good news, too.”

 “Is that so?” Her mother asked while collecting the dishes.

 Hilfe hesitated for reasons she wasn’t sure why, “I… I think I’m going to sign up as a maid.”

 Her father ruffled his brow, “You don’t want to stay at the farm?”

 “She’s not saying that, dear.” Her mother chimed in, soaking the dishes in the sink. “That sounds like a great idea, sweetheart. Where are you planning on applying? Is there an opening at that old couple’s mansion down the way?”

 “Actually,” Hilfe began, “I was hoping to work for the Princess in Canterlot.”

 A shriek rang out through the kitchen followed by shattering glass. Hilfe’s head snapped up from her food and found her whole family staring back at her, still and silent. 

 “Hilfe,” Her father said softly, but sternly, “where did you get that idea from?”

 “I-I overheard it while I was at the store.” Hilfe replied a lot quieter than she thought. “They said that they’re always accepting workers, and that you could retire early from how much you get paid. Why? Is that not true?”

 Both of her parents looked at each other as if communicating telepathically. Her mother moistened her lips with her tongue, “Hilfe, Canterlot is a… different place. When your father and I met, we were given a real hard time. That’s why we came here, to raise you and your brothers.”

 The older unicorn gasped and clenched her stomach. Hilfe and her father rushed to bring her a chair. Using her magic, Hilfe slid a seat over as her father helped to sit her down.

 The old Clydesdale placed his heavy hoof gently on his wife’s shoulder, “We don’t need the money, Hilfe. We’ll make it by, as we always do. That’s final.”

 “But I don’t want us to just make it by! Aren’t you both tired of it too?” Hilfe snapped back, to her own surprise.

 “That’s enough!” Her father brayed. The whole house shook from his voice before falling silent again. He breathed in as he said again, “That’s enough, my child.”

 “Y-yes, sir.” Hilfe looked away with a heavy brow. 

 There the whole family stood, frozen in that moment of trepidation. Still, bit by bit, they all pulled themselves from the miasmic moment and resumed their daily lives. The twins continued their play, her mother was put to bed for rest, and Hilfe helped her father with the roof. Though the father and daughter were able to talk and laugh through the repairs, Hilfe was wrought with a twist in her heart. Even at the day’s end, as everyone said goodnight, she was restless.

 Crickets, now awakened from their winter’s rest, sang with the frogs in their rural chorus that night. The young mare laid listlessly in her upstairs bedroom, staring at her ceiling fan as it steadily spun around. She had been waiting for sleep to take hold of her for what felt like hours.

 Dryness congregated on her tongue from the parched circulated air. Growing bored from her own restlessness, Hilfe threw off her blankets and got up from her bed to grab a drink from downstairs. 

 She tiptoed past the twins’ room, then her parents’, but when she reached the staircase, the warm glow of the fireplace from below, in the living room, gave her pause. 

 “...Then I found mold and termites in the basement. It’s gonna cost a hoof and a leg to fix it all, I don’t know what to do.” Her father’s voice muttered. 

 Hilfe drew closer to the edge of the stairs, careful to not be heard and listening intently. 

 “What about Hilfe? She doesn’t have to go to Canterlot, but she wants to help. I think she would do a fine job as a maid, or anything she set her mind to.” Her mother’s calm voice suggested.

 “She doesn’t have experience, who’s going to hire her while the whole town’s recouping?”

 “Dear, she can still try. Who’s to say she can’t run groceries? Or help Mr. Hammersmore at his shop?”

 The ringing of quiet almost hurt Hilfe’s ears as she waited. Eventually, the creaking of a chair gave away her father’s exhaustion. 

 “Hmm. No… no. She shouldn’t have to do that for us. Besides, she’s been wanting to stay and work on the farm since she finished school. It’s all she knows. 

 “I’ll wake up in the morning and see if anyone in town needs help with their repairs for a few bits. Hilfe can stay here and help you with chores and the twins.”

 Her mother softly huffed, “I’m fine, dear, really. Rabble and Rouser can play on their own now. Why not take her with you?”

 Hilfe could almost see her father shaking his head, “Darling, you’re too far along to be left alone now.”

 His chair scraped against the floorboards. Heavy hoofsteps walked to the other side of the room where the mother’s voice came from. They both let out the labored groans of a tight embrace.

 “I’ll figure it out.” He whispered reassuringly.

 Hilfe stepped away from the stairs and backtracked to her room. After closing the door, she slid down to the floor in a numb haze. Yet another calamity was nipping at her family’s heels. It felt like it was just a matter of time until their luck ran out. 

 No.

 It can’t be this way. 

 It shouldn’t.

 Hilfe rose to her hooves and took out her old, sports duffle bag, emptying its contents on her bed. She made sure to pack only the essentials, a spare toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, a hair brush, a few tabloid magazines, and so on. She gathered all the money she had saved up from birthdays, Hearth’s Warming card bits, allowances, anything she could find.

 Then she got to work on her letter.