Canterlot was experiencing a spell of very harsh autumn weather. The winds were blowing fiercely, knocking leaves off the trees before anyone could even stop to admire the foliage. Nights weren’t any better, as the temperatures would plummet and a thick fog would roll in, making visibility poor and creating a very spooky atmosphere.
One afternoon, Sunset Shimmer and her friends were in their biology class together, during the last period of the day. Biology was the one class that all seven of the girls shared, and they enjoyed being able to spend the final hour of the school day together. They were busy taking notes on single-celled organisms when all of the lights suddenly shut off, plunging the room into darkness.
“Aaaaaaahhhhh! What’s happening?!” Pinkie Pie shrieked. “Is it the apocalypse?!”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “If it was, Ah think we’d be losin’ a lot more than just the lights, Pinkie.”
“I’ll tell you what’s happened,” said the teacher, Miss Hyacinth Blossom. “The power’s gone out. Since the projector has gone out too, we can’t continue the lecture. I haven’t received an update from Principal Celestia yet, so we’ll have to stay put until then.”
“Well, we can’t just sit here and do nothing!” complained Rainbow Dash.
“Yeah, there’s got to be something we can do to pass the time,” said Sunset Shimmer.
“I know!” said Rarity. “It is the season for it, so how about we listen to a spooky story?”
“You mean like the legend of Gaea Everfree?” asked Twilight Sparkle.
“Boring!” groaned Pinkie. “We’ve heard that one already.”
“And it wasn’t even a real legend,” said Sunset. “I can’t think of any other spooky stories off the top of my head, though.”
“Me neither,” admitted Applejack.
“Um… I’ve got one,” ventured Fluttershy.
The other girls were surprised. “Really?” asked Rainbow. “No offense, but your threshold for what counts as ‘scary’ is way lower than the rest of us.”
“Well, I think this one could surprise you,” Fluttershy replied with a smirk.
“Ooh, tell us!” Pinkie exclaimed.
Sunset nodded in agreement. “Looks like you have the floor, Fluttershy.”
“Yes, let’s see how far we can get before falling asleep,” scoffed Trixie. “Or before Fluttershy gets scared of the story herself.”
Rainbow and Sunset each shot Trixie a dirty look. Rainbow then smiled at Fluttershy, encouraging her to begin.
“All right then,” said Fluttershy. She gently cleared her throat, then began her tale.
Many years ago, in a rural village far away from Canterlot, there was a man who lived in a small house on the edge of a deep wood. His name has long since been lost to time, but what is most known about him is the number of fingers that he had. This man had seven fingers on one hand and eight on the other, giving him a total of fifteen. He was very tall, but had a bad back that left him hunched over when he walked, as well as a craggy face full of pockmarks. Despite his rather grotesque appearance, he was said to be a kind and gentle soul. He worked odd jobs around the village and the surrounding area, and was friendly to everyone he met.
However, he did have one enemy in the village – a handsome local politician who was quickly rising through the ranks. This young politician had gone to the same school as the man with fifteen fingers, and had tormented him over his physical deformities, something that the man with fifteen fingers never forgot. One fateful year, the young politician ran for mayor of the village, promising a grand plan to put it on the map. The man with fifteen fingers tried to convince the townsfolk of the young politician’s true nature, but it was too late. The young politician was elected mayor, and immediately began enacting his plan.
One of the young mayor’s first ideas was to build a grand resort on the edge of the village. This would require clearing a large portion of the woods surrounding the village, including the house where the man with fifteen fingers lived. Not long after the resort’s construction was announced, the man with fifteen fingers received his eviction notice – a piece of paper that would ultimately seal the fate of the entire village.
The man with fifteen fingers had built his small wooden house himself, and had lived in it for nearly his entire adult life. When he received the letter of his eviction, as well as the news that his house would be demolished, it’s said that something snapped inside him. He became increasingly reclusive from others, spending inordinate amounts of time holed up in his house. And when he did venture out in public, he behaved in an extremely nasty manner, lashing out at anyone who even mildly inconvenienced him. He made threats which became increasingly violent and personal in nature, vowing to get his revenge on all who had wronged him over the years. While the townsfolk were quick to notice this disturbing change in persona, and began avoiding him as a result, they completely overlooked another change that was occurring. You see, the man with fifteen fingers had stopped trimming his fingernails, and over time, he was filing them to points, waiting for the moment when they were long enough to utilize.
That moment came one moonlit autumn night. The young mayor was taking a walk around the village with his wife, and they decided to take a route that led them past the woods. As they approached the area, a layer of fog rolled in, making it difficult for them to see their surroundings. They heard a low rustling noise, and barely had time to turn around before fifteen enormous keratin blades came flying straight towards them.
A gruesome sight awaited those who stumbled upon the scene next morning. With a wicked grin on his face, the man with fifteen fingers stood triumphantly over the horrifically disfigured corpses of the young mayor and his wife. He had slashed and peeled them beyond recognition, and left their bodies to bleed out on the ground.
The county sheriff arrived shortly thereafter, and the man with fifteen fingers simply smiled once more. He lit a match, then walked back into his house and set it ablaze.
The whole ordeal proved deeply traumatizing for the residents of the village, and before long, all of them had decided to move elsewhere. The resort that the young mayor had envisioned was never built, and the village is now nothing more than an empty ghost town. The man with fifteen fingers was soon forgotten, and these days, only a select few know of him as a legend, let alone someone who truly existed. However, there are some who say that on cold misty nights, his spirit endures, drifting from place to place like a murderous vagrant, ready to tear apart anyone who dares cross his path with his fifteen razor-sharp nails. And if you aren’t careful, his next victim may just be you.
The other girls were left silent and stunned. They gazed at Fluttershy, which caused her to blush. Rainbow eventually broke the silence. “Wow, Fluttershy… that was really good!”
“I’ll say!” agreed Sunset. “Good job, Fluttershy! Where did you hear that one from?”
Fluttershy shrugged. “Oh, I don’t remember exactly. Maybe one of the old people down at the coffee shop.”
“Interesting,” said Twilight. “Well, the way you told it was really convincing!”
“Yes, much better than I expected,” remarked Trixie. “Pity that the story itself is so blatantly fake.”
“Hey, where do you get off saying that?” snapped Rainbow.
“Because it’s not even physically possible! A man who somehow had fifteen functional fingers, and managed to kill two people using only his nails. You expect the Great and Powerful Trixie to believe that?”
“Well, it’s a ghost story,” Fluttershy said firmly. “So it’s up to your interpretation. But just remember… it’s often the non-believers who become the first victims.” She shot Trixie a devilish grin.
“So you’d better watch your back, Trixie,” laughed Rainbow. “Otherwise, you might find fifteen nails digging into it!”
“Whatever…” Trixie scoffed.
At that moment, Miss Blossom addressed the class. “Principal Celestia just sent out an email. The school’s generator has broken down, and it’ll take at least a few hours to fix. Since there’s only about ten minutes left in the school day, I’ll let you guys go now. Have a lovely rest of your day, and I’ll see you tomorrow!” She then turned to Fluttershy. “And I gotta say, Fluttershy… you have a real knack for storytelling!”
Fluttershy blushed and giggled softly. “Thanks…”
Trixie stormed out of the classroom, eager to go home. “Fifteen fingernails… what a ridiculous story!” she muttered.
Fluttershy and her friends left the room together not long after. Fluttershy was in a good mood, though her friends were all deep in thought. The story had left them feeling curious, and although they didn’t want to tell Fluttershy, varying degrees of spooked.
The next day, the wind had died down, so the journey to school was more bearable. However, some of the fog from the night before had lingered into the morning. Cookie Crumbles had to squint as she drove out to take Rarity and Sweetie Belle to school.
“All right, looks like we’re here,” she said when she pulled up in front of Canterlot High. “Love you, darlings! See you this afternoon!”
“You too, Mother!” Rarity and Sweetie Belle both replied. The sisters began walking toward the school’s entrance together. Sweetie Belle had no issue with walking through the fog, but Rarity was feeling nervous. She had been ruminating on Fluttershy’s ghost story throughout the night, which made the fog seem even more eerie. A sudden rustling noise came from a nearby shrub, making Rarity jump. It turned out to be only a squirrel, holding three acorns in its mouth.
“Oh!” Rarity exclaimed. “Silly thing!”
“What’s gotten into you, Rarity?” Sweetie Belle asked. “You seem tense.”
“Oh, it’s nothing, darling,” Rarity replied. “Just feeling a bit tired, that’s all.” Come now, Rarity, she thought to herself. Don’t be silly. It was just a story, nothing more.
Later, Rainbow Dash was sitting quietly in her second-period English class. Her seat was next to the window, which gave her a good view of the weather outside. A thin layer of fog was still hanging low over the ground. Rainbow didn’t want to admit it, but Fluttershy’s ghost story had been playing on her mind too. She tried to concentrate on reading her book, but she had only gotten through a few pages when she heard a scratching noise coming from outside. A figure then appeared right outside the window, causing Rainbow to jump out of her seat in alarm. It was the school groundskeeper, busy raking leaves off of the lawn. His rake made a scratching sound as it scraped against the soil.
Rainbow sheepishly sat back down, feeling silly and embarrassed. She then heard laughter coming from a few desks away. “What’s the matter, Dashie?” snickered Trixie. “Scared that the man with fifteen fingers is out to get you? I shouldn’t be that surprised. We all know you’re not as brave as you claim!”
“Oh, shut up, Trixie!” snapped Rainbow. “I just got a little bit startled, that’s all. It happens to everyone!”
“If you say so…” Trixie replied mockingly.
For the rest of the day, Trixie was insufferable. Whenever she saw one of Fluttershy’s friends, she would taunt them about how the man with fifteen fingers would be coming to get them. To everyone except Trixie, it got old and annoying very quickly. By the time seventh period came around, Rainbow was well and truly fed up.
“You know, I bet you wouldn’t be feeling so great and powerful if you actually ran into that fifteen-fingered ghost!” Rainbow remarked.
“Oh, please!” Trixie scoffed. “The Great and Powerful Trixie could easily vanquish any spirit!” She turned and strode purposefully into Miss Blossom’s classroom.
Rainbow turned back to her friends. “I wish there was some way to shut her up once and for all,” she growled.
“I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Sunset said reassuringly. “Trixie might be loud, but she’s got a short memory.”
“Exactly,” said Applejack. “And besides, today’s Friday. She’s got the whole weekend to forget about all of this ghost malarkey.”
Rainbow and her friends certainly hoped so. But little did any of them know, that they wouldn’t have to wait for as long as they thought.
The remainder of the afternoon proceeded as normal. At the end of the school day, some of the girls went home, while the others stayed behind for either clubs or sports practice. By mid-afternoon, all of the girls had gone home for the evening. The weather had gradually cleared up over the course of the day, but not long after the sun went down, the fog returned, thicker than ever. Naturally, most residents of Canterlot decided to spend their Friday evening indoors. However, there were a select few who still had errands to run.
Late that night, Trixie was relaxing in the den at her house, browsing social media on her phone. Her parents had gone grocery shopping to avoid the weekend crowds, leaving Trixie home alone. She was sitting comfortably on the couch, enjoying some quiet time by herself. She was just beginning to drift off to sleep when she heard a faint scratching noise. She figured it was probably just a tree branch scraping against the side of the house. However, the noise then began to get louder, and Trixie realized that it was not coming from outside, but inside.
“Mom? Dad?” Trixie called. No reply came. Suddenly, the lights in her house flickered once, then completely shut off, plunging her into total darkness.
“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Trixie muttered under her breath. She decided to venture out of the den to figure out what exactly was going on, fumbling around in the darkness to find the doorway. At that moment, the TV turned on by itself and switched to channel 15, which was nothing but static.
Trixie was now feeling nervous. A cold gust of wind blew through the doorway to the den, and the loud scratching noise was accompanied by a sinister wheezing sound. Trixie looked down the pitch-black hallway… and she didn’t even have time to scream.
The nails were as long as knives, covered in blood, and careening straight toward Trixie’s face. In that split second, Trixie’s petrified eyes were just able to count them. Seven on one hand… eight on the other… which added up to fifteen. There was nothing else she could do.
The next morning, Sunset and her friends decided to get brunch at the Sweet Shoppe together. The weather had finally cleared up, and the sky was crisp and blue as the girls arrived at the cafe. They placed their orders at the counter, and were soon enjoying some sweet breakfast pastries together.
“There’s nothing like a sunny Saturday morning to lift one’s spirits,” Rarity said with a smile.
“Absolutely,” Sunset agreed. “What a turnaround from the last few days!”
“Say, do you girls want to go to the mall after this?” asked Rainbow. “I heard they got a bunch of new games at the arcade.”
The girls all smiled and cheered in agreement. “Well, Rainbow, Ah hope you’re ready to see your Millipede high score get broken!” said Applejack.
“Heh… we’ll see about that!” chuckled Rainbow. She then froze, as did the rest of the girls. The door slowly opened, and a familiar face entered the cafe, along with her parents. But it wasn’t who it was that shocked the girls. Rather, it was the state that she was in.
Trixie was covered in bandages, which only partially obscured the long, deep scratches across her face, arms, legs, and body. Her eyes were bloodshot, her pupils were shrunken, and her breathing was pained and heavy. Sunset and all of her friends gazed in horror, chills running down their spines.
Mrs. Cake gasped. “Oh, dear…”
Mr. Cake looked very upset too. “What happened to Trixie?”
Trixie’s mother shook her head. “We don’t know. We had gone out to buy groceries, and when we returned home, we found our Trixie on the floor covered in cuts and scratches. Oh, it was horrible…” She nearly sobbed.
“Trixie was in shock and couldn’t speak to us,” added her father. “There were no signs of a break-in, or a fight, or anything. We called 911 and, thankfully, we were able to get her to the ER. We’ve actually just come back from there, having spent the night.”
“We’re on our way to my sister’s house in Ashleaf,” said Trixie’s mother. “Trixie will be… staying there until she feels safe in her own home again. We couldn’t even leave her alone in the car just now.”
The Cakes silently nodded. “I understand,” said Mrs. Cake. “Is there anything we can do for you this morning?”
“Just a soothing cup of hot cocoa, please,” replied Trixie’s mother, handing over three dollars from her wallet. “I think Trixie needs it.”
Mrs. Cake quickly blended a fresh cup of hot cocoa and gave it to Trixie, who slowly began drinking from it. “Don’t worry, dear – you’re safe now. I hope you recover soon.”
Trixie’s parents thanked the Cakes for their kindness, and began walking out of the cafe. Without any hesitation, Sunset ran over and gently placed her hand on Trixie’s wrist. She then gasped, and quickly pulled her hand away. “I won’t tell anyone else,” she whispered to Trixie.
Trixie didn’t reply. She and her parents slowly walked out of the store, got back in their car, and then they were gone.
“What… what happened to her?” Fluttershy asked.
Sunset shook her head. “I’d rather not say. It’s… too upsetting to talk about. You girls can keep eating, but… I’ve lost my appetite.”
Sunset’s friends could see that it was best to ask no further questions. So none of them did, and not another word was spoken.
Trixie was out of school for the next two weeks. When she did return to Canterlot High, she was far quieter and less emotive than before, hardly saying a word to anyone. Sunset’s friends never did find out what happened to Trixie on that foggy Friday night. But given what they had all seen on that Saturday morning, they agreed that certain things were best left unexplained.
