July 1
9:12 A.M.
"Vinyl, I'm going to my practice!" Octavia called from the door, to which the DJ simply nodded, even though she was upstairs. The cellist rolled her eyes at the lack of a reply and left, slinging the cello case onto her back as she closed the door.
With a heavy sigh, Vinyl went back to the computer, levitating the headphones back onto her ears. She replayed the footage from last night, perking up at hearing the footsteps, then again at the crashing. Curious, she paused the playback and went downstairs, looking around carefully. She had found the source within a couple of minutes. The pokers from the fireplace, all three of them, were stuck in the hardwood floor, perfectly perpendicular to the floorboards.
Vinyl walked over to one, gripping it with her magic and pulling straight up. The poker didn't budge. She tried the other two, pulling with all her might, but was met with the same result, as if they were now a permanent part of the floor. She scoffed at the pokers, kicking one in annoyance before walking back upstairs to study the video more.
11:38 A.M.
After studying the video for a full hour, Vinyl noticed something that was nearly completely invisible. At around 2:35 in the morning, there was a dark shadow moving in the stairwell, but you could really only tell it was there if you knew it was there beforehand. Vinyl happened on it by pure luck, after studying the darkness of the stairs for a full ten minutes in a spurt of boredom. She paused the video and stared at it, zooming in to get a better look. It didn't really have any shape that she recognized. At least, not a pony shape, though she thought she could make out a horn; actually, two...
"What in the hay is this?" she asked out loud, not really directed at anypony since she was the only one there. She grabbed her cell and dialed in Octavia's number, but got the answering machine. She left a quick message telling her friend to call her as soon as possible, then hung up, going back to staring at the shadowy figure. After a few minutes of staring in silence, she got bored, again, and started to rewatch the rest of the video for more irregularities. There were none.
1:29 P.M.
At this time, Vinyl was outside, messing around with the camera, recording anything that took her attention for more than five seconds. It was during this that she nearly missed Octavia's call, but she had gone inside for a drink at the precise time her phone rang. She ran upstairs to get it, quickly answering.
"Hello?"
"Vinyl? What did you need me to call you for?"
Vinyl chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck for some reason. "Well... There's something you gotta see."
"What?"
"It's kinda hard to explain... I'll need you to come home for me to explain it all."
She could practically feel Octavia roll her eyes. "Honestly, can't this wait? I'm still at the theater."
"You want the truth?" she asked, to which Octavia grunted her approval. "It can't wait."
The cellist groaned. "Okay... I'll be there in a half-hour." she stated, obviously annoyed, then ended the call.
"She hung up on me!" Vinyl laughed, not really believing her friend had done it. Shaking her head, she went back to the computer, and for the fifth time, looked at the shadowy blob.
3:04
Octavia stepped through the front door and set her cello against the wall as she always did. She scanned the living room for her friend, but didn't see her. The only thing she saw were the pokers sticking from the wooden planks.
"Vinyl!" she called. "What are the fire stokers doing in the floor?"
The unicorn leaned out of the upstairs bedroom door, looking down at the ashen mare. "That's what I wanted you to come home for... Come up here."
As she walked upstairs and into their bedroom, Vinyl took her place at the computer, holding out the headphones for her friend. "Vinyl, really, now... I don't--" She stopped as the unicorn gave her a rude look, thrusting the headphones at her. Octavia groaned and took them, putting them on with a huff, leaning on the back of Vinyl's chair to get a decent view of the video, which the DJ instantly played.
Her reactions were about the normal ones... A gasp at the footsteps, then a sudden jump at the first thump, followed by a groan at the other two. "So those were the stokers?" she asked, to which Vinyl only nodded.
"Did you notice the shadow?"
"What shadow?"
Vinyl rewound the video back to 2:33. She circled a small area with her hoof. "Watch this area very closely." she stated, then unpaused it. Octavia squinted her eyes at the video, gasping loudly at 2:35.
"What-what is that?!" she asked, almost yelling.
The DJ shrugged, almost smirking at her friends over-the-top reaction. "Hell if I know..."
"Wha- You didn't call anypony about this?!" she inquired, still very loudly, scoffing when Vinyl shook her head. "Ugh! What have you been doing since you found out about it?!"
"Studying it... From the horns on its head, I'd say it's some sort of goat-thing..."
"A goat-thing." Octavia uttered, her voice dropping at least four octaves. "Yes, that's real technical, isn't it?" She waved her hoof at her friend. "Don't you think we should get somepony in here to look at that?!"
"At what? A shadow?" Vinyl rolled her eyes, much to Octavia's annoyance. "Besides, who would we even call? I'm pretty sure there's nopony in Canterlot who deals with the occult..."
Octavia's anger faltered for a moment. "W-well, what about Ponyville? I-isn't there that Twilight mare?"
Vinyl's calm demeanor frosted over with a look of curiosity. "Twilight? Why do I know that name?" she asked herself, tapping her chin with a hoof. After a few moments, she exclaimed suddenly, startling Tavi. "Ah! You mean the town librarian, Sparks, right?"
The cellist blinked at the unicorn's rather...odd name for Twilight. "Yes... Twilight Sparkle. Couldn't she help?"
The white mare shrugged again, turning back to the computer. "Nah... She'd probably just think we were tryin' to prank her. Best not to do anything, really, at least not until we have concrete proof that we're dealing with the supernatural."
"Oh, yes, because disembodied footsteps, our fireplace stokers stuck in the floorboards, and a 'goat-thing's shadow aren't enough proof for you." Octavia huffed, turning and storming out of the room, only to come back in half a minute later, her face red to the point of visibility. "I almost forgot I live here..."
Vinyl chuckled, leaning back on the chair, which threatened to slip out from under her. "What, were you about to waltz out of the house?"
Octavia didn't reply with words, but instead flopped onto her bed, burying her face into her pillow. Vinyl spun in her chair, laughing at her friend. Suddenly, it flung from underneath her, narrowly missing the tripod. She, herself, landed flat on her flank with a loud thump, and an audible gasp. The earth pony sat up, looking at the pained unicorn with a look of mild satisfaction. "I hope you know you deserved that, and I thank whatever supernatural force did it to you."
Vinyl stood up, rubbing her flank. "Don't get your hopes up, Treble Clef... That was just gravity showin' me who's boss... Not your goat-thing."
"Whatever... What time is it?"
The DJ looked at the clock and gasped. "Nine forty-two... But-How...? I coulda sworn it was four o'clock a few minutes ago..."
Octavia grunted, now chuckling herself. "Time flies when you're trying to creep your roomate out, doesn't it?"
"Oh, please..." Vinyl stated, climbing into her own bed, getting under the covers. "I don't even have to try to do that...You're easier to scare sometimes than Fluttershy, and that mare's afraid of her own shadow..."
Tavi rolled her eyes, then looked at Vinyl. "Aren't you going to set up the camera?"
"Nope... I think we've had enough scares for the day..." she replied, glaring at her chair, which she hadn't picked up. She raised a forehoof to her mouth and bit it, then pointed at the accursed thing.
Octavia chuckled at that. "Calm down, now... It's only a chair..." she laughed.
"Yes, but it's not trying to kill you, now is it?" Vinyl retorted, laying back down and closing her eyes. "G'night, Tavi."
"Good night, Vinyl."