"Silver?" Princess Celestia stepped into the small office of her royal accountant. The wallpaper was beige, and there seemed to be endless aisles of gray and beige metal filing cabinets. The fluorescent lights in the ceiling of foam rectangles arranged into a grid hummed audibly. A desk sat near the door, devoid of any personal flair that was typical of an office. A gray stallion with a neatly combed beige mane looked up from his perfectly organized files. The bland office clock on the wall behind him read 7PM, he'd been here since 6AM as he was nearly everyday.
"Yes?" he says, turning an exact 45 degrees to face the princess with almost robotic precision.
The transfer from the usual decor of the castle to... Well it looked like the Backrooms, was jarring and always took Celestia by surprise as she walked in. "I was wondering if you'd done payroll for the castle staff ahead of time, I had plans for Nightmare Night."
Silver Scroll's eyes shifted slightly downward, almost unnoticeable. "I believe we spoke about this earlier in the month, I requested this night off in advance."
Celestia's eyes went wide, the other accountant was off as well. Had she not remembered both of her accountants taking this night off? It was Nightmare Night, of course she'd let them have it off, but it was also a Sunday which meant payroll had to be done or nopony would get paid until the following week!
"Silver, can you please stay and do payroll?" Celestia says, feeling awful about asking this of her seemingly tireless accountant who had worked a brutal schedule without complaint for years for her. Six days a week, often coming in on his day off and staying late any time it was needed. He practically lived at that desk.
"I... Had a date tonight." Silver says, a lifelike inflection of disappointment in his voice. "Understood. I will reschedule it."
A date? Silver Scroll was easily the most boring pony anypony had ever met, his cutiemark was a manila folder and his favorite color was probably either gray or beige! Celestia sighed in defeat, this may be Silver's only date ever and she wasn't going to deny him that.
"I'll find somepony to handle payroll, Silver."
"Thank you, Princess." Silver says after a pause, "If things don't go well, I will come back." he says,briefly looking down at the paperwork he was to finish before officially ending his shift. "You can always contact me by pager." he adds as Celestia turns to leave.
She wouldn't dare do that to him. "Have a nice evening, Silver Scroll."
"You as well, Princess."
With Celestia gone, Silver Scroll looks at his calendar with a sense of curiosity. October 31st, Q47 files due, Date with Boogey. The note had been placed on his desk in the dead of night earlier in the month and included a time and place to be. The restaurant in question even confirmed the reservation for two.
Silver Scroll doubted this was a prank of any kind, hardly anypony knew he even existed, much less disliked him. He fancied the idea he had a secret admirer and was eager to meet this Boogey, however little his expression actually showed it.
7:05PM, all current and completed paperwork for the day was sorted into files to be picked up overnight. Silver Scroll cleared off his desk and turned out the lights, locking up for the night.
Canterlot castle was decorated for Nightmare Night at Luna's behest. This was her favorite holiday of all and everypony was forced to know. Silver passed by a few of the royal guards who were also off of their shift for the day. One of them was dressed as a clown already, mentioning going out with his family to a Nightmare Night party in passing.
Silver Scroll stepped out of the castle onto Celestial Avenue, the city was bustling this evening with ponies out for the night's festivities. Normally, Silver would have faded into the background but tonight he stood out as the only pony not dressed as something.
A long walk through crowds gave way to one of the emptier streets in the downtown district. The public gardens had a few ghost decorations hanging from the trees to give the night time flora an eerie feel.
Making it to the far end of the downtown district, Silver stopped in front of an upscale restaurant he'd pestered on four separate occasions to confirm the reservation, the Silver Saddle. He pushed the door open and stepped inside to be greeted by a majority of the lights in the restaurant being off. A bell jingled lightly as the door opened, announcing his presence. The main floor of the restaurant was pitch black, the only light coming from a crack in the door leading to the kitchen.
Had Silver been tricked? He looked around the dark and empty restaurant, trying to think of what pony would do this to him. As he was about to turn and leave, several candles barely illuminated a portion of the room.
All of the tables had been cleared, save for one set in the center. The candlelight gave way to crimson carpets and bits of red walls and curtains, the dark colors seemed to soak up what little light the candles gave out. He could only see in shades of dark red and black in this room.
"Leaving so soon?" a ghastly voice echoed through the room, Silver looked back at the table to see a dark figure sitting across from where he stood, barely visible against the pitch black far side of the restaurant. A set of brilliant white irises locked onto him, catching the light of the candles.
"I didn't see you there." Silver says plainly, "My apologies."
A chair drags itself from the shadowy corner of the room to the table, "Come, have dinner with me." the voice beckons.
Coming closer, Silver could make out the dark shape of a pony across the table from him. They were just blending in against the dark backdrop. He'd prefer if there were more light so he could see his... date?
The accountant took a seat, feeling a bit exposed as the other pony's eyes scanned him while he could see nothing of them.
"Were you the one who added the note to my calendar?" he asks.
The pony across grins, a predatory mouth full of sharp teeth sends a chill down the accountant's spine. He considers running back to his safe office. "Boogeymare, pleasant to finally meet you, Silver Scroll." she laughs, probably able to tell he was spooked.
An inky black hoof extend across the table to meet Silver's. He hesitates, but shakes her hoof. "How did you find out about me?" he asks, regaining his composure.
"Don't ask questions unless you're prepared to know the answer." she warns.
"If I ask a question, it's because I want an answer which implies I'm prepared for an answer."
Boogey laughs, "I like that about you."
Silver wasn't too amused by that, "I'm afraid I don't know anything about you."
"Do you want to?"
Silver didn't have much patience for games, "Why else would I have shown up if not to meet you?"
He was fairly certain that, whoever this was, they were only here to play mind games with him. Again, Silver considered leaving.
"I'm Boogey. As in, the boogeymare." she grins again, finally prompting Silver to roll his eyes and get up.
He turned to leave the restaurant, thoroughly sure that he was being pranked, only to find that the other end of the restaurant was gone. In fact, the entire room seemed to have sealed him in, all four sides were devoid of any doors or windows. A chair slammed into Silver from behind, forcing him to sit back down and returned him to the table.
"Oh, don't leave me so soon, Silver. We haven't even had a drink yet." the mare teases.
"How did you-" Silver was silenced by shadowy tentacles wrapping the chair and squeezing down on his midsection, forcing his breath out. Boogey doesn't say anything as the accountant is constricted in his chair.
"Like I said, I'm Boogey. Avatar of fear itself." She brings over a candle, setting it on the table to illuminate herself. "You seem like just my type, too." Silver's face was turning shades of purple and blue as he was crushed by Boogey's shadowy grip. "What? You don't have anything to say?" she teases as the accountant wheezes tiny bits of air from his breathless lungs.
Just as darkness overtook Silver, she let go and the light faded back into his eyes. Boogey laughed, "You've got the cutest little heartbeat." she says, another tentacle wrapping around him firmly but not crushing him, "And I love how big your eyes get in the dark like this."
Silver looked across the table at Boogey's smile. Her mouth was like a shark's, with a set of teeth growing in behind her current set. Her eyes seemed to glow a colorless white, tiny pinpoint irises focusing through him. "I... Wh-what are you?"
"Can't think straight?" the nightmare asks, a cold hoof resting on his, "Ooh, your blood is so warm." she rubs her hoof against his, "Can I have some?"
"Please, just let me go. I can get you whatever you want." Silver pleads, trying to get out of her tightening grip.
Boogey pauses, "Ooh, anything I want?" her forehooves come to her chin in thought.
Silver nods, "I'm Princess Celestia's accountant, I can get you anything."
Boogey rolls her eyes playfully, the left one following after the right one in stopping on Silver. "But I've already got what I want." she pauses, "I've got you."
Silver panics, struggling in vain against the tentacles binding him to the seat, "No! Please, let me go!" he shouts, the table between them dropping into an abyss of teeth and eyes in the floor from which endless screams echoed outward. Silver's chair tilts forward, threatening to dump him in without the tentacles to hold him. Boogey cooed, "I love the way you scream for mercy, it sounds so sweet."
"Why do you want me?! What did I do?!" Silver pleads again, squirming in his seat as the writhing mass of tentacles in the abyss below gnashes its sharp teeth at him.
Boogey shrugs, "I just think you're cute is all. You wanna take this back to my place?" she says with a playful nudge of her elbow, then motions down to the endless abyss of darkness, teeth, tentacles, and eyes.
Silver shakes his head, "I don't wanna go down there." he begs, "Whatever you want, just don't do that to me."
Boogey looks down, "Ah that guy down there? He'll just eat your soul a little." Boogey's eyes roll again, disappearing into her skull, "But, I could keep you away from him-" she climbs into his lap, tracing a hoof across his chest, "If you agreed to be my husband for eternity."
Silver's hesitation to answer caused the hole to widen slightly and his chair to tip even further, he was now being held up by Boogey's tentacles only.
"I-I agree!" Silver shouts, Boogey grabbing him from the seat and sitting him down at the edge of the void, she was waiting for an answer still. "To be your husband."
Boogey raises an eyebrow, "For eternity?"
"For eternity..." Silver sighs, just a moment of relaxation taking over. "Deal!" Boogey shouts, grabbing onto him and diving into her nightmare dimension with her new husband.
Author's Note
It's still technically Halloween! I'm NOT late!