After the pressure had become too much for Crimson, he passed out, still within the journal he had filled with his most painful memories. He needed to find somewhere safe. Somewhere he could escape from these nightmares. He already had to endure the kidnapping once. He didn't want to endure it again. His unconscious body was shivering, showing how scared Crimson really was. Hope was lost for Crimson now. He was convinced his life was truly over. All he wanted to do was let the shadows take him and put an end to his misery. While he was still unconscious, he heard a familiar voice.

"Come on Crimson. Wake up! Please, just wake up." He recognised it instantly, even in his current state. "Crimson, you're like a brother to me. Wake up and get out of this nightmare." It was the voice of a pony Crimson had become very close to over a short amount of time. "Don't you remember me? Its me, Zaber." Crimson's shivering began to stop. "We're not gonna let you suffer like this. We're your friends." He began to wonder who else was with him. He then heard another voice.

"Crimson? Why are you still sleeping? Its the middle of the afternoon. Seriously though, wake up." Crimson's eyes twitched a little, but didn't open. He recognised this voice too. He knew who she was, but it wasn't enough to awaken him. "Please Crimson, wake up. If you do, I'll show you my new drawings. I know how you always liked looking at them." He was fully aware of his surroundings now, but Crimson still couldn't move. "Aren't you gonna wake up for me? You do recognise me don't you? I'm Prism Smile, remember?" Crimson nodded very slightly. "Very good. Now open your eyes and get out of this nightmare."

Crimson struggled to do as Prism Smile said, but he gave it his all. Slowly but surely, he broke the boundaries of his subconscious mind and managed to regain full control of his body. Being driven by the voices of those two ponies, he managed to open his eyes. "Ugh. What happened?" He took a quick look around him and started to gather his thoughts. "Well if I'm still in this journal, I need to find a way out." He stood up and looked around for an exit. "Hmm, nothing here. No exits? I'll just make my own!" His horn began to glow and the darkness underneath him began to fade. A bright light soon enveloped him and when it cleared, Crimson was standing in his study, with the journal on the table. "Perfect. Now to find Bleeding Heart and stop him from ruining my life!" Crimson grabbed the journal, put it in his bag and ran out the door to go and find Bleeding Heart. Next Chapter: Confessions of a Shadow Estimated time remaining: 7 Minutes