Sacrifice. While many would voice their selflessness to sacrifice themselves for a worthy cause, only a few actually keep to their word. The reward tends to be a permanent mark on history, whether as a hero or martyr for the right reasons, or as a traitor or failure for the worst. Whatever the result, those who give their lives for the name of sacrifice usually do so willingly, and die with the knowledge that they stayed true to their morals or redeemed a troubled past.
...yet, imagine the pain one would feel if they didn't die, and in fact, were forced to betray what they stood for, what they were willing to give their last breath for, and work against the desired effects of their sacrifice. The poor soul would probably be driven to insanity, or at least turn into a husk of their former self. One would probably do anything to escape that personal Hell. If they can't kill themselves, then they would probably plot and scheme until they could break free of whatever forced them to betray their ethics, and strive for revenge, retribution, and if possible, redemption.
Enter Solitude Blaze, a Unicorn serving under the Midnight Agency for Strategic Operations. Serving in the name of the Royal Sisters, he was more than willing to do what was needed to keep the innocent safe from harm. What the stallion could never foresee would be how that very mindset, while definitely honorable, possessed the potential to damn not only his spirit and psyche, but those very innocents he vowed to defend.
Even after successfully overthrowing the force responsible for his damnation, and in the process fulfilling his greatest desire for revenge, what does one do to make amends for the atrocities committed to the ones he once promised to never hurt? Is it even possible to gain redemption from something like that, even if it was forced? And what of the mind when they have endured the highest levels of pain, for both body and heart?
Sometimes, even the lowest pits of Hell are merciful compared to what can be.
Author's Note: Character tags will be added as the story progresses, possibly genre tags as well depending on where the story goes.
