//------------------------------//
// Chapter 11 Okinawa 
// Story: For Honor, Glory and The Empire 
// by Bronycommander 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 11: Okinawa


Tootsie Flute awoke with a headache, groaning and moaning in pain, holding her head.

Where am I? She looked around and found herself in a dirty cell.

Then, she remembered what happened. W-what will they do with me? W-what do they want from me? She trembled in fear, as the filly got a flashback from her nightmare back on Iwo Jima.

Suddenly, she heard yelling and screaming. It scared the foal to death, fearing what they would do with her.

Flute was petrified with fear. The child covered her ears but it didn’t help. The screams went for hours. All she could do was sit curled up in one corner of the cell, trembling.

When they finally ended, she slowly uncovered her ears. M-mommy…D-daddy… I miss you… P-please… someone…save me… She thought, more scared than ever before in her young life.

The screeching sound of the cell door being opened echoed through her ears.

A Japanese officer, escorted by two Marines walked in. “Hello there. You must be Tootsie Flute.” She had a sadistic smile in his lips.

“P-please…don’t hurt me.” She had to cough. “P-please let me go, I-I just want to go home…”

“I’m afraid, you can’t go. You’re a prisoner of the greater Empire of Japan. Now, tell us everything you know about the Invasion plan of the Americans.”

“Please…I don’t know anything…” She whimpered. The officer turned serious.

“You think because you say nothing... You are strong? You are not strong. But maybe…a little cut will make you talk.” He drew his katana. “I always wondered if it is true what they say about unicorns and their horns.” He gently tapped her horn with his free hand, but even such a little touch was very uncomfortable for Flute.

Flute backed up against the wall. NO! The horn was the most sensitive part of a unicorn's body, especially in the body of a youth. When the magic is still growing, so much could be pent up, causing the slightest brush to cause discomfort.

She didn’t want to imagine what great pain it would be, should it get cut off.

“Stop, not the horn! They want to take the town Naha. Then Shuri. That way, they want to take piece by piece of the island. First south, then north. The planes of the Marine Corps have the task to bomb the airbases and positions of you to prevent any counterattack by you! That’s all I know! Please, not the horn!” She pleaded, fearing for her life.

“That’s all I wanted to know. You two, leave me alone. I will take care of our guest.” The Marines bowed and left.

“B-but I gave you information’s! Please, I don’t wanna die!” She screamed as he raised his sword. “No! Not the horn!”





Sato wasn’t very well. His family got killed in an air raid. He had lost his family, his home. Now he had nothing. Nothing but sadness. Suzuki putted a hand on his shoulder.

“I know how sad you are, we all do understand. But you still have us.” He tried to cheer his friend up.

“And what says that I won’t lose you too?” Sato countered.

“Hey, cheer up. I know it’s bad but, if we survived so many things together, we can survive this. Plus, in the USA, you could meet Flute again,” Chiba suggested.

Sato smiled. “You’re right. I still have her. And as long as I live, I will fight for her!” He raised his fist into the air.

Hiroto and Osaka joined them. “Sir, we got orders to watch over a prisoner.” They both reported.

Chiba sighed. “Dear lord, I can’t see them suffer any longer. Let’s go and help those poor men.”

As they went to the cells, they heard the crying of a child. Sato recognized it immediately. “Don’t tell me it’s…”





Flute had curled herself into a ball and cried. The officer was gone for now, as he had order to report to his Supervisor.

Then she heard the sounds of officer boots “Please, don’t kill me!” She yelled in panic but saw it was Chiba and his squad, not the sadistic officer.

“Oh my…Don’t worry Flute, we get you out of here.”

“Nobody gets near the prisoner under any circumstances! She’s well supplied!” The sadistic Japanese had returned. “Keep your men back! That’s my prisoner!”

Flute expected that Chiba and the others would be angry, but to her surprise they stayed calm, showing no sign of anger.

“Your prisoner? For god’s sake, just look at her, she’s scared to death!” Chiba pointed at the hurt and scared foal.

“No, nobody gives her water but me!” The officer took the bread out of Chiba’s hand and stomped it, only to be slapped by him.

“Carry on!” He ordered and walked towards the cell door.

“Are you out of your mind?! Stop!” The officer fired a shot into the air with his pistol.

Chiba turned around and taunted, “Must you really play a hero in front of this poor child, you washout. Sure hasn’t worked out well for you on the front, has it?”

The officer smirked. “This, a child? She’s only an animal that must be put to use for the glory of Japan!”

“If you honestly think this is what Imperial Japan is fighting for, you clearly don't belong in this army! Would you want to be treated this way if you were captured like she was?” Chiba asked in return, feeling sorry for her

"I would not allow myself to be captured like this cowardly creature! I would have died fighting!"

"Look at her! She's not like the Americans or the Chinese! She's not a soldier! She's probably never fought a day in her life! There's no point in doing this! You might as well hate a rabbit for being scared of a tiger!” Sato slowly lost control of his anger.

Chiba looked at his comrades. “Let’s go.”

“Stop!” the officer yelled, pointing his pistol at him, only to see that Sato, Suzuki Hiroto and Osaka pointed their weapons at him.

“Are you crazy? You want to shoot a Japanese lieutenant?” He taunted.

“That’s what you were just about to do!” Hiroto replied, having his sidearm trained on him.

“I’ll bring you before court-martial.”

“Yeah, but before the war is over, otherwise, you’ll be the one hanging at the gallows!” Hiroto countered.

“And you want to be Japanese soldiers? Traitors! Cowards, deserters, that’s what you are!”

Hiroto came closer. “At least not a ‘Hero’ like you, you dishonest sadist!”

I’ll do whatever the Empire tells me to do! I’ll do whatever it takes to maintain honor!”

Sato couldn’t hold his anger anymore, seeing how hurt the filly was. He charged at the officer, knocking him to the ground beating him until he passed out.

Catching his breath, he took the key from him and opened the door.

Tootsie Flute was looking at the young soldier, petrified with fear.

Before anyone could react, she got up and slammed into Sato, crying her heart out. “H-he w-wanted to c-cut my h-horn off!”

He rocked her. “Shh, it’s over now. Let’s get out here.”

He patted her while they walked out, Flute had buried her head in his chest.

They came to a bunker. The foal had cried herself to sleep. Sato laid her gently on one of the cots. “Poor girl. But at least we saved her from this terrible…” He didn’t finish as his officer laid a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t say it. We saved her and that’s important. For now, let’s get some rest. You have earned it.”

Sato hugged the child as he got to bed, relieved that she was safe.

In the night, the little foal woke up, rubbing her eyes. Feeling something warm around her, she saw that Sato had wrapped his arm around her. She let out a relieved smile, grateful that he had saved her.

Osaka and Chiba had the night guard outside.

They chatted but she couldn’t hear about what.

He startled as there was a sound of beating. Alerted, she tried to wake Sato. “Wake up, we’re under attack!”

He woke and grabbed his rifle. “Stay behind me!”

But before could react, a Japanese Marine stormed in, knocking him and Flute out.





James was slowly bleeding out, holding his chest. “Search for survivors!” a voice echoed in his ears.

A rescue team had arrived. “We got one! Don’t worry soldier, you gonna be alright!”

Despite being hit in the chest and gut, he survived and recovered quickly.

But the loss of his beloved daughter filled him with worry if she was still alive and anger against those who would hurt her.

As he got back into the action, he got reunited with Roebuck, Miller and Polonsky.

“Nice to see you again, James. I’m sorry to hear what happened to Tootsie Flute.”

“And if they’re hurt her, we will make them pay!” Polonsky exclaimed.

“Yeah James, we all have closed her into our hearts. We’re with you, no matter what,” Miller added.

“Thank you, comrades. What are our orders?”

“At the moment patrolling and be on the lookout for the enemy. Let’s move.”

While they walked through the jungle, Polonsky killed a mosquito by smacking it as it was on his neck. “Damn bugs!”

“Annoying, yes, but stay vigilant.” Roebuck warned, not wanting to get ambushed.

While they walked through the endless jungle of the island, they heard Japanese voices. “Stop.” The Sarge made a gesture to stop. "You hear that?”

“Yes. Over there.” Miller pointed to the other side of a bunker where a squad of Imperial soldiers was.

“Fire only on my command. James, what are they’re saying?” Due the magic in Equestria, James was able to understand Japanese.

He translated, “That dishonest pig! First he wants to cut her horn off and then he kidnaps her from us?! When I find him then…”

“Wait, you hear that?” Miller asked as he sound of crying echoed in the distance.

“That’s her, let’s go, men! That must be the soldiers who found and took care of her. Let’s follow them without being noticed.”

“Right behind you, Roebuck.” Miller got his M2 Flamethrower ready.

They followed the enemy squad to a hill that gave a perfect view of a Meadow.

They were shocked. Tootsie Flute was crying and appeared was hurt pretty badly, like someone had beaten her, locked up in a cage, guarded by several soldiers of the Special Naval Landing Forces.

“Oh my god…” James couldn’t believe what he saw.

“Look!” Polonsky pointed at the squad they followed. The officer used binoculars with his left hand, while putting his right into the air, the soldiers took aim.

“What are they doing?” Miller wondered.

Then the Marines saw what the enemy soldiers did as the officer lowered his right hand. They used volley fire to take out the guards.

“They want to free her. What should we do, Sarge?”

“Help them, Polonsky. James, try to talk with them.”

“Yes, sir.” He walked down, his hands raised in the air.

“Sir, an American Corpsman! Orders?” The LMG gunner asked, Type 99 ready.

“Don’t shoot.” The officer switched to English. “We won’t harm you. Got separated from your unit I suppose?”

“No, my unit and I want to help you saving her.” He pointed to the foal and the Imperial soldiers could see that he was honest.

“Very well.”

Roebuck, Polonsky and Miller slowly stepped out of the trees.

“We mean no harm, we only want to help her like you do.” Roebuck explained.

“Let’s do it.” Chiba made a gesture to get to work.

Sato used the butt of his rifle to get the lock off. “Shh, Flute, no one goes to harm you.”

She slowly opened her eyes. “S-Sato! D-daddy!” She exclaimed happy to see them both.

“Yes Flute, I’m here.” The Japanese soldiers looked confused at him, his comrades too. “I’ll explain this later.”

The unicorn was too exhausted to get up by herself. As James was about to pick her up, the Imperial SMG gunner shouted, “Wait!” He pointed to something the filly was sitting on.

“A pressure mine! Damn, we set it off if we move her!” Miller shouted worried.

“Bastards! No offense.” Polonsky’s mouth was faster than the brain.

“Please, I don’t wanna die!” Flute begged.

“I have an idea.” Osaka grabbed his ammo crate. “We can fool it that way.”

“That could work.” Sato hoped it would work.

In the moment James picked Flute up, Osaka putted the crate on the mine. It didn’t explode.

She hugged her father tightly, he stroked her mane. “It’s over now, sweetheart.”

“I don’t think so.” A new voice said in English.

It was the officer who had threated Flute to cut her horn off, escorted by several Marines. “Now it grieves me to inform you that you have earned the same unfortunate fate as this hapless creature...And should any of you cowardly scum move an inch to protect them...I will prepare for you something far worse. Sympathy in reality is the worst weakness for humanity. There is no place for this in the greater Empire of Japan. I knew you couldn’t resist. Now you’re going to die, traitor!” He aimed his pistol at Sato, then at Flute and fired.

James jumped to the side, Sato charged at the officer and tackled him to the ground beating him, the others fought the Imperial marines.

The Corpsman gently sat his daughter behind a rock as cover. She cowered in fear.

He returned fire but saw that the officer had knocked out Sato and charged at him. Getting tackled to the ground, the Imperial officer hit him repeatedly.

“You’re weak just like her!” He raised his katana to stab him but Sato lunged at him.

“Don't you dare...call...her...WEAK! You…dishonest… son…of a SADIST!” he punched him but the officer kicked him off.

Trying to recover from it, seeing that James tried the same, he watched helpless as the officer came closer to the young unicorn who was scared to death.

“No, please! Don’t kill me!” She pleaded for her life as he raised his Katana.

“Mercy is for the weak!” He exclaimed before the filly’s father stabbed him in the back.

“Nobody hurts my daughter and gets away with it!”

“You... Will die... With me...” The officer pulled the pin of a grenade he was wearing on his belt.

Flute tried to crawl away but James tackled the officer into a ditch and she saw an explosion. “DADDY!!” Flute blacked out.





Then, she saw his shadow. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.” It sounded flatly.

“Daddy?” She asked weak.

“You’re fine.”

Her vision slowly returned, she found herself at a campfire with the American and Japanese soldiers. Checking herself, she was bandaged around her chest but otherwise fine. Sato was bandaged around the chest too, her father was still alive, having some bruises from the fight with the officer.

Flute got up slowly, and hugged Heart. “Daddy! You’re alive!” She was relieved.

“Yeah, I managed to get the grenade loose and found cover. For the officer...He got victim of his own trap.”





After getting the grenade loose, James saw that the officer had landed hard with his head knocked out.

Seeing that the enemy would be out long enough to get Flute to safety, he got back to the others.

He was relieved that Tootsie Flute was still alive, the others had defeated the Imperial Marines.

“Intel was not lying, those guys are really some toughest and most capable soldiers of Japan.” Roebuck was breathing heavily.

James checked Flute, she was unconscious.

“Watch out!” The Imperial Rifleman shouted as the same officer charged at the Corpsman from behind.

This time, James managed to block it and threw the enemy into the cage, he slammed against the crate, landing on the pressure mine.

Elliot smirked, pointed at his foot. The officer was at first confused, then looked down and became horrified.

Sato shielded Flute against the explosion.

“That’s impossible to survive.” James took care of the splinters Sato had suffered from it but it was nothing serious and the sadistic officer was screened by the shrapnel.

“Ok, that’s over. Let’s move. I’m Captain Chiba. Those are my men Sato, Suzuki, Hiroto and Osaka.” Sato saluted Roebuck.

He returned it. “Sergeant Roebuck. My men Miller, Polonsky and James.”





After that, Sato told the US soldiers how he and his friend found her as well as their time with Tootsie Flute and James told about his origin and his time with Flute.

“You can be proud of yourself. I’m impressed that you could keep this secret for so long. I would have done the same if I would be father of a filly.”

“Thanks, Roebuck. And I must thank you Sato for taking care of my daughter. I owe you one.”

“You owe me nothing, it’s my duty and honor.”

Polonsky turned a radio on.

As Flute snuggled in her father’s arms, The Imperial soldiers told the Marines what they learned in school due their teacher, Roebuck and Sato talked about officer stuff, Suzuki and Polonsky about sport, Hiroto and Osaka talked with Miller about the culture of Japan and the USA ,while Sato and James chatted how much they had in common in music.

“You’re good men, stay that way.” Roebuck never thought that he would say that to Japanese soldiers, given how known they were to be brutal.

“We will. We never liked the brutality of your comrades.” Chiba replied.

“And I thought all Imperial solders are…” Polonsky cut himself off, not to offend them.

“None taken. The paratrooper smiled.

Sato looked with Flute and James into the night sky and the stars. “The night is always beautiful, isn’t she?”

“Indeed. Say, can you play harmonica?” The Corpsman gave him a harmonica.

“Of course.” The baby blue unicorn enjoyed the music he played until she fell asleep with a yawn.

In the next morning, someone gently shook her shoulder. “Sweetheart, time to wake up.” Her father smiled warmly at her.

“Good morning, daddy!” she hugged him. Then the young filly noticed something. “Where are Sato and his friends?” She looked around.

“They leaved in the night, saying you had a better chance to get out of here with us as them. But they will never forget you.” They all had breakfast.

It was muddy and rainy but it didn’t bother Flute, on the contrary. She jumped into the puddles, laughing as the rain washed it off. Another squad with a radioman arrived.

“There you are. Message from Major Gordon.” He gave Roebuck the radio.

“Status report? The last few months on Okinawa have taken their toll... Morale is low. It's the rain, sir... and the mud. Tanks are getting bogged down. Supplies aren't getting through. We can't even get the wounded out. Yes, sir... Understood.” He gave the radio back.

“We're moving out.”

“What's the skinny?” Polonsky loaded his rifle.

“Major Gordon's ordered another attack on the enemy stronghold, beyond this ridge.”

“Any word on supplies?”

“They're coming.”

“When?” The young private had lost his patience for that.

“Just get up the hill, Polonsky.” They moved out, James carried his daughter due her injury. “We got a heavily fortified MG in that bunker. Spread out...”

Just as they came up the hill, a spider hole opened and grenades were thrown towards Miller and James.

“Spider Holes!!! Return fire! Miller! Burn the grass!!!” Roebuck ordered as Miller threw the grenade back, James dived to the ground to avoid the blast.

He gently sat the filly behind cover before he fired his Carbine at Banzai Chargers.

Due to Iwo Jima, the unicorn was much calmer but still scared, covering her ears.

Defeating the enemy, the Marines and the foal come to said bunker.

“Damn MG's got the area covered!” Polonsky ducked behind cover, Flute and her father next to him.

“Miller, pop smoke!”

“Copy that, Sarge!” Miller used one of his smoke grenades to block the MG’s vision.

“Go! They can't see us! Clear that bunker!”

Flute and the Corpsman waited for the others to clear the bunker.

After it was cleared, Roebuck said, “Through the caves... There's more bunkers up ahead.”

Carefully advancing through the caves, they heard voices. “I hope Sato and the others weren’t along them.” Tootsie Flute was worried about them. James patted her.

“Given how friendly they are and helped you, I guess they would hesitate to shoot as us. But anyway, I promise with my honor as officer, I will get you of this muddy island, no matter what.” The Sarge was ready to die to protect her.

She smiled weak, appreciating what they did to keep her safe.

As they got out of the caves, Roebuck yelled, “We got three active bunkers... Miller! Flank around and clear 'em out!”

Moving from cover to cover, Miller come into range to burn the weapon crews of the first bunker, threw a satchel charge and detonated it, after getting to a safe distance.

The giant fireball of the explosion filed Flute with unease, fearing that Sato could die, James saw it in her eyes.

“One down, keep on it!” Roebuck reloaded his Thompson.

The second bunker was nearby. “Fire in the hole!”  Milled detonated the charge, Japanese soldiers could be heard screaming inside.

Please Sato…be okay. The unicorn prayed on the inside.

“Outstanding Miller, only one to go! Finish the job!” Roebuck complimented him.

Next to the bunker was a bridge. “Other side of the bridge!” Roebuck tried to warn Elliot, as a Banzai Charge charged at him from the left.

Having enough time to sit Flute down, James stabbed the hostile into the rips and pulled his knife out. As the Japanese soldier dropped his weapon and reached for his injury, the American punched him into the face. Due his medical knowledge, he knew exactly the weak spots of the human body.

The former unicorn’s daughter had not seen it, had had covered her eyes, in fear the charge was for her.

She flinched as her father picked her up. “It’s okay, sweetheart, I’m here for you.” The foal gave him a weak smile.

The last bunker was just next to the other side of the bridge. The MG crew inside had no chance to react as Miller detonated the charge.

“Last one's taken out. Good work! Everyone! On me!” Roebuck tackled a door open, after they regrouped.

“What do we do now?”

“We keep moving, Polonsky... Let's go.”

Sherman tanks were moving up.

“Our tanks are moving up... Convoy won't be far behind.” The Sarge was glad to see the tanks but one got destroyed by mortar fire.

“Mortar fire!!!”

“Take cover!” Polonsky yelled but it was too late.

James tried to get to cover but a mortar shell exploded next to him, throwing him to the ground. His ears were ringing and his vision was blurry from the shellshock.

As he stood up, he was shocked.

Tootsie Flute was cowering behind a crate, trapped between the firefight of the two sides. “Help! Daddy!” She screamed in pain as she was bleeding from her gut. She was incapacitated, bullets missed her barely.

No! I will not lose her too! 

“Cover me, I’m going in!”

“Roger! Covering fire!” Roebuck acknowledged.

“Coming to your aid!”

While dodging gunfire and explosions, Flute’s father saw also an Imperial soldier from the stronghold coming to her aid too. It was Sato.

The young unicorn was holding her gut, tears leaved her eyes. “The pain…make it stop!”

She was losing blood. She would die without medical attention. “Don’t worry, I have seen worse.” James stopped the bleeding while Sato provided covering fire too. The MG in the stronghold stopped abruptly. The Marines saw that Sato’s friends had turned against their comrades.

While the rest of Roebuck’s squad regrouped at a tunnel, James took care of the wound.

“I have to remove the bullet. Would you hold her to calm her down?” He asked Sato.

The young Japanese took Flute’s hoof and spoke comforting words.

“Daddy… its hurts… so much.”

“Shh, it will be over soon.”

Flute struggled and screamed in pain as the marine pushed the tweezers into the wound. Sato said calming words to her. She slowly calmed down.

The pain was great but her screams of pain reduced to cries through gritted teeth.

The corpsman had finally found what he was looking for, tightened the tweezers and slowly pulled back.

The unicorn let out a final scream as the American removed the tweezers from the wound and held up an almost intact 7.7×58 mm Type 92 bullet.

“See? All better now.” James bandaged her wound.

“You were very brave. It honors you.” “Sato added.

Flute blushed. “Thank you.” They joined the others.

With the help of their Imperial friends, the US soldiers quickly secured the area.

“We got mortar positions above us.” Chiba warned the American Sargent.

James carried Flute, while Sato covered them.

Miller, Polonsky, Roebuck climbed the ladder up to take care of the mortars while the Japanese guarded the filly and Corpsman. “Why did you turn on your own men?” James asked.

“After we saw Flute wounded, we decided to help but the others wanted to kill her, that’s why.” Chiba explained.

“BANZAI!” an enemy shouted as he stormed at them from behind. He knocked James down, he fell on his gut, Flute let out a cry of pain as she hit the ground. The attacker got killed by Osaka and the paratrooper. “Grenade!” Flute shouted as the dead soldier let it fall right next to her.

In an attempt to shield her from the blast, Sato hugged her.

While it only caused James’s ears to ring, Sato and Flute got injured by shrapnel. A mortar round above them exploded, blowing Osaka’s left arm off and throwing him with the back against the wall. He was dead.

Hiroto’s body was laying against the wall, also dead, as his head was lowered, covered in blood. Suzuki was crawling on the ground, trying to reach his weapon as an enemy moved in but died before he could do so.

James was still stunned as the enemy raised his weapon to shoot his daughter, who was still hugged by Sato but was bleeding from her chest. “N-no…p-please…”

A pistol bullet from behind killed him. It was Chiba. He was laying against the wall, bleeding from his chest, his left hand on it to stop it, the Nambu pistol in his right hand. His glasses were broken.

James got up. Man, who should I help first?! Flute had top priority but he couldn’t let Sato and Chiba die too.

The officer smiled, holding out his pistol to the Corpsman. “I know you US Marines take these as a war memorial. Take it. You earned it. I have lived... for my country. Kept my honor… as officer. My task was make sure Flute survives. I can die…with honor.” As James took his pistol, the officer’s body went limp.

“D-daddy…” The filly was trying to stop the bleeding by pressing her fore hooves against it. She had trouble to breathe. James could tell that shrapnel had missed her heart and lungs by inches. Lucky for him, another Corpsman took care of Sato, while he took care of his daughter.

She was still alive but weak. “Dad…just fell off the tractor, that's all…” she spoke weak, repeating the words she said when she fell of the tractor back home.

“Don’t worry, you going to be fine.”

Roebuck climbed down. “Now let's get out of this damn hole and start dealing with our wounded...” Then he saw the wounded foal. “MILLER! GET OVER HERE!” As Miller came, Sato and Flute passed out.

The unicorn came to as Roebuck spoke calming, “Hold on kid, we're gonna get you out of here.”

James carried her to a truck, while Miller and Roebuck carried Sato.

“It's not bad, okay? It's not bad.” Her father said calming as he got her on the truck.

“One... two... three...” The two marines placed Sato on the truck too. He was still knocked out.

Turning her head, she saw a Marine with sunglasses.

“You leavin'?” Polonsky asked him.

“Push ahead and take Shuri Castle.” The sunglasses wearing marine replied. Must be Major Gordon. Flute thought.

“But we're runnin' on empty here!” The private protested.

“You'll have a supply drop tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow?!!... How are we supposed to hold out till tomorrow?!” Polonsky asked in disbelief.

“Intel says Shuri Castle is mostly deserted. Look on the bright side... After this, you boys will probably get relieved and be on the boat home...” Major Gordon entered the passenger seat.

“Yeah? That's what we thought after Peleliu and Iwo Jima...”

“Take care, James.” Miller shook his hand.

“I will.”

“It was an honor to have you in my squad, Elliot. Hopefully, we meet against after Shuri Castle.” Roebuck saluted.

“I hope so too.” He returned it.

Sato woke up as the rain stopped and the sun came out as the truck moved out. Seeing Flute alive, he smiled. Then he glimpsed the setting sun and smiled grimly, knowing that the Empire of the rising sun would come soon to an end. And that he had kept the foal he found alive. He had survived and kept his honor.