War... war never changes...

Its hard to believe that its been seven years since the Day of Burning, seven years since the nuclear bombs fell around the world... the day that we all were afraid would come...

Its funny really, before the bombs fell I had it all, I was on top of the world, with connections all over. It wasn't hard to get a place in one of the Vaults, I've always been a pragmatist, I knew that in the event of a nuclear war I should be ready.

I honestly hadn't spent much time thinking about it up until the Manehattan Massacre. I had been lucky enough to be out of the city when it happened, but friends of mine were lost in it.

From that day forward I made sure that I used my connections throughout the world in order to make sure that the TransOceanic Defense Coalition's secrets were available for the UFE, but it was far from perfect. I set up shop outside of Las Pegasus and rebuilt the Ninth Circle club.

Even after seven years I still remember that day...

00000

"I don't want to set the world on fire, I just want to start a flame in your heart," a woman with black skin with wild white hair that fell down to her shoulders, dressed in an elegantly designed dress sings to herself as she runs her fingers along the keys on a keyboard.

"You've still got it, Morning Star," a woman with dark brown skin and short black hair said with a smile as she finished cleaning the bar.

"Is everything ready for the evening rush, Windswept?" Morning Star asked as she looked at the woman.

"Everything's ready," she said with a nod. "Are we expecting another visit from our friends at National Security?"

Morning Star frowned a little at that, honestly she didn't like working with the NSC but she didn't have much of a choice. She had lost a lot of friends during the Manehattan Massacre and the ongoing war with the TODC so she was willing to help her nation, but she wasn't sure about the Commissariat.

"Probably," she answered with a shake of her head. "We don't have a whole lot to give them, the TODC has been too quiet lately."

"If you say so, at least we've got something," Windswept said as Morning Star moved over to the bar and took a seat. "When are they going to get here?"

"Sometime this evening when its busy enough to not attract any attention," Morning Star answered. "Make sure we've got everything ready by then."

Windswept nodded and went to inventory the bar's stock. Morning Star sat back, checking her phone. Things had been quiet enough indeed, but she had a feeling that it wasn't going to last much longer.

The war with the TODC had stretched on for awhile now, and Morning Star had a strange feeling that it was going to come to a conclusion soon enough. She turned on the bar's TV and flipped through the channels for a few minutes before suddenly it changed to a news studio with a man seated behind a desk.

"We're getting reports in of multiple launches from TODC allied territories and vessels," the newsman said as Windswept came out of the store room again. "The launch vectors seem to suggest they are targeting the cities of Canterlot, Vanhoover, Las Pegasus, and others. The government of Equestria has announced their retaliation will be swift and without mercy, but it is too late to stop the launches. All citizens who are part of Project Safehouse with the Vault-Tec corporation are to report to their assigned Vaults immediately. May god have mercy on our souls."

"Come on, we need to get out of here!" Morning Star said to Windswept as they grabbed their tickets that allowed them into their Vaults. "I've got Vault 16, what about you?"

"Vault 24..." Windswept said, looking at it sadly. "I'm sorry Morning Star... I guess there wasn't enough room to have us both in the same."

Morning Star sighed and hugged her oldest friend tightly. "Its okay Windswept, if we can get out of these Vaults soon, I'll find you, I swear."

"I'll wait for you," Windswept said as the two women ran out of the club, joining the masses heading to the Vaults around the outskirts of Las Pegasus.

Morning Star took one last look back at her friend as she made her way towards Vault 16 which had been built not far from the club. She was filed with the others underground, she took one last look out at the city.

She had to hope that it wouldn't be the last time she'd get to see it.

00000

When I entered Vault 16 and was given the orientation, I was surprised to learn what we were intended to do there. Apparently there was something wrong with the Vault door and in order to keep it from opening someone would have to put a code into a terminal next to the door every day, or the Vault would be flooded with radiation. It was odd to be sure, but we set up a system to figure out how to make it work.

Then there was the other requirement, the Vault was constructed with only half the normal population of adults, so all the women were required to have one child within the first three years.

I didn't like it but I didn't have a choice, but I had become close to a man named Richter, and before the deadline I found myself pregnant.

I just hoped that I was doing the right thing by listening to the Overseer with this.

00000

There was the sound of crying as the newborn child was placed in Morning Star's arms, she leaned back, looking down at her daughter's dark purple face with a smile.

"Congratulations, its a girl," the Vault Doctor Honest Heart said with a smile as Morning Star smiled a little. "Do you have a name picked out?"

Morning Star smiled as she looked at her husband Richter who nodded to her.

"We'll name her Moonlight," Morning Star said as she leaned back, tired from the ordeal. "Welcome to Vault 16, Moonlight."

She smiled down at her daughter, she could only hope that her life in the Vault would be without danger.

As Moonlight was laid down, Morning Star closed her eyes. Things were starting to feel normal in the Vault, and now she felt like she could rest for real.

00000

Its hard to believe that everything felt so ordinary back then, but my life was going to change in only a matter of a few years.

There really is no such thing as an ordinary life in the Vault, all we could do is survive and do our daily duties. I guess I was luckier than most because they put me in charge of keeping up morale with my music, that was something I could do.

My life was going to change again though, and I'd be forced to leave the Vault with no other choice. The world outside had changed, but the time would soon come where I'd have to fight a war of my own against those that hurt me.

After all, war, war never changes.

Author's Note

Well, its finally done, the prologue is at least, I'd like to thank ExtraDimensional Alien for creating this universe and giving me a chance to write this fic.