(~)

A small fly flew near her ear, despite the hood that covered the majority of her face, save for her chin and mouth. She twitched her ear a few times, showing the insect away. The bartender poured the purple liquid into her cup. The calming music coming from the radio merged with the tipping of silverware and the many murmurs of small talk amongst the costumers. The next song had a soothing, jazz-like vibe it managed to calm her nerves.

The bartender stared at her, noticing the dark plum colored skin tone. He hadn't noticed she was a pony, currently in anthro form. In any normal night he would have boldly conversed with a mysterious stranger such as herself. Judging by her ragged cloak and disinterested demeanor as she swallowed the entire liquid in one gulp and slammed it on the table, this character gave off a "troubled traveler" kind of vibe.

He cleaned the inside of another cup and prepared to refill hers and speak with her until the radio scratched, abruptly stopping the music. A voice she had heard countless times in the past filled the bar. All eyes and ears gathered at the radio, all but the cloaked pony who kept her gaze on her still empty cup.

"We just received word from Harmony City! Everybody is abuzz about the story of the century! We have a new Avatar!"

The cloaked pony flinched, her fingers curled on the surface of the sleek mahogany table. Her jaw clenched as she continued to listen.

"The still living Queen Avatar Korra's daughter, Princess Iris has been revealed to be this new era's Avatar! We now have two Avatars coexisting at the same time! As a result, Princess Iris and her companions have been revealed to be the next generation of the Elements of Harmony! We recently had word with Queen Korra and King Mako themselves, and they've said that the children will train under the original Element's wings as their apprentices! A new Avatar cycle has begun, and the future of the three worlds looks like a bright one! In other news-"

Guests jumped from their seats, while others fell right off, dropping their cups and spilling their drinks all over the floor, their cloths and on their food. A flash of intense blue lightning came shooting out of the pony's hand, blasting the radio into a million pieces. As her hand lowered they could see small sparks of blue magic coming from the shadow of her hood right above her forehead.

She was a unicorn, but her horn was unlike anything they had ever seen. The bartender, who had been hiding under the table when the blast happened, poked his head out, seeing his costumers staring in horror at the cloaked figure.

"Hey! You're gonna have to pay for that!" he shouted. It didn't matter if she had troubles or not, if anyone disrupted the peace of his fine establishment, he would bring his foot down.

The cloaked figure lifted her head slightly, revealing a pair of cloudy aquamarine eyes. The shadow of a scar ran across her right eye. She lifted her hand up once more, and the small bits of magic sparked again on her forehead, which matched the glowing beam of deadly electricity that danced on the surface of her fingertips, about to strike him. The man ducked under his table, trembling like a frightened kitchen mouse.

The unicorn swiped her now filled cup from the table, keeping her hand-still engulfed in light-aimed at the bartender. "I'll be taking this to go. And if anyone asks… I was never here."

Her voice was low and smooth. She spoke with incontrovertible grace and confidence. But it also carried a deadly essence that ran a chill up the spine of all who heard her. As she marched her way towards the door, the clopping sound of her boots filled the room, merged with the guest's low breathing. As she made her way out, from the corner of her eye she caught one of the costumers reaching for the phone on the wall.

Without hesitation, she unleashed a powerful string of lightning at the phone, then more at the other on the opposite end, and the one on the counter before breaking all of the lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling. The costumers screamed in terror and hid underneath the tables. The unicorn drank every last drop before smashing the cup against the floor where it shattered.

"Who… are you?" One of the trembling costumers asked, his teeth clicking.

The unicorn crunched down to his level, gazing at his own reflection in her cold stare. "Somepony you don't want to mess with."

With one final shot of lightning the last lightbulb shattered, leaving the bar in a blanket of darkness. The unicorn slammed the door behind her, smirking in satisfaction at all the muffled murmurs from the other side and walked off, disappearing into the night.

(~)