Occupation: Fortune Teller
 
Personality: A bit rough around the edges, somewhat cold towards others until she’s trying to sweet talk them
 
History: Rara was born to a family of well-respected pegasi. Though they lived in a relatively small, ground-dwelling village, they made a point to make nice with each and every one of their neighbors. They were very generous and hosted all sorts of events, especially charity parties and fundraisers- they even founded their own charity! From the outside, they seemed to be the perfect family of upstanding citizens. Behind the scenes though, they just wanted the attention… and a plausible front for embezzling funds.
 
When word got out she was pregnant with their third, the town was abuzz, and her parents milked the baby shower for all it was worth. They even made a point to make a pompous name announcement: Rara Avis, their rare little bird. But the big day came… and little Rara was not what was expected. Mutations in ponies were not unheard of, but her family never expected their child might inherit traits so… monstrous… otherworldly. Not only did she have the tail of a demon, but both it and her forehead were marked with obnoxious eyes. And her wings… her mother could have handled a short-winged daughter- she herself had short wings, but managed to overcome flightlessness with enough practice- but one wing short, the other long? Surely she would never fly. Ever superstitious, her mother believed surely their family had been cursed for their dishonest practices. At the last moment, she revoked their daughter’s intended name, and chose instead to call her by Lopsy Lieu. Her parents did their best to keep her hidden from the town. But that only fueled the rumors. If one good thing came of Lopsy’s birth, it was that her mother’s superstition grew so strong she forced her husband to clean up their act. No more embezzlement, no more lies, and they quietly made the transition from being a front to running an honest-to-goodness charity. Her eldest two children though, saw right through their act, and went on to rebel in their own ways.
 
Even so, Lopsy too grew up with distain for her parents and their lifestyle. She wasn’t ignorant to the fact she was the family embarrassment, so at the age of fifteen she ran away, stumbling her way in with a group of travelling nomads. With this fresh start, she reclaimed her birthright- the name Rara Avis, shedding the cruel label her mother forced on her. They assumed she was going through a rebellious phase, and kept camp longer than they should of in hopes someone would come find her. But when no one did, not even an inquiry, they took it upon themselves to raise her as a collective. They did their best to raise her honestly, and she did her best to take the opportunity of a new start. No matter how hard she tried though, she couldn’t do anything right, and was mediocre at best in… everything. She struggled to get along with the other fillies and colts her age, let alone find a talent to call her own. She found she preferred to sit back and observe. And she became VERY observant. So observant with her four eyes, that it laid the foundation for her cutie mark. If she had no real talent… she’d just have to fake one.
 
Her keen eye for the smallest detail, in tandem with a steel trap memory, laid the groundwork for telling “fortunes.” She started with others in their travelling caravan. Notice a new- expensive at that- horn ring in the young stallion’s saddlebag? A proposal in your future! And of course she’ll say yes- even her most accurate knowledge had to be tempered with what they wanted to hear. And if a prediction proved false? Well… some things could be staged. In that manner she grew a reputation for telling fortunes with near perfect accuracy, and when she earned her cutie mark in the trade, it only reinforced her shining rapport. On the other hoof, learning she was only able to earn her talent in weaving a web of lies broke something in Rara. She became cold and distant in favor of keeping her secrets safe, and from hurting herself- or heaven forbid, hurting someone she’d developed a friendship with.
 
Years later, their wagon caravan pulled into the outskirts of a large city to sell their wares and mingle with locals. Rara had her own fortune-telling wagon by now, and followed suit. Rara had seen all manner of ponies in their travels, but this was her first encounter with an alicorn! The nomads were abuzz when she arrived, each trying to warm up to their esteemed visitor, offering gifts and sales. She was personable, but passed through the caravan quickly until she stumbled on Rara’s wagon. Unicorns were often skeptical of Rara’s abilities, given pegasi did not have the same natural inclination for magic as they. Rara had gotten used to their distain, but to come face to face with a true, honest to goodness alicorn… her heart fluttered for fear she’d be exposed. But the alicorn just smiled sweetly, and requested a reading. Normally Rara would have declined, but with the village’s eyes all on her, she had little choice but to concede. At least within the wagon, they were alone.
 
As soon as they were sectioned off, the alicorn subtly put up a soundproofing spell around the wagon to stave off prying ears while Rara give a very vague fortune. She politely and quietly listened, even after Rara was finished she remained silent. Rara rambled into the uncomfortable silence, until her own words started to ramble. From the verge of panic, the alicorn finally spoke. “Though ponies may, cutie marks do not lie. I believe you have a penchant for magic- real magic. Pardon if I seem forward, but I’d like to be the one to teach you, if you so choose. But if you really are happy here… well, don’t let me keep you from it.” She left Rara to stew with her words for a week, before the pegasus abandoned her wagon to seek her out. Now, she trains under her mentor in hopes of ascending to an alicorn and practice true magic.