Ophelia Moon was always fascinated by birds. Even as a little filly, the feathered creatures were her favorite animals. However, there weren’t a whole lot that lived near her hometown of, er, Our Town. Located in the dusty badlands of a mountain desert, most of the birds used it as a brief stop during their migratory journeys – of course, the time of year Ophi looked most forward to, initially thinking that her cutie mark meant her talent was in bird-watching. Burrowing and snowy owls were a rare treat to spot. The birds that remained ever-present, of course, were the corvids. Large, dark ravens with huge beaks, and annoying magpies, always sitting atop the roofs and posts, cawing loudly, staring menacingly down at the ponies…

But, like the little dwarf pegasus herself, these birds were very misunderstood. To her, the caws and chirps of the magpies and crows sounded like the singing of sparrows. She saw how they formed relationships within their flocks (or “murders” respectively), how intelligent they were with finding food, and even how they made literal tools. She found herself observing from afar until a walk one day, and she stumbles upon a small magpie, lying against the ground. Its wing is very obviously hurt, and it looks like its given up hope entirely. But, its alive. Ophelia immediately goes to the bird, not quite knowing how to comfort, well, a bird, but trying anyway. There wasn’t really a vet in town (pets were discouraged for this very reason), so its up to her.

While crude, her knowledge gathered from many a textbook and documentary pays off. She heals the magpie’s wing, and rehabilitates her back to full strength. Naming her Jade for the beautiful iridescence of her feathers, Ophelia does release her back into the wild, unknowing that the bird had become quite fond of her. She began to spend the nights on Ophelia’s roof, content to sit on her shoulder and join her on her walks – free to fly as far as she would please, but eventually returning with even a gift at times. Despite her obvious disdain of other ponies, the magpie doesn’t mind the silver pegasus one bit, it seemed. Ophelia initially thought all remnants of her friend were destroyed with the burning of Our Town – the little branches she gave her, the feathers she shed, and the beautiful, sweet bird herself. Hoping that she flew into the mountains to be with other magpies, Ophelia is proved wrong only a few weeks after moving to Ponyville – when she hears a few annoyed taps against her hospital window.

From there, Ophelia is able to indulge in her adoration of ornithology all she wants. A more ecologically diverse area than the badlands, there were many birds that adorned the trees and roofs of Ponyville – not even to mention the plethora that lived at Sweet Feather Sanctuary. Ophelia eventually starts her own small aviary at the edge of the Everfree, learning more and more about their personalities, their anatomies, helping them feel better, and learning more about the real meaning behind her cutie mark.