Dusty Haze

By Kay Dreamer

• May 12, 2014
, No, Not Cast Adult Stallion

Dusty Haze is a tall, rusty tan stallion with a wavy brown mane which flops across half his face. His eyes are a stormy grey. He usually wears a relaxed expression, often a faint smile.

 

When flying, he'll often wear a tattered aviators cap and jacket to stave off the cold of the upper altitudes.

male Earth Pony A red hot air balloon over three grey clouds. https://buffy.mlpforums.com/234f5fd9fe95ae5a6d341d70617e9cfc.png

Dusty Haze is a laid back stallion, with a rather dry sense of humour. He speaks in a slow drawl and can come across as being somewhat laconic and aloof. In spite of his tendency toward sarcasm, he's quite courteous. And while he doesn't develop friendships easily, he is very warm towards those few ponies with whom he has.

 

Despite his detached manner, Dusty has a strong sense of compassion. He won't walk away from an injustice, and as such he has a bad habit of getting himself embroiled in situations he'd really prefer to avoid.

 

Visible excitement is not something Dusty will often exhibit; at least beyond a grin. For the most part, he appears to exist in a state of perpetual lazy contentment.

 

Dusty is a loner, though he does enjoy company for short periods of time. He can go long stretches in his balloon without talking to anypony, though he enjoys socialising in the towns and cities he stops at along the way.

Likes: Dusty's usual attitude towards things he dislikes is to simply avoid them, but some things in his line of work are unavoidable. Storms and rain are one of these things. Cold is another. Having grown up in the hot, dry South, he loathes being cold. He keeps the basket of his balloon well stocked with waterproofed blankets, coats and warm caps.<br /><br />Dusty doesn't tolerate watching anypony being treated unfairly by another. He doesn't like violence, and he especially doesn't like getting involved in violence, but he will stand up for those weaker than him. Often to his own detriment.<br /><br />While Dusty doesn't mind most ponies, there are inevitably those who possess personalities which grate on his nerves. He'll usually keep silent and move on; when forced to interact however, his caustic humour has landed him in trouble more times than he has hooves.

Growing up in the hot, dry regions of Southern Equestria, Dusty Haze had always dreamed of flying. He wanted to see distant places, far from the town of his birth. There was one small problem, however; Dusty was an Earth Pony. Determined to live his dream, the young Dusty tried everything he could think of. Jumping off buildings, carrying an umbrella on a windy day, building his own set of wings from a collection of feathers... it was all to no avail. His peers mocked his efforts, while the other adults shook their heads at his 'foalish' behaviour. "The frontier is no place for such nonsense," they would say. "There's real work to be done." As Dusty grew older, he began to despair. Perhaps his dream truly was a foalish fancy?

 

When he was a colt, he begged his parents to take him to an aerial show in the nearby town of Appleloosa. Dusty had read something fantastic in the newspaper. For the first time in Appleloosa's history, a hot air balloonist was visiting. Dusty was entranced by the idea. A balloon which could lift anypony into the sky... That pony could go anywhere. He just had to see it with his own eyes.

 

At last, the day of the airshow arrived. His usually quiet demeanour overshadowed by eagerness, Dusty rushed through the crowds and into the pilots area, straight toward the giant, colourful balloon. Humoured by his enthusiasm, the hot air balloonist allowed him to accompany her during her flight. As the balloon lifted from the ground and the wind caught in his mane, he realised this was the thing he wanted to do forever.

 

Between schoolwork and chores, Dusty threw himself into working every odd job he could. Ignoring the disapproving sighs from his elders, he saved every bit he earned from that time forward. By the time he was a young stallion, he had enough saved to purchase his own balloon. It was a faded red thing, the colour of a setting sun, and he loved it. After some brief instruction from the pony who sold it, Dusty was ready to be off. Bidding his parents and the townspeople farewell, he lifted into the sky and has drifted with the wind ever since.

 

***

 

Dusty has spent a fair many years floating across the skies of Equestria. He drifts from town to town, working where he can, doing whatever he can. He delivers packages, runs balloon rides, and sometimes simply works the land as he did in his youth. He likes to write tales of the places he's seen and the ponies he's met along the way. He often fancies the wind blows him into trouble on purpose, as too often he seems to arrive just before a minor calamity does. Though, as he'll admit to himself, he wouldn't have his life any other way.