Dusty Haze

By Kay Dreamer

• May 11, 2014




Age: Adult Stallion

Gender: Male

Species: Earth Pony

Appearance: 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.

Cutie Mark: A red hot air balloon over three grey clouds.

Personality: 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. He's very courteous, and while he doesn't develop friendships easily, he is very warm towards those few ponies with whom he has. <br /><br />Despite his detached manner, Dust 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.<br /><br />Visible excitement is not something Dust will often exhibit; at least beyond a grin. For the most part, he appears to exist in a state of perpetual lazy contentment.<br /><br />Dust 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.

Backstory: Growing up in the hot, dry regions of Southern Equestria, Dusty Haze had always dreamed of flying. There was one small problem, however; Dust was an Earth Pony. Determined to live his dream, the young Dust 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 Dust grew older, he began to despair. Perhaps there truly was no way for him to fly.<br /><br />When he was a colt, he begged his parents to take him to an aerial show in the nearby town of Appleloosa. Dust had read something fantastic in the newspaper. For the first time in Appleloosa's history, a hot air balloonist was visiting. Dust was entranced by the idea. A balloon which could lift anypony into the sky... He just had to see it with his own eyes.<br /><br />At last, the day of the airshow arrived. His usually quiet demeanour overshadowed by eagerness, Dust rushed through the crowds and into the performers 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.<br /><br />Between schoolwork and chores, Dust 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, like a setting sun, and he loved it. After some brief instruction from the pony who sold it, Dust 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.<br /><br />***<br /><br />Dust has sent 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 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.