General Information[]
Dusty (Longhaul) Hoofer was an earth pony who made a living as a wagon puller and freight hauler. He split his residence between Ponyville and Appleloosa, staying in the former when traveling for business reasons.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Longhaul spent most of his life growing up in a small village in the shadow of Manehattan, and just east of New Hayven. His given name was Dusty Hoofer, mostly for the clouds of dust he'd raise when he played and ran around. His mother was a nurse, his father was a warehouse worker, and both wanted a better life for their foal.
Longhaul loved being outdoors as much as possible, constantly exploring his surroundings. This would get him in quite a bit of trouble when he strayed too far from home on one of his expeditions. This continued much to the chagrin of his parents, who wished he would settle down and choose a more sensible, stationary, and more socially acceptable lifestyle. He hasn't seen or spoken to his family since the day he left home and started his career.
Growing up, Longhaul did okay in school. While not an exceptional scholar, he managed to get decent grades and had a love for reading that continues to this day. He made few friends, mostly keeping to himself, and while he did get teased and picked on in school, he managed to hold his own against any challenge. He didn't graduate with any special honors, and never went on to college, instead heading directly into the working world.
Career[]
It took Longhaul a few years before he settled in to the career he seemed destined for. Through it all, he's been able to travel all over Equestria, seeing sights he had only previously read about or imagined. It was during these travels that he gained his nickname of Longhaul, and earned a reputation for his hard work and adherence to schedules and deadline delivery times.
Friendships/Relationships[]
Making friends never came easy to Longhaul, mostly because of his traveling. He does enjoy meeting and talking with other ponies, although he wonders if the others feel the same meeting and talking with him. It's for this reason that he will seldom, if ever, initiate a conversation. Instead, he prefers to use a non-verbal form of acknowledgement, such as smiling and tipping his hat. Anypony that approaches him will be greeted courteously, although he will rarely take the lead in a conversation. Longhaul hates to see ponies in distress, and will be quick to offer any form of assistance, be it monetary, physical, or emotional.
He struck up a friendship with Orion Shadow, after Orion offered him some assistance when an accident left him unable to return to the freight yards.
He married Kallisti Imani, a zebra/pony hybrid, whom he met during his travels. She had saved his life when a stampede of hulkchillas wrecked his wagon and his load of raisins (a hulkchilla's favorite food), and the two bonded almost immediately. They were wed in a zebra ceremony.
General Personality[]
Longhaul HATES crowds and crowded places. Several bad experiences in his life, combined with his shyness and lack of social interaction, make Longhaul almost paralyzed with fear when faced with large gatherings of ponies. He can usually be found at such events, when he can be convinced to attend at all, in as open an area as possible for outdoor gatherings, or if inside, standing close to a wall as near the exit/entrance as possible.
Longhaul's main goal is to be able to keep enough bits to be able to enjoy his declining years. To that end, he continues to work, but always finds a way to spend a little time at his little homestead, and with the (very) few ponies he can call friends.
