Dustoff

Dustoff is a Knight stationed in Outpost 192 near Manehatten.

### Relatives

Alpine Grove (Father); Whippoorwill (Mother); Sugar Plum (Daughter); Lodgepole (Brother)

## Knighthood Information

### Commendations

Blood Stripe; Saint Rainbow's Cross; Draconic Campaign Medal

### Designation/Specialty

Commanding Officer, Sweethaven garrisonProvisional Mayor, Sweethaven

## Physical Description

### Injuries

Dragon claw scars on right foreleg and chest; Bullet scar in right foreleg; Left ear halved; Abyssinian claw scars on neck; Scar from stab wound in chest

## History

### Family History

In 1022 AF, Dustoff's great-grandfather Evergreen left his home town of Hocksville for the port city of Vanhoover, to start a lumber business there. In 1043, his son Peavey would take over the business at the age of 21.

After the Great Vanhoover Fire of 1036, the Evergreen Log and Timber Company suddenly found itself in the position of being able to supply all of the lumber needed to rebuild the city. The family's fortune grew dramatically almost overnight, and the Evergreen name was lofted to minor noble status. But the family never forgot its roots.

In 1075, Peavey's son Alpine Grove would inherit the company. With his wife Whippoorwill, they would have two sons: Dustoff and Lodgepole. By a merging of family traditions, one son was given the tree-related name, and the other was not.

### Early Knighthood

Dustoff began training for the Knighthood in the Ivy Seminary at age 14. He squired for a Jubilant, who taught him about the importance of approaching Knighthood with a firm, yet compassionate hoof. She confided to him that she had given birth to a unicorn several years ago, who had been immediately taken away. She said she had been receiving letters from him from the camp he had been sent to; this was a lie, of course, falsified by the Mystic who had been responsible for dehorning him.

His first assignment as a private was in logistics, handling paperwork to manage the flow of goods to the various warfronts from an office in Vanhoover. While there, he met a mare named Amphora, and the two fell in love and got married. Not long thereafter, she gave birth to a daughter; unfortunately, the whims of the Knighthood would not allow him to spend much time with her. Almost exactly a year later, he was drafted for a deployment to the dragon front.

### Dragon Front

In 1102 AF, Dustoff was sent to defend Equestria's borders against the dragons. After making it home, Dustoff went to go celebrate with his comrades and became drunk. Dustoff had struggled with previous episodes of binge drinking in the past, and this would be the final straw. His wife issued him a divorce and took joint custody of their child. Not long after, he would volunteer for another tour at the dragon front, as he realized it was the only thing that kept him sober.

For his third deployment, his previous commander was replaced with a new, freshly-minted Captain, eager to prove himself. He decided he would impress the brass by not just holding ground, but by taking it. He assembled Dustoff and other pegasus Knights and soldiers into a squad he referred to as 'air cavalry', issuing them rifles in custom under-wing harnesses for easy firing. His intention was to mount surprise raids on dragon strongholds, using the air cavalry as the spearhead, and the regular army would come behind and clean up. It seemed to have success, at first.

During a mission deep into the dragon lands, the dragons mounted a defense faster than anticipated. The order came to regroup and retreat, but an army Private by the name of Hawkmoth became wounded and was falling from the sky. Despite the orders of his commander, Dustoff turned back to save him. He earned some fresh scars for the trouble, but he successfully retrieved Hawkmoth and carried him all the way back to the medical tent at their encampment. Dustoff was severely reprimanded, then awarded with a medal, a promotion, and a reassignment.