Rosedust, dyed and wearing contacts for the Summer Solstice Festival

Queen of Flutter Valley, Rosedust is the most famous Flutterpony to date, as well as the oldest (though oddly her coat color seems to vary from marigold to yellow, and she occasionally wears pink contact lenses on her blue eyes, which have led to the false idea that several Rosedusts have ruled over the past centuries).

While rarely seen outside Flutter Valley, she does go on excursions frequently, usually being careful to avoid any attention.

Rosedust during an excursion outside Flutter Valley 40 years ago. Note that this is her natural coat and eye color

In addition to leading her people against the Smooze and defeating Hydia (twice), however, little else is known about the enigmatic queen of Flutter Valley (itself a mysterious place).

Rosedust’s story technically begins before she was born, with the relative she was named after- her grandmother, Queen Rosedust I.

Rosedust's grandmother led her kingdom to Equestria, settling down in the secluded area which would become Flutter Valley. However, among the immigrants to move to the new world in later years (specifically, during the reign of Queen Iris) was a coven of witches, led by an oddity known as Madam Mim. The coven situated itself in a cave system within the dormant volcano known as Mt. Gloom and began practicing its dark magic.

Slowly, their magic polluted the surrounding area, something noticed by the Flutterpony queen during a routine survey of the forest near the mountain. The witches, led by Madam Mim, attacked first, seeking to destroy the "horridly pretty" interlopers. Thankfully, the queen and her escorts retreated with little damage. However, the witches decided to enact their plan early, and released the Smooze onto the land. The Smooze was still relatively small and underpowered, however, and the flutterponies' magic quickly drove it back before it could reach any equine-established settlement.

As it was, this actually took place around the same time Majesty’s sanity began slipping, leaving several scholars to wonder if the presence of the coven and the Smooze were what pushed her onto the path she took

The witches were rightfully angry, and now attacked the Flutterponies themselves. The battle, while short, was hard -fought, ending when the fight between Mim and Queen Rosedust I led to Mim being ambushed by a creature known by later explorers as an Ahgg. While the Flutterpony did attempt to save the witch, she was too late.

The coven splintered, Rosedust I was declared a hero, and Mim's daughter Hydia swore revenge.

Following this, Flutter Valley entered a relatively peaceful age. As the years passed outside the confines of the settlement, many noteworthy events occurred. Level Head, Smart Cookie, and Clover the Clever led a third of the Earth Pony population north and established the Crystal Empire. Starswirl began a sojourn to explore the new world's secrets. Ponies began entering Concordia and establishing a new country. Another third of the Earth Pony population split off and formed the country of Gildedale. The first changeling kingdoms in Equestria were established by  a few disgruntled nobles fleeing Neighpon after the shogunate seized power and essentially cut off all contact with the outside world.

However, the only things of note in Flutter Valley during the beginning of this period were the death of Queen Rosedust I, her daughter Morning Glory’s coronation, and the birth of the next heir to the throne, who was named in honor of her grandmother.

Princess Rosedust, daughter of Queen Morning Glory and King Arbor, grew up in the shadow her namesake grandmother had set, put in a position of power and compared to her, which naturally resulted in much stress for the young mare.

As a teenager, a new threat appeared in the form of a Changeling stallion named Slug.

Slug was a minor changeling noble, unaffiliated with any of the beginning Kingdoms in the new world, but had made a name for himself by monopolizing trade on the frontier. Seeing the relatively isolated inhabitants of Flutter Valley was, in his opinion, an easy way to make a profit.

Through careful maneuvering, Slug gained the trust of the Flutterponies. However, like any salesbeing, he was two faced and knew how to play someone. Low-priced items were fair, but he steadily increased the prices of medicine and other imports. However, Rosedust’s parents- like the leaders of the changeling kingdoms- were fooled by his politeness. Slug began monopolizing the markets with both a silver tongue and brute force. Eventually, Slug tried “running things”- roughing up citizens who tried to step on the market, paying bandits to stop other caravans, and taking the law in his own hooves, as a few desperate souls were willing to try to steal the overpriced medicines due to a small plague affecting the Valley.

Due to this- as well as Slug’s love of alcohol and mares- he was eventually expelled from Flutter Valley, and other traders came in.

However, Slug soon returned, a mysterious relic around his neck. He challenged the king to a duel, which was accepted.

The fight was one-sided, until the relic activated.

The nature of Slug’s relic is unknown. Perhaps it was a trinket forged by Grogar in the past, or perhaps a left-over item from Mim’s coven. Whatever the case, it was cursed, and Slug metamorphosed into a hideous aberration, a monstrous mixture of gastropod and dragon.

The maddened beast slew the king, and then demanded the right to rule Flutter Valley and take Queen Morning Glory as his bride.

Morning Glory seemed to give in initially, and was briefly wedded to the insane abomination. However, she was in fact planning. One night, she mentioned in passing how she had heard that supposedly any dragon who challenged and killed the ruler of Carcosa would become the new Dragon Emperor, with all the treasure and power that the position entailed.

Slug, his avarice magnified with his transformation, set off at once, and was promptly cooked alive when he challenged Emperor Glaurag.

Reactions were mixed. The changeling kingdoms were somewhat disgruntled at the loss of their main trading representative, but at the same time knew it needed to be done, while some Flutterponies blamed the changelings for not getting rid of Slug before the situation had reached this level.

Morning Glory, for her part, fell into a deep depression from which she never fully emerged, leaving Princess Rosedust to do most of the ruling in her stead.

In time, Morning Glory abdicated the throne to her daughter, and Rosedust officially became queen.

Unfortunately, it seemed to happen just in time for another threat to arise.

Only a few weeks after the coronation, an Arachne noble, Queen Zarna Shurdrirra, climbed out of the depths of the mountain tunnels.

Deer had lived in Equus prior to pony habitation, and elves had settled there in the years following the War of the Deer- mostly High Elves, Wood Elves, and the Drow. It was the dark elves who were often quick to ally with Arachne kingdoms, and so it was that when Zarna emerged, she brought an army with her.

Queen Zarna’s goal was expansion. She was among the first individuals to realize that Equestrian Gems seemingly contained higher magical properties than those found elsewhere, and had figured out the secret of using certain crystals to drain the youth from others, keeping her young and beautiful.

She sought to expand her territory, taking slaves in order to mine for gems and drain their youth for herself.

Rosedust would not let this stand, and challenged the Arachne queen to a duel. Rosedust ultimately won, destroying Zarna’s youth-draining crystal in the process. Zarna retreated back into the mountains, where her descendants still rule their own (and now mostly non-hostile) kingdom.

However, this challenge would be nothing compared to the events to come.

Since the death of Madame Mim and the splitting of her coven, Hydia had briefly joined a noctral colony and mothered two foals. However, the three were eventually banished and took to lurking in the shadows, Hydia all the while plotting revenge against the inhabitants of Flutter Valley.

Hydia’s plans of revenge grew to include the rest of Equestria as well, and she and her daughters worked to complete Mim’s plan from so long ago.

The Smooze was unleashed again, and this time it was not a localized event, flooding across the Equestrian landscape.

The heroic group known as the Pillars of Light attempted to force back the Smooze, but even their power was inadequate, and so at Faust’s urging, Starswirl sent Somnambula and Mage Meadowbrook to seek the assistance of the Flutterponies, while he and the remaining Pillars did their best to protect the rest of the ponies.

At first, Rosedust was actually unwilling to help, putting the needs of her own people first. That was when another Flutterpony, named in honor of Rosedust’s own mother, urged her queen to take action.

Amassing all her citizens old and strong enough to fight, she set out, and the Flutterponies once again banished the Smooze.

Afterwards, another few years of peace ensued. It was during this time that Faust’s oldest daughter Dream, after perusing through her mother’s journals, traveled to Flutter Valley and formed a friendship with Rosedust.

The two became close friends, and it was by working together that the two wove the series of spells connected to Flutter Valley’s Sunstone, both protecting the valley and making it near impossible for outsiders to find.

When Tirek arrived and briefly enslaved Equestria, this proved wise, as the valley provided shelter for Equestria’s deposed royal family.

Following Tirek’s defeat by the combined forces of Elements of Harmony and King Metamorphosis Roachanov’s slap-dash army of Changelings, Buffalo, and Diamond Dogs, Flutter Valley briefly gained a new resident in the form of Scorpan, who became another individual Rosedust was proud to call a friend.

During this time, the only threat to arise was a creature known as Kenorath- a strange bipedal crustacean-like beast with a set of short tentacles over his mouth. Much like the Lavan’s dream of becoming crystal and changing the world to match his kingdom, Kenorath became obsessed with gold, using his magic to transform others into golden statues.

Rosedust and Scorpan battled Kenorath, who was eventually turned to gold himself before falling into the dormant Mt. Gloom.

Afterwards, the only remaining event of note in Rosedust’s life was when Hydia appeared again, allied with Queen Bumble Apis Hymenoptera IV of Bumbleland.

During this time, Flutter Valley’s Sunstone was stolen by the Bumbles, leaving it vulnerable to Hydia’s magic. Rosedust brokered a brief alliance with several nearby changeling kingdoms, and together the Flutterponies and Changelings repulsed Hydia’s magic and rescued the Sunstone. Hydia was captured and imprisoned, and Rosedust and her kingdom have lived in relative peace ever since.