Some days, it feels like the sky itself is falling.
After the destruction of Applejack's prized tree Bloomberg, Braeburn find himself caught between allegiances to his friends, and to a helpless pony who appeared as if from nowhere. Not to mention the suspicious actions of the buffalo, and the recent string of earthquakes rocking the desert. Mixing classic wild western adventures with magic and fantasy, The Outlaw, The Star, and the Big, Big Sky tells a story of revenge, redemption, and how the best of intentions can lead to the destruction of the very ground upon which we all stand.

This story was originally started in 2011, shortly after finishing my first story, Macintosh. While Macintosh was a slower paced character study of the Big Mac himself, The Outlaw, The Star, and the Big, Big Sky aims to tell a story full of fairy tale adventure and deadly desperados. 6 Chapters were written, with an extra unfinished chapter recently uploaded, containing a flashback to Braeburn's childhood showing just how dangerous and bloody the untamed deserts can be.

12 years on, I'm hoping for any and all thoughts and feedback on this story. I would love to continue writing from where it was left off, but life is busy and I may not have the time. But if the interest is there, I would at least love to engage and discuss what could have been, and maybe make the time to finish it.
Thank you kindly, and watch out for shooting stars.

For now, this could be considered an alternate universe fic, though until it's finished it's hard to say how well it would fit in with established canon.

Cover art elements made with AI (Bing Copilot) then tweaked and photoshopped together by me.

As far as Golden Harvest is concerned, the newlyweds who live next door are fine ponies. But Carrot Top, the mean little voice inside Harvest's head, doesn't see them quite the same way.

Written for the 221st Writeoff competition with the prompt, "The Hugs Went Away Again," the original version of this story took 2nd place. It's been extensively rewritten and expanded since then.

When a young foal goes missing, it's up to Carrot Top to step in and save the day. A pick-your-path-style story with 18 possible endings and hundreds of possible paths!

*****

Originally written April/May 2011; now available for the first time ever on FiMFiction!

Now available in absolutely stunning yet surprisingly cheap dead-tree format, thanks to RBDash47!

Now available in Spanish, courtesy of SPANIARD KIWI.

There’s nothing better than a weekend, a time when you can relax and unwind in the solitude of a dock with nothing to think of but your fishing pole and earthworms for bait.

And pegasi.

So very many pegasi.

Now with a reading by Curtis Wildcat!
Now with a Chinese translation by hehelover

Believing it to be an easy job, two thieves broke into Princess Twilight Sparkle's castle. With no Royal Guards protecting the castle and Twilight herself gone, her valuable possessions were as good as theirs.

Or so they thought.

Last but far from least, special thanks to Little Tigress for drawing the great cover art.

EDIT: Featured through 09/09/20--09/14/20!!
#1 story with mature mode enabled on 09/09/20
#1 story w/o mature mode through 09/09/20--09/11/20

EDIT on 10/19/20: Has an audio reading done by the youtuber Enharmonic!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vWs46--nTo

"Why was six afraid of seven? Because seven ate nine!"

When Fluttershy tells Discord this harmless joke, she gets a lot more than she bargained for.

My captor was kind, to a point. They provided me with a comfortable private suite, three meals a day, and tried to accommodate any of my needs within reason. It was a far cry from being locked away in a dingy dungeon or straight up killed, but I still was a bit wary about the true intentions of this alicorn. 

A gilded cage, however, is still a cage.

Edited by UnamusedWaffle. and INeedSleep

Thanks to Snuffy for proofreading chapter 9 part 1

Credit to Neither for the amazing cover art!

One moment he was in his bedroom, trying to get to sleep. The next, he's in a dark forest, with a moon that's twice the size it should be.

An ordinary man finds himself lost in a place with no memory of how he got there, thick darkness all about him and no idea where he is. Now he has to find food, shelter, and somehow a way home.

[Edit] Many spoilers in the comments, so approach with caution. Buuuut, I love comments, so don't be afraid to submit some!

On the heels of discovering her cutie mark, Vinyl Scratch finds herself alone in a snowy park with no music. Searching around for something to entertain herself, she finds a most unusual sight: a filly about her age, playing music far removed from her preferred tunes.

It doesn't take long for Vinyl to form an unflattering opinion of this snobby filly. Culture clashes will do that. Yet perhaps there's more to her music, and her, than meets the eye. All that's needed is some common ground.

Nopony said the ground had to be solid earth.

This story was written as a gift for Greatazuredragon as a part of Jinglemas 2021. Happy Hearth's Warming!

Thanks to hawthornbunny for prereading.

Featured on Equestria Daily, December 28^th 2022.

Twilight Sparkle has been transformed into a broom! What's more, Celestia is missing! Whatever will Twibroom Sweeple do?

idunno.

sweep, maybe.

for some reason this is how I'm celebrating seven years on the site.