Hey everypony! Sorry for the inactivity recently, but everyone’s been busy with life and school, and it has been a while since I have written a review . Instead, I would like to recommend a story to you today—Shifting Sides by Moonatik—and talk a little about the story. I guess you could think of it as a review, but my content is definitely going to be more subjective than objective. And unlike my traditional reviews, I’ll try to keep this short, and spoiler-free. Some context though:  

TShifting Sides

• MLP: FiM
• EaW
• Dark
• Thriller

In the final hours of the Lunar-Crystal War, Sombra's Empire is on its deathbed. One of his strongest minions must fight, flee, or face Lunar justice.

• Gore
• Violence
• Death
• Alt. Universe
• OC

Moonatik · 6.1k words  ·  84  2 · 963 views

Summary (from the story’s long description): Eleven months had passed since the Lunar-Crystal War began. After some initial victories in the first weeks, the war had been nothing but a slow, agonising retreat. Now the Lunars had the Crystal City itself surrounded, and for the last week what disorganised and depleted Crystal legions existed in the city could barely resist. Now pinned down in the midst of the war's final battle, Grim Fate must put in her all if she wants to escape Lunar justice. Sombra himself may not survive, but Grim won't give up without a fight.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at why I think this story is so awesome. 

Firstly, I felt that the author had done an amazing job in reeling the reader into their story, despite the fact that it is set in an alternate universe, and features an original character as the protagonist. Despite the number of words the author had to work with (this is a one-shot) to develop the world and the character, he was aptly able to immerse the reader through showing key features and reinforcing them by telling. 

By telling the story from a third person limited perspective, the author reinforces the protagonist’s characterisation. Her unique worldview, coupled with the special circumstances she was thrown into, made her a worthy character to follow in the story. Furthermore, despite the story being set in the New Lunar Millennium alternate universe, the author has also done an excellent job in portraying the conflict, the main arcs of the universe and more from this short glimpse. Ultimately, the story’s worldbuilding is worthy of appreciation. 

Secondly, the fight scenes were pretty well-executed. The pithy, impactful descriptors sharpened the prose, which added weight to their blows and actions. The sentences were short, and facilitated a swift pace that highlighted the fight or flight sentiments faced by the protagonist. The author beautifully illustrates the dance between offense, defense, strategy and emotion throughout the entire fight. In fact, the fight is fluid, natural and genuine, as the combatants were sometimes caught off-guard and had to react instinctively in a live or die situation. And I felt that. It kept me on edge, and hungry for more. 

This conveniently leads to my third point: the protagonist, for all her abilities and powers, had a tangible and real challenge that opposed her. It offered an elegant way to showcase her character in different situations, and how she had to look beyond her own abilities to overcome these difficulties, or at least make the best deal possible with the hand she was dealt with. I particularly enjoyed observing the character in different situations, and seeing how she evolved dynamically with the time. 

Of course, I could say that there were instances in which the story’s tempo was too fast, or that there were a few grammatical errors scattered throughout, but overall, this story is a deserving piece worthy of your attention. I recommend taking a look at this piece, and I suspect you won't regret it!

TShifting Sides

• MLP: FiM
• EaW
• Dark
• Thriller

In the final hours of the Lunar-Crystal War, Sombra's Empire is on its deathbed. One of his strongest minions must fight, flee, or face Lunar justice.

• Gore
• Violence
• Death
• Alt. Universe
• OC

Moonatik · 6.1k words  ·  84  2 · 963 views