Her suspicions confirmed, Twilight Sparkle didn't waste energy on another true form spell. She charged up her horn again and raced after the changeling, firing several stunning beams in a row. The changeling was always a step ahead. It shed the rest of its disguise to make use of its wings and flew to the top of the high-ceilinged room. Twilight flew up after it, but was weighed down by Spike, who had grown a surprising amount since the last time he rode on her back. She set Spike down on the balcony and cast a shield spell when the changeling tried to take advantage of her moment of distraction.
"Stay here," she said as she flew after the changeling.
"N-n-no problem," stammered Spike, stepping away from the overhanging balcony in case of structural damage.
Twilight fired a scattered spray of stunning spells. The changeling dodged them all. Growling in frustration, she spun around in the air as the creature encircled her. She dived down and shot back up, catching it by surprise with a quick turn and another stunning spell. The changeling hovered unmoving in midair as Twilight levitated it to the ground and encased it in a pink-purple bubble shield. She broke the stunning spell, and immediately the changeling bounced all over the shield, which didn't budge.
Twilight took a minute to catch her breath, then a translation spell flew from her glowing horn to her voicebox. In the changeling's native language, she asked, "How many are here in Equestria? Where is your queen?"
"I'm not telling," the changeling spat, sitting in the middle of the bubble and looking at her balefully.
"I have a truth spell," she bluffed. Actually, it was one of her weakest spells and she'd been meaning to practice it.
"Do you really?"
"Do you want to test me? Answer my questions and I'll let you go."
"This is cruelty! I can't breathe in here!"
"You can breathe fine. Shields aren't airtight."
In response, the changeling just hissed.
"If you won't answer, then I have other matters to attend to. I'll just leave you here while I find the real mayor." She started walking away.
"You can't keep this shield up forever!"
"Oh really? You wanna test that theory as well?"
"You'll get tired eventually, and I'll break out of this bubble. There are more of us than you can possible imagine. More than you can count. And however many are in Equestria, there are twice as many in the hive."
Author's Note: I always appreciate criticism. It helps me learn how to write better. Fight scenes are an area in which I am not very confident in my skill, so I would especially appreciate feedback with this chapter. Interrogations are another thing I'm new at and that I'm probably bad at.