Chapter Fifteen: For The Best

“Well well well, looks who’s back already. I see a pony on your back, I would have to assume that is Cadence?” Chrysalis asked as the changeling above the clearing lowered himself from the sky.

“What do you think?” Augury snapped back, landing on the ground.

Chrysalis giggled lightly. “A little angry, are we?”

“I was beaten and interrogated for a full day, I’m not exactly having the best time of my life. I got Cadence for you, now shut up.”

More of the clearing had been deprived of its grass, almost the entire clearing and its outline of trees barren from the green that used to flow vividly in the wind. More of the trees that had their leaves stripped away were limping off to the side, some of them even reduced to a small shrub hugging the solid and dry dirt beneath. The bubbles that the changelings had been growing in grew rapidly over the time that Augury had been gone, most of them looking ready to let loose a changeling at any moment. Through the small radiation of light the bubbles gave off, a solid figure could be inside each of them, the bubbles created earlier appearing to have the silhouette of almost a completely developed changeling inside. Despite the late afternoon sunlight coming down in columns deeper in the forest, the shadows were lit up with the glow of a light green hue, stretching on for quite a while into the forest in each direction of the clearing. The changeling wasteland was rapidly forming into what it had once been, and The Hive would soon be completed.

“Interrogated? Wait, do they know about-?” Chrysalis began to ask.

“If you’re wondering how they caught me, its because they already knew about changelings. Princess Luna made a good move and set up a field around Canterlot. Well, good on her part.” Augury replied as he set Cadence down on the ground, who was fast asleep with a sleeping spell cast on her.

“They already knew!? Since when?”

“You got me on that one. All I know is that they were expecting some company in Canterlot, and they sure as sugar got it.”

“Then it would seem that you managed to leave behind something that hinted them about changelings. You didn’t show your changeling form to anyone on your missions with the wielders of the Elements of Harmony, did you?”

“Not that I know of.”

“What about any type of changeling magic?”

“Uh... I did use that gooey stuff to restrain Twilight Sparkle when I went after her.”

“Hmm, you probably left a trace of it behind. Ah, it’s all the same.”

“What? You’re not going to lash out at me for making it apparent that changelings were still alive? I mean, they interrogated me for a day straight in my changeling form.”

“They would have found out sooner or later, and now that we already have the six mares of the elements, that’s not really an issue. The only important thing to focus on now is building the army. For me, at least, you have two more targets left. Tell me, what did you say during your... interrogations?”

“Is this one punishable?”

“It depends on what you said.”

“Well, mostly to shut her up, I told Cadence about Tranquility and all that, but I figured that would be lost anyways since she’s here now. I told the royal guards that changelings are still alive and there are more coming, but nothing too far beyond that.”

“You didn’t tell them the location of where we are, did you?”

“I got a few kicks to the stomach for not telling them.”

Chrysalis smiled and rustled Augury’s mane. “Good. Taking some for the team.”

“Not for the team, for Tranquility. None of this is for you or your changelings.” Augury retaliated, fixing his mane as Chrysalis took her hoof off of him.

“While that may be, you’re keeping your word about doing my work, which is quite an accomplishment. There’s a cocoon on the other side of the clearing from Tranquility. It’s empty, so why don’t you go ahead and put Cadence in it.”

“I still have to do this?” Augury asked, lifting Cadence onto his back and steading her with his wings.

“Hmm? Did you think that just because you’re a changeling general you wouldn’t have to discontinue your duties with assimilation?” Chrysalis asked.

“No, I thought I would be done with ‘assimilation duty’ once I assimilated all of the six mares over there.”

“Well, think again. Just because you got your previous targets doesn’t mean that some things from that group carries on to this one.”

“But I-”

“Do you want the privilege of assimilating Tranquility as well?”

Augury sunk his head down and let out a frustrated sigh. “...Alright. I’ll put her in the damn cocoon.”

“That’s what I like to here. She’s waiting.”

Chrysalis briefly motioned her hoof to the empty cocoon, Augury shaking his head and sulking over to the waiting chamber. Augury lifted Cadence off of his back with a levitation spell and held her out in front of him for a second, watching Cadence’s breathing. The changeling general nodded his head gently and Cadence floated into her awaiting cocoon, her back hooves sinking into the goo at the top of the casket. Augury let his hold on Cadence go and the open wall of the cocoon sealed shut, Cadence’s breathing becoming muffled from inside.

Augury cleared his throat and put his head forward, only touching the cocoon with his horn. “I’m... sorry. I wish I could let you out of there, but as I told you, I have somepony to save. I only hope that Shining Armor can understand.” Augury whispered.

The changeling general pushed his head forward and his horn pierced into the cocoon, assimilation magic releasing into the cocoon shortly after. Augury took his horn out and watched as the gas settled into a small pattern as Cadence inhaled and exhaled, the princess’s breathing already steadied.

“One princess, two to go.” Chrysalis spoke from the other group of cocoons.

“Same deal with the next princess?” Augury asked as he turned around to face the changeling queen.

“No time limit, yes. Try not to get yourself captured this time, Augury.”

“Duly noted. I’m assuming that the natural changelings aren’t ready yet to come along on a mission with me?”

“Actually, they’ve been looking quite promising lately.” Chrysalis spoke as she turned to face the large area of changeling bubbles. “Some of them look as if they’re ready to come out.”

“When?”

“Today.”

Chrysalis and Augury jumped slightly as a pair of large releases of air interrupted the quiet conversion, the sound of shattering glass coming soon afterward. Augury made his way over to Chrysalis as two of the cocoons next to her had been cracked open, two more of the ponies Augury had brought back finishing the process of assimilation. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy laid on the ground in front of their cocoons, their eyes rolling in their heads as they began to recover from the long slumber.

“It looks like you won’t be needing natural changelings.” Chrysalis said quietly. “You could actually put them to use and take them with you on a mission.”

“I’m not putting them in harms way. Quick, get out of here. I can handle this.” Augury directed, motioning his hoof into the forest.

Chrysalis shrugged and waltzed off into the green shadows surrounding the clearing, patiently waiting behind a tree as Augury took care of the two newly assimilated changelings. A repeating cycle of confused yelling and calm talking barely made its way to Chrysalis’s ears as Augury confronted Pinkie and Fluttershy. A few series of squeaks and squeals made their way out of Fluttershy’s mouth, and from what Chrysalis could hear, Pinkie Pie had gone quiet.

“J-just... leave me a-alone...” Fluttershy whispered, covering her head with her hooves as she curled into a ball on the ground. Augury sighed and turned his gaze to the changeling in his control, motioning his head over to Rarity’s cocoon. Pinkie Pie nodded and walked over to Rarity slowly, her emotionless eyes staring off into the distance as she came to a stop next to her changeling friend.

“Fluttershy, look at me.” Augury said as he looked back at the cowering changeling in front of him.

Fluttershy only flinched, letting out a barely audible squeak.

Augury stamped his hoof on the ground, which instead of making a soft puff against the grass, made a large bang that echoed from the mountains. “Look at me!”

Startled, Fluttershy uncovered her head as slowly as she could, lifting her eyes from the ground up to the changeling general.

Augury let his brow straighten and relaxed his stature, giving Fluttershy a slightly reassuring look. “Listen.” Augury said. “I know this is hard. Seeing your friends in a state like that must be something you would never want to see. I understand that. You just have to understand that I don’t want to see any of the ones I love be like that either.”

Fluttershy sniffled lightly. “Then w-why are you doing this... to us?” The changeling questioned quietly.

“I don’t mean it to sound like this... but you and your friends are nothing to me.” Augury said coldly. “I barely even talked to any of you before, I just don’t have any kind of bond with either of you six. There’s somepony else that I care for, you six are just an obstacle for me to keep her safe.”

Fluttershy only stared at Augury with fear, continuing to cower on the ground.

Augury sighed and shook his head. “I don’t want to deal with this. Not right now...” The changeling general held out his hoof to Fluttershy, who only cowered even more at the sudden movement. “Grab my hoof.”

Fluttershy mumbled inaudibly.

“Please, all I ask of you is to grab my hoof. I’m not going to hurt you, I don’t have a reason to. Just... grab my hoof.” Augury pleaded.

Fluttershy let the tenseness in her body die down slightly as her eyes met with Augury’s, the look in the changeling general’s eyes almost speaking for itself. Despite the sudden feelings of sympathy, Fluttershy stayed where she was.

Augury reached his hoof out further. “It’s not going to hurt. You’ll be with your friends again, I promise. Trust me. I may be a changeling, but I can assure you that I’m not like the ones you saw in Canterlot. Take my hoof. Please.” Augury requested gently.

Fluttershy leaned forward slowly, standing back on all four of her hooves. “I’ll... be with my friends? They’re not hurt... are they?” Fluttershy asked.

“They’re just as healthy as you are right now. Unless you take my hoof, you’ll be alone without them. The only other one you could trust would be me, and from your view, that probably isn’t the best option. Take my hoof, you’ll be with them again.”

Fluttershy stood in place for a second, feeling a tear run down her face as she ran her eyes over Augury. The changeling general stood where he was, staring at Fluttershy with a blank yet pleading face as she stepped forward carefully. Augury nodded as Fluttershy came within a few feet of him, reaching his hoof out further and lifting the corners of his mouth only just. Hesitantly, Fluttershy lifted her hoof off of the hard ground of the clearing, reaching forward and floating her hoof over Augury’s. Fluttershy let her hoof down onto the changeling general’s as lightly as she could, letting another tear fall from her eyes as she felt Augury tighten his grip on her hoof.

“You made the right choice.” Augury said quietly.

Augury closed his eyes and he concentrated on his magic, closing his eyes and tilting his head downward. The changeling general opened his eyes as he heard the sound of the process completing, the mist around Fluttershy dissipating into the air. Like Pinkie Pie before her, Fluttershy stared blankly into Augury’s eyes, the cyan shade that had been her eyes darkened into a blue hue.

Augury shook his head and let Fluttershy’s hoof back onto the ground. “Go stand next to Pinkie and Rarity. Don’t move until I say you can.” Augury murmured.

With a nod, Fluttershy trotted over to her two friends and turned to face the clearing, all three of them staring blankly into the shadows beyond the dead trees. Augury walked over to the three changelings and scanned his eyes over them. Smiling slightly, Augury concentrated on his magic again. The three newly assimilated changelings shifted around in the area they stood in, making a triangle as they turned to face into the center of the formation. As another manipulation coursed form Augury’s horn, the three changelings tilted their heads down and closed their eyes, a slight feeling of strength falling onto them. Though they were under Augury’s control, their love for each other would continue in a cycle to provide a food source, keeping them together even in their darkest times.

Augury let his concentration go and stared at the three friends for a moment, watching them breath calmly.

“What a waste. They could give so much more than what they’re doing right now.” Chrysalis complained from Cadence’s cocoon, peering angrily at the alicorn through the dark blue haze.

The changeling general chuckled lightly and walked into the center of the clearing. “They’re fine where they are. Besides, it would take quiet a while for them to learn how to manipulate changeling magic.” Augury proposed.

“Why can’t they start now?”

“It’s nonnegotiable. They stay where they are, no matter what. The Elements of Harmony can’t be utilized by Equestria if they’re stuck here, anyway. It’s a win-lose situation no matter what the mares do.”

“Hmm, I suppose you’re right.” Chrysalis agreed as she turned from Cadence’s cocoon. “At any rate, we have the upper hoof in this war.”

“Okay, because it’s not like they out number us ten thousand to one.”

“Don’t smart mouth me. What I meant was once we get more changelings in the mix.” Chrysalis lifted an eyebrow and stared off into the shadows of the clearing. “Which looks like it shouldn’t be long. Take a look.”

Augury turned his head to where Chrysalis pointed her hoof. A while off into the clearing behind Tranquility’s cocoon, one of the bubbles that the natural changelings grew in seemed to be glowing brighter than the others. Through the slight haze that surrounded the bubble, a shadow could be seen against the canopy of the trees above, wriggling slowly in place.

“More changelings, huh?” Augury asked.

“Looks like it. Come with me, I want you to meet your new playmate.” Chrysalis offered, walking towards the bright green glow. Augury shrugged and trotted after the changeling queen, fluttering his wings along with Chrysalis as he reached the border of the field of changelings, taking care to not trample the bubbles. The two changelings set back down on the ground as they reached the active bubble, exchanging a glance before giving their attention to the bubble in front of them. The changeling within the bubble continued to wriggle around, a sickening squishing and sloshing sound coming from the inside of the bubble’s thin surface. With a quick push on the lining of the spherical pouch from the changeling inside, the bubble quickly bursted into a puddle of glowing green liquid, Augury just about letting his stomach empty at the sight of it. Chrysalis smirked at the changeling general’s reaction, for she had seen this process thousands of times before, finding a sense of beauty in the mess.

The changeling in the green puddle twitched in place, lifting its head above the surface and breathing in deeply. Augury recovered from the nausea that had rudely smacked into him, pulling his hoof from his mouth and standing up straight. He focused his gaze back on the newly born changeling, staring at the creature with a sense of curiosity as it shifted its eyes to him. The changeling within the puddle appeared to be just as mature as the changelings that had attacked Canterlot, however, its mind was only that of a new born foal. Though it was a changeling, it had a dash of innocence in its eyes, but it would not last for long. Chrysalis reached her hoof forward and placed it on top of the newly born changeling’s horn, and without a moment of hesitation, released a strange pulse of bright green magic from her hoof.

Like Augury’s process of taking control, the pulse of magic coursed through the changeling’s body as it exited from Chrysalis’s hoof, though it did not set off into a mist. The pulse slowly dwindled away as it finished the course through the new changeling’s body, Chrysalis smiling and taking her hoof off of her subject. The changeling in the puddle blinked quickly and looked around its surroundings, fixing its eyes once more on Augury.

“What did you do to it?” Augury asked, turning his head to Chrysalis yet keeping his eyes on the newly born changeling.

“Changelings aren’t born with the knowledge of what they are and what they are capable of, like every other creature.” Chrysalis explained. “However, unlike every other creature, they are born at full physical maturity. That little pulse that I put into him is everything he needs to know about his magic and his form. Observe.” Chrysalis shifted her eyes to the changeling in the puddle. “Change your form to Augury here, subject.”

The changeling in the puddle spoke in a snake-like and distorted voice, “As you wish, my queen.”

As the words escaped from his mouth, the changeling Chrysalis commanded stepped out of the puddle it laid in. He quickly snapped his vision to the general next to him, running his eyes over Augury with careful precision. Augury only squinted at the changeling scanning his stature, watching him carefully to make sure he wouldn’t try anything. Suspicions disappeared from Augury’s mind as the changeling engulfed into green flames, Augury smirking slightly as the flames died down into nothing.

“Impressive.” Augury admitted. “Only a few minutes old and he can already make himself an almost perfect replica. Granted, it’s just another version of himself.”

“Almost?” Chrysalis asked.

“Missing one little detail.”

Augury lifted his hoof up to the other version of himself and fixed its mane, the false Augury staring at his model with a frustrated look.

“There, now he’s good.” Augury said.

“Cute.” Chrysalis said and turned to the new changeling. “You can change back, subject, you’re perfect. Alert me of when any other of the changelings are born. I’ll be somewhere near this clearing or the lake a little while off. Go.”

“Yes, my queen.” The changeling replied, quickly scurrying into the further distance of the forest.

Augury watched as the newly born changeling disappeared behind the dying trees, returning his attention back to Chrysalis. “Natural changelings. They’re a little... creepier than I thought they would be.” Augury said.

“While that may be the case for you, they are just fine. Get used to it, there’s going to be a lot more in the next few days.”

“Oh joy. What should we do with the trees lining the clearing? They aren’t going to be able to support the cocoons if they keep decaying like this.”

“I’ve put a spell on the trees so they are untouched by the changeling’s nutrients absorption. Once the cocoon shatters, the tree will go with it. Don’t worry about anything out of your targets, I have it covered. Two more princesses, Augury. I’m counting on you.”

With a quick smile, Chrysalis turned away from Augury and began to walk further into the forest. Augury sighed and stared down at the puddle the natural changeling had left behind. The green liquid inside of the hole in the ground slowly turned into a bright green mist, carrying off into the slight breeze that was able to get through the forest. Augury closed his eyes and sunk his head down. He had made up his mind about Tranquility on his way back to the clearing, and considering this could be the last time he sees her, a question popped into his head:

“Why not?”

______________________________________________________________________

Day had fallen from the sky on the outskirts of Equestria. The weather had picked up slightly over the afternoon before, the skies just clearing from a light rainfall earlier that day. A full moon illuminated the vast and dark mountains, plains, and forests only slightly through the dissipating clouds, though a particular forest seemed to be creating its own bright, green light. More changelings had joined the growing population of hungry fiends, the decaying forest seeming to crawl as changelings wandered through the withering land. Trees dying and grass disappearing, the plant life in the large forest continued to reach extremely low levels, most of the trees completely gone. The lake and the rivers attached to it that had been full with clear and clean water had lost more than half of the water within them, the natural changelings in their bubbles relentlessly taking any nutrients that they need to grow. The once beautiful forest began to turn into a barren wasteland, The Hive coming ever closer to completion.

Augury sulked through the familiar clearing within the forest, keeping his eyes at the ground with his ears folded down. The glow around the clearing that held the assimilation targets had moved further away, most of the changelings that had been developing near the clearing born already. The bright green glow in the forest spread out through the forming wasteland, more patches of changeling development fields being created throughout the forest in the mountain’s shadows. Many of the trees in the clearing Augury walked through had been completely absorbed, the clearing almost three times as big as it had used to be. Despite the outline of the clearing inching along every hour, the trees that held cocoons remained where they were. Augury made sure of that.

The changeling general scanned his surroundings for a second, making sure that there were no other changelings within the clearing. Though the natural changelings were subject to his orders, Augury still had doubts in his head about how well the changelings could follow them. By the lack of changelings within the clearing, they seemed to have followed their superior’s orders with care. Augury continued his way across the clearing, heading towards the center of the growing circle that used to be the clearing he had woken up to as a monster. The three of the six mares Augury had captured remained in the triangle he put them in, a dark blue spherical barrier around them making sure that they were left untouched. Augury walked to the edge of the spell he had put around the three friends, taking a moment to push against the barrier to test if it was holding up. The barrier seemed to be a little weaker than when Augury had first put it up, but considering the situation he was about to put himself into, Augury couldn’t help but let his focus deviate away from the barrier.

Nodding as he felt the spell reject even his own entry, Augury turned his gaze from the three changelings to his intention in the clearing. Tranquility’s cocoon hung from the still lively, unaffected tree that it had been attached to ever since the beginning of Augury’s duty as a changeling, a dark blue barrier around her area as well. Augury came to a stop at the edge of the barrier around the last of the few living trees in the forest, taking a moment to clear his thoughts. His head clear of any doubts, the changeling general inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying his best to keep calm. A spark of a spell from Augury’s horn snapping in the air, the barrier around Tranquility’s tree degraded into nothing. Augury walked forward to his marefriend’s cocoon, stopping only a foot away from the cocoon’s wall as he stared at the mare inside.

Augury stood still for a moment in silence before he dared to speak. “I hope you can understand what I’ve been doing. It... has all been for you.” Augury said quietly.

Augury’s horn glowed with a dark blue aura, and at the same time, Tranquility began to open her eyes. Trying his best to ignore the reaction he expected from Tranquility, Augury forced a small smile onto his face. The changeling and the mare sat in silence for what seemed like hours, each of them staring into each other’s eyes.

Tranquility slowly ran her eyes over Augury. “It’s not an illusion, is it?” She asked tiredly, trying her best not to let her tears out.

The smile on Augury’s face faded away and his ears sunk down, the mask that he wore disintegrating. “No... no, it’s not. I only wanted you to feel like everything was going to be okay. I didn’t know it would end up like this...” Augury spoke.

Though her approach was direct, Tranquility’s voice stayed relaxed. “You lied to me.”

“I know I did, and I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to know about what happened, about what I had become. I was scared.”

“About what?”

“About your reaction.”

Tranquility lifted her hoof up and pushed against the wall of the cocoon, feeling a tear fall from her eye. “Nothing can take you away from me, Salvation. You should know that.”

Augury smiled and pushed his hoof against the cocoon where Tranquility’s hoof rested. “I do. I do know that. I just... thought something would go wrong.”

“Like what?”

“...Like you would hate me.”

“I could never hate you. We’ve been together for so long, we’ve seen so many things, those memories will stick forever.”

“I know. You have been seeing everything I’ve been doing, haven’t you?”

“Yes... I have. Salvation...”

“Don’t, please. I’m doing this for you. I’m not going to let you go no matter what. We’re going to get out of this, everything is going to be the way it was before any of this. I promise.”

“Salvation, that’s not going to happen if you continue with what you’re doing. You’re taking mares from their homes. You have to stop.”

“I can’t stop! If I do, Chrysalis will kill you. I’m not letting you go if I know it was my fault.”

“You have to. Please.”

Augury took his hoof off of the cocoon and stomped it on the ground. “I can’t! I don’t care if I have to bring down all of Equestria, just as long as you’re safe! It’s not going to end here, it can’t.”

“Salvation, you’re only making things worse down this path. You loved to care for others, you got your cutie mark from it. What you’re doing is opposite of what you love the most. I’m not trying to sound harsh, but you’re causing heartbreak throughout Equestria. The families of those six mares, what about them? Did you stop to think about them?”

“I did. I promised them that I would keep the mares out of harms way. Nothing is going to happen to them or their families.”

“Nothing physical, but what about mentally?”

“Tranquility, there’s nothing you can say that’s going to make me stop. I’m doing this for you, that’s all there is to it.”

Tranquility sighed and closed her eyes, opening them again to stare into Augury’s eyes as tears streaked lightly out of her own. “Salvation, come closer.”

“Quil-”

“Please, just do it.”

Augury opened his mouth to speak, but only shook his head and leaned forward, putting his hoof on the cocoon where his marefriend’s was pushed on.

“I want you to go.” Tranquility said. “I want you to leave without me.”

“What? No! I’m not leaving you behi-!”

“This isn’t you, you know it isn’t. I want you to leave me behind and carry on. What happens to me isn’t important anymore, I just want you to be happy.”

“I can’t be happy unless you’re there. Quil, this isn’t what I want.”

“But it’s what I want. As long as you’re here, Equestria is going to continue to be tormented. Leave this place, forget about me. One life isn’t worth a thousand.”

Augury hesitated to let out a rebuttal, but found himself at a loss for words as he let his mouth hang open slightly. The changeling general only stared at the mare within her cocoon, watching her tears fall from her eyes onto the pointed bottom of the green casket. No matter how much Augury wanted her to be, Tranquility was not joking. The look in her eyes, the frown on her face, the lavender mare had never been more serious about a decision in her life. Knowing that this was all for her, Tranquility only wanted it to end and for Salvation to be free. The only option in the current situation to make that happen for Augury, however, was to abandon the mare he loved.

Augury tilted his head to the ground and bit his lip, feeling tears of his own sliding down his distraught stricken face. “Tranquility... Quil, I’m not going to leave you here. I’ll do everything in my power to get you out of there, but I’m not going to leave you behind. We got into this together, we’ll get out of it together. I’m sorry, but that’s the way it has to be.”

Tranquility sighed and let her hoof dangle limply again. “If that’s the way you’re going to take, then I’m going with it. I don’t have any power to change what you’re doing, but I’ll stick with you no matter what. Just know that... that I think it’s wrong.”

Augury sniffled and lifted his head up, returning his damp eyes to Tranquility’s. “I’m sorry. I love you, Quil.”

“I love you, too. Goodnight sweetie...”

“Goodnight...”

Another click of a spell from Augury horn snapped into the air, and Tranquility was gone in an instant. Returned to her state of slumber within Augury’s control, Tranquility hung limply in her cocoon again, only able to watch as Augury continued with his missions. The changeling general in front of the lavender mare’s cocoon gave up his fight against his tears, letting them fall relentlessly from his eyes. Augury slowly let himself down onto his side in the clearing, continuing to soak his face with tears of anguish. Slowly, sleep took over the lone and distressed changeling, his dreams able to comfort him for one more night.

Chrysalis stared tiredly at the changeling sleeping across the clearing, watching his calm breathing move his chest up and down. The scene he had put on before only made the changeling queen feel even more guilty about her decision to take the two ponies, though her guilt was only just showing. Something clicked within Chrysalis for a small second, a feeling of sympathy or a need to comfort Augury in his sleep. Though this feeling only lasted for an instant, Chrysalis almost wanted to ram her head into one of the trees behind her for thinking about it. At the same time, however, the changeling queen found comfort in her thoughts, but it was wiped away the moment it had been brought up.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes and started walking off into the shadows of the forest beyond the clearing. “I really need to find a way to stop these conflicting thoughts. Bugging me for so long...” Next Chapter: [16] Divided Downfall Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 10 Minutes