Home Body Clue chp11

Right, this is a very busy chapter. Fortunately, parallel stories are a speciality of mine. So let's go pony by pony. (And keeping in mind that the story starts at 11:00, books go on sale at 12:00, and cost 40 bits.) We can ignore Peacock, since the ponies are all going to get the gift for her. Unless, of course, it turns out that nopony gets there with enough bits.

The overall goal is to be the first pony to reach the bookstore after 12:00 with enough bits to buy it. The first pony to reach the bookstore didn't, though.

SCARLET
Scarlet plans to leave the mansion at 11:15, and starts with 75 bits. (She also clearly doesn't understand the Daring Do fandom, but that's neither here nor there.)

11:15 Scarlet leaves the mansion with 75 bits.

She spends ten minutes walking into town, and a further twenty minutes eating lunch. She then leaves ten bits for the bill and five for the tip.

11:25 Scarlet arrives at the cafe.
11:45 Scarlet finishes having lunch, and is now down to 60 bits.

She then heads to the bookstore but then gets distracted by a hat, and loses twenty minutes browsing. She comes out with a new hat which cost twice the amount of her lunch (which cost 10 bits, not counting the tip), so 20 bits. She then spends another ten minutes wandering around the shops and leaves another 5 bits for a Filly Guide.

12:05 Scarlet finishes browsing in the hat store. She is now down to 40 bits, and the books are already on sale.
12:15 Scarlet finishes wandering around shops and heads for the bookstore. She is now down to 35 bits, and does not have enough for the books. (THIS IS THE END OF SCARLET'S TRACK.)

WHITE
White leaves almost immediately.

11:00 White leaves the mansion.

However she then spends ten minutes walking into town and another 45 minutes shopping for the groceries. After this she now has 55 bits.

11:10 White arrives in town.
11:55 White finishes shopping, and now has 55 bits.

She then spends 10 bits and minutes on lunch, and a further ten minutes berating the Crusaders.

12:05 White finishes lunch, and is now down to 45 bits. The books are already on sale.
12:15 White finishes lecturing the Crusaders.

Her detour to get new pickles leaves her another ten minutes and bits out of pocket. She then spends a further five minutes in the queue for the lottery game. She comes in second, spending five bits and getting 10 back; but by now she's far too late to even hope to get any of the books.

12:25 White finishes her detour, and is now down to 35 bits.
12:30 White comes in second in a lottery game, and is now up to 40 bits. (THIS IS THE END OF WHITE'S TRACK.)

GREEN
Green begins with 20 bits, and plans to leave at 11:30. (By now across all tracks it's agreed that a walk to town is 10 minutes long.)

11:30 Green leaves the mansion with 20 bits.
11:40 Green arrives in town.

He then spends ten minutes at Quills and Sofas, doubling his bits, and five minutes in a queue for cinnamon nuts which cost five.

11:50 Green leaves Quills and Sofas, and is now up to 40 bits.
11:55 Green purchases some cinnamon nuts, and is now down to 35 bits.

Green then encounters the lottery game, and spends 5 bits for what ends up being a blank stick. He spends ten minutes arguing, during which he spends another 5 bits.

12:05 Green finishes arguing with the lottery pony, and is now down to 25 bits.

He's just about to enter the bookstore when he runs into Filthy Rich, who's also bought a boxset. They spend fifteen minutes catching up, after which Rich gives him 15 bits.

12:20 Green finishes talking to Filthy Rich, and presumably enters the bookstore. He is now up to 40 bits, so if he's the first one to make it with the money, he's got it. (THIS IS THE END OF GREEN'S TRACK.)

MUSTARD
Mustard has fifty bits, and plans to leave at 11:45, spending 5 minutes to fly to the bookshop. Like Green, he's also underwhelmed by White's lunches. By the end of the five minutes into town, though, he collides with Rainbow Dash and spills his bits everywhere.

11:45 Mustard leaves the mansion with 50 bits.
11:50 Mustard arrives in town but spills his bits on contact with Rainbow Dash.

He spends ten minutes collecting his money, but is only able to procure 45 bits. He sits at a cafe with a ten bit lunch, which takes him five minutes.

12:00 Mustard finishes searching for his money. He is now down to 45 bits.
12:05 Mustard finishes his lunch. He is now down to 35 bits.

The good samaritan in him then wins out, and he spends 15 minutes helping some delivery ponies, gets twenty bits for his help, and spends 10 minutes flying back.

12:20 Mustard at delivery location.
12:30 Mustard returns to the shops. He is now up to 55 bits. (THIS IS THE END OF MUSTARD'S TRACK.)

PLUM
Plum only has 35 bits, and plans to sell some crystals of his at the jewellers. Like Mustard, he plans to leave at 11:45, and does so. However, since he's teleporting, he makes the distance into town immediately rather than taking ten minutes. However he appears in front of Big Mac and spends five minutes helping him.

11:45 Plum leaves the mansion with 35 bits.
11:50 Plum finishes helping Big Mac.

Now he spends ten minutes negotiating at the jewellery store, and comes out ten bits richer; however he immediately gives 5 to a Filly Guide.

12:00 Plum finishes negotiating at the jewellery store, and gives money to a Filly Guide. He is now up to 40 bits.

He spends five minutes in line for some five-bit cinnamon nuts.

12:05 Plum has cinnamon nuts, and is now down to 35 bits.

He then visits the lottery game that Green was annoyed about, spends five, and wins the top prize, netting himself 50 bits. Naturally, he squanders twenty minutes celebrating.

12:25 Plum finishes celebrating at the lottery game, and is now up to a whopping 80 bits. (THIS IS THE END OF PLUM'S TRACK.)

So who made it to the bookstore first, and who made it second with the right number of bits?

12:15 Scarlet is the first visitor. However thanks to that hat she only has 35 bits.
12:20 Five minutes later, which matches the story, Green enters with 40 bits - HE BUYS THE BOOKS.
12:25 Plum finishes celebrating, and presumably reaches the bookstore with 80 bits, but the books are all gone. Missed 'em by that much.
12:30 Mustard gets back from his delivery mission with 55 bits, but is ten minutes too late. White also finishes the lottery game now, with 40 bits, and the two probably race each other to get inside, but the last set was sold ten minutes ago.

GREEN BOUGHT THE BOOKS.

Just for fun, and to make this even longer, let's build the full timeline.

11:00 White leaves the mansion.
11:10 White arrives in town.
11:15 Scarlet leaves the mansion with 75 bits.
11:25 Scarlet arrives in town.
11:30 Green leaves the mansion with 20 bits.
11:40 Green arrives in town.
11:45 Scarlet finishes having lunch, and is now down to 60 bits. Mustard leaves the mansion with 50 bits. Plum leaves the mansion with 35 bits.
11:50 Green leaves Quills and Sofas, and is now up to 40 bits. Mustard arrives in town but spills his bits on contact with Rainbow Dash. Plum finishes helping Big Mac.
11:55 White finishes shopping, and now has 55 bits. Green purchases some cinnamon nuts, and is now down to 35 bits.
12:00 Mustard finishes searching for his money. He is now down to 45 bits. Plum finishes negotiating at the jewellery store, and gives money to a Filly Guide. He is now up to 40 bits.
12:05 Scarlet finishes browsing in the hat store. She is now down to 40 bits. White finishes lunch, and is now down to 45 bits. Green finishes arguing with the lottery pony, and is now down to 25 bits. Mustard finishes his lunch. He is now down to 35 bits. Plum has cinnamon nuts, and is now down to 35 bits.
12:15 Scarlet finishes wandering around shops and heads for the bookstore. She is now down to 35 bits, and does not have enough for the books. (THIS IS THE END OF SCARLET'S TRACK.)
12:20 Green finishes talking to Filthy Rich, and presumably enters the bookstore. He is now up to 40 bits, so he buys the books. (THIS IS THE END OF GREEN'S TRACK.) Mustard at delivery location.
12:25 White finishes her detour, and is now down to 35 bits. Plum finishes celebrating at the lottery game, and is now up to a whopping 80 bits. (THIS IS THE END OF PLUM'S TRACK.)
12:30 White comes in second in the lottery game, and is now up to 40 bits. (THIS IS THE END OF WHITE'S TRACK.) Mustard returns to the shops. He is now up to 55 bits. (THIS IS THE END OF MUSTARD'S TRACK.)

Well, that was an adventure, wasn't it?