//------------------------------//
// 5 - Test Results 
// Story: Lost Muse 
// by David Silver 
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The unicorn doctor pointed with his horn up at a plastic sheet that showed a cross-slice of Libelous in monochrome. "As you can see--"

"--I can't see much out of that." She hiked a brow at the picture. "What do you see?"

"You appear to have all the parts in the right places." He reached up and tapped. "This is the passage that concerns us, no blocks." He traced it up to a pouch. "And here's your bladder. No stones or other impediments. Now, a question. Have you ever had a time in your life when you felt most relaxed? Take a good vacation or something similar?"

Libelous considered that, tapping a hoof on the cushioned table she was seated on. "After I graduated, Mom paid for one. I was really surprised, but... it was nice. I didn't owe anyone anything for a little while. I was... It was nice." She nodded softly. "What about it?"

"Did the symptoms decrease during this time?" His quill made a few scratches on a pad that floated beside him.

Libelous thought to her vacation. As lovely as it had been, she still had worn her protection, and it had proven a lifesaver more than once. "Y-yes... It didn't get better. Is that normal?"

He sighed as scratches happened. "It means this likely isn't an entirely stress-related condition, so that's out. Tell me about your diet."

She went over her usual meal plan. It wasn't a very complicated one. "I don't like spending too much time worrying about it, so I stick to a regular schedule."

"Sounds reasonably nutritious." More writing happened. "I'd like to examine your muscles. They may be weak, but there are ways to strengthen them. Now, this will involve some... Just close your eyes and relax for now."

She blinked softly, but the doctor seemed to be on her side. She closed her eyes.

His magic went where she would not want his magic to be and she squeaked. "Alright, now... can you try to imagine you do have to go, but you're holding it back?"

She made a face, squirming in place. At least it made sense why he hadn't wanted her to wear her protection. "Uh..." She wasn't very experienced with that sensation, but she gave it her best shot, imagining the hated sensation of needing to go but trying to not make a mess.

"Mmm..."

"Does that mean I did it right?"

He gently patted her side with a hoof. "You can stop." She let out a breath and felt his magic withdrawing. "I can't be sure. I'm going to give you some exercises to do. We'll work on strengthening those muscles, which will hopefully help. Even if it doesn't stop the problem entirely, it may give you time to hurry to the bathroom when you feel the urge strike."

She smiled hopefully, a shy expression. "I mean... even... that would be great..." She'd rather be sent in a panicked gallop than make a mess or wear the attending protection it came with. "What do I have to do?"

He patted the floor. "Hop down, then stand up."

She did just that, standing bipedally before the doctor with a curious expression.

"The first one is a simple one, the squat. You've likely seen ponies doing this just to be healthy. Turns out, it's also good for muscles related to this." He reached for her, showing her how to perform one smooth squat. "I want you to do ten of these when you wake up, with lunch, and before dinner. Keep your back straight, and remember to breathe just as I showed you."

She nodded softly. "Is that all?"

"It is not." He pointed right between her legs, where the messes came from. "Remember what I just had you do? I want you to do that, five seconds on, five seconds off, five reps. Do it after your squats. When you feel comfortable with that, expand it to ten reps. Keep at that for a month and we'll meet up again." He made another quick note on his pad. "Hopefully there will be some improvement. Until then, you're..." He trailed off, she was making a mess. "Don't worry about it," he quickly blurted. "We'll have that cleaned... Feel free to use the shower." He pointed and made himself vanish in a soft trot, leaving her to clean herself without his staring presence.

Libel thumped the soft bed with a hoof. They had almost finished... "I'll beat this..." She had something to do. She had a weapon! She grabbed for a towel but hesitated. Did the doctor want her cleaning her mess with that particular towel? She decided to trust he knew how to clean his office. Instead she hopped into the shower and got to cleaning herself. "I'll beat this..."





Day Dreamer mosied from room to room. "201... 202... 203..." There it was. "204..." He reached for the knob with his mouth, ready to just open it, but a dim memory poked at him. "Oh yeah." He raised a hoof instead, knocking with a firm clip-clop. "Libel? Are you there?"

"The door is open," came a female voice from within.

He smiled with placid joy, getting the door open in no great hurry to wander inside. "I'm glad I found you. Oh, I have a letter for you." He held the letter out on a hoof as he approached the one mare he saw, a unicorn behind a desk not as large as the one downstairs.

The unicorn's horn glowed as she took the letter from him, her eyes sweeping across it once. "I'll see that she gets it, thank you. Will that be all?"

Day blinked softly. "You're not Libelous?"

"I am not," she corrected. "I am her secretary. She's been called away on business. I'll be sure she gets the letter, thank you."

Day shook her head. "I have a message I need to give her in person. Can I wait for her to come back?"

The secretary's eyes half-closed. "Take a seat." She pointed to the waiting sofa with some magazines piled on a small table next to it. "Do you have an appointment?" Her magic was already flipping through some papers. "No you do not. I can't promise she'll have time to see you."

"It's cool." He hopped up and laid down across the sofa. He looked around the front office. There was a door that led to, he guessed, Libel's office. It was solid wood with a golden knob. "Fancy." There was a single plant, dangling in a pot that was chained to the ceiling. It was a long tendril of green with big leaves. "Nice plant." He hopped right back down, making his way over to the spot of green. "Needs some water." He could see it was a little dry and began looking around for something to water it with.

A water can bumped into his head, held in the magic of the secretary. She wasn't even looking at him, already back to typing. He grabbed the handle of the water can in his teeth. "Thanks." He ambled to the bathroom at a sedate pace and filled the can halfway with cool water. "Don't you worry, little plant. We'll make you nice and happy." He returned with the can, half-whistling a little tune. It was more of a hum, unable to properly whistle with a can in his mouth.

He hopped up onto a chair, and from there onto a filing cabinet. Despite his lazy motions, his jumps were fairly accurate and he didn't knock anything over for the acrobatic trip. "Here you go." He tilted his head, tilting the can with it and gently sprinkling water over the roots of the plant. As soon as it was reasonably wet, he set the can down carefully. He reached with both forehooves for the pot of the plant, gently rubbing over it. "Good plant, everything's alright now."

The plant gently shed its orange fringes, becoming bright green under the earth pony's tranquil encouragement as if drawing from his earth pony strength to return fully to vibrant life. "Perfect..."

The secretary paused in her writing, watching him slowly descend from where he had climbed. "Are you a botanist?"

"Wha? Nah... I just like plants." He nodded towards the dangling vine-like plant he had restored. "A happy plant makes a whole area nicer. Doesn't it feel nicer?"

The secretary was quiet a moment, tapping out a few things. "You could be." She resumed her work in earnest, but was not silent. "Ponies would pay for a visit from a pony that could make their flowers and plants spring up like that." Her nose twitched. What was that? She realized a moment later that she was actually smelling the plant. It wasn't a flowering plant, but it was putting out a scent. Had it always done that, before their sub-optimal care had eroded its health? She tried to focus on her work, but found herself thinking of how nice the plant was.

Day Dreamer was pleased with himself, and the room. A happy plant was a happy room. He could tell the secretary was happy with his work. She looked more relaxed and her lips were pulled just a little closer to a smile. Content with the world, he sank on the couch and took a little power nap.





Color looked up at a firm knocking on his door. "One moment." He hurried over and pulled the door open with his glowing horn. It was a pegasus, grey coated with mis-matched eyes. She wore a mailmare's outfit. "Oh, hello?"

"Hello! I've brought you a letter!" Derpy presented an envelope with no from and no to written on it at all.

Color accepted it with a peer. "Who is this from?"

"My brother!" Derpy bounced in place. "He's a really nice pony. He was replying to a letter you sent him."

Color squinted a little. He hadn't written any letters to any pegasi recently. "One moment..." He willed the envelope open and pulled out the letter that looked like it had been folded, unfolded, and refolded a few times. His eyes scanned back and forth, reading Day's letter while mouthing the words near-silently.

"You're Day's brother?!" he exclaimed, looking at the mailmare with surprise.

"I was surprised too!" Her wings shot out in either direction. "He's a nice brother though, so you better be nice to him too." She waggled a hoof at him. "You two are friends, right?"

"Uh, yeah." He set the letter aside with a soft huff. "And he's off trying to do something he isn't even equipped to do, as if he'll even find her."

"Libelous? He should already be at her office." She nodded confidently. "He took a letter to her for me, because he's an awesome brother. That freed me up to come straight here and get your letter to you." She offered a hoof forward. "Oh, and I'm Derpy. Derpy Hooves! My friends call me Muffin, and you can call me that too since you're a friend of my brother."

Color reached to touch hooves with her. "Color Splash, nice to meet you, uh, Muffin?" He was still trying to reconcile the idea that his friend was brothers with the pegasus before him. "I guess it can happen..." He'd heard stories of ponies of different tribes even being brother or sister before. It could happen... "Uh, so... oh wow..."

"I know, isn't it nice to have friends?" She looked quite happy.

Color sank back onto his haunches, a hoof to his cheek. "No, I mean... he wasn't supposed to find her. He's gonna make a mess out of everything and then she'll hate me instead of just forgetting I exist and--"

She popped a hoof right into his panicking mouth. "My mom always told me when things look bad, you should remember the thing you are thankful for and count to ten, counting at least one thing each time." She pulled the hoof away. "I'll go first!"

Derpy began listing things as Color breathed a little too hard.