//------------------------------//
// 24 - Reveal 
// Story: Lost Muse 
// by David Silver 
//------------------------------//

With a loud thump, both Color and Libel looked towards the door. They were back at her house. It was daytime, light spilling through the curtains of the nearest window. Libel frowned a little. "I'm not expecting anything." She rose and approached the door at a determined trot. "Who is it?"

"Mail!" came a familiar mare's call.

Color bounced to his hooves. "Muffins?"

"It's me!" She burst open the door, apparently able to do that the moment she thought she had permission to do so. "Should I file a change of address form for you? I keep having to come here to get your mail to you."

Libel arched a brow at the wall-eyed postal worker. "Shouldn't you just leave his letters in his mailbox?"

"What? No!" She waved a hoof wildly. "Then the ponies who sent them would have to wait forever for Color to see any of them. That'd be sad, so I bring them to him." She reached with a wing for her saddlebags and drew out a collection of letters. "Here you are!"

Color accepted them with a glowing horn, levitating them towards his side. "Thank you, um, Derpy, but you really don't have to keep going so far out of your way just for me."

"You're a friend of the family." She put a hoof on her chest. "How could I not? Trick question! I can't, so I don't." She stuck out her tongue from the corner of her mouth. "You two have a big fight yet?"

Libel blinked at the sudden twist to the conversation. "What? Look... Derpy was it? Muffins? Whoever you are! You don't just charge into somepony's house and start asking questions like that. You're a mailmare!"

"Yes I am." She reached up to adjust her postal hat, smiling proudly. "My name is Derpy, but my friends call me Muffins. I'm not sure if we're friends or not?" She tilted her head at Libel, face somewhere between considering and happy with life.

Color put a hoof between Libel and Derpy. "She's a friend I met while I was trying to find you, Libel."

"We shared a room." She bobbed her head rapidly. "He showed me his art. Have you seen it? He's really good at it!"

Libelous' expression eased suddenly. "Wait, I recognize you... Is she the pegasus you drew with the rainbow circle?"

"You drew it?!" She bounced in place. "Show me show me!"

Libel held up a hoof. "You know about it, I gather? Mighty bold. Only the very best fliers have a chance at making a sonic rainboom."

Derpy tilted her head left and right, wings extending. "I was just dreaming. Everypony's allowed to do that, right?"

Libel's spiteful little barb went limp. "Well, yeah, of course... Show her, Splashy."

"Splashy?!" Derpy burst into giggles. "I like it. Hello, Splashy. Now we know each other's friendly names. That's really nice."

Color dug out his drawing pad from his pocket. "Right here." The pad flipped open to the right page even as it approached Derpy.

She gave an excited cry at the first sighting of it. "Wow, just like I asked." She thrust a hoof forward, thumping the pad in Color's magic. "I look like a hero."

Libel inclined her head, examining the colored-pencil work of art. It was nowhere good enough to join their eventual release portfolio... "Did you know he paints?"

"He mentioned that." She bobbed her head. "I never saw his paintings though."

"Then you have a use." Libel turned and began walking. "I want to show you some art. Some of it he did, and some he did not. I want you to name which is which."

Color hurried to be at Libel's side. "What are you doing? Shouldn't we let her get back to her work?"

"She already came from your house to here. If she wasn't already fired, she just can't be fired."

"True..." He could think of no direct argument for the argument at hoof. "Still, what are you doing?"

"You'll see." She reached with a wing and pulled up the Canterlot at Night drawing, setting it in easy view. "First one. Drawn by Color, or somepony else?"

"Oooo." She trotted right up to it, her eyes wandering over the canvas and its subtle details. "Fancy... It's... um... There aren't any ponies. He likes drawing ponies. This doesn't look like one of his." She shook her head with growing certainty.

"Very good." She set the picture down and pulled out the next, the married couple. "And this one?"

"Definitely his!" She pointed at it with a shaking hoof. "It has his style, and it has ponies and they look nice. All Color Splash!"

"Very good." She lowered the second painting down and pulled out the one with the wide vista with the one pony looking thoughtful. "And finally?"

"Ooo, hard... It has a pony, but so much not-pony..." She tilted her head left and right. "I... Can I see the second one again?"

Libel shook her head. "You've already seen his art."

"Well, yes, but this is paint. Paint is not the same as pencil... I'm not sure... Now I'm not sure on the other ones. Maybe I'm getting this all mixed up..." She flumped to her haunches. "So which one's which?"

"I did all three," confirmed Color with a nervous smile. "Like them?"

"Wow!" She bounced in place. "You really do like making art. Thanks for letting me see." She suddenly pounced at Libel.

But Libel was not caught flat-hooved. She caught Derpy and easily launched her into the air. The other pegasus squealed as she did a slow circle back to land in front of Libel, laughing merrily. "So few ponies know that part. It's nice talking with a fellow pegasus once in a while."

Libel smirked faintly. "My mother would have me hung out to dry if she saw me replying to that kind of thing. Now, thank you, Muffins."

Muffins' smile was bright enough to light the room. "We're friends? Yay!" She grabbed for the both of them to pull them into a three-pony hug. "Now I don't feel so bad about you getting the stallion."

"Pardon?"

Color crashed to his haunches. "He wasn't joking..."

"Who wasn't?" Derpy separated from the hug and dusted herself off. "I really should get moving or they'll get upset at me. Take care, Brother's Friend and Brother's Friend's Girlfriend who is also my friend!"

Libel brought down a wing in front of Derpy, blocking the way. "Not so fast. I have a few questions and I want answers, Muffins. As my friend, I trust you to answer them."

"Of course." Derpy nodded at Libel with a smile. "Go ahead."

"Were you and him--" She pointed a wing at Color. "--ever dating?"

"Nope. I was kinda hoping, but you got to him first fair and square." She lifted  her shoulders softly. "Oh well. Maybe I shoulda been faster."

Color waved his hooves. "We just met not that long ago."

"We did sleep together," she helpfully pointed out with a smile. "He has the cutest little snore."

Libel's teeth set. "Does he now? You... mentioned sharing a room."

Even as Color started to lose his color, Derpy continued, "Sure did. He drew lots of things and we talked a lot."

Libel leaned forward. "And that's all you did?"

"We had food," she added with a firm nod. "Besides that, that was mostly it. Well, good luck! I hope you two have tons of fun. If you get married, don't forget me." She lifted into the air on her wings.

Libel knocked open a window with a slap of a wing just in time for Derpy to soar through the opening, vanishing into the city.

"We didn't do anything!"

"I heard her, Splashy." She rolled her eyes softly. "That was a very silly mare that spent some time with an equally silly stallion and they did nothing of note besides being silly next to each other." She raised a hoof and bopped him right on the nose. "Do I have that right?"

"Y-yeah, that's about the size of it." He nodded with growing uncertainty. "With any luck, I'll... get to do silly things with another silly, but amazing, mare."

She huffed softly. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"I would. We have to invite Derpy someday, don't forget."

She burst into a sudden fit of laughter. "Don't go hurrying ahead, Splashy. Now, her input was not without value. I'm thinking we should start with your portraits. They are your strength, and we need to knock ponies flat."

He nodded softly in agreement. "Alright. Are we including yours?"

Her cheeks lit up, thinking of the portrait done of her. "If you never admit who you modeled it after, perhaps... I'd still rather hold onto that one for now. If anyone puts two and two together, it makes things awkward. Now go take a shower, dress in your best, and be ready to go."

He blinked softly. "I thought that was tomorrow?"

"We have another tomorrow. Get going." She swatted his back end with a wing. "I'll be preparing down here. When you're done, come down, and we get moving."

"Alright, alright." He started for the stairs. "Did you order the typewriter already?"

"I'll do that when we get back," she called after him, moving off to another room. "Focus on today. It's time to show at least one pony who Color Splash is and why she should care."





They walked down the street, both dressed to impress. Even the crowd parted for them slightly, allowing them to pass unimpeded despite how crowded it was with the business of the day. Floating just above Color was one of his paintings, wrapped up tight and secure.

"Her name is?"

"Palette Swap," replied Color with a nod. "Established gourmand of the art world and patron of several museums when she isn't busy hunting for talent herself."

"Very good." Libel only nodded faintly. "Her favorites include:"

"She has a known preference to abstract pieces, but has been seen being affected by personal works with strong emotional content. She enjoys the meaning behind art almost as much as the technique and 'quality' of a given work."

"Which is why--" She pointed a wing at the floating piece. "--we took that one with us. I feel confident she will be all over it, and once she likes it..."

"Others will take notice. While not always the cutting edge of what's new, other art critics and lovers do watch her for signs of things they should be paying attention to." Color nodded softly as he walked along with her. "Do you think she'll really like it?"

"She'll love it." Libel bumped against him from the side. "Just remember to sell the emotional angle when she starts looking it over. You cinch that, and she'll be eating out of your hoof."

"Where did they get that saying?" Color wrinkled his nose. "Can you imagine eating out of some other pony's hooves?"

"I couldn't imagine eating out of my own hooves! Who would dream of someone else's? Strange... But let's not get distracted." Libel shook her head free of the images in her head. "We have a critic to meet, impress, and leave stunned with your work.

Fortunately, neither of them knew any pony strange enough to eat food from another pony's hooves. The very idea of it!