A conjecture on 4-coloring maximal planar graphs The question/task is to prove/disprove the conjecture below.
Let $G$ be a maximal planar graph with a 4-coloring $f$. Let $(a,b,c,d)$ be a cycle in $G$. Let $S$ be the collection of all $a,c$-paths in $G$ and all $b,d$-paths in $G$.
Conjecture: At least two members of $S$ are bicolored.
(i.e., there exist distinct paths $Q_1,Q_2\in S$ and colors $i,j,k,l\in\{1,2,3,4\}$ such that $f(u)\in\{i,j\}$ for every vertex $u$ on $Q_1$ and $f(v)\in\{k,l\}$ for every vertex $v$ on $Q_2$).
Definitions:-
$G$ is a maximal planar graph if it can be drawn on a plane such that no edges cross and boundary of every face is a triangle. A 4-colouring $f$ of $G$ is a function $f:V(G)\to\{1,2,3,4\}$ such that $f$ map endpoints of each edge to different 'colors' (i.e. $f(u)\neq f(v)$ for every edge $uv$ of $G$).
Notes:-
It is easy to see that the conjecture is true if the cycle $(a,b,c.d)$
is tricolored (or bicolored). The following is the crux of the conjecture.
Let $G$ be a planar graph with a 4-coloring $f$. Let $(a,b,c,b)$ be a cycle in $G$ such that boundary of each face inside the cycle is a triangle. Suppose that the cycle $(a,b,c,d)$ receives all four colors.
Conjecture 2: Then, there is a bicolored $a,c$-path or a bicolored $b,d$-path inside the cycle.
If Conjecture 2 is true, then the main conjecture above is true (apply Conjecture 2 to outside region of the cycle $(a,b,c,d)$ ).
Conjecture 2 is already proved.
Quote from J.A. Tilley, The a-graph coloring problem(2017):

Theorem A.1. Let $G$ be an a-graph with boundary cycle $uxvy$ for the exterior 4-face and let $G$ have a 4-coloring $c$. Suppose, without loss of generality, that $c(x)=1$, $c(y)=1$ or 2, $c(u)=3$, and $c(v)=3$ or 4. Then there is either a 1–2 path between $x$ and $y$ or a 3–4 path between $u$ and $v$.


Proof. Suppose that G with 4-coloring c is a minimal counterexample to the theorem. Clearly G cannot have either an interior
xy edge or an interior u v edge. Let X be the set of vertices of G adjacent to x; they form an internal path between u and v that
includes at least one interior vertex of G. At least one of those interior vertices of G belonging to X is colored 2, for otherwise
the path between u and v would be colored 3–4, contradicting the supposition. Contract the various edges joining x to each
vertex of X colored 2, and change the color of x to 2. The result is a 4-colored a-graph F . The edge contractions do not create
any 3–4 path between u and v . By the minimality assumption, F must therefore have a 1–2 path between x and y. Reverse
the contractions and restore the color of x to 1 to reveal a 1–2 path between x and y in G, contradicting the supposition and
establishing the truth of the theorem.

Definiton: in the above paper, an a-graph is a plane graph such that one face has a 4-vertex cycle as boundary and all other faces have a triangle as boundary.