//------------------------------//
// Mentors: Who are you? 
// Story: Show Business 
// by Natedogg2006 
//------------------------------//

"Trixie darling, and Moonlight dear, it's so good to see you two again."
Out of all of Twilight's friends, Trixie figured it was definitely Rarity that got the biggest kick out of playing up their secret relationship. Besides maybe Pinky Pie, but she got a kick out of everything so Trixie figured that didn't count. Rarity and Trixie had been chatting and having a good time less then twelve hours ago, yet here she was pretending they hadn't seen each other since her last trip to Canterlot. The fashionista seemed to enjoy the pageantry that came with the whole situation and was playing it like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Miss generosity herself. Rarity, it's always a pleasure to have such distinguished ponies such as yourself and the other elements come and see, The Great and Powerful Trixie." Of course Trixie was the one who did this for a living, and the fact that the entire crowd was now stopping to see the two of them being so familiar with each other was a testament to that. It blended well with the overall mood of the night. With the showmares new popularity the owners of the event hall they were in had packed it to breaking point and Trixie and Moonlight had put on their best show yet.
"Oh you know we'd never miss one of your shows my dear. And if I might say, the two of you were even more amazing then usual. A truly dazzling performance." Both ponies were experts at making themselves the center of attention, and the amount of ponies whispering and murmuring around them as they pretended not to notice showed how good they naturally were at playing off of one another. "Speaking of the other elements by the way, they sent me over here to see if we could borrow miss Moonlight from you for a minute. We've got somepony over yonder who simply must meet her."
The mare in question had been busying herself waving and blowing kisses to various ponies in the crowd as the two were talking. The past three shows here in Canterlot had been showing just how comfortable the mare below the mask was getting with the charade as well. She turned dramatically at the mention of her name and pranced over to hang lovingly off of her magician. The mask Rarity made for her was much more fitted to her face, and larger eyeholes blended into it with makeup made it almost like it was a part of her face. This was the reason the gesture wasn't lost when she fluttered her eyelashes at her friend in what Trixie figured was feigned confusion as she responded. "Somepony wants to meet little ol' me?" She gave a sudden gasp and a sudden bound over to the alabaster unicorn, "did you and the other girls finally bring along the element of magic so I could meet her?"
Rarity gave an exaggerated yet very lady like laugh before giving her disguised friend a pat on the head. "Unfortunately no. Our fearless leader had a... previous engagement."
Trixie could barely suppress her laughter at this exchange. It was only do to her training and how much fun she was actually having being The Great and Powerful Trixie lately that allowed her to keep going with a straight face. "Well who ever it is, I'm sure they'll be pleased to meet such a lovely mare as my sweet assistant here."
As Trixie raised a beckoning forehoof Twilight took the offer and slid in under to give her an exaggerated nuzzle drawing an "aww" from some of the crowd that was still paying attention to the exchange. "Aren't you coming along with me, Trixie darling?" The question was punctuated with a very lady like pout. Trixie had to suppress another laugh. Now that she knew Twilight's friends a little better she could see the aspects of each she pulled from when she was Moonlight, but seeing her use Rarity in front of Rarity was a little hard to process.
Trixie looked over to the other unicorn and noticed the slightest hint of a hesitant look across her face. "I'll be along shortly. There's a group of ponies over there that have been waiting for a picture all night and you know I can't let down my fans." Trixie saw the genuine smile returned to Rarity. "You just go be your naturally charming self for me and I'll join you in a few minutes." She planted a sweet kiss on her assistants forehead. With a delighted squeak she bounced over to Rarity and practically danced along with her as they walked away. 
There, of course, wasn't any ponies waiting to see Trixie, at least not at that particular moment, but she figured Twilight's other friends just needed a word with her for whatever reason. Trixie was more then ok with that as she smiled while watching the two depart. She didn't know when she developed the ability to read Twilight's friends so well, but she was glad she had that kind of understanding with them, especially since not more then a few days before she was absolutely sure they were going to kill her. It would probably have been death by discomfort brought on by five sets of flaming death glares burning her to a crisp, but still. The fact that Twilight was still with her was the greatest feeling in the world, but the fact that she still got along with Twilight's friends after all that had happened gave her another feeling, one that she couldn't quite place but figured it didn't really need to be figured out for the time being. At least that's what she told herself as she wandered to the other side of the lobby. Her fake photo op would be a good time to step to the side and take a breather.
Since she had made it into town a day later then she had planned she had had almost no time for all that had gone on. She was originally going to have a few good days with her marefriend, and maybe some time hanging out with her marefriends little group as well. Instead she had been busy with physical, emotional, and mentally draining situations since the moment she walked into town. Making up with Twilight was the easiest, but also the hardest thing she had ever done. Her friends made it all the more so while she tried to explain what had happened and why. And then she had had the most awkward, stressful, lovely dinner ever with a very nice older couple and their son. The awkward and stressful part was because they just so happened to be Twilight's parents and very protective older brother. The lovely part was learning what good ponies they actually were and just how right Twilight had been about how meeting them would be. 
Jumping immediately from that and into four straight shows left the show mare wondering how she was still on her hooves. But at the same time she felt satisfied with how things had happened, even if she was ready for all the craziness to end. 
"So, The Great and Powerful Trixie." Trixie had been looking over the room from the secluded corner she had found so she hadn't noticed anypony approach her. She turned to strike a pose and jump right back into her persona to wow who ever it was who snuck up on her, but  paused at what she saw.
Hidden just behind her, standing shoulder to shoulder were two mares, a pegasus and a unicorn. The pair were tall, taller then most ponies she had ever met, but Trixie supposed they weren't abnormally tall, at least not to a large degree. What was abnormal was everything else about them. The unicorns coat was the purest white Trixie had ever seen, with a mane of such soft and yet striking pink she could hardly comprehend it. The pegasus's mane and coat were slightly differing shades of the softest pinks Trixie had ever seen. Soft enough that they should be indistinguishable, yet they were both striking and unique each on their own. And to say they looked pristine was an understatement. Rarity kept her coat and mane pristine, these two seemed to embody the word itself. Finally, they seemed to hold themselves with grace, and not the way nobles did to try to show that they were better then everypony else. It was more like they were there only because they were meant to be there, and thus everything around them faded away to accommodate them. Their stature, grace, and presence made their appearance before the show mare seem almost surreal. There was a word for it, but Trixie could not place it while still mesmerized by their presence.
The unicorn had apparently spoken, as it was her voice that continued. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Her voice was soft, yet Trixie felt that she would listen to anything it might say.
The pause made it clear she intended Trixie to respond. All of her usual responses she would make in character faded away the moment they came to mind and she was only able to make one response to the odd pair before her. "Who.. Who are you?"
Both mares made small, all-knowing smirks. "Who we are is not important. In fact we are much more interested in who you are miss Trixie." It was the pegasus this time. Her voice sounded younger, yet it was no less commanding then her companion. 
"Or is it perchance Beatrix, Beatrix Lulam..."
Trixie was finally snapped out of the trance she'd been in since setting eyes on the two as she cut the mare off with a hushed "shhhhhh", as her head jerked back and forth around the room. Luckily it didn't seem that anypony had heard there conversation up to this point. "Keep your voices down.. and how the hey do you know that name?"
Neither mare seemed taken aback by Trixie's outburst, the unicorn just continued on in the same serene voice. "Not to worry, we won't be disturbed. You can speak freely to us."
As Trixie continued to survey the room she began to notice just how true that was. Noponies gaze seemed to linger on them for more then a second, as if there was nothing in the world less interesting then the three ponies at this moment. She was wondering how this could possibly be the case when she noticed something, a feeling she had long since started associating with a restful night sleep in her cart. A familiar, pleasant feeling hummed from the base of her horn. None of these ponies would pay them any attention, because they were surrounded by magic. And Trixie only knew one pony who could pull something like this off. 
"You must know Twilight." The pair smiled pleasantly as the showmare seemed to calm and look back to them. "So I'm guessing you wanted to know about me and her, and nopony can or will bother us until we're done here."
What seemed to be a smug smirk came over the pegasus's face as she looked to the unicorn. "Told you she'd catch on fast. I always figured Twilight would have good taste."
"Yes, but you also always figured Twilight would be wooed by a stallion, so I'm afraid I can't trust all your assumptions on the matter just yet." The unicorn matched the smug smirk as she talked. Her attention turned back to Trixie. "Yes, you are correct. We've known Twilight for a long time, and her well-being is very important to us. We mean to cause you no distress, but fair warning. The things you say carry great weight at this moment." There seemed to be no real  malice in her words, yet Trixie found herself giving a dry gulp anyway.
"Now auntie please, we don't want to frighten her," she looked back to Trixie, "but we still want the truth." 
Trixie had never felt so at peace yet so scared at the same time. Only one thought seemed to surface once again in her mind. "Seriously, who are you?"
"Once again, that's not important. What is important is who you are." The pegasus answered.
The unicorn continued, "and on that note I am actually curious. You seemed more then a little worried that we knew your name." She stepped just a bit closer to Trixie and looked down at her. "Is there some reason for that?"
Trixie could feel the unspoken accusation in her voice. While the situation was still unsettling for her, she was still The Great and Powerful Trixie, and she wasn't going to be intimidated at her own show. She straightened herself up, trying, but failing, to match their grand posture. "It would seem you already know more about The Great and Powerful Trixie then you rightly should. Maybe it would be better if you told me what you know, and more importantly how you know, lest this just break down into us telling each other things we already know."
Once again neither pony seemed off put by Trixie's show of force. The unicorn leaned over to the pegasus, "it seems she's a little tougher then I thought she would be as well." The pegasus regained her smug smirk. "In truth, that name is just about all we could figure out about you, and that is why it's so concerning. So I have to ask again, why don't you want ponies to know who you are?"
Trixie dropped the superior act and became serious. "I'm not hiding or running from anything if that's what your asking. I may have been raised by a crooked street performer, but I've kept my own nose clean. If you can't find much about me it's simply because there's not much official proof I exist. I've always operated below the level where I'd need permits or licenses and all my promotion is done by whoever is putting on my shows. Until recently the only ponies who would know anything about me were other showponies, and we're all notoriously private." 
Both ponies seemed pleased by her answer so far but Trixie could tell they wanted more, and she already knew what that was. She gave a deep sigh before continuing. "More importantly, my lifestyle does make me a little... rough around the edges, but in response to what you really wanted to ask, I don't think I'm a bad influence on Twilight. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me, and is the best influence on me I've ever had. You might not know or understand this, but there was a time not so long ago that I hated her, and I hated her for a long time. Yet she turned that around in just one day. She is the kind of pony I wish I could be, and she makes it worth trying to be." 
That had definitely been more the response they had been looking for as she noticed both their expressions soften ever so slightly. Seeing this she figured she might finally have a chance to gain some ground in this conversation. She narrowed her eyes into a glare that shot back and forth between the two of them. "As far as my name goes, I'm just not use to or comfortable with ponies I don't know that well using it. Most ponies just know me by my stage name so it feels like ponies are trying to be way too familiar with me if they use it, though it's usually not an issues seeing as most don't even know it." She narrowed her glare more. "By the way, this is all stuff I told to Twilight's family just a few days ago. That means I can rule you both out as being Twilight's family, so seeing as I've answered your question I think it's about time for you to answer mine. Just who are you? Both of you?" 
"I promise that you'll figure out the answer to that soon enough. For now I will say that I'm satisfied with your answer." The unicorn gave a patient nod to Trixie's agressive retort. "The fact that you understood that my question was more about Twilight then actually about you pleases me. It shows that she is on the forefront of your mind even when you feel threatened." The unicorn cast her gaze back to the pegasus by her side before continuing. "However I'm not the one who needs the most convincing here."
Trixie looked away from the unicorn to find the pegasus suddenly much closer to her. A serious gaze that seemed to penetrate through the showmares mind came from the stranger just a few inches in front of her face. "Let me just ask you one thing. What if I were to say, purely hypothetically," she said this in a way that made Trixie think that the next statement was anything but a hypothesis, "that we learned your name from Twilight?" Trixie's face dropped just a little bit. "What would that mean between the two of you, how would you feel about it." Trixie's gaze fell away from the scrutinizing stare, downcasting just for a second before she found herself turning her attention back behind her where she had last seen her marefriend. She found her immediately as she was clearly not doing much to keep anyponies attention off of her. She was prancing around in character with her friends and a dark coated unicorn mare Trixie didn't recognize. Whoever it was her friends had her meeting it looked like she was having fun, randomly bounding between her friends with excitement and laughter. Seeing her there Trixie didn't even realize the edges of her lips begin to rise ever so slightly.
Upon turning back to the pegasus to give her an answer she was suddenly taken aback. She was suddenly staring at a wide smile to rival Pinkie Pie. A very overly happy voice she couldn't believe was coming out of previously such a serene pony suddenly said, "that's all I needed." She very abruptly turned on her hoof and back to the other mare. "I'm ready auntie, we can go."
The unicorn looked past the pegasus to Trixie one more time, then back to what was apparently her niece. Very enthusiastic nodding of her head seemed to give the unicorn the last answer she needed. "Very well, then we shall depart. Thank you very much miss Trixie."
The pegasus retook her place next to the unicorn and the two took up that same posture as before as they strode past Trixie and back towards the crowd. 
They managed to get a few steps past Trixie before the showmare turned back on them. "Wait!" They both did stop and looked back over their shoulder to the mare. "You still never told me who you are." 
"Hummmm?" The unicorn seemed to give serious consideration as to how to answer the question this time. "It hardly seems relevant at this point," she smirked as she noticed Trixie give a slight glare at that answer. "But if you must have an answer, I suppose you could just tell Twilight that you met Sunshine." She gave a smile that seemed to border on mischievous before starting to stroll away again.
The pegasus gave a very mischievous smile. "Twilie and I never needed fake names when we went out making mischief, but I think my little lady bug will get it with the context. She's so smart after all. So she'll be able to tell you who I am as well." She nodded her head gleefully and followed after the other. 
Trixie felt the pleasant buzz fade from the back of her horn and suddenly she couldn't seem to manage to place the two in the crowd despite having been looking right at them. She stood there still mildly stunned after the encounter with the two, replaying the whole thing in her mind again and again.
Regal. That was the word she'd been looking for.
The thought barely came into her mind when suddenly, "Hey look, it's Trixie."
She was still standing stunned as she heard the voice from over her right shoulder. Her stance went wide. With a dramatic swish of her cape she swung herself around. "Yes, it is I, The Great and Powerful Trixie."