Goodness gracious I wrote this story over a year ago, but it's finally time to share! I honestly don't even remember where this idea came from, but it exists now!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shoujo Kageki Revue Starlight.


Fading Radiance

Chapter 1. Snow White And The Seven Dwarfettes

"Saijou-san? Could we have you over here for a moment to go over some things?"

"Coming~"

Tsuyuzaki-san, is this fit all right?"

"Yes, it's perfect!"

"Daiba-san? What do you think about this scene?"

"Hmm, actually, I think we could change it a little…"

The atmosphere at Seishou Academy is busy and bustling as the girls of Classes A and B make preparations for their upcoming performance. The play is Snow White and the Seven Dwarfettes - one of many versions of the original story, modified to suit an all-female cast.

The cast had been decided about a week ago, and now it was all about rehearsing lines, fitting costumes, and figuring out the means of production.

The atmosphere is that of a beehive, with all of the girls constantly moving about and doing their part, with a few teachers present to supervise.

After about an hour or so of each cast member visiting the costume department to get fitted for their outfits, or forming groups to look over the story, Junna and Nana make some finalized changes before going around to gather their friends for a group read-through of the script.

As soon as they've gotten everyone, they make their way to the rehearsal room and pull their chairs into a circle, each holding her version of the script in her lap.

"Ooooh, I can't wait!" Karen is squealing. "I always loved Snow White!"

"Me too," Hikari agrees. "Though it got a lot more interesting when I got older and could analyze it better."

"I'm excited to see what changes we've made in this version," Mahiru says. "There were some things about the original I never really liked."

"You mean how the heroine is a total vegetable?" Kaoruko guesses. "Does nothing in her own story but fall asleep and then be paraded around by a bunch of men?"

"Well, sheesh," Futaba shrugs. "You're actually not wrong."

"Don't worry!" Nana smiles. "We've worked hard to make sure this version is a lot more suitable for us!"

"Honestly," Junna says. "The only things that are similar to the original are the characters' names and a few major plot points, but a lot of stuff has been altered."

"As to be expected," Maya says. "After all, it is an alternate version."

"Oui! It's necessary to create an adaption that honors the original, but also honors the expectations of the current society."

"Well-said, Kuro-chan!"

The girls chit-chat for a few more minutes until Junna calls for attention.

"All right, everyone. Let's go over the the main story for the script. As we all know, we'll be putting on a performance of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfettes. The cast is as follows: Aijou Karen as Dopey-"

"Way too perfect."

"They really nailed that one."

"Heeeey, you guys!"

Everyone chuckles as Mahiru and Hikari give Karen consoling pats on the back.

"Either way!" she declares. "I'll be the best Dopey you've ever seen!"

"That's the spirit, Karen-chan!"

After the chatter has faded, Junna continues.

"Right. Aijou Karen as Dopey. Kagura Hikari as Sleepy-"

"Also accurate."

"Though she's been getting better recently!" Mahiru defends her roommate.

At this point, Junna just sneaks in reading the roles whenever there's a break in the teasing conversation.

"Tsuyuzaki Mahiru as Bashful."

"Yup. Perfect."

"She really is bashful! And humble too!"

"E-Eh? I wouldn't say so…"

"Myself-" Junna interjects. "As Doc."

"Cuz you're always in charge and looking out for everyone~" Nana hums.

Junna blushes a little and reads on.

"Daiba Nana as Happy."

"Yes! Banana always has a smile on!"

"Oui. And she makes the people around her happy, too."

"Ehehe! Bananice!"

"Next, Isurugi Futaba as Sneezy."

"Now this one's a bit odd."

"Yeah. It's not like Futaba-chan ever catches colds or anything."

"Guys-" Junna sighs. "You do realize these are just roles in a play, right?"

"Seriously!" Futaba grunts. "It's gonna be a pain in the ass to have to pretend to be sneezing every five seconds onstage. Though I guess all the moaning and sniffling will be easy. I'll just have Kaoruko train me."

"Hey! What was that?"

"Speaking of Hanayagi Kaoruko," Junna goes on. "She will be portraying Grumpy."

"Ah."

"Nice."

"Perfect fit."

"Hey!"

Another round of laugher goes up before Junna is finally able to read off the last few roles.

"Saijou Claudine will be playing our lead heroine, Snow White."

"Yay, Kuro-chan!"

"I can't wait!"

"You'll be perfect!"

Claudine dips her head modestly.

"I'll do my best to portray this new, more independent version of her."

"I'm certain you'll be absolutely wonderful," Maya smiles.

"And Tendo-san," Junna says. "Will be playing Prince Charming."

"Oooh, such a good cast for the main couple!"

"I'm sure it'll be lovely!"

"Just one thing," Junna says to Maya. "Nana and I were just talking with some of the other script writers, and we wanted to ask if you'd be all right with us having your character be female instead."

"I don't mind," Maya smiles. "After all, gender or lack thereof does not determine much of anything. The soul of the character will remain the same."

"Great! We're glad you're okay with the change."

"So then," Nana says. "Our Princess Charming will be played by Maya-chan!"

With the cast all read off now, the girls give a brief applause. But Claudine realizes one role in particular hadn't been mentioned, so she raises her hand slightly to address it.

"What about the villain? There's a witch, isn't there?"

"Ah, right," Junna says. "Actually, in this version we changed it to a warlock. We've decided not to give him a representation with an actor. He'll be mostly shadow props, and his lines and actions will be narrated. This way the audience can imagine him however they like."

"Ah, I see."

"I like that," Futaba says. "Gives more attention to the good guys and their story instead of whatever crap the villain has going on."

"Our thoughts exactly," Junna agrees. "So with that I'll give a synopsis of the play.

"Unlike the original version, Snow White has a wicked step-father in this play, who also dabbles in forbidden magic, making him a warlock. Snow White's mother dies in her sleep just a few months after marrying the warlock, and it's left to the reader's interpretation that he might've poisoned her somehow. The warlock fell in love with Snow White when she was very young, and wanted to raise her himself so he could one day marry her, too."

"Guh-"

"Creep."

"Such are the traits of a villain," Junna agrees. "Now, also new to this script is the fact that Snow White and Princess Charming don't have such a shallow relationship as the original characters do. They're actually childhood friends who fall in love early on.

"When they're teenagers, the warlock discovers they have feeling for one another, and he tries to kill the Princess. She and Snow White manage to escape the castle and flee into the woods, where they encounter the seven Dwarfettes, who take them into hiding.

"The nine of them live together for a while, with the girls able to help with and accomplish tasks the smaller Dwarfettes always struggled with, and vice-versa. They all form a strong bond, and the Dwarfettes eventually agree to throw a wedding for Snow White and the Princess.

"But of course the warlock is still searching for them. The only reason he can't find them is because the Dwarfettes' cottage is protected by magic. But the Princess has an insatiable love for fruit, and always ventures out into the orchard to eat the apples fresh off the trees. Seeing her one day, the warlock decides to poison every tree in the orchard, hoping to kill the Princess and upset Snow White so terribly that she has no choice but to return home to him and marry him.

"The next morning, when the Princess ventures to the orchard, Snow White accompanies her. And Snow White can tell something is off with the apples, so she insists she try one first. When she does, she collapses into a state of near-death right before the Princess' eyes."

Junna pauses to let everyone absorb the story. Their expressions have become all sorts of enticed and interested and angered.

"Oh no!" Karen wails. "It's one thing for Snow White to fall asleep on her own, but for it to happen right in front of her fiancee's eyes?!"

"That makes it all the more poignant," Hikari says. "The Princess knows that would've been her fate if not for Snow White looking out for her."

"It's so much more emotional," Mahiru adds. "To have the one you love suffer such a fate right in front of your eyes, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Precisely," Junna says. "But of course this play has a happy ending. It just doesn't involve some random prince coming along and kissing a sleeping girl he doesn't even know without her permission, and then having them instantly fall in love without any prior relationship whatsoever."

"My, my," Kaoruko hums. "Someone has very strong feelings about this."

"Anyway…" Junna says, reeling herself in. "To continue, the Princess doesn't know anything about how to break the curse. All she knows is that Snow White isn't dead quite yet, but if she doesn't wake again soon, her body will naturally shut down before long.

"She carries Snow White to their bed in the cottage, where the Dwarfettes try all sorts of magic to heal her. They each try in turn, casting their own unique spells, for hours and hours, for days and nights. And all the while the Princess stays with Snow White, holding her hand and talking to her, telling her how much she loves her. When the Dwarfettes have all tried and failed to wake Snow White, the seven of them come together to cast a spell, pouring all of their magics together. But even that doesn't work.

"By then, the Princess can tell that Snow White is about to die. She kisses her to say goodbye, swearing she will love her and only her for the rest of her life. But what they didn't know was that their efforts had been working, little by little. Each of the Dwarfettes' spells, and all of the Princess' support made Snow White stronger and brought her closer back to waking. And the final push she needed was her beloved's kiss, which should have been a kiss of farewell. But instead, that kiss breaks the curse and Snow White wakes.

"Everyone rejoices, and once she's had some time to recover, Snow White and the Princess are eventually married. As for the warlock, all of the poison in the orchard that wasn't consumed flows back to him, and kills him. Hence, Snow White and Princess Charming inherit the castle and the thrown, and live happily ever after with their seven friends."

Junna finishes, and everyone gives a brief round of applause.

"I love it!"

"Very refreshing, indeed."

"Agreed," Claudine nods. "Now I'm even more determined to make this the best Snow White anyone has ever seen."

"It focuses not only on the central relationship," Maya says. "Which, as Hoshimi-san mentioned, is very justified in this version. But it also highlights the individual charm of each of the Dwarfettes as they cast their spells. It also adds plenty of depth to Snow White's character for putting her own life on the line for her beloved."

"And," Claudine adds on. "Don't leave out the Princess. Only because she knew Snow White so well and for so long, and only because they'd shared so many experiences could she stay by her side and talk to her while she was poisoned. Even when the Dwarfettes had to pause their spells or got tired, the Princess never left Snow White for a second. I'm sure that being aware that she had that constant and unwavering support is what brought Snow White to finally wake in the end."

All in all, the nine of them are very happy with the script and story, and they're very eager to get started rehearsing lines and scenes.

"All right then," Junna says. "That's all for the read-through. Let's get to work."

"Right!"

The girls stand from their chairs and bring their scripts along with them as they break into groups.

For the remainder of the afternoon, the usual liveliness fills the rehearsal room, and all of the nearby studios and rooms used for props and costumes. Even after school hours are officially over, the nine actresses stay late to continue practicing.

Naturally, the two leads want to stay even longer after that; not just because they are the leads, but simply because it's who they are as people. But eventually, as each of their friends drops hints that it's time to pack up and go, even Maya and Claudine agree to retire for the evening.

Taking their scripts with them, the nine girls head back to Starlight Hall together, chatting about the play all the while. It's the main topic for discussion at dinner too, and in the showers, and afterward as well. And it's all they can talk about all the way back to their rooms until they've wished each other goodnight.

Maya and Claudine are the last two out in the hallways before curfew, lingering outside their respective doors.

"Splendid work today, as always, Saijou-san," Maya says, dipping her head.

"Same to you. You'll make a fine Princess Charming, Tendo Maya."

"I very much anticipate performing these roles together with you. The story of overcoming all odds thanks to an unbreakable bond of friendship and love is simply beautiful, wouldn't you say?"

"Are you sure you're not just excited about the kiss scene?"

"Perhaps, I may be looking forward to that just a little."

"Mechante va."

The two of them check to ensure they are alone first before coming together for a brief kiss. As they part, Maya sighs blissfully.

"Saijou-san, may I perhaps accompany you again tonight?"

"If we keep doing this, we'll never be able to sleep alone again, you know."

"So long as we have each other, that shouldn't ever be a problem, no?"

Claudine rolls her eyes.

"Fine. Come in before I change my mind." She opens her door, and Maya happily follows her inside.

They settle down for bed together and murmur wishes of goodnight.

When the time of their performance arrives, the feelings of love and intimacy they'll have to convey certainly won't be an act at all.


A/N: Setup for the play! It was so much fun to assign the roles of Dwarfettes to the girls haha! Just Futaba doesn't make a lot of sense sadly, she was the odd one out lol

And there actually is an all-girls telling of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves that I loosely based this idea off of! It was a cartoon film my grandmother showed me as a kid called Happily Ever After (though it's nothing like the original, or what I have planned for this story ahah, I just took the all-girls idea, except for the prince, but nothing more. It was pretty interesting though and I remember it to this day!)

Please review!