The days of glory are in the past. Among the tedious, unchanging days where only lives are lost through war between the stars. Looking up from the desolate Moon Empire – the "Empress" waits for someone. From "Performance Festival" Play - Act 5. 
(Part 1 and Part 2 of Arcana Arcadia Stage Girl bond stories are viewable in the Gallery under Arcana Arcadia - Intermission.)
My Empress
Frontier Student A:
...Okay, the waist is done.
Frontier Student B:
Let's move on to the inside leg.
Frontier Student A:
Stand still while I measure it.
Mei Fan:O-Okay!
Frontier Student B:
Here we go... Wow! Liu-san, your legs are so long!
Frontier Student A:
Wow, they really are! Everyone at Siegfeld is so stylish!
Mei Fan:M-Me stylish...?!
Frontier Student B:
Liu-san, please don't move!
Mei Fan:Ah...! Sorry!
Mei Fan:Oh, you can just call me Mei Fan by the way!
Frontier Student B:
Got it, Mei Fan-san.
Frontier Student B:
Well... Inside leg is... About this long.
Frontier Student A:
Let me write it down.
Frontier Student A:
That should do it. We've measured everything we need for the costume.
Frontier Student B:
Mei Fan-san, measurements are finished. Thank you for your patience.
Mei Fan:Thank you!
Frontier Student A:
We'll all work on your costume, so look forward to it!
Mei Fan:I'm already excited!
Mei Fan:...Preparations for the "Performance Festival" stage construction have finally started.
Frontier Student A:
That's exactly right!
Frontier Student B:
I-I'm a first year student, so I'm super nervous already...!
Mei Fan:So am I! I feel so honored being able to participate in such a long-standing tradition, but at the same time I feel so nervous!
Mei Fan:T-That's why...
Students:
Huh?
Mei Fan:Is it really okay for a first year student like me to perform in the festival...?
Mei Fan:I still can't believe they cast me as the "Empress" – it being such a powerful and important role...
Frontier Student A:
Stop! Stop!
Frontier Student A:
Didn't the production team tell you that not to let other people know your role until the script reading starts?
Frontier Student B:
You never know who's listening. Be careful!
Mei Fan:I-I almost forgot!
Mei Fan:That said...I don't feel confident about my role. And the fact that I can't discuss it with anyone doesn't help...
Frontier Student A:
Well, just trust the production team for now. I for one think it's an interesting idea.
Frontier Student B:
Me too! Not knowing what will happen adds to the excitement!
Frontier Student A:
Thinking about it too much won't help you. Work with what you have, as I'm sure the people backstage and the other performers are in the same position.
Mei Fan:Yeah, you're right.
Frontier Student A:
We'll make the coolest costume for you, so make sure you'll give your best as the "Empress"!
Frontier Student B:
Don't do anything to alter the measurements, all right? No binging and no diets allowed!
Mei Fan:I'll make sure to stick to my usual portions!
Mei Fan:Thank you so much for taking my measurements today!
Mei Fan:...Hmm...
Mei Fan:Can I really perform the "Empress" well...?
Mei Fan:......
Mei Fan:This is the first draft of the "Performance Festival" script. The title hasn't been decided yet...
Mei Fan:A play with a tarot card theme... A timeless epic consisting of six acts... That's all I know.
Mei Fan:It's so thick. I can only imagine how much the team has poured their souls in making it...
Mei Fan:The "Empress" makes her appearance in the fifth act. The stage is set in a far away future where a war has taken place between the Moon and the Earth...
Mei Fan:"...And so it is that another night has passed..."
Mei Fan:"The pouring light is dim, and the wind feels stale."
Mei Fan:"Yet another day has passed where many old warriors have lost their lives on the battlefield. New warriors will take their places today."
Mei Fan:"I cannot remember when this war started... I can't see when it will end..."
Mei Fan:"And yet I put on my crimson dress, and wear this golden crown..."
Mei Fan:"I see the flashing lights of the cannons around the Moon's orbit as usual. I did so yesterday and I will do so tomorrow, for who knows how much longer."
Mei Fan:"When did this war start...?"
Mei Fan:"How much longer will I have to wait on this throne for 'someone'...?"
Mei Fan:Whew...
Mei Fan:The "Empress" awaits for "someone" on the throne of a lunar empire ravaged by war... That's my role.
Mei Fan:No matter how many times I read the script, I can't wrap my head around it.
Mei Fan:All her lines feel pompous and grave...
Mei Fan:I feel that her role is too much for me...
Mei Fan:The Empress's upright position means prosperity, fertility, marriage, and womanly charm.
Mei Fan:Its reversed position means waste, futility, breaking off an engagement.
Mei Fan:Breaking off an engagement...
Mei Fan:How am I supposed to express that in my role...?
Mei Fan:*sigh* If only I could ask Yachiyo for advice...
Mei Fan:I know I'm not supposed to talk about my role, but I feel this is just too much for me.
Mei Fan:......
Mei Fan:...!
Mei Fan:......!
Mei Fan:W-Wait! I know a way.
Mei Fan:I know exactly who I can model my role after...
Mei Fan:And she's perfect!
Mei Fan:Okay, off to rehearsals!
For Whom the Throne Stands
Mei Fan:"...And so it is that another night has passed..."
Mei Fan:"The pouring light is dim, and the wind feels stale."
Mei Fan:"Yet another day has passed where many old warriors have lost their lives on the battlefield. New warriors will take their places today."
Mei Fan:Whew... Yes, that felt right. I feel more confident in my role now!
Mei Fan:When I heard "Empress", I thought of Wu Zetian.
Mei Fan:Empress Dowager Cixi and Empress Zhangsun would have been a good reference for my role too, but then...
Mei Fan:I remembered that there's an even better model here in Siegfeld.
Mei Fan:An absolute ruler who stands on top... Our king – Frau Platin, Akira Yukishiro!
Mei Fan:I was right in thinking Akira-san's acting would be a perfect example to model my role after.
Mei Fan:If I keep practicing, I'm sure I'll—
Michiru:Be able to act exactly like Akira?
Mei Fan:Eek! M-Michiru-san?! How long have you been there?!
Michiru:Heh heh. Guess.
Mei Fan:Don't tell me you heard everything...
Michiru:Let's just say I didn't hear everything, nor was I trying to.
Michiru:After all, we aren't supposed to know which roles we're playing for the Performance Festival, right?
Mei Fan:R-Right...!
Mei Fan:And yet... I just couldn't wrap around my head around my role without discussing it with someone...
Mei Fan:So after many tries, I came up with an idea.
Michiru:I see.
Michiru:And that is...
Michiru:To imitate Akira?
Mei Fan:Yes, exactly. Wait, what?
Michiru:Isn't that what you're trying to do?
Mei Fan:N-No, I could never...
Mei Fan:...
Mei Fan:I-Is that how it sounded?
Michiru:To me at least.
Mei Fan:...!
Mei Fan:I-I...
Michiru:Mei Fan...
Michiru:I know it's hard to act without having any hints. That's why it's good to find one yourself.
Michiru:That said, this first draft of the script is filled with passion and challenges.
Michiru:Even in its rough form, it's still an amazing script. That's what I think.
Mei Fan:So do I...
Michiru:I don't know which role you're playing, but...considering your lines and actions, the card's upright and reserved positions...
Michiru:There should already be plenty of hints to help you create your role.
Michiru:With all that said, do you think it's a good fit to model your role specifically after someone..?
Mei Fan:...! That's...
Michiru:Both the production team and the screenwriting team are composed of elite students from different schools, right?
Mei Fan:Yes!
Michiru:And they chose YOU for that role...
Michiru:They chose Liu Mei Fan, rather than Akira Yukishiro.
Mei Fan:...!!
Michiru:I think you should keep that in mind too.
Michiru:In the end, you might end up with a performance that resembles Akira's...
Michiru:But pointing in that direction from the start, and arriving at that spot through trial and error while finding your own path are two different things.
Mei Fan:Finding my own...path...
Michiru:Exactly – the role within yourself.
Michiru:I want you to find it, and I know that you can do it...
Michiru:That's why I casted you.
Mei Fan:...!!
Michiru:We are the Edels – five students chosen from all the students in Siegfeld.
Michiru:We stand on stage carrying a responsibility – something that all the students who weren't given that chance entrusted us with.
Michiru:So please...
Mei Fan:Y-You're right...
Mei Fan:I-I'm sorry...
Mei Fan:...I was so stupid!
Mei Fan:I chose the easiest path without even realizing that...!
Mei Fan:I...am still so immature.
Michiru:Mei Fan...
Mei Fan:I still don't...understand...!
Mei Fan:Ah...!
Mei Fan:"And yet I put on my crimson dress, and wear this golden crown..."
Mei Fan:Those words – they're not something someone who doesn't understand would say.
Mei Fan:They're something someone who understands their own ignorance would say. You can feel their resignation...
Mei Fan:They're not something someone powerless would say.
Mei Fan:They're something someone who understands their own powerlessness would say. That's why they try their hardest to do what they can...
Mei Fan:...
Mei Fan:Her lines feel pompous and grave...
Mei Fan:And yet, she knows she's powerless and laments this... She struggles to change her position.
Mei Fan:Is this... Is this how I'm supposed to perform the "Empress"...?!
Michiru:Mei Fan?
Mei Fan:Huh? Ah, it's nothing...!
Mei Fan:...Thank you so much, Michiru-san. I had it all wrong.
Mei Fan:I focused too much on her position as "Empress" without properly reading her lines.
Mei Fan:I didn't see the conflict and hesitation hidden underneath her words...
Michiru:Mei Fan...
Mei Fan:Like you said, all the hints I needed were in the script...
Michiru:...Maybe it was none of my business.
Mei Fan:Not at all! If you hadn't stepped in, I would've gone astray.
Mei Fan:I feel that I know where I should head now.
Mei Fan:I can see my own path!
Michiru:Heh heh... And that's why you're Frau Rubin.
Mei Fan:Yes!
Mei Fan:I can finally confront the "Empress" thanks to you.
Mei Fan:That said, I wonder how many more times I will be able to receive your advice...
Mei Fan:One day, the "king" will no longer be there.
Mei Fan:We won't be able to stand on the same stage together as Edels many more times.
Mei Fan:I can't keep on running after you all.
Mei Fan:I have to perform on stage without any regrets...
Mei Fan:I will find her. I will find the "Empress" within me!
Mei Fan:Did I capture her dignity and beauty well?
Mei Fan:The "Empress" isn't just strong and beautiful – and that's why she's so charming.
Mei Fan:She's beautiful, majestic and dignified, but also... sad at times.
Mei Fan:By unravelling her sadness, I can perform an "Empress" that's my own!