Time and Tides Archives

Celes had been wandering Figaro that day, though as soon as the pink hue had touched the skylights, she'd watched it. The light grew, harsher and brighter, until she had to look away. The light... so familiar she could almost place it... and then nothing. She blinked, startled to discover herself in Alexandria. Why was she here? How was she here?

She looked around, wondering where everyone was. Pushing other thoughts out of her mind for a while so as not to dwell on them, she hurried forward, where she could just make out the presence of a familiar suit of armor.

"...Steiner?"

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Palom had no idea what in the world had just happened. He was never one to really rise with the sun - that was always Porom - but the pink light just couldn't be ignored. He had almost hoped it was a way home.

But this new place was one he had never seen before, even now that he was on Gaia. "You've got to be kidding me..."

He turned slowly, trying to find anything he recognized before he at least found two living souls. Well. One dude in bad armor and one rather hot lady. This could turn out to be a better day after all.

"Hey! Either of you know what's going on?"

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Behind him, the orchestra played rousing music, and the cheers of the raucous crowd drifted up from below. None of that registered to Steiner, however. He was frantic, because the princess had gone missing. And then he saw her, a hooded figure on the opposite battlement. Curses! He was on the wrong tower!

"Princess!"

She'd climbed up onto the wall. In a horrifying moment that seemed to last forever in Steiner's eyes, he watched Princess Garnet let herself fall. He watched her dip gracefully, seeming to embrace the sky and the inevitable death that awaited her.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! PRINCESS!!!!!!!!"

Sparks flew off his armour as he practically threw himself onto the battlement, almost falling off himself. Wait! She'd grabbed onto the line of bunting, using them to swing from the tower. Of course, that had been her only way to flee, to escape from the accursed brigand still chasing her. Well. There was only one thing for it.

Steiner would have to do the same.

He climbed up onto the parapet, ready to throw himself off.

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Celes blew out an impatient breath as she tried to get her bearings. What on earth was going on? Steiner's cries captured her attention easily and she turned to face him. A weary, annoyed sigh escaped her, turning into a surprised noise that was half fear and half anger.

He was throwing himself from the battlement? Could one person be so stupid?!

Of course, she didn't know him well enough to know what or who he was chasing after, but she hurried forward anyway, stopping only long enough to glance at the other person walking up.

"Steiner's trying to show us how fast a suit of armor falls," she snapped in response. "Steiner! You're going to fall!"

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Palom followed Celes without question at first. He really didn't need some crazy guy throwing himself off some castle tower, no matter how crazy he was.

"You've gotta be kidding me..."

It was his turn to just sigh. Why did people act so stupid? There was no reason to want to throw yourself off of anything, let alone in a suit of armor.

"Hey, rustbucket! Get down!"

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Luckily for Steiner, at that moment he snapped out of the memory. He blinked in confusion, looking back at Celes and Palom. How-

He wobbled. He was teetering on the edge, and that one slight movement had unbalanced him. Steiner cried out and windmilled his arms furiously before crashing back down in a heap on the tower.

He'd fallen the right way, but may have squashed a certain general or mage in the process...

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Well at least whoever this was had decided to help her try to get Steiner back to his senses. The windmilling arms were a bit hilarious and had Celes not suddenly been really agitated, she probably would have laughed. As it was, she had just enough time to register that he was really falling towards her before she had to reach up to break his fall.

She was just lucky she had so much strength and training. Anchoring her feet into the cavern floor as much as she could, she threw her weight into catching Steiner, bending her legs to hold as much of his weight as she could. Eventually, even this tactic didn't spare him from landing on the ground. At least his impact wasn't as bad as it could have been.

And Celes herself escaped most of the damage she otherwise would have taken... It was more that she had to let him go and hope he didn't land on her feet. The important thing was that he hadn't made a huge clang when he landed. Hopefully, no one else would have heard them if there were others around the area.

"Come on, let's get going," she grumbled.

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The black mage closed his eyes, shaking his head. If this experience wasn't going to kill them, some ridiculous knight would!

"Make sure he's not going to fall on us again, will you?" He said to Celes, then turned, walking a few more steps.

The scenery changed around him. No longer were they in Alexandria Castle, but in the Lodestone Cavern. More specifically, the Crystal Chamber. He continues to walk forward.

"What in the..."

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Steiner had accumulated his fair share of undignified experiences, but almost squashing General Celes flat had to rank up there. Amazingly, she caught him and Steiner tipped forward in a heap to land with not so much a clang as a deflated sigh.

"General," he croaked. "M-my apologies..."

He sprang up as fast as he was able, only to find the scenery changing around them. The castle had vanished, to be replaced by an unfamiliar cavern. This was all too quick for Steiner to process. He simply stared.

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Celes merely sighed wearily at Steiner. "Just... try not to kill yourself. Beatrix would have my head if something happened." Which was putting it lightly, but was all she could say at the moment.

The scenery change was met with a quirk of her eyebrows. Only one place had ever made something like this happen and she'd never wanted to experience this again. She swore softly.

"Come on, Memoria. Get this over with."

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Palom walked forward, staring at the Earth Crystal as it shimmered within its place on the dais. There was a sudden chill in the air, one that he remembered well.

"Shiva! That must mean...!"

Palom turned, Leonora having appeared behind him. He quickly moved around her, coming to a stop in front of the robed girl. He would protect her, if need be. In their short time together, Leonora had become a constant, someone who he could rely on. There were few people he trusted like that, so he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Who he thought to be Rydia was someone else. As this new girl walked forward, Palom pushed himself and Leonora back. "Who are you?!"

The girl gave no names or introductions, but simply held out a hand. "Give me the Crystal."

At that, the black mage pushed himself and Leonora back to the steps of the dais where the Crystal lay. "...You aren't from Baron."

The girl moved forward, looking unimpressed at Palom's display of bravery. "Didn't you hear me? Give me the Crystal."

"What happened to Cecil?" He was trying to stall this girl so he could come up with anything... any plan that would save both Leonora and the Crystal in the process.

"I don't need to answer that. If you won't give it to me, I will take it by force."

Palom frowned, his eyes narrowing. "We'll see about that."

Once again, the girl looked unimpressed. "For a specimen of an inferior species, you seem to have some measure of good judgment... But you fail to realize the gap between your power and mine."

Before he could even respond to the girl's words, he felt Leonora move from behind him, taking the Crystal. "Palom!"

Palom lowered his voice so only Leonora could hear. "Give me the Crystal and get out of here."

He could hear the shock in her words. "I-I can't...!"

"You're my student, right?"

Leonora lowered her head. "But..."

"Don't worry about me. I've got the perfect plan." It was the only logical one. It would save the crystal from this lunatic of a girl, and it would get Leonora out of there safely.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Trust me."

Leonora slid the crystal into Palom's hand, and he raised it above his head. "Now! Leonora, go!"

She faded from view behind him.

The mysterious girl spoke up once more. "Finally ready to hand over the Crystal now?"

"You said I was one of an inferior species, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Well, you're about to be outfoxed by someone of that species... right before your eyes!"

The girl moved closer. "What do you mean?"

"I mean this." And then mentally prepared himself. "Break!"

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"Memoria?" Realisation dawned. "Oh..."

When Palom started talking to himself, Steiner knew what was happening. He was experiencing a memory too. Steiner took a step sideways, in front of Celes.

"You should stay back," he warned her. "You never know what he might do!"

Like try to jump off a tower. The boy couldn't very well do that in a cave, but as long as he was blind to their presence, they needed to keep their distance.

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Like Steiner, Celes couldn't really tell what was happening, but she knew enough about Memoria from last time to realize what their situation was. She rolled her eyes at Steiner's display of protectiveness, folding her arms over her chest and going with it for now. She could take care of herself and they all knew it. Well, Steiner did at least.

Refraining from commenting, she simply watched their companion act out whatever scene this was, listening to him to be sure he wouldn't do anything stupid, too.

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No sooner did he cast Break did the crystal vanish from his hand and the mysterious girl faded from sight. He remembered the rest of that memory clearly, with Leonora coming back to defend him, and then Shiva-

His arm lowered slowly, with the Black Mage shaking his head. "I don't like this."

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Steiner too watched until it seemed that the boy had snapped out of it. He shook his head in agreement.

"Memoria can be disconcerting. We should move on at once. The sooner we move, the sooner we'll find the exit."

He glanced at Celes, as if waiting for her approval. This was pretty much unconscious on Steiner's part, but she did remind him a lot of Beatrix.

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Celes was just glad both of her companions were back to normal. Knowing that if this place was going to take on its normal due, then she was up for her turn. It was a turn she didn't want to take.

"It's stupid," she grumbled, nodding at Steiner. "Let's go."

Unfortunately, she hadn't gone very far at all when the scenery faded again, bringing up a most unwelcome picture. Celes blinked once, her breath catching in her throat. That... no... it couldn't be... the Floating Continent!?

It appeared they were now on a rather large landmass that was currently floating far above both mainland and the oceans. Celes was no longer paying attention to how far up they were now, or how precarious their position suddenly was. All she was focused on were the familiar figures ahead.

The statues of the Warring Triad could be seen in the distance, behind three of her friends: Terra, Locke, and Edgar. Between the friends and the statues, the figures of Emperor Gestahl and Kefka could be seen. Kefka's robes were unmistakable. Celes felt her blood boil at the sight.

"No," she whispered, running forward to put herself between Kefka and her friends.

"Celes! Welcome back!" Gestahl told her as she moved up.

Knowing they thought she would help them once again, she stood her ground, head held high. "I came to stop you!"

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Once again, it was a place Palom didn't know. Frankly, he was getting sick of this planet's games, and all he wanted to do was get back home and see if the others were okay. Reliving memories was just something he didn't like to do.

As Celes stepped forward, the black mage stepped back. The trick was to not get involved in the memory, and he was quite fine with that.

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Steiner gaped at their new location. They were floating! He'd visited Chocobo's Air Garden, yes, but that was rather small compared to this. He would have taken the time to look around, but then something else distracted him.

Steiner saw all three of Celes' friends as well as Kefka. If he'd thought about it, he would have realised that this was Celes' memory. However, he'd seen nothing of what Palom had experienced and thus didn't expect to see Celes' memory either. The sight of Kefka was like a red rag to a bull for Steiner, and he rushed forward along with Celes, raising his sword.

"Kefka!"

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Neither Kefka nor Celes responded to Steiner's charge. Both were intent on each other with the Emperor also focused on Celes.

"Fwa, ha ha..." Gestahl laughed. "Then you're just in time to perish. Behold! The statues!"

Celes gasped as the Statues began to glow, sparkles of energy flying between them. As the Emperor turned towards them, some of that energy flew towards him. Celes knew he was absorbing the power and that the process he had begun needed to be stopped.

"Oh, I've got goosebumps!" Gestahl cackled, facing Celes again. "What power..."

"Emperor Gestahl!" Celes cried, desperate to get him to see reason. "Please, stop this madness!" It was insanity and the whole world would suffer for it!

The energy between the Statues converged and then struck out, slicing towards Celes and knocking her sideways. She fell to the ground far to the side, thrust away with the force of the Statues' power. More of that energy gathered, striking each of her friends in turn and holding them in place. Scrambling to find purchase against the rough edges of the continent, Celes wondered why she hadn't been frozen in place as well. Of course, Kefka and Gestahl probably wanted to use her for something. But what? And why? Didn't they know her alliance by now?

Standing and shaking herself off, Celes moved back in front of her friends, facing Kefka and the Emperor.

"Celes," Gestahl called, "come to me, my pretty!"

She cringed inwardly at his choice of words.

"You and Kefka were given life to serve me!! It is your birthright to rule the world with me!!"

Kefka moved to face her evenly. "Kill the others and we'll overlook your treachery." He laughed and she knew his deal wasn't a good one. They wouldn't believe her even if she was tempted to rejoin them.

"Take this sword! Take care of them immediately!"

Kefka held Gestahl's sword out to her. Celes took a deep breath and walked forward, accepting the hilt of the sword. She resisted the urge to yank it from his hands and slice them open. No... not yet. She turned and strode back to her friends, thinking about the best way to do this, the right way to show Kefka and Gestahl what they should have known already.

She couldn't see Gestahl move towards the Statues again as he spoke. "Celes, together we can rule an entire world! Think of it...!"

Celes raised the sword in her hand, turning it over so that the blade caught the light of the Statues' energy. "Power only breeds war. I wish I'd never been... born."

Without waiting another instant longer, she moved the sword over to her left hand. In one swift motion, she turned and struck, stabbing the sword deep into Kefka's side and knocking him backwards. Thus did she show her true alliance. She would never be a blind minion of the Empire ever again. She fought for her friends and she would give anything to make sure they, and their world, were safe.

With her sword still stuck deep within Kefka's body, the memory faded, leaving Celes to blink and wonder at something that had happened so long ago.

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He didn't know who this Kefka person was, but he had already decided on one thing - that was a stupid name. Kefka? Really? It was ridiculous!

The sword came out,and Palom wondered what she was really seeing. Was it a battle, much like his had been? Maybe they were more connected than he had originally thought.

"Well. That was climactic."

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Steiner soon realised that this was another memory. If Celes' lack of reaction didn't give it away, the inconstancy of the scene did. Kefka flickered in and out of sight, and Steiner glimpsed another man as the statues began to glow too. It was like trying to listen to someone over a raging wind; he could only hear snatches of the conversation.

He heard Gestahl say that both Celes and Kefka were given life to serve him, and stared at Celes in shock. "Celes..."

The memory ended with the general rejecting the offer in the most dramatic way. It did give Steiner some satisfaction to see Kefka stabbed, even if it wasn't real.

"Hmph!" he said. "A fitting end for such a villain!"

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Celes rubbed her head with the hand that had been holding a sword not moments earlier. It had vanished along with their surroundings, but now she had the beginnings of a splitting headache and she was not looking forward to the end result. She'd forgotten that Steiner would have known Kefka. It seemed so long ago that the madman had actually existed within Gaia's realm.

She sighed and rubbed her hand this time. "He didn't die then," she muttered. "I'm not even sure if I meant to kill him then or not, but... he didn't die."

Instead, he'd caused an entire world to be reshaped, reformed. Lives had been lost... the world ruined. Celes' hands clenched together at the thought. Gaia help him if he ever showed his face around her again.

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"If he didn't die then, what was the point of trying?"

Sure, that was going to get someone angry with him, but the question was begging to be asked. If Celes didn't mean to kill him, then why did she even try?

The mage cocked an eyebrow up at Steiner's bravado. "Fitting end. Right."

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Steiner shot Palom an annoyed look. "Even if she did not succeed, that does not mean that it wasn't worth a try! Villains such as Kefka are like bad gil: they keep coming back. We can only strike down evil when we see it, and forever strive to put an end to it."

It was Kefka's name he had mentioned, but he could just as easily be talking about Garland. For how had they been trying to defeat him? For how long had Gaia suffered because of him? Much too long in Steiner's opinion, but if they gave up trying, they might as well give up their lives.

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