3(In which liberties are taken with game mechanics. Also there is a dinosaur.)
Storm Warning
There's no warning before the Tyrannosaur attacks - one moment Celes and Terra are cautiously making their way through the Dinosaur Forest, and in the next Celes is grabbing Terra around the waist and pulling her to the ground, the Tyrannosaur's massive claws cleaving the air where their heads had been only seconds ago.
"You ok?" Celes asks Terra breathlessly, and only receives a hurried nod in return. Above them the Tyrannosaur roars, clawing in frustration at the thick brush hiding the two women. Celes and Terra scurry through the underbrush as quietly as possible; though they are experienced fighters, even they would be ill-advised to take on a Tyrannosaur alone.
The monster pauses, and for a brief moment Celes dares to hope it's given up the chase - a hope that is quickly dashed as the air grows thick and soupy with magic.
"Meteor," Celes gasps, scrabbling frantically for her sword, knowing all the while she won't have the time to dispel the creature's magic.
Terra arches underneath Celes, the touch of her body shocking Celes like a thunderbolt. "Don't worry," Terra says, her soft, gentle voice laced with a deep and ancient power. "Stay close," she continues, and then Terra isn't Terra anymore, she's a star fallen to earth, a storm given form. Celes wraps her arms around Terra's waist and presses close, losing herself in the electric thrill of Terra's Trance.
The thick blanket of magic is heavy and oppressive around them. Terra raises her hands, and the magic parts for her, like the sun's rays burning through storm clouds. Celes feels the earth shake beneath them as Terra's Riot Blade bursts from the earth, encircling them protectively before the glittering blades take flight and shred the Tyrannosaur monster's hideous dying roar vibrates through the air; its fall makes the forest shake around them.
Celes looks to her friend, her body lit and glowing like the sun and crackling with an otherworldly power.
"You haven't been hurt, have you?" Terra asks, in that voice that is her own and not her own, her long, clawed fingers cupping Celes' face. Celes nods somewhat dreamily, intoxicated by the sensation of all that power thruming under Terra's skin, under Celes' hands.
Before she can think of what she's doing, Celes raises her face to Terra's and kisses her hard, her lips tingling like she's kissed the storm itself.