I'd have to go digging for the original source, but re: Cid's memories cutscene, I think I read an interview with Koji or someone else on the lore team that explained this scene is semi-metaphorical. It's not giving you an organised, literal peek into what happened in order; it's you travelling with him through the wreckage, like Anonymoose said, and explicit memories are woven into emotional impressions and the process of suturing things back together.