Epilogue: The Capacity for Strength

It was six months after the death of Maria Rose. Those that knew her, the exception being Polendina and Sun, were gathered in the graveyard, watching a closed casket funeral. No one wanted to look at the grave or the picture.

The picture showed Maria looking at the camera, giving it quite the obscene gesture. The only other picture that Tai had of her at this age was her flashing the camera, so that was most certainly out. At least this one had her smiling.

The casket was closed. Obviously, there was no body to place in the casket, as Polendina had told them in person that Maria had died. The only reason they had waited six months to have the funeral was because they all had conflicting schedules and Glynda and Oobleck needing to gain passports to travel to this part of Vale. But, it was symbolic all the same.

"I didn't even get to tell her the truth about who I was," Glynda sighed, holding her riding crop gingerly.

"I still don't understand how someone like her could have come from someone like you and Master Tai over there," Oobleck glanced between the two of them.

"She's quite the opposite of her grandmother," Tai sighed, clenching his fists. "Why? Why must so many of us die so young?"

"We've lost Summer, Carmine II, Vernal…" Raven muttered quietly.

"And, now Maria." Glynda finished. "It's hard to look at your brat, knowing that it came from your loins and that she acts like a delinquent."

"She had a good heart," Robyn hugged Fiona. "She was one of the kindest people I've ever known."

Fiona said nothing, unable to get any words out with her crying. Even six months later, it was still sad, the death of their closest friend. Tai put a hand around both of them, holding him like he'd held his own son years ago.

"Damn that Cinder Fall," Raven said. Everyone turned to look at her in confusion. "If she hadn't entered Summer's life, we wouldn't be here right now, mourning the death of one so young. If she hadn't put on that damn mask..."

"If she hadn't, Summer would never have gained the strength and resolve to destroy the mask there," Glynda put a hand on her shoulder. "And, I would never have lived."

"You nearly died solely because Cinder Fall made one last attempt at revenge on Summer, in an attempt to take her body."

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that fate has led us to this point. We are no masters of fate, only its occupants. Anyone who tries to change their fate is foolish. Summer, Carmine II, and Maria all died protecting their loved ones from the demons that came from those Grimmlords."

"I still cannot believe you didn't tell me about all this," Tai looked at the two of them.

"It was Maria's instructions," Raven sighed. "She told me not to. She didn't want you to worry about her. She knows about her blood's curse, the Silver Eyed Curse. She has Summer's blood in her. She had the noble heart to stand up for what was right."

"I still can't believe that we lived long enough to see three generations of Roses die here." Coco clenched her fists. "Why? Why must fate be so cruel?"

"At least we have each other," Glynda sighed. "I know it's hard now. I buried both my husband and my daughter today. I feel as if I have no place in this family. I brought her death upon her. I didn't consider the possibility that Salem could have tricked me."

"Maria was going to fight her anyway," Raven looked at her. "Her blood would have called her to fight whether she wanted to or not."

"Speaking of Salem… did your organization look at that mural on the wall at that school there?"

"We studied it and last week we came to some sort of conclusion," Velvet spoke up. "Hypothetical, you understand. From what we could deduce, the Grimmlords' species worshiped that stone. It was said to come from another planet. The dagger seems to be linked with some ritual unlike the mask. It seems to be able to draw power from a person, but without the actual dagger, we don't know if the images are literal or figurative. Whatever it is, it would probably be dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands."

"Have you gotten any leads on where it is?"

"Not yet. We're looking, but nothing has come up as of yet."

"Good to know. Well, you know how to reach me if you need an Aura Master."

"Speaking of which, we may need you to help us fully destroy Tyrian, the fourth of the Grimmlords."

"There was a fourth?"

"Yes, but Maria defeated him before she began her training with you. We have him under surveillance, but it doesn't hurt to take precautions and just kill him."

"I can be there next week," Glynda nodded.

They all sat in silence, just watching the grave. It was quiet in the afternoon, their group being the only ones there at the moment. Glynda let a tear flow as she looked at the grave.

"I can't believe I've had to bury three of my pupils. They were supposed to succeed me, like Lionheart did for Ozma… but, you know, without the whole putting on the mask and going crazy thing."

"Maria would never do that," Tai laughed. "She's vain, but she's not vain enough to give up sun tanning."

They all laughed, none of them noticing the car pull up to the funeral area. It was pretty nondescript, simply being a red color. The three occupants got out, the tallest cracking her neck. She sauntered over to the group, looking around to see what was going on. Despite being the tallest of the group, not a single soul noticed her. That wouldn't do. She looked over to Tai, walking up behind him.

"Gueeeeeeess whoooooo?" She said in her sing-song voice, covering his eyes.

Everyone froze, turning to look at the speaker. The attendants in charge of the funeral procession walked over to her and grabbed her.

"Hey, let me go, you assholes!" She said, throwing one over her shoulder before tackling the other to the ground, beginning to punch him in the face. "Next you'll say 'Please stop hitting me!'"

"Please stop hitting me!" The man begged, trying to cover his face to shield him from the woman's blows. The other attendant grabbed her from behind once again, pulling her off of him. She growled, elbowing him in the stomach and bringing her elbow down on his head.

With them down, she turned to Tai and the rest.

"Man, those guys were assholes. So, what are you all doing here? Someone die?"

"M-M-Maria," Robyn whispered.

"What is with you guys?" Maria rubbed the back of her head. "I mean, seriously you look as if you've seen a ghost or something."

It was at that moment that Maria looked at the picture next to the headstone, and the headstone. The picture was her and the gravestone read "Maria Calavera Rose: beloved daughter, granddaughter, and friend. Missed till the end of the world".

"Wait, what?" The silver eyed woman looked at the headstone in confusion. "You had a funeral… for me? Whaaaaaaaat!? You thought I died?!"

"Polendina told us herself," Raven stood, walking over to her. "Of course we'd believe her."

"Well, I'm not mad at Polendina," Maria waved at them. "After she fixed up my hand, Atlas was marching to war, so I can't blame her for having no time to alert you guys. However, there's someone else I have to have words with."

"Jeez, Maria, you ran over here pretty quick," Sun ran over. "Why didn't you wait for me?"

"Sun," Maria looked at the blonde man with a poorly concealed anger in her eyes. "Did you send them a message about me being alive?"

"Oh… Oh dear," Sun rubbed the back of his head nervously, giving a little chuckle. "Sorry, babe. Uh, I'll make it up to you?"

"They thought I was dead!" Maria pointed at the family. "You better hope Dawn's busy with her job or else you'll be in the doghouse while she takes the bed!"

"Maria, tell us what's going on." Raven said. "Tell us how you survived that strange place."

"Well, it's a bit of a story," Maria turned to face Raven. "Apparently, when I was falling on that rock to the center of the planet, Salem had made it down first. Her entry into the core sent out a shockwave due to her gravity powers. I was sent upward, the rock I was on shooting me up to the surface. When I woke up, I made my way to the base that Polendina mentioned. They called Polendina in to treat me. My hand had been crushed and ripped off so they replaced it with this model here."

"But, what about Sun?" Glynda interjected. "How does he fit into all this?"

"Well, I made it back to the island in Central Vale, meeting up with Sun. We got engaged and married and he was supposed to tell you guys, but his dumb ass forgot."

"That sounds like something that would happen to you," Tai sighed. "Well, I'm glad you're still with us. This is the happiest day of my life. I've got my whole family here."

"I missed you too, Grampa Tai," Maria threw her arms around the old man, squeezing him tightly. "And you, Coach. You're looking quite fine today."

"About that…" Glynda sighed. "Maria, there's something I've got to tell you."

"Oh god, they're fake aren't they?" Maria placed both hands on her cheeks.

"No," Glynda smacked her with her riding crop. "Maria… I'm your mother."

"Oh yeah right," Maria laughed, doubling over. "Oh, that's a good one. Next you'll tell me that my father secretly enjoyed moonlit walks in the nude."

"How did you know about that?" Glynda asked. Maria paused, looking up at her teacher.

"O-Oh god, you're serious," Maria took a step back. "Oh my god, oh my god."

"I understand this may take a bit of time to adjust to that knowledge, but I think in time—"

"My mom is so old!" Maria shrieked to the heavens. "Noooooo!"

"I'll forgive that because you're in shock," Glynda's eye twitched. "As well as your voyeurism back on my island."

"Oh… you knew about that?" Maria gulped.

"Well, when you said 'Jackpot! Goddamn, that's a good time. She looks fantastic. Gotta say, that Aura makes the body fine.', I could hear you very well."

"Oh god, I peeped in on my mother," Maria muttered into her hands. The children looked uncomfortable while Tai and Raven just sighed.

"Maria, we're going to have to work on that when we work on further Aura training."

"Noooo!" Maria screamed in a more terrified voice this time. "My least favorite word is work and my second least favorite is hard work!"

"It is moments like this when I wish we'd just gotten a dog," Glynda rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "Maria, you never know when there will arise another threat."

"There won't be," Maria pointed at her. "We destroyed the Grimmlords! There is nothing else that could come from that!"

"Good luck getting her to do anything," Tai sighed. "She's like that."

"I can tell," Glynda sighed.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, let's just discuss what we'll do now," Raven said. "Where do you plan to live, Glynn? I'm sure Vale won't worry about you being here."

"I think I'll stay here in Vale. I could use a change of scenery. Oobleck can maintain the island in my absence. I think that will work. Obviously, I will be keeping up with my training. Hopefully, my daughter can also do that."

"Nooooo, not more work! Please, make it stop! I wasn't made for this!"

Raven sighed, looking at her friends and family with a smile.

Tai

Taiyang Xiao Long Rose became an older man, passing on to be with his wife and son twenty years after this event. He was surrounded by his loved ones. He was missed, his life not passing on in vain.

Raven

Raven walked down the hall of the Branwen Foundation, her vision out of focus. When she looked up, she saw a face she didn't expect to see.

"Hey, Raven," Vernal took her hand. "It's so good to see you."

"V-Vernal? What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Raven, it's so good to see you!" A familiar silver eyed woman put her arm around Raven's shoulders.

"S-Summer? How are you here? Where am I?"

"You're with friends, Raven," Summer smiled. "Now, come on. Tai and Ozpin are waiting for us."

"But, I can't run like I used to."

"Oh, Raven, dear, you are like you used to be."

Raven looked down to see that she had become younger somehow. Her body looked like it had in that battle with Cinder, the prime of her youth. She put her arms around Summer and Vernal, hugging them close as they all walked forward into the patch of light in front of her where two more familiar faces waved at her.

"Miss Branwen!" The Branwen Foundation staff member found her lying on the ground, a smile on her face and a tear on her cheek. Immediately, Velvet was called as well as an ambulance. The EMT did what they could, but it was to no avail. The cause of death was reported to be a heart attack. She was sorely missed by her family and friends.

Polendina

Penny Polendina, mechanical soldier of the Atlesian army was a brave soldier. She never saw Maria again. She mysteriously disappeared during the Battle of Mantle and hasn't been seen again. Whether or not she is still alive is a mystery. However, that does not pertain to this story.

Robyn and Fiona

Robyn and Fiona are still an inseparable duo, never losing their sisterhood. Maria, Tai, Raven, and Glynda gave them all the love they could ever ask for. When Robyn grew up, she began to pursue a career in politics to fight for the rights of Faunus everywhere. Fiona was her running partner and secretary, the two an unstoppable duo. Robyn became the governor of Vale when she had turned forty.

Glynda Goodwitch

Glynda Goodwitch moved in with Tai, living with him until his death. She eventually fell for a writer, though he never would say what he wrote publicly. She lived until she was one hundred and twenty years old, but she retired from actually fighting when she was ninety, far too old to do any fighting. Fortunately for Maria, she did not go crazy and try to use an ancient mask of bone to give herself her youth back.

Maria

As for Maria herself, the silver eyed woman grew to be an old woman. Though, even at seventy, she was as spry as if she was forty. Her hair was grey, but she was just as dangerous, if not moreso, than she was as a teenager. But, that's another story. However, we will show one last peek at her before the end of this story.

The silver eyed woman walked into the airport, holding her bags. She hadn't looked where she was going, someone running into her with their bag. She dropped to her knee, groaning in pain.

"Jeez, you okay?" The man asked, looking down at her.

"Oh, I'm fine, I just need to watch where I'm going. Wait, you're Vacuan, aren't you?"

"Yeah, so?"

"In that case, mind your damn bag!" Maria then delivered a kick to the man's shin that nearly broke it. He gave a howl of pain, dropping to his knees and clutching his injured leg.

"Twenty years ago, my daughter, Autumn married one of those Vacuans." Maria wiped a tear from her eye. "Oh, why did she have to get married across the world? My granddaughter doesn't even know my face. And, because of that, I'll never forgive the Vacuans!"

"Though," She pulled out a cassette player. "I do like my Jogman."

End of Part Two

Somewhere in the sea of Old Vale—four years ago

"You're sure this so called ancient treasure is there?" The captain asked the passengers. He eyed them suspiciously. They were an odd bunch. Most of them wore robes, save two or three, and most of them didn't go out in the sun.

Then there was that odd crest they all wore on their clothes. It was a strange emblem of a red creature's head with three claw marks behind it. In fact, they almost behaved in a cultish manner.

The two that worried the captain the most were the two who didn't wear a mask or hide. The male had reddish black hair, and the look of a freak. He carried a strange sword, the look of it especially dangerous. He wore a strange visor that covered his eyes. Whenever the captain had asked about it, he had told him to mind his own business.

The more unnerving one was the supposed leader (or, at least, she carried herself like the leader). She had a darker complexion and hair the color of mint. The captain didn't often shy away from people, but that woman's eyes were downright terrifying. He didn't quite care for red eyes. They always gave him the creeps, but this woman seemed downright evil. If he'd been there when they had purchased the boat to go on this little expedition, he'd probably never have accepted.

It didn't help that she carried a knife. Though, unlike the boy's, this knife was wicked and twisted, almost like it was made of stone. She always held it as if presenting it. This group was trouble and he really didn't want to be involved in it.

"Of course," The woman's sickly sweet voice gave him a shudder. "We're almost there in fact. Just keep going."

"You said we could keep a huge chunk?" The first mate, a man who thought more with his wallet than his brain, had to butt in.

"Oh, I assure you, you can take as much as you want of the contents of that treasure. But, I must warn you that it's not for the faint of heart."

"Alright, look, you keep talking in riddles," The captain steeled himself. "You keep talking of this treasure from a hundred years ago and how it fell from the sky, but you don't even talk about what it is. And, why haven't you tried to get it yourself if it's so important?"

"Oh, captain," The woman gave a smirk, her red eyes fixed on him. "Why would I ruin the surprise? I assure you that this treasure will be more than you could ever imagine. Besides, the technology to retrieve this precious treasure wasn't around until now."

"We're here!" The navigator shouted, pointing to a spot in the water.

"Lower the crane!" The woman called out.

The navigator gave a small salute, beginning to lower the crane into the water. The captain held his tongue; he didn't want to get involved in an argument. He certainly didn't trust a single one of them, but there was something… off about them.

However, he had no time to think about that as the crane caught something. As the crane began to ascend, the smile on the woman's mouth grew wider with every second, her eyes practically glowing with the glee on her face. She clutched the knife a bit harder on the hilt, the object coming up above the water.

It was a long chest, ornately decorated. The crew cheered, thinking of the riches they would obtain. However, the captain heard what the woman spoke as it rose up.

"It won't be long now, Mistress."

No one on the crew except the captain heard that and no one saw the letters carved above the latch of the chest: CINDER

In a jail cell in Vacuo—present day

She sat in the cell, watching the bars. Her red cloak crumpled underneath her as she looked out. The hat on her head didn't do much to hide the silver eyes that glared out from under it, destiny itself shaking as it entered her presence.

To be continued!

And, thus concludes Rose's Odd Escapades: Strength Capacity. I really had a lot of fun writing this. And, with that, I'll begin working on planning for Part three: Huntress Crusaders. Thank you so much for sticking with me this whole time. I really enjoy your support, reviews, and enjoyment of my work. I hope to see you in Part Three.

Oh, by the way, Raven's scene there was inspired by a comic I read where something similar happened to Speedwagon. Not sure who the author is, but I liked the concept so I borrowed it. Just wanted to say that to make sure it doesn't seem like I tried to rip off someone else's work.