Ruby


 * This article focuses on Ruby's Storybrooke persona. For her Fairytale Land counterpart, see Red Riding Hood.

"I'm pretty sure I'm just gonna screw it up. I mean, I'll screw up with flair, but..."

- Ruby to Emma Swan

Ruby is a character on Once Upon a Time. She makes her début in the first episode of the first season. She is portrayed by starring cast member Meghan Ory, and is the Storybrooke counterpart of Red Riding Hood.

History
Prior to meeting Emma Swan, Ruby was a rebellious young woman who had plans to get out of Storybrooke and move to Boston. However, these plans were halted by her grandmother's sudden heart attack, and Ruby has been working at Granny's Diner ever since.

Season One
Ruby and her grandmother are arguing, but fall silent when they see Emma. After Mr. Gold collects the rent, Emma inquires about him, Ruby says that he owns all of Storybrooke. ("Pilot")

During her shift at Granny's Diner, she brings Emma a cup of hot chocolate and tells her that someone bought it for her, Emma turns around to see Sheriff Graham, and instantly assumes it's him. ("The Thing You Love Most") The next day, while on a date with Mary Margaret Blanchard in the diner, Dr. Whale is busy admiring Ruby. ("Snow Falls")

Emma confronts her in hopes of discovering the location of the missing Ashley Boyd. Ruby is fiercely protective of her friend, so distracts Emma by directing her to Ashley's ex-boyfriend Sean Herman's house, claiming that he would know where she is. This was actually a ploy to get buy more time for Ashley, as Ruby let her use her car to escape to Boston. ("The Price of Gold")

Later, when Henry Mills and Archie Hopper are trapped in an abandoned old mine, Ruby is one of the townspeople who helps out with the rescue effort. Throughout the rescue, Ruby flirts with Billy in front of his tow truck. ("That Still Small Voice")

Ruby serves Sheriff Graham drinks in the diner as he shoots darts and watches as he confronts Emma. ("The Heart is a Lonely Hunter") Days later, Ruby goes out with Mary Margaret and Ashley Boyd for a girls' night out. There, Ashley is proposed to by Sean. ("Skin Deep")

Ruby proves to be very helpful when David Nolan starts acting strange and goes missing, Ruby is able to locate him. In this way, Ruby proves her talent of finding lost things.

Later, Ruby gets into a fight with her grandmother and storms off. Unable to find a job anywhere, she thinks about leaving Storybrooke. This is where she runs into Emma at the bus stop while ignoring Dr. Whale. Emma offers her a job, after seeing her helping a townsfolk over the phone in the sheriff's office, by enlisting Ruby to work as her assistant. Once on the tasks force she asks Ruby to go to the Toll Bridge, since that was where David was found after he woke up from his coma and escaped the hospital, to see if she can find anything. She ends up finding a box which contains a human heart. Ruby then quits working for Emma and goes back to the diner. She and Granny reconcile, and Granny explains that she merely wants Ruby to take over the business when she retires. ("Red-Handed")

Emma and August hear a scream in town and find a shaken up and frightened Ruby, who can only muster to tell them, "She's in the alley." As Emma goes to investigate, she discovers what Ruby saw—a very much alive and breathing Kathryn Nolan—lying in the alley wearing the same outfit she was last seen in; now very dirty. ("The Stable Boy")

Ruby is walking with her grandmother when Emma breaks the curse with true love's kiss, returning her memories of her true identity. ("A Land Without Magic")

Season Two
After Emma Swan breaks the Dark Curse and restores the memories of the townspeople, Ruby reunites with Mary Margaret Blanchard, David Nolan, and the Seven Dwarves, now recognizing them as Snow White and Prince Charming. After stopping the townspeople from harming Regina Mills, she agrees to look after Henry for Emma. Later that night, she and Henry stop by town hall to witness Regina threatening David, who is tied to the wall by her magic. They leave with David after Henry learns of Emma and Mary Margaret Blanchard's disappearance into a portal. ("Broken")

Ruby takes charge in the aftermath of the Wraith attack, which has left the town damaged and the people shaken. The people gather in clusters at the town hall, and she directs them where to go whether they need beds or counseling. Mother Superior is helping out as well, and she mentions her concern for the townspeople in their current predicament. Ruby reassures her that their prince is working on something.

David is spotted speaking to Henry outside of town hall later on, and everyone—Ruby included—rushes to him with their requests that need immediate attention. He asks for Mother Superior, and discusses the possibly of using fairy dust on the tree that brought Emma into this world so many years ago through the magic wardrobe, but there is none available. Leroy comes to bring bad news about Mr. Clark losing his memory after stepping outside of town, which causes even more panic. David tries to maintain order, and asks that everyone meet up again in two hours. He says he has a plan to fix everything, and walks off, but Ruby catches up to him. She asks what his plan is, and he admits that he doesn't have one, but he has two hours to think of something.

Two hours later, in town hall, everyone is gathered and waiting for David to show up. Ruby tells everyone not to worry, and that he will be here. Instead, Regina, who has reassumed more power after breathing in the magic from her mother's old spell book bursts through the doors. Some attempt to subdue her; Archie tries to talk her out of doing anything drastic, Leroy charges at her, and Granny fires a crossbow arrow. All is useless, and Regina returns the arrow as a flame ball to show she means business. Ruby refuses to be intimidated, and asks what Regina wants. It is Henry who answers, and he submissively goes home with Regina because he is aware she won't stop terrorizing the townspeople until he returns to her side.

Ruby runs into David on the street. She informs him about the chaotic state in town right now after his no-show at town hall, and there are even people that are going to try and leave town, but he chides her saying he will deal with it later because he is busy chasing Jefferson and figuring out how to get his wife and daughter back. However, Ruby snaps him out of it by telling him he needs to do something now to help everyone.

In David's pick up truck, he and Ruby drive to near the exit of town and get out to stop the line of cars from driving out. David gets on top of his truck and begins speaking to the townspeople. He wins the townspeople's approval when he makes them realize the memories of their old lives are an essential part of them and that they don't have to choose between the two lives; the strengths and weakness; because they are both. ("We Are Both")

The next time we see Ruby, she's bringing lunch to Charming and the Dwarves, who are working in the mines. She hands a muffin from her basket to Henry, then walks off. A little later in the episode, she's working in Granny's Diner serving Belle Iced Tea. She makes a comment about how many Belle's been drinking, and Belle smiles and admits that she's never had one. The two chat for a little bit, and eventually Ruby suggests that Belle go and check out the library. Ruby continues to work in the diner until Charming and Rumplestiltskin show up and ask about Belle. At first she lies and denies seeing her, but Charming convinces her to tell the truth. She tells them what she knows, and offers to help them track Belle using her newly rediscovered sense of smell. She loses the trail at Game of Thorns, the flower shop that Belle's father, Moe French, owns. She enters the shop and watches Charming and Rumplestiltskin question Moe, and discover that he has sent Belle to the Storybrooke border via the Mine Tunnels. She hops into his truck and drives Charming and Rumplestiltskin to the mines. At the end of the episode, we see Ruby serving Belle pancakes and explaining to her how to eat them. She gives her a small box that someone has left for her, then walks into the backroom. ("The Crocodile")

Ruby is seen helping in Granny's Diner when the celebration of finding fairy dust occurs. She is greeted by Billy, and he confesses to her that in Fairytale Land he was Gus, a mouse that lived in Cinderella's pantry. She asks why he is telling her, and he says he wanted her to know who he was. He follows by asking her out, and she doesn't know what to say. Belle, seeing her discomfort, comes to save her from the conversation by telling him they are having a girls' night out.

Ruby and Granny then prepare the freezer at Granny's Diner as a place to lock Ruby up while in her wolf form. It's the first night of "Wolf's Time" since the curse was broken and they are preparing for the worst particularly since they are unable to locate Red's hood and she is afraid she won't be able to control herself her wolf form due to not changing for 28 years.

The next morning, David and Granny find the empty freezer torn up and the door ripped off the hinges. Using Granny's heightened sense of smell, they find Ruby unconscious in the woods. She has no memory of the previous night which makes her believe she ran around the town uncontrollably like she did when she killed Peter in Fairytale Land. David responds to a call in town and finds Billy's truck double parked and Billy torn in half. Ruby panics and has David to lock herself up in the jail. Albert Spencer accuses David of being an unfit leader by placing his personal loyalties above the safety of the town and he incites the townspeople against David and Ruby. An angry mob storms the jail only find Ruby is gone. Ruby has taken refuge with Belle at the library where she prepares to be shackled for the night. Belle kindly assures Ruby that she is not evil or a killer and offers to stay with her that night to prove it. Ruby appreciates Belle's kindness, but doesn't believe her and sneakily cuffs Belle in the shackles meant for herself. Ruby, having given up hope, leaves to face the mob.

The mob of angry townspeople corner Ruby in her wolf form in an ally after hearing her howl. Ruby hides behind a dumpster as Spencer aims his gun at her. David and Granny arrive and Granny disarms Spencer with her crossbow. David tells the mob that Spencer killed Billy and framed Ruby. David approaches Ruby with her red hood (found hidden in Spencer's car) and tells her she didn't kill Billy and that he and her loved ones know she is good even if she doesn't. Red hesitates and then sits in front of him allowing him to place her hood on her, which changes her back to her human form.

Ruby and David return to the pacified mob to discover Spencer has knocked Granny down and escaped. They track him down using Ruby's sense of smell. Spencer taunts David telling him that what he really wants is to deprive David of his family. Spencer then throws the remains of Jefferson's hat into a fire. Enraged David pulls his gun on Spencer but Ruby talks him out of shooting him.

Later, at Mary Margaret's apartment Ruby asks David to call Granny and have her release Belle back at the library. She then tells him she wants to spend the rest of the night doing something she hasn't done in a long time. David asks her what it is and she says "Run". She takes off her hood and runs through the night embracing her wolf identity. ("Child of the Moon")

Trivia

 * The name Ruby refers to the red gemstone.
 * Has a red wolf key chain hanging from the rearview mirror of her red car that she says brings her good luck.
 * Ruby is upgraded to a regular character in Season 2.
 * She is close friends with Ashley Boyd and Mary Margaret Blanchard. She also becomes friends with Belle after the break of the Curse.
 * Although she could not transform into a wolf before the Curse was lifted in Storybrooke, she still had her wolf senses (heightened hearing and smell) as shown in "Red-Handed".
 * Ruby is notorious for her provocative clothing and is typically recognized if she's leaning over a counter. She wears gothic style makeup, bright red streaks in her brown hair, and always has red somewhere in her outfit, alluding to her past as Red Riding Hood. Ruby is rebellious and flirtatious on the outside but is caring and lacking in self-confidence on the inside. After she discovers the heart in the box and reconciles with her grandmother, her clothing is less revealing, which may allude to the fact that the discovery has matured her. She also wears significantly less makeup, and eventually her red highlights disappear.

Appearances
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