Ruby

> Regina thought she was punishing us by erasing who we were, but I think she underestimated how much crap we wanted to forget. But, we can't let it stop us. She gave us a chance to start over, and I wanna take it. I think you should too.
>       —Ruby to Dr. Whale

**Ruby** is a character on ABC's *Once Upon a Time* and *Once Upon a Time in Wonderland*. She débuts in the first episode of the first season of *Once Upon a Time*. She is portrayed by starring cast member Meghan Ory, and is the Storybrooke counterpart of **Red Riding Hood**.

## History

*For events occurring before the casting of the first curse, see Red Riding Hood.*

### During First Curse

During the early days of the Dark Curse, Ruby often has argumentative disputes with her Granny over getting the early waitressing shift at Granny's Diner. Granny's response usually remarks upon that Ruby should have not stayed up partying so late. Her rebellious nature goes in hand with her wild style of fashion and makeup; usually clad in a racy red-themed outfit. *("Welcome to Storybrooke")*
Despite having dreams of leaving Storybrooke and move to Boston, these plans are halted by her grandmother's sudden heart attack, and Ruby has been working at the diner ever since. One evening at the inn, Ruby and her grandmother are, as usual, in a middle of an argument, but fall silent when they see Emma, who is looking for a room to stay in for a week. Ruby watches the entire exchange as Emma is checked into a guest room, and when their Mr. Gold arrives to collect the monthly rent from Granny. After he departs, Emma inquires about him, and Ruby states that he owns all of Storybrooke. *("Pilot")*
During her shift at the diner, Regina's son Henry stops by to request a cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon for Emma. Ruby hands the order to Emma at the counter, and mysteriously states that she has an admirer. Emma turns around to see Sheriff Graham, and assumes he is trying to flirt with her. When she goes to reject his advances, Henry acknowledges he sent the hot chocolate, and then invites her to walk him to school. *("The Thing You Love Most")*
One evening, Ruby, dressed in a mini-skirt with a top showing off her stomach, passes by Dr. Whale and Mary Margaret’s diner table. As she clears a vacant table, Dr. Whale begins staring at her rear end, which Mary Margaret unhappily notices. As she walks past with a full tray, Mary Margaret ends her date with Dr. Whale by asking her for the dinner bill. *("Snow Falls")*
Noticing Emma has spilled a drink on her shirt, Ruby rushes over with a towel and directs her to the back laundry room. Once there, Emma meets a pregnant maid named Ashley and inspires change in the expectant mother's life. After stealing back adoption papers from Mr. Gold's pawnshop, Ashley desperately wishes to leave town and raise the baby herself, so Ruby lends her a car. When Emma investigates the girl’s disappearance, Ruby only states that Ashley has a stepmother and stepsisters she doesn't speak to as well as an ex-boyfriend who abandoned her while pregnant. Later, Emma returns to confront her about withholding information. Remaining silent on the issue, Ruby is finally forced to admit she lent Ashley her car to flee town. Later, Ashley is tracked down by Emma and gives birth to a healthy baby girl. *("The Price of Gold")*
When Archie and Henry become trapped in a collapsed mine, Ruby presently watches over Pongo while Emma, Regina and Sheriff Graham try to figure out a rescue plan. Later, Pongo detects Archie and Henry’s scents near an underground vent. Marco proposes lowering Emma down on a tow truck pulley so she can bring the two up to safety. Ruby assists by parking the truck close enough to where it must be for the plan to work. After Archie and Henry are lifted to safety, Ruby spends time talking to the car mechanic, Billy. *("That Still Small Voice")*
While serving a somewhat drunk Sheriff Graham drinks, Ruby watches him shoot darts at a board as Sidney bets he will eventually miss. Emma enters the diner, but promptly begins leaving when she spots Graham. He, however, throws a dart at Emma, which slams into the wall near her. *("The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter")*
Days later, Ruby notices David and Mary Margaret, seated at separate tables, engaging in conversation at the diner. She offers to push their tables together, but both decline. Soon, Emma joins Mary Margaret and Ashley, after handing off her child to Granny, pulls up a seat near them. Since it’s Valentine’s Day, Ruby suggests the four of them have a girls’ night out. Citing work business, Emma doesn’t attend, so Ruby, Ashley and Mary Margaret spend time at the bar together. Spotting men at the counter, she coyly points them out to Ashley, who is not interested in cheating on Sean. Flirtatiously, Ruby goes over to chat with the guys. *("Skin Deep")*
As the townspeople learn Mary Margaret has been having an affair with David, who is married to Kathryn, the so-called “other woman” is publicly shunned by them. One morning at the diner, Ruby and the other residents present are called to attention by Mary Margaret, who is asking for volunteers to help sell candles for the annual Miner’s Day celebration. After she is finished speaking, no one responds and everyone ignores her. Later that night, Ruby serves Mary Margaret, whose reputation has taken a steep dive as the town harlot, some alcohol when Leroy, the infamous town drunk, joins to ask for the same thing. *("Dreamy")*
Entertained by August’s stories of visiting exotic places, Ruby distractedly talks with him, though she is supposed to be working. From the diner counter, Granny calls her over, but she tries to buy herself more time with August. Impatiently, her grandmother tells her to stop flirting. Finally, Ruby stomps over and learns that Granny wants her to start handling more of the business responsibilities by working on Saturdays. Granny wishes to train her to take over the diner one day, but Ruby rejects the idea and angrily quits the job. Unable to find work elsewhere, she packs up her things and heads for the bus stop. While rebuffing Dr. Whale’s advances, Emma and Mary Margaret shoo him away and take Ruby into their apartment until she finds her footing. At the sheriff’s office, Henry goes over various job listings with Ruby, who expresses disinterest in all of them. Suddenly, the phone rings. She answers and assists Miss Ginger with an inquiry, which impresses Emma. Hired as a sheriff’s assistant, Ruby is asked by Emma to search the grounds of the Toll Bridge, 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 unearthing a box containing a human heart. The encounter traumatizes her, although Emma praises her for her skill in locating things. After quitting the assistant job, Ruby realizes she likes working at the diner, and only quit due to her uncertainty about taking over the business one day. She relates these fears to Granny, who restores her self-confidence. The two reconcile, and Ruby resumes working as a waitress. *("Red-Handed")*
Behind the diner, Ruby sees David’s missing wife, Kathryn, dirtied up and in the alley. Terrified, she screams; alerting August and Emma. Too shocked for words, Ruby can only muster to say, “She’s in the alley”. While August stays behind to calm her down, Emma goes to check. *("The Stable Boy")*
Walking alongside her grandmother on the street, Ruby suddenly recalls memories from a former life as Emma shatters the curse after giving Henry true love's kiss. *("A Land Without Magic")*

### After First Curse

After Emma breaks the Dark Curse and restores the memories of the townspeople, Ruby reunites with David, Mary Margaret and the dwarves. After stopping the townspeople from harming Regina, she agrees to look after Henry for Emma. Later that night, she and Henry stop by the 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'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. Soon, David arrives, but is quickly overwhelmed by everyone's questions and requests that need immediate attention. Leroy reveals, after using Mr. Clark as a test subject, that whoever crosses the town line will lose their Enchanted Forest memories. In an attempt to maintain order, David promises to regroup in two hours' time with a plan. As the designated time rolls by, David fails to show up. Instead, Ruby and the other residents are approached by Regina, who has since regained all her magic, and she uses it to instill fear in them. Ruby, refusing to be intimidated, boldly asks what she wants. Henry recognizes his mother wants him to go home with her, which he grudgingly complies with in order to make her stop hurting everyone. More afraid of Regina than of losing their memories, the townspeople decide to take the risk of leaving town. Worried about the turn of events, Ruby runs into David and informs him of what happened, but he is more concerned about finding a way to Emma and Mary Margaret. She redirects him to the current town dilemma since everyone desperately needs his help. With David, they hurry to Storybrooke's road exit in his truck and cause a blockade to stop the townspeople from leaving. In a speech, David wins the residents over by helping them realize the memories of their old lives are an essential part of them and they do not have to choose between the two lives because they are both. *("We Are Both")*

While David and the dwarves are mining for fairy dust, which can bring Emma and Mary Margaret home if used on Jefferson's hat, Ruby carries lunch to them. On her diner work shift, she talks to Belle, who is looking for a job and place to stay. Ruby directs her to the closed library; leaving Belle to check it out on her own. A short time later, she is approached by David and Mr. Gold asking for Belle's whereabouts. At first, Ruby refuses to say anything, but with David's persuasion, she admits what transpired before and helps them track Belle using her newly rediscovered heightened 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 David and Mr. Gold question Moe and discover that he sent Belle to the Storybrooke border via the mine tunnels. Along with David and Mr. Gold, Ruby heads to the mines. Once Belle is rescued, she introduces her to pancakes and how to eat them. Later, Ruby serves Belle pancakes and explains to her how to eat them. Afterwards, she hands Belle a small box someone left for her. *("The Crocodile")*

On the first curse-free night for Ruby, she is cleaning up the diner following a celebration when David and the dwarves find fairy dust in the mines. To her, Billy confesses his identity in the Enchanted Forest was Gus, a mouse who lived in Cinderella's pantry. He asks her out on a date, but she struggles for an answer. Belle, noticing her discomfort, intervenes by telling him they are having a girls' night out. After Billy has left, Ruby notices the time and hurries to the backroom where Granny is fixing up the freezer. As it is the first wolfs time without the curse, Ruby is staying in the freezer as a cage when she shapeshifts. During the night, a belligerient Albert, hell-bent on ruining David's life, releases Ruby while she is a wolf, and then kills Billy to give the appearance she did it. In the morning, Ruby wakes up in the forest as a human after a worried David and Granny discover her there. Soon, Billy's butchered body is found, and Ruby believes she is to blame. Albert rallies the townspeople against David; forcing him as sheriff to choose between "justice" or defending a friend who looks guilty. Ruby is locked in a jail for protection, but knowing the angry residents will come for her, she is later chained up in the library as Belle keeps her company. Rather than hide, Ruby believes the townspeople's hatred towards her is justified. She tricks Belle into letting her go, and then heads to face the mob. Reverting to a wolf, Ruby faces Albert as he readies his gun at her. Suddenly, David and Granny arrive with the bloody weapon as well as Ruby's magic cloak that were found in Albert's truck. With coaxing from David, Ruby allows him to place the cloak on her. Albert escapes and burns Jefferson's hat, which wipes out hope of combining it with fairy dust. Despite David's anger, Ruby convinces him not to punish Albert out of vengeance. That same evening, she takes off the cloak and goes on a run through the woods as a wolf. *("Child of the Moon")*

In a race against time, Emma and Mary Margaret fight to return to Storybrooke from the Enchanted Forest. However, Mr. Gold and Regina share combined fears over the possibility their nemesis, Cora, will be the one to cross into town instead. Using a wand, they take all the diamonds in the mines and convert it into fairy dust to create a life threatening portal over the wishing well to kill anyone who attempts to enter Storybrooke. Leroy discovers the diamonds are missing, and brings Ruby to the mines to show her. They go back to the pawn shop to warn Henry of their suspicion Mr. Gold and Regina are going to do something bad. With Henry, Ruby hurries to the wishing well to stop them. She tries to confront Mr. Gold, who uses magic to render her unconscious. Henry pleads with Regina to undo the portal's effects, and she believes in him enough to do so. As Emma and Mary Margaret come through the well, Ruby awakens and welcomes them home. *("Queen of Hearts")*

To commemorate Mary Margaret and Emma's victorious return home, the town residents come together at a party celebration held at Granny's. Ruby is chatting with Bashful when Emma and Mary Margaret arrive. She hurries over to give affectionare hugs to both. A hush falls over the diner when David calls everyone's attention and begins making a speech expressing happiness at reuniting with his wife and daughter. Afterwards, all the party guests raise their glasses in cheer, and all except Emma are shocked when Regina walks in apologizing for her lateness. On the defense, Leroy grabs a knife and asks what she is doing here, which Emma quells by saying Regina was invited by her. With that, everyone dispenses to mingle and have fun at the party. The next day, while on a jog, Ruby encounters Archie and Regina arguing on the dock. She asks them what is going on, and Regina responds by telling her to continue on her walk, to which Ruby reluctantly runs off. Later in the day, Ruby is closing down the diner when she sees Regina enter Archie's office. The following day, Ruby is able to understand Pongo enough to know something is wrong, and she and Emma go and find Archie dead in his office. When Emma asks who could have done this, Ruby responds, "I think I know"; indicating she saw Regina the previous night. *("The Cricket Game")*

The death of Archie is announced to the rest of the townspeople after Emma seemingly finds incriminating evidence via the dream catcher of Regina as the murder. Leroy attends the funeral to listen to Mary Margaret give a eulogy dedicated to Archie. After she is finished, Marco gives his own personal farewell. Following this, Leroy, Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Happy, Walter, Marco, Mother Superior, Ruby and Granny spend time in Mary Margaret's loft for a luncheon. Leroy approaches Emma and Mary Margaret to ask, on behalf of himself and other dwarves, when they will be returning to the Enchanted Forest, which perks everyone else's attention to the conversation. He is concerned about Regina being on the loose, but also about the possibility outsiders can wander into town now that the curse is lifted. Ruby agrees, since she has the ability to shapeshift into a wolf, and if people from the Enchanted Forest are afraid of that, then so will people in this world. Emma believes they are safe for now, but Leroy thinks that trouble will happen sooner or later. *("The Outsider")*

After an outsider crashes his car into the town border, he is taken the hospital for treatment. Hook and an amnesiac Belle are also taken in as patients. Ruby meets up with David, Emma, Leroy and Mary Margaret to break into the stranger's phone to learn more about him. Emma quickly discovers the outsider's name is Greg Mendell, and from looking at his phone information, he appears to be a normal person. Dr. Whale informs them that Greg is bleeding into the chest cavity, and asks Mr. Gold to use magic to fix it. Mr. Gold refuses to assist and warns them that it'd be better if they don't save the outsider because the man saw his use of magic. After much discussion, they decide to save Greg's life. After Dr. Whale leaves the room to prep for the surgery, Greg's phone rings, but no one dares to answer as the call might be traced to Storybrooke. Following Dr. Whale's sudden disappearance from the hospital, Ruby tracks him down in time to stop him from committing suicide. He shares his woes about concerning his family name, Frankenstein, and how everyone assocaties it with a monster. Sympathetically, she talks about her own pained past of feeling like a monster after accidentally killing her boyfriend. However, she believes both of them have a chance at new lives. Dr. Whale goes through with the surgery, which is a success. As sheriff, Emma questions Greg about the accident and learns, much to the relief of everyone else, that he was texting and driving and did not see Mr. Gold using magic. *("In the Name of the Brother")*

On the same night Greg ends up in Storybrooke, Belle receives a gunshot wound from Mr. Gold's nemesis, Hook, which causes the loss of her Enchanted Forest memories after she falls across the town line. In concern for her friend, Ruby visits Belle in the hospital as she is recovering from the ordeal. She explains they were once friends, which the girl does not believe. Hoping to cheer her up, Ruby gives Belle a book by her favorite author Jules Verne. Uneasily, Belle talks about the night at the town line, in which she saw Mr. Gold holding a fireball. To prevent exposure of magic, Ruby brushes off her recollection as a side effect of the hospital medication. Belle, frustrated no one will believe her, begins acting out. The nurse arrives to sedate her, to which Ruby asks if Belle's behavior is a common occurrence. As a reply, the nurse confirms it is due to her condition. Soon, Storybrooke is terrorized by a giant, Anton, after he is freed from Hook's ship and eats a magical mushroom to return to his massive size. However, when the mushroom’s effect wears off, he ends up clinging to keep from falling into a hole. Working together to save his life, Granny ties a rope to the back of a car and Ruby and the dwarves stabilize the rope as David scales down the concrete edges of the hole. Though distrustful of humans, Anton accepts David’s help. Afterward, they bring Anton to the diner in an effort to make him feel at home. As they talk, Ruby serves them beer at the counter. Mary Margaret says they have made this land their home since there is no way to get back to their old land. At this, Anton shows them a stem of a beanstalk that could likely grow magic beans. *("Tiny")*

Attacked by Hook, an injured Mr. Gold returns to Storybrooke via a *ship*. With his son, Neal, Ruby also helps to steer him away from the dock towards David's truck. Emma, deciding she must protect Mr. Gold and be on the lookout for Regina's dangerous mother, Cora, asks Ruby to watch over Henry in her absence. *("The Miller's Daughter")*

At the diner, as Neal waits for Emma and Henry to show up, he orders something for Henry. The boy plops down into the seat at the table across from Neal, and Ruby comes over carrying a a large sundae with "extra everything". She goes back to the counter to get Emma some coffee when Greg, who recently got out of the hospital, walks in. Ruby hands him his already prepared order on a separate tray, but asks if he could have it to go, and she walks away to wrap it up for him. While waiting, he chats with Emma about going on a nature hike. Emma muses she thought he might have already been back to Pennsylvania by now. Ruby comes back with his bagged food just as he says Storybrooke is starting to grow on him. He thanks Ruby for her service and pays for his order. Ruby and Emma exchange a curious look after he is gone. *("Welcome to Storybrooke")*

The devious Pan infiltrates Storybrooke by previously switching bodies with Henry and sets out to cast his own version of the Dark Curse. Regina puts a stop to it by undoing the curse she cast, but also getting rid of Pan's curse in the process. As a price, Storybrooke will be wiped out and all residents will have to return to the Enchanted Forest. Once Regina's task is done, everyone except Emma and Henry, who left town on the mayor's request, is engulfed by the curse's purple smoke. *("Going Home")* }}
*For events occurring before the second curse, see Red Riding Hood.*

### During Second Curse

A new curse is cast by none other than Snow White; returning Red Riding Hood and the rest of the Enchanted Forest inhabitants to the town of Storybrooke. However, as a result of Wicked Witch of the West's interference, everyone's last recollection is the final day in Storybrooke when Regina stopped Pan's curse, but no one can recall anything further than that. Ruby resumes working at Granny's Diner as a waitress. The day Henry returns to town, albeit without remembering anything or anyone in Storybrooke, she serves him hot cocoa at the diner. As Ruby goes to set down his order, she almost calls him Henry and makes a slip-up by putting cinnamon on his cocoa. Surprised, Henry asks how she knew he likes cinnamon, to which Ruby lies and says it was just a guess. *("Witch Hunt", "A Curious Thing")*

Regina, after bestowing Henry with a kiss of true love, breaks the second curse. Like everyone else, Ruby regains her lost memories of the missing year in the Enchanted Forest. *("A Curious Thing")*

### After Second Curse

In a diner celebration welcoming David and Mary Margaret's newborn son, Ruby joins their table to listen to Henry, having previously regained his lost memories, read the storybook fairytale of how Prince Charming and Snow White met. Mary Margaret protests against Emma's assumption that she was armed while stealing from David—then Prince Charming. This leads Ruby to remind Mary Margaret that she attacked him with a rock. The conversation becomes awkward once Hook implies Emma wants to go back to New York, and Regina approaches to inquire further. Emma hints her desire to leave town, but when challenged by Henry, she bails from the diner. While Hook follows to talk some sense into her, Ruby and the others notice a stream of light radiating to the sky—Zelena's time spell. Belle, David, Regina and Robin Hood find Zelena missing and decide to leave the time portal untouched for now. Emma and Hook travel through the portal to the past, recreating the first meeting between Prince Charming and Snow White and then returning to the present. Later, David and Mary Margaret proudly announce they are naming their son after a true hero—Neal. *("Snow Drifts", "There's No Place Like Home")*

## Trivia

* Character Notes
* Production Notes

### Character Notes

* The name "Ruby" is of Latin origin derived from the word "ruber" that means red. It is also a reference to the gemstone of the same name.
* Has a red wolf key chain inside her car. *("The Price of Gold")*
* Has a ring with a wolf's head on it. *("Red-Handed")*
* Her favorite Jules Verne book is *The Mysterious Island*. *("Tiny")*

### Production Notes

* The sensual depiction of Ruby in the first season is based on the traditional fairy tale of "Little Red Riding Hood", which is filled with sexual innuendos and meant to serve as a cautionary tale for young girls not to fall prey to lecherous men.

## Appearances

 "Home":*Absent*

Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.

* Ruby is featured in *Once Upon a Time'*s Season One novelization, *Reawakened: A Once Upon a Time Tale*.

## References

1. ↑ http://www.behindthename.com/name/ruby
2. ↑ File:104It'sFine.jpg
3. ↑ File:115IDontKnow.png
4. ↑ *Once Upon a Time - Behind the Magic* - Page 132. London: Titan Books, October 2013