Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-10390252-20130728185452/@comment-4830106-20130731003200

Ruby Backstory episode: "Cloaked in Roses, Part 1" (you can see where this is going)

This one takes a lot of theories and tie-ins into account; some of them existing, and some I'm making up for the story. Again, this is partly influenced by an Avatar episode, this one being "The Avatar and the Fire Lord". Not much going on in real-time (at least not in part 2), so most of the episode's movement will be through flashbacks, visions, etc. As you probably guessed from the title, this is a White Cloak theory, and I'm assuming that Ruby is the adopted one.

This would be a probably happen relatively late in the season, or in the series, as it contains a permanent character development change. I'm going to steal BenRG 's idea of Teams RWBY and JAUN returning to the Xiao Long's house during a seasonal break at Beacon, but take it in a different direction. So initially, the two teams have a great time (if a bit surreal for some of the characters), but Ruby begins having a recurring dream in which she is kneeling at an altar or headstone on a snowy cliffside in a blizzard. Hovering over the altar is a ghostly white cloak, of the same design as Ruby's. Ruby always attempts to get closer and see the front side of the cloak, but every time she touches it, the cliffside collapses and Ruby wakes up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily.

At first, Ruby tries to pass it off as nothing, but over time, the continued appearance of the dream--in progressively darker forms--is too much to ignore. Yang and the rest of the team finally take notice when Ruby wakes up screaming after a particularly grim variation. Concerned for her adoptive sister, Yang asks what's going on. Ruby hesitates, worried that Yang would think she's going crazy. In a character break, Yang says: "Sis, if this dream of yours can cause you to do something like that, it's more than worth looking into."

That night, Ruby experiences the dream again, but this time the cliffside does not collapse when she touches the White Cloak. Instead, the surroundings fade and turn into the room Ruby is sharing with Blake, Weiss, and Yang. The White Cloak (still disembodied) leaves the room, and then the house. Her curiosity overcoming her fear, Ruby quitely grabs Crescent Rose and follows. As she's following the White Cloak, Ruby make a few tentative attempts at conversation, that have no results.

Back in the room used by Team RWBY, Yang wakes up a little earlier than normal and turns to check on Ruby, only to find Ruby's bed empty. After quickly rousing Weiss, Blake, and Team JAUN, Yang frantically conducts a full search of the house, but ultimately finds no indication as to Ruby's whereabouts. Frustrated and worried, Yang announces: "Everybody gear up. We're gonna go find my little sister."

Just before the episode ends, Ruby has followed the disembodied White Cloak an for an unspecified amount of time and for an unknown distance. The White Cloak leads her to the Cliffside Altar in her dream, then vanishes at it touches the Altar. Confused, Ruby acts on an impulse and kneels in front of the Altar. The White Cloak reappears, only this time facing Ruby and occupied by a woman. The woman looks like an older Ruby, perhaps in her mid-30's. Her hair is longer, and has a single gray strand running down one side. Ruby, in astonishment, looks up and asks the woman who she is. The woman replies: "I am someone that you are now ready to see." The screen fades black, and the woman's voice continues:

"I am Summer Rose."

I'll probably end up putting part 2 on my blog section, since it'll be easier to explain in screenplay format.