Fifth Destiny // Ever After High as Fifth Harmony Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty-Two: Ryan of Storybrooke

{Chapter 22 POV: Ally White}

"I have an announcement to make," Kitty told the band plus Sparrow the morning after our stressful mall appearance.

I sighed. My stomach was already in knots, as I had promised Cerise that today I would introduce her to my boyfriend, Ryan, along with the rest of the band. I wasn't very worried about what Holly, Lizzie, Duchess and Kitty would think of him, mostly because if they didn't like him, I would be able to adjust and accept that, but it won't be very easy to accept it if Cerise doesn't like him.

Kitty waited until all six of us were looking at her before saying "the label has suggested that you all go for a group therapy session with anyone who's created stress in your lives recently."

Cerise raised an eyebrow. "Suggested?"

Kitty let out a deep exhale. "Yeah, you guessed it. You're being forced." She looked up from her feet and met Holly's eyes. "They've already invited a couple of people..."

"That means Austin or Blake," Holly muttered.

Kitty heard. "It means both, and Shawn. I don't know how he's caused you stress, I actually think he's helping your stress. I think they see rumors about you guys and assume they bother you," Kitty explained.

Lizzie whimpered. Her head drooped a little, and she reached up to adjust her crown on her head so that it wouldn't fall to the floor.

"This should be... Fun," Duchess said. Sparrow nodded, though he initially appeared excited about this, so he may not have realized Duchess's sarcastic tone. Maybe he thought they'd let him watch our drama-packed "therapy" session.

"Can I bring someone?" I asked, not sure exactly myself that it was the greatest idea. It could be a good thing though. Ryan would have to get used to me and my friends/colleagues having intense drama, and my friends would need to become comfortable having him around.

"Ryan Cassidy?" Kitty asked.

I nodded and heard a gulping noise from my throat as I swallowed. It was weird hearing someone else say his new persona out loud. I liked it and he did too, but it was taking me a very long time to get used to it.

Kitty waved in acknowledgement. "Fine, sure, whatever." She turned to Cerise, said that Daring had already agreed to attend, and then gave Holly the same serious face from before. "They invited Poppy as well."

Holly's eyes widened nervously.

"She isn't coming," Kitty admitted, "claimed to be too busy." Then Kitty disappeared from the tour bus, and we all uncomfortably waited around until Ryan and Daring arrived.

Ryan and Daring had quickly become best friends when Ryan arrived in Ever After. Ryan came from Storybrooke and wanted an escape from the life he was used to. While he couldn't completely rid his life of magic here, the magic in Ever After is different than what he's used to. He told me a horrific story he heard from the mad hatter's daughter about the Queen of Hearts chopping off her father's head. He lived, obviously, but he has had a scar ever since. There, the Queen of Hearts had a literal vault of human hearts she'd removed herself and used to control whoever they belonged to. It was a common practice of dark magic. Ryan's father, who I knew as Mr. Gold, is the Dark One, the most powerful and feared user of dark magic there is. I have never met Mr. Gold, but I know Ryan despises him, dark magic, and gold because of it.

Cerise and I had discussed Ryan and Daring's friendship lots of times. Cerise thought it was highly unusual that Daring found himself so acquainted with someone as different from him as Ryan. Ryan is not royalty and he's not rich- he's a dirt-poor runaway. He doesn't know much about sports or destinies including his own. He is one hundred percent a rebel if his destiny is what he thinks it is. But most of all, Ryan is brave, and I think Daring sees that in him.