Summary: "She has a feeling she just entered a whole new world right here in New York City, and she's sure she'll never want to leave it behind." Ally Dawson's story begins after she is accepted to her dream school in New York. When her talent is quickly recognized and fame is thrust upon her, she thinks she has it all together – until she meets Austin Moon, who turns her world upside down. / Based off 1989 by Taylor Swift. Multi-Chapter.

A/N: So, this is a story I've been working on a lot for the past month. I got the concept for it after hearing about a Girl Meets World fanfiction that did the same thing. I really liked the idea, so I wanted to try it out myself. Also, I thought this would be a fun way to tackle my question of how Austin & Ally would've met if Ally never got stage fright and did end up going to MUNY. This is still obviously AU, but I do wonder if this could've happened if things had gone differently. So yeah.

Disclaimer: I don't own Austin & Ally or 1989 and by Taylor Swift.

Welcome to New York:
"We begin our story in New York."
- Taylor Swift

She can't believe it.

She's here, yet she still can't believe it.

As she steps inside the apartment that will be hers for the next four years, she can hardly contain her excitement knowing what brought her here. Knowing that MUNY, her dream school for nearly her whole life, accepted her and wants to study with her. MUNY wants her. She can't believe it.

She sets her bags by the door and takes a tentative step inside to look around her new home – well, part of her new home, anyway. She imagines she'll be spending most of her time in the school itself as opposed to here. Surrounded by all that music and talent, she knows she'll love it.

Right inside the apartment, the first thing she sees is the living room. She's pleased to see a piano already present – probably from the school – and runs her fingers gently along the keys. It reminds her of the day she auditioned for this school. She was extremely nervous, but her dad reassured her that she was much too talented to not make it (and also reminded her of now many times she'd rehearsed and how little she messed up). And he was right. Once her fingers touched those all-too familiar keys, she felt like she was back in her room at home, and the music just flowed from her. Seeing the face of the man that was holding the audition, how hard he was trying to not look too impressed, she knew her dad was right to think she'd get in. But even then, that letter of acceptance still managed to take her by surprise.

Now, she walks away from the piano and turns around, stepping into the kitchen. She only takes a quick look around, knowing she'll probably be eating a lot of take out and cafeteria food (she was never the greatest cook), then steps into the hallway where her bedroom and bathroom are.

As she's looking around her bedroom, she hears the door to the apartment – sorry, her apartment – open, and smiles, knowing exactly who it is. She walks out of the room and towards the front door, glad to see her dad standing there with the last of her things.

He holds up her house key and tosses it to her, grinning when she catches and pockets it.

"Impressive," he says. "I remember you used to be such a klutz when you where little, always dropping things or knocking something over."

She shrugs. "Guess things change as you grow up."

He nods. "Guess so." He pauses, chuckling. "MUNY. Living in New York all alone. You really have grown up, huh? When did that happen?"

She just shrugs again, unsure of how to respond.

"I'm really gonna miss you, dear. But I'm so proud of you."

She smiles, then walks into her dad's open arms and hugs him close.

"Thanks, Dad," she says. "I'm really gonna miss you, too. I love you."

"I love you, too," he says, then pulls away. "Have an incredible first day next week. Don't forget to call and tell me how it goes, though I'm sure it'll be everything you could ever imagine."

She nods. "I will," she says, and with one more hug and a final wave goodbye, he walks out the door, leaving Ally on her own for the first time in her entire life. But despite all her jitters about starting school in a new city next week, she can't contain her excitement anymore. Because she's in New York at MUNY, and she thinks she's finally made it.

Before school starts, she decides to take a small tour around the area in which she'll be living. Her apartment is only a block away from MUNY, but past that is where the city really begins. So, a few days after she's moved in, she walks downtown in the direction of her new school. But she doesn't stop there.

There's so much to see in New York. She passes by so many different stores and restaurants, as well as people on bikes and in cars on the busy streets and sidewalks. The whole city is just bursting with life. She can't get enough of it.

After about an hour of walking through the city and browsing around a couple stores, she spots a restaurant that stands out to her. The Stardust Diner (1). The name is familiar to her, yet she doesn't know why. When she steps inside, she remembers.

Stardust Diner was a restaurant her dad told her about. When he visited New York as a kid, it was his favourite place to get a meal. He loved it so much because the waitstaff were also singers. Apparently, all the workers were people wanting to get a chance to go on Broadway, and this was one of the ways they could. So, who better to go inside than a musician like herself?

After finding a seat, she browses the menu in front of her. A few minutes later, a waitress approaches her and introduces herself as Cassidy. She quickly orders, and after ten minutes pass, her meal comes. It's only as Cassidy comes by to ask how her meal is when things get interesting.

"So, I couldn't help but notice that your phone case is a set of piano keys," she says. "Are you a singer, too?"

She nods. "Yeah, actually," she replies. "It's kinda why I'm here in the first place."

"This restaurant or the city?" Cassidy jokes, and they laugh.

"New York," she answers. "I'm attending MUNY this year."

Cassidy smiles widely. "Are you really?" When she nods in response, Cassidy says, "No way! So am I."

"Really?" she asks.

"Yeah. I've been singing since I was a kid. I grew up in New York, so the second I was old enough, I applied to work here. I just love Broadway. But until I book my own show, I have to attend school," she explains. "What about you?"

"Kinda the same," she starts. "I grew up with music. I started playing piano when I five, and then my dad opened a music store in my home town, and it escalated. Now I'm here."

"That's pretty exciting," Cassidy says. She starts to walk away, but then stops. "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't," she replies. "I'm Ally. Ally Dawson."

"Ally Dawson," she repeats. "Sounds like the name of a performer. Well, it was nice to meet you, Ally. Maybe we'll see more of each other at school."

"Maybe," Ally replies, but she smiles. She likes Cassidy, and she's glad to know someone before school begins in less than a week. Maybe it really will be everything she could ever imagine, just like her dad said.

A few days later, she steps into her first class of the day – Advanced Piano Lessons. It's not too big of a class, maybe ten or twelve students, but it's big enough to make her nervous, especially when she realizes that there's no one here she knows (maybe Cassidy isn't a piano player like she is?).

Quickly, she chooses a vacant seat at the front of the room and waits for the teacher to arrive. Ten minutes later, she does.

"Hello, class," she says, receiving a chorus of "hello's" back in response. She smiles. "I'm Mrs. Collins, and I will be your professor on Advanced Piano Lessons for this semester."

Pulling a list out of the folder in her hand, she reads over it silently before continuing, "Before we get started, I would like to hear each of you play a little piano for us so I know where everyone is at in their playing skills. It can be any song you want, including an original.

"So, would anyone like to go first?"

The class stays silent at this, everyone looking around to see if someone might be volunteering. No one does.

"Okay," Mrs. Collins mutters. "I guess I'll just choose." Looking back down at the list, she skims it a couple times before finally saying, "Ally Dawson."

Ally sits up suddenly, shocked. Being picked first is not something she's used to unless she's raising her hand to answer a question, and any other time she doesn't like it. But everyone noticed her sudden movement, so there's no way of pretending that isn't her name.

Slowly, she stands and makes her way to the piano at the front of the room. She doesn't look up as she walks, keeping her eyes on the piano alone. When she sits and places her hands on the keys, she can already feel the music wanting to flow, but holds back until Mrs. Collins speaks again.

"You can start when you're ready," she says.

Taking a deep breath, she does.

She had her hands placed for an old cover, but once she starts playing, she hears her audition song start. It's an original, and since then she's developed on it even more, making it bigger and better than she thought it could possibly be. It starts out quiet, but very quickly its volume escalates and fills the room with its melodic sound. If she closes her eyes, she can picture herself back home in Miami, or maybe in her new home just down the street from here.

She slowly brings the song to a finish, and the second she takes her hands away from the keys, the classroom erupts into an applause. She turns around, shocked at the sudden positive reaction. Smiling, she stands and walks back to her desk.

Once the clapping dies down, Mrs. Collins turns to her, an impressed grin on her face.

"Well done, Miss. Dawson, well done," she says. I have a feeling you'll do just fine in this class." She's about to pull the list out again, but stops to say, "Welcome to MUNY, Miss. Dawson. And in case anyone hasn't said it yet, welcome to New York." Then she turns back to her list and calls out the name of the next student to play.

She has a feeling she just entered a whole new world right here in New York City, and she's sure she'll never want to leave it behind.

(1) The Stardust Diner is actually a real place. I heard about it in school from a student who went there, and it sounded really interesting, so I decided to include it in here.

That's the first chapter! If it doesn't interest you now, it gets better in a couple chapters, I promise. I'm using the codes that were in the lyric book for 1989 as a sort of guideline for the story, so that's where some of the idea for each chapter comes from. But yeah. Thanks for reading! I hope you continue to follow along with this story, and maybe leave a review to tell me what you thought of it? Those are always nice to receive. :)