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The Season Finale!

When the world brightens again, Marsh’s quiet refuge has been transformed completely.

A full production stage, complete with lights, sound speakers, confetti, and possible pyrotechnic effects, has risen around her like an unearthed buried city, trapping her inside.

“Marsh!” Talia calls.

Marsh turns and spots her host waving from the center of the commotion. She’s all dolled up for the finale, in a sparkling gold dress that compliments her blond hair and catches every flash and flicker of celebratory color from the roving spotlights. Behind her, her own gigantic face grins from a screen the size of a building.

“Welcome to your season finale!” both Talias boom, and the show’s opening tune pours out of the speakers. “The time has come!”

TopFan01: This is your last chance to wish Marsh luck!

Moms4Marsh: You can do this, Marsh! We know it!

Notamackerel: How can we stop this? It’s not too late!

“Talia,” Marsh gasps. Her host—possibly the only person who can help her—is finally here. She rushes for the low stage Talia is standing on and clumsily pulls herself up onto it. “We have to cut. This is important. I know what Chrysalis is. I—”

“—was almost late to your own finale!” Talia finishes for Marsh, and a laugh track plays in harmony with her giant face’s deafening laughter. She’s got that look in her eyes, that unstoppable glint when she’s after a perfect shot.

“Talia, please, listen,” Marsh tries again. She checks the euphoric comments once more, but there’s no sign of Ezra yet. “This is serious.”

“So is this,” Talia replies, refusing to break character. “This is your finale, remember? Your last chance to get everything just right.”

This is not working. Marsh frets.

She has to try something else.

She leans in, drops her voice. “Talia, I’m really sorry about in Hong Kong, when I grabbed the Show Bible from you,” she says.

“That was quite the surprise,” Talia agrees. She sighs. “I’d thought that telling you about it before your very first choice would comfort you, but it clearly complicated things. But don’t worry. We don’t need it anymore.”

“What?” Marsh wails, horrified. “But—”

“This is the finale, Marsh!” Lights flare behind Talia, making her glow. “We don’t need to keep notes or flip pages anymore. Everything ends here. You only have one choice left to make.”

Marsh reels, panicking. The thought of her finale choice has always been terrifying, but it’s even more so now without the Show Bible! How could Talia do this to her, in the final hour?

“Talia, the whole time, you’ve been telling me the Show Bible is the linchpin of my season, the map holding everything together, and now you want me to just—”

“Trust me. This is better. Simpler,” Talia says.

She’s almost too afraid to ask.

“What did you do with it? Did you... destroy it?”

“Don’t be silly! That would be catastrophic. I’ve left it locked up at RealTV for safekeeping.”

She winks—not to Marsh, but to the cameras.

“Also, at this point, I’d need a whole second van to get it here anyway.”

Marsh pushes down a wave of dread as more confetti, more streamers, rain down to punctuate her joke.

Either Talia can’t stop the finale, or she’s under Ren’s control, Marsh figures. She doesn’t know which, but it doesn’t matter, because the outcome is the same.

She can’t help Marsh now.

“We can’t film the finale yet,” Marsh insists. “We have to—”

“You’re right! There is something we have to do first!” Talia agrees. She spins toward the edge of the stage, and sweeps her arm grandly. “It’s time to bring out our incredible cast! We know they wouldn’t want to miss this very important moment!”

A blare of trumpets ushers Victor, Adrian, Jo, Bex, Harper, and Pickle—who’s a potbellied pig now—onto the stage. They’re awestruck, gaping at the fanfare, exclaiming things that Marsh can’t hear over the music. With terror, she scans the rest of the stage as her friends and family spin around to take everything in.

Where is Ren?

“Oh my God, Mom,” Harper cries, her mic finally kicking in. “You’re the season three contestant? This is so cool!”

“ Harp! ” Marsh yells desperately. “Come here!”

She runs toward her mother—but Talia cuts her off halfway across the stage.

“Isn’t it?” she gushes, and holds her own microphone to Harper. “Tell us how excited you are for your darling mom!”

Harper excitedly obeys, mesmerized by her giant face on the screen as she compliments her mother while Talia grins dazzlingly beside her.

“Talia, you have to stop the show,” Marsh says. “I don’t know where Ren is, but we have to find him. He’s the one who—”

But a clash of music drowns her out, no matter how loud she yells.

“I can’t believe it,” Jo is repeating, over and over. “How are we supposed to find the ísv?ngur here? The climate is all wrong!”

“Where’s my clipboard? I don’t remember this in the script...” Victor says, but they all scream and duck as a volcano goes off in the distance somewhere behind the screen, and the sky turns orange, then molten red.

“Holy mackerel, holy mackerel!” Pickle screeches, a parrot now, as he takes flight and tries to reach Marsh. “Holy mackerel!”

“Pickle, silly boy,” Harper says, reaching up to give him a place to land on her hand as he passes, and he takes it.

Talia sends Harper back over to the rest of the cast, who now are all dressed like orchestra musicians. Pickle has become a monkey who can play a harp. Harper takes her place as the lead violin, and they begin to play the score for the episode as Talia turns to Marsh.

“Can we cut?” Marsh calls out to anyone who will listen, her voice barely controlled. “I need five with Talia. I can even change into better clothes and redo the entrance if you want!”

“I know it’s scary, but we’ve been preparing for this since the very first day,” Talia says, putting a comforting hand on her arm. “I promised you I’d be with you at every step, all the way through to your final decision, helping you make the best choices possible, so your life could be as wonderful as mine. All we have to do is make one more.”

“Talia, you have to listen to me,” Marsh begs again, even though she knows it’s futile. Nothing she can say will stop her immaculate host from urging the show toward its conclusion before she can stop Chrysalis and make everything perfect, the way it should be.

She got so close, so close, but it wasn’t enough. She’s out of time.

What can she do?

Think!

“We’ve been hard at work behind the scenes, combing over every single page of your Show Bible, and we’ve come up with an incredible ending episode!” Talia’s recording booms on the screen above them.

A huge spotlight pours down on Marsh, and the music shrieks. She watches as the gigantic screen she’s standing in front of starts to change. The All This and More title disappears in a burst of confetti, and a beautiful, glittering image appears.

“Is that...” Marsh asks, recognizing the famous skyline.

“Your life has gone from good to great to even better, ” Talia continues, as the image on the screen flashes between various famous buildings and landmarks. “You’ve managed to take hold of your career and are pursuing your passion at last, and you’ve built a happy, loving family. And now, it’s all going to culminate in this final, epic scene.”

Actual fireworks explode overhead.

“You’ve had the incredible chance to be a lawyer, and then law partner, with Victor and Jo. And now you can start a brand-new firm of your own in one of the most vibrant, exciting cities in the world—New York City!”

“New York?” Harper cries.

“It’s incredible, right?” Talia agrees. “This could be the pinnacle of your career, Marsh! Everything you’ve ever wanted! Ren could transfer to the New York Times headquarters, and think of the access to music Harper would have. She could attend university at the legendary Juilliard School, and see live shows on Broadway!” She hugs her handheld microphone to her chest for a moment as she stares at Marsh. “Just think how happy she could be.”

“But that’s not all!” Talia’s giant face shouts overhead.

The screen changes again, and this time, Marsh recognizes the image of this second place instantly. How could she not? It’s one of the most picturesque, beloved cities in the world.

“Is that London ?” Marsh stares.

“Exactly!” Talia cheers. “You could still be a lawyer—a scholar of international law, to be exact—but here !”

She points dramatically at the huge screen.

“Imagine how glamorous and romantic a life in such a historic, gorgeous city could be,” she says. “You and Ren could stroll through Kensington Gardens every morning, have high tea, and visit some of the best museums and galleries every afternoon, and take Harper to see the London Symphony Orchestra every evening. She could get her degree from the Royal Academy of Music, Ren would be an award-winning international journalist, and you, an illustrious professor at the prestigious King’s College!”

The music trills hysterically, earsplitting.

“What do you think?” Talia asks excitedly.

“I...” Marsh stares at the screen, absolutely confounded. Too much light, too much sound. She can’t think through these options, much less figure out what to do. “I don’t...”

Talia leans in. “You’ll be on top of the world no matter what. All you have to do is choose.”

Two short sentences appear in Sharp Purple lettering on the giant screen’s deep black background.

Open up Marsh’s own law firm in New York

Move Marsh’s family to London

Marsh swallows nervously. She knows that billions of eyes are on her right now. Viewers all around the world have slid to the edges of their seats, and are holding their breaths as they wait for her to make her final decision. She remembers this moment well from season one, when she was watching Talia’s finale episode of All This and More . How hard she was clutching the armrest of her couch, and how fast her heart was beating.

K8theGr8: Please please please, choose New York!

Melekbebek: No, London!

RedMoon: !

LoboAzul: ?Ven a Nueva York!

The words explode like fireworks in her vision. Marsh scans the comments yet again, but there’s still no sign of Ezra.

“Thank you, everyone, for tuning in with us this season! As we prepare to open the Bubble and rejoin the world, we must suspend the comments, but we’ve loved sharing every minute of Marsh’s journey with you!” Talia says, waving like a beauty pageant queen.

Notamackerel: No! They can’t turn us off! Where’s SharpTruth when we need him??

Moms4Marsh: We love you, Marsh!!!

It’s the last thing Marsh sees before the comment window closes with terrifying finality.

She waits nervously, but it’s true.

Gone—all of them.

Even Ezra.

It’s just her now, alone, facing this impossible final choice.

“Remember, Marsh... you could have All This ...” Talia singsongs. The whole set presses in around her.

“ And ...” Marsh tries.

Talia’s eyes grow even larger, encouraging her.

“And...”

She can’t do it, she knows.

This isn’t right!

She’s not ready.

Not to make this choice, and not to end her season.

Not like this.

“What?” Talia asks.

“I can’t,” Marsh blurts out. “I can’t do this.”

Talia looks tense. The TV-glamorous smile on her face is growing more strained by the second, struggling to remain plastered serenely across her face.

“What do you mean, Marsh?” she asks. “You have to. This is the season finale.”

Marsh shakes her head. “No. I’m not ready.”

“You have to be,” Talia replies through gritted teeth. She scoots a little closer to her and puts a hand on her shoulder.

“After all, look at your new life! With the choices you’ve made, you’ve managed to find true love again with a great guy! Viewers absolutely love Ren, Marsh. He’s a total crowd favorite. And you managed to completely overhaul your career, and you’re now doing what you’ve always wanted to! Not only that, but I know how much it means to you that you were able to do so much for Harper,” Talia continues. “She’s on fire—such talent and passion for music! It’s incredible.”

Another round of fireworks goes off to punctuate her speech.

“I think you did pretty good, Marsh,” Talia continues at last. For a moment, her expression isn’t the TV-glamorous one, but softer and kinder, more like how it was the first day she—nervous, excited, and totally out of her depth—began her own journey as the very first episode of All This and More aired, and changed the world forever. “I might even say it’s perfect.”

Her eyes glint hungrily as she says the word, her polished expression failing for just an instant before becoming serene again.

“Wouldn’t you?”

Marsh hesitates, helpless.

It’s true that Ren did make a mess, and nearly destroyed the Bubble a second time, but it’s also undeniable that he did help her improve her life. He supported her through law school, he became a parent to Harper, he gave up careers, he moved countries. He changed everything about himself—hundreds of times. He did everything he could to try to make Marsh happier.

And he did make her happier.

Part of her wonders, could she have accomplished everything she has in her season without Ren ?

Overhead, euphoric music booms.

“Now, let’s see those options again!” Talia’s giant face exclaims.

Marsh spins around as the Bubble’s cameras appear, and all loom in on her. The cheesy music crescendos, and the lenses press in so close that her breath fogs all the glass.

“What’ll it be, Marsh?” Talia asks Marsh. “What do you choose?”

SharpTruth601: Marsh, I’m here

The comment fizzles and glitches, a kaleidoscope of fonts, but it’s there, briefly. Her heart soars.

SharpTruth601: I think I know what you’re—

[ERROR]

SharpTruth601: I can’t go with you

[ERROR]

SharpTruth601: But I can open the way

[ERROR]

SharpTruth601: Just give me a sign

Finally, Marsh turns to Talia.

“Okay,” she says. “I know what I choose.”

“That’s the spirit, Marsh!” Talia says. “For the last time this season, let’s remind our awesome viewers that...”

Her voice rises slightly, taking on a musical quality as she begins to singsong the show’s name. Words that have become a prayer chanted by billions of people in the world, a dream desperately held by nearly every living soul.

“You could have All This ...” Talia sings.

Marsh grins, determined.

“... Or light it on fire instead,” she answers.

Talia, confused, opens her mouth to reply.

But Marsh takes off at a dead sprint.

“No! Wait!” Talia cries, but she’s so startled, she can’t leap into action to stop Marsh before she’s already run past. “Marsh!!”

SharpTuth602: Go!

[ERROR]

Marsh throws her whole body into it, her legs pumping and her lungs heaving, running like her life depends on it, because it does.

SharpTruth603: Go! Go! Go!

SharpTruth603: You can do this, Marsh!

SharpTruth603: And when you find Lev again, tell him I—

[ERROR]

[WARNING: BUBBLE UNSTABLE]

[EMERGENCY PROCESSES ACTIVATED]

If Talia catches her, it’s over. Marsh will never have another chance to make this life right—to make it hers —before it’s over.

This show was already impossible, and it was even more impossible that Marsh managed to get so far, despite all the obstacles.

This finale is her one, only shot in the world to make everything perfect .

And she will not give that up.