Everything was going according to plan.  I had formed an alliance with the Turians and the Krogan, the Quarrians had my back and the Asari figured they could better go down fighting.  Cerberus had been taken care of.  The Crucible was just passed the Mass Relay, waiting for an opening to dock and put an end to the Reaper threat.  I managed to beat the odds and arrive at the core, presented with 2 options that could possibly end this.

This was the moment I had been working towards.  Thousands had died to make this happen.  Peace was within my grasp.  Everyone was counting on me.

And then 'it' reared his head.  'It', the core of what makes us human.  Curiosity.

I wasn't going to gamble all of this on what some alien technology had told me.  I shot the Catalyst.  Perhaps it would offer a third way to end this, with even fewer casualties.  I didn't really expect anything to happen, it wouldn't matter.  It's not like he was of flesh and blood either.  You can shoot NPC's all the time without them taking note.  It's a quirk shared among all games.  I would just turn around again and chose one of the two options presented to me.

It pissed him off.  Curiosity had cost me victory.  The Cycle continued.  Earth was destroyed.  The Asari whiped away.  The Turians harvested to the last soul.  Salarians, Quarrians, all gone.  Humanity...

I don't think the end of a game has ever clung to me like this.  I really felt down, having failed everyone.  That loss was framed wonderfully by the VI of Liara, the one she left as a last resort, a beakon of hope for those to come afer us...  My Liara.  They all died, becaus of my folly.

I didn't think Bioware had the balls to one up me like that.

Tomorrow, I'm starting from my last save point, to see a peace be made.  It won't be my story though.  It won't be my victory.  My Shepard died right then and there, taking down everyone in his last folly.