My Mass Effect 3 ending. Spoilers.



Hello, I know there are plenty of people sharing their Mass Effect endings with everyone but I decided to tell mine as well, regardless of possibility of no one reading it. To begin with I tried to write it in such a way that it would feel like you are playing the game not simply telling you a story. There will be choices for everyone to make and there will be outcomes to the choices you make. I will detail how what you choose affects what is going on in the war and galaxy and so on. So you know I played the game as a male Shepard and romanced Jack, also I finished the game without much War Asset. I don't know why I told you that but I guess if you see something strange it might be because that is how I think of the game. So here goes:



Well take everything up to the ending that BioWare has shown: Shepard and Anderson meet the Illusive Man, the Illusive Man dies as well as Anderson. Shepard is then transported up by the floor and now my story beings:



*Shepard finds himself in a very large room (this I imagine as a fully white hall with seemingly nothing in it and without walls, as if it goes on forever, but you guys can imagine it as whatever you want to). In this room Shepard is greeted not by the child from his dreams but my five holograms: the first hologram being one of what looks like a Keeper, the next three holograms seem unknown to Shepard and the fifth hologram is one of a Prothean. Shepard stares in awe when the Prothean speaks



Prothean: Congratulations on being the first cycle to complete the Ancient Weapon.



Shepard: What? Where am I? What is the Ancient Weapon.



Prothean: You are in a separate chamber, one accessed only when the Ancient Weapon is in final preparation and ready to be used.



Shepard: What Ancient Weapon?



Prothean: The one and only hope to stopping the Reaper invasion. You have worked on it for some time and now with its completion and attachment to the Catalyst you have succeeded in finalizing it.



Shepard: The Crucible...you mean the Crucible?



Keeper: Every cycle names our weapon what it will. For my people it was known as Hope. In our dark times it was what we needed. For you it is a weapon of the past.



Shepard: I...see...but who are you and why are you here?



Second Hologram: We are those of cycles past with the wits and luck to have discovered and understood what the first beings have left for us to protect from the Reapers.



Third Hologram: We are those civilizations which added to the schematics for the construction and perfection of the Ancient Weapon. Unfortunate as it was we have all perished in previous cycles but we all left something for another cycle to build upon. Fortunately for you, the cycle in which the Ancient Weapon is ready, is yours.



Prothean: Also fortunate you are not a cycle to go down without a fight, you are not one such cycle to worship you own destruction as others have. Out of the eons which have passed from the inception of the Reapers only five civilizations have worked on the Ancient Weapon and we now thank you for not having put our sacrifice of finalizing the weapon at the very end of our civilizations to no good use.



Shepard: But I don't understand why! Why is this happening? Why must there by cycles? Why so many sacrifices? Where did the Reapers come from!?



Keeper: In our time we have accomplished great works. Our scope very grade and our technology beyond your fathoming. We created tools to help us and so we created machines. Machines helped our goals and as we perfected, the machines did as well. But so great a scope we had, we ignored circumstances. We become destructive to the point of no return. Soon our destruction had to cease or life could no longer go on. We had to stop, but our nature could not dictate it. We continued. The machines understood what was happening and as was their program wanted to aid us. The aid they provided from then on brought only sorrow. The machines started to kill the civilization, destroy our work, put an end to our goals, all with the purpose to save us from ourselves. We opposed the machines. We fought. But our creations have grown faster than ourselves. We were losing. But doing this the machines understood that their actions only meant another form of destruction. In turn they created a plan for the enigma of our salvation. They used us to create Reapers. They had devised a way to save us and stop our progressive destruction. Use our organic material combined with synthetics to create a new being. Again we opposed. We tried to stop the machines. No salvation came from this as our limited understanding showed. Or a salvation we did not want. We were destroyed. But as you know life does not cease to exist and civilizations arose again. The machines had stopped with time. Their purpose had been reached. But the Reapers, being a new creation entirely, did not. With each cycle they came and gathered species. Turned them into more of their own. To save them from themselves. To Reapers it is logical. To us it is logical. But organics, either in their flaw or perhaps infinite wisdom, being transformed into Reapers was not a solution. Each cycle is different. Many cycles passed. Few have been able to fight.



Shepard: I see...but how can the Crucible stop them? What is the Catalyst?



Prothean: The Catalyst is the Citadel and the Citadel is the Catalyst. Created by the Keepers with the purpose creating a weapon to put an end to the Reapers.



Keeper: With the end of our civilization we created a plan. The Citadel is a battery for a weapon we devised to end the Reapers.



Second Hologram: We have also used the Citadel as a hub to preserve information and progress we made on the Ancient Weapon for the next cycles when our own failed.



Prothean: Our people have finalized the weapon but had to time to connect it to the Citadel, but thankfully the Reapers did not find out of our use for it. At least not until your fellow organic sold this information to the Reapers!



Shepard: He was indoctrinated.



Prothean: He was weakened by greed.



Shepard: Why not destroy the Citadel then?



Prothean: The Reapers calculate. They calculated you could not reach this room once under their control. They were wrong, perhaps a sign of the change of tide. Also it is easy for them to transport the Citadel as a Reaper creation tool across the galaxy. As we speak a Reaper of your species is being created.



Shepard: But why not destroy it before? In other cycles?



Keeper: Citadel is one of our machines. Mass effect relays are one of our machines. Reapers use for their own benefit, therefore no need for their destruction. Until realization of the Citadel's...



Shepard: Ahh!



*Shepard falls to his knees in agony, gripping the wound to his side. His powers are close to an end.



Shepard: How do I stop them!? Tell me!



Prothean: There is more than one way to use the Ancient Weapon. At first, one was meant to activate a feature which would overload all the mass effect cores of the Citadel and fire off a massive radiation field which would destroy all Reapers in the galaxy, due to the overload of the cores the Ancient Weapon itself would destruct along with anyone in it. Such an overload would secure victory immediately, but later on other features were added...



Third Hologram: While our civilization was working on the Ancient Weapon a design was added which was mean to channel the devastating power of such a mass effect field. We succeeded in being able to implement a feature which channels the field on a much smaller radius, creating a sort of pulse that fries all nearby Reapers. With this feature the Ancient Weapon is a devastating asset in the war against the Reapers, but a war none the less. Finally there is a third option...



*Forth Hologram speaks for the first time.



Forth Hologram: The third option...is that of...power. The option of becoming a creature with absolute power...immortality...



Prothean: The forth architect cycle implemented a system to gain control over the Reapers, or more specifically over the one with most influence: Harbinger.



Second Hologram: They chose to study the process of Reaper creation and devised a way to use the massive power of the Ancient Weapon to insert only one presence into a Reaper, instead of a whole civilization and on top of that, into a specific Reaper.



Forth Hologram: You can have supreme power! All limitations on you lifted! You will become a God!



Shepard: The Illusive Man was right...you can control Reapers...



Forth Hologram: Power! Power!



Prothean: Yes. But the outcome in only theoretical. No one knows what happens after one is fused with Harbinger.



Forth Hologram: Immortality!



Second Hologram: Or if it is even possible!



Forth Hologram: Like a GOD! (lol biotic god!!!)



Prothean: Based on cases of Reaper indoctrination one might loose all control. The Ancient Weapon would be rendered useless for a selfish cause!



Forth Hologram: ACTIVATE IT!!



Third Hologram: Highly inadvisable choice.



*Choose: Overload Option

*Choose: Pulse Option (I choose this)

*Choose: Fusion Option



Shepard: Prepare the pulse. Fry every Reaper son of a bitch attacking my home!



Prothean: Acknowledged. Initiating second protocol. Mass effect core charging. Channel device acti...



*FFSSSSSSVOOOOHHHHH A giant laser beam moves across the room horizontally the roof completely evaporated to reveal the inside of the closed Citadel. (I imagine the Citadel as hollow on the inside when it is closed, I don't know if that is accurate but yeah.) Shepard is knocked the the ground and involuntarily skids across the floor into a nearby wall. He looks up to witness one of the five wall of the Citadel breaking off and the giant figure of Harbinger flying across the room crashing into the inside of the opposite wall of the Citadel. Shepard dazed after the hit slowly recovers and hears over the com which is now working:



Alliance Officer: ...has just crashed inside the Citadel sir. Awaiting instructions.



Hackett: Shepard! Can you hear me?!? Use the Crucible! Situation is critical!



Harbinger: Your foolishness is only matched by your determination. Shepard you have failed. We cannot be stopped. It is over.



Prothean: 4th panel destroyed. System breached. Protocol stopped. Reset in progress.



Hackett: We need the Crucible Shepard use it now!!



Shepard: Activate the Pulse!



Prothean: Systems restarting. Need time.



Shepard: Hackett I need you to buy my time! Distract Harbinger!



Hackett: Report! Shepard needs help ASAP!



Alliance Officer: Everyone is in combat sir!



*Choose Normady to come aid. (I choose this one, availability depends on previous game choices)

*Choose Quarian Fleet to come aid.

*Choose Geth Fleet to come aid.



Shepard: Send the Normandy! Quick!



Harbinger: Your death is imminent Shepard.



*Harbinger has slowly been moving into position while crawling on the wall of the Citadel. And is now charging the laser directly pointing at Shepard's room.



Harbinger: It is the end.



*Laser fires! An explosion shifts Harbingers position at the last second. Laser misses Shepard and fires through floor few feet away from him.



Joker: I am here commander! Leave it to me.



Prothean: System operational. Power stabilized and charging. Immediate action possible: overload cores and fire small mass effect field, will not reach Reapers outside Sol system, everything on Citadel will die from the shock. All other options on standby. Further core power-up in progress.



*Choose Sol System Overload

*Choose Wait (I choose this)



*Harbinger is trying to ward of the Normandy while very well piloted by Joker. Harbinger fires and barely misses Normandy.



Joker: Commander if I don't make it out tell EDI...



*Second laser hits right side of Normandy. Normandy spirals out of control and hits the inside of the wall somewhere near Harbinger.



Shepard: JOKER!! Is the weapon ready?!?!?!



Prothean: Core power-up in progress.



Shepard: If you overload now and we on the Citadel die can the Alliance repair the Crucible and use it again???



Prothean: Damage from small overload substantial. Repairs perhaps possible but unlikely. Not enough data for accurate prediction.



*Choose Sol System Overload

*Choose Wait (I choose this)



*Harbinger is slowly moving towards Normandy Crash site.



Joker: Shepard...I...love...her...



Shepard: I know Jokey, han...



*FSSVOOOOH Laser from Harbinger shoots Normandy crash site.



Shepard: NOOOO!!!



Harbinger: You have caused enough trouble. Now it stops. You have failed.



*Harbinger once again heads towards Shepard.



Prothean: Core power-up complete. Protocol 1 activated awaiting confirmation. Protocol 2 activated awaiting confirmation. Protocol 3 activated awaiting confirmation.



Shepard: Activate the pulse! Now!



Prothean: Voice confirmation damaged. Manual confirmation required.



*Console comes out of the floor in front of the five holograms. Shepard has to crawl towards the console to activate command. Harbinger fires laser at Shepard and it is fallowing Shepard from behind as he closes in on the console. If Shepard stops: he dies, all hope is lost. Shepard reaches the console with the laser about to hit in seconds.



*Choose Overload (I choose this)

*Choose Pulse

*Choose Fusion



Prothean: Protocol 1 confirmed.



*Harbingers laser stops a foot short of Shepard now propped against the console.



Shepard: You failed you mother*****r.



Harbinger: Failure is imposs...



*The Crucible lights up and fires a giant force field which instantaneously spreads throughout the galaxy. After which the Citadel majestically explodes in Earth's orbit. Reapers can be seen deactivating and plummeting to the ground. All home worlds can be seen rejoicing: Palven, Thessia, all rejoicing for the victory of the war. Back on Earth every soldier rejoices and screams with happiness but Shepard's comrades know the victory game at the price of one of the their most dear friends. The next sequence is that of a Alliance television broadcast which details the course of the war and what the victory now means for all those in the galaxy. The galaxy is rejoicing and the broadcast conveys that, but interrupting the images of the news broadcast are images of how every one of Shepard's friends is reacting to the war. Jack can be seen getting drunk at a bar. Garrus can be seen having a bear next to a war memorial remembering the old days. Wrex can be seen sitting on his throne, not listening to his advisers, distracted by the memory of Shepard. Liara can be seen watching over the video she made for Shepard as a gift with tears in her eyes. Tali can be seen holding the rock Shepard gave her close to her chest and then placing it on a stand with his picture, in her new home on Rannoch. Alshey/Kaidan can be seen suiting up in Alliance uniform for training with a hard sad look on their face. James can be seen hitting a boxing bag and screaming in frustration. As all these scenes are interrupting the news broadcast, it ends with a picture of Shepard smiling, in his early days in the Alliance and the news broadcaster saying: "Even as we all are celebrating, let us never forget the sacrifice everyone had to made to achieve such a victory. And perhaps the greatest sacrifice of them all: that of *insert first name here* Shepard, that gave everything for us. We thank you from the bottoms of our hearts and from all corners of the galaxy. Alliances news out.