A facially scarred mouse, in her bedroom, tosses and turns as she dreams about the events of her past. The times when she was kidnapped by a Rat and injured during the Plutarkian War, before the Nomad Rats took her in; when she was informed that the Biker Mice had left Mars; when she had her bandages removed and wore her mask; when she started helping out the Rats and stayed with them for three years, eventually and officially becoming their leader; when she finally met the Biker Mice again, kissed her boyfriend and left.
She wakes up panting, eventually calming herself down. "Why do my thoughts come back to haunt me?" "Which ones?" Harley gasps at the voice, gets out of bed and turns on her bedroom lamp to see who it was. "Mace? What are you doing here?" "You were making noises in your room," he explained. "I wanted to know if you were alright."
"I'm fine," she answers. "I just… had a dream. You should go back." "No, I want to know what you were dreaming about." Harley sighs at the thought of Mace knowing her true thoughts. "I was dreaming about my past: being kidnapped, getting injured, the Rats helping me and vice versa, becoming their leader, seeing the Biker Mice again…" she stops her in her tracks, worried about what Mace will think of his white-furred enemy sharing… that moment with her.
"What happened next?" "I… helped the Rats save Mars." "No, before that." Harley touches her lips slightly, remembering what had happened that day. Unfortunately for her, Mace figured it out and approaches her. "You let that mouse lock lips with you?!" Harley nods. "My first kiss… I couldn't fight it." Mace sighs disappointedly. "Harley, what did I tell you about those Martian Mice? They are not to be trusted!"
Harley bows her head down in shame. "I told him I couldn't be with him and… that's when I left." Harley looks up at Mace, who has his back to her. "What was I supposed to do at that time? He kissed me after he removed my mask." Mace turns around, angered by the sheer thought. "HOW COULD YOU LET HIM DO THAT?!" "Mace! He didn't care about the scars on my face. Not at all."
Mace sighs, trying to calm himself down. "Anyway, what's done is done. We can only move forward." A thought came to Harley as he said those words. "Mace," he turns around to look at her. "Remember what you said about us being a family?" "Yeah… I do." Harley smiles to herself. "Go back to sleep, we have a big day ahead of us."
Harley sighs as Mace leaves the room. As she lays her head down, she begins to think about Vinnie. How happy he was to see her again, how sorry he was for letting her come to her fate and how sad he was to see her go despite the former couple declaring their love for each other. "I'm sorry, Vinnie." And with that, she falls asleep.
The next day, the Rats are anxiously waiting for Harley and Mace to arrive. Applause fills the air upon their arrival. Harley, though inwardly nervous, manages to keep her nerves under control as she is the first to speak. "Good morning, everyone. Let us celebrate our victory; for we have fought tirelessly to save our home planet, Mars, from its doom and destruction. It is all thanks to our brave warriors."
The Rats cheer raucously at their success. "But it is not all good news. We must commemorate our brothers and sisters in arms who fought bravely that day. We wish they were here with us to celebrate, but all we can do now is be grateful for their efforts and keep them in our thoughts and in our hearts. Let us take a minute of peace to honour them."
As the Rats are doing the deed for their loved and lost ones, Vinnie is the Freedom Fighters' hideout with only one thing on his mind. Or, more specifically, one person. He touches his lips, remembering that one moment they shared together. "Vinnie?" Vinnie leans up from his bed to see who was calling him. "Hey, Charley girl." "How are you doing, big guy?" she asks, as she approaches him. "Not too good." he sighs.
Charley thinks a few seconds. "It's about her, isn't it?" "Yeah… I'm glad she's still alive but… I just thought that… she and I would be… together again, you know?" Charley nods understandingly. "It's just not fair! Why did that stupid Rat have to take everything away from us?" Charley is taken aback by Vinnie's angry words. "I know how you feel about all this, but still… what do you think is going to happen to her?"
"That's what scares me." he admits. "How long until those Rats turn their backs on her? Especially after everything she's been through. Everything she has done for them to repay them for their… 'kindness', if you could call it that." "You think the Rats took her in for another reason?" Vinnie, with a look of sadness, nods.
"There is no easy way to say this." Harley continues. "Our warriors have hoped, dreamed and fought for this day. And now that the Rats have finally redeemed themselves from this long and difficult task, now is the time to end all forms of oppression for all rat kind." The Rats cheer at the thought of finally getting the respect they deserve. "The Nomad Rats will finally live their lives in peace and will no longer be deemed as second-class citizens."
Mace steps in as the Rats cheer triumphantly. "The Nomad Rats, from this day forth, shall be known as first-class citizens. We have the power now and with that power… no one can stop us. Every single mouse will live in fear of the Nomad Rats." Harley is slightly unsettled by this. She wanted the Rats to be respected, not feared. All those things she did to the Freedom Fighters, she felt that she had to go to drastic measures to make that happen.
"Mace, what are you doing?" she thought. "What part of 'respect' don't you understand?" Mace looks at Harley and approaches her. "And I do mean every – single – mouse." Harley looks confused. Fully knowing that she is a mouse (technically speaking), she had been living the Rats for such a long time that she felt like she was one of them. "What? Well, I did say that we are your family… until the end."
Harley slowly begins to put the pieces together. "This is the end, 'Mistress'. Did you really think you would ever be one of us? Look at you. You are a mouse. A filthy, little insignificant mouse." Harley looks Mace in the eyes as those words ring in her ear. "Now, I understand. Now I know why the Rats took me in." "Yes, we took you in for a reason. Our own reason." "And the Biker Mice…" she realises what had happened while she had been waiting for one of her own to take her home. "They weren't close to finding me, they were just made to think that way. You and the others must have thrown them off the scent."
"And now that the Rats have finally got what they wanted…" "You all have no further use for me. Have you forgotten everything I did to help you all? Oh, that's right. I was just being used ALL THIS TIME!" Harley's angry, pained words echo through the room. "How could you all do this to me? I thought you were my family. I thought you were my friends. I thought you were the only people I could ever trust!"
Harley is seething with rage at the thought of the Rats manipulating her, even from the day she was taken into their home. "YOU WERE ALL MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS! I LOVED YOU ALL, I LOVED YOU ALL UNCONDITIONALLY! I HAVE WORKED MY FINGERS TO THE BONE TO HELP YOU ALL AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME? JUST BECAUSE I AM A MOUSE?!"
None of the Rats flinch from Harley's aggravated tone relating to their deception and betrayal. "Guards!" Mace's guards to approach Harley. "Take her away." Harley finds herself standing outside as the guards close the door on her. "I curse you," she hisses. "I curse you ALL!" She turns her back to the door, looks back as her anger starts to fade and looks down to the floor in sadness and shame. Hours pass as she travels through the harsh weather and terrain of Mars. She begins to lament the events leading up to this day.
Flashback begins
She remembered the day she was taken away from the Freedom Fighters, thanks to Mace, and injured in the Plutarkian War. When she found out that NO ONE showed to help her, she began to believe that her own people didn't care about her. Not even the Biker Mice. She felt that Vinnie, her first love, left her alone when he failed to save her. She was infuriated with them for doing such a thing after everything she had done for them.
When the Nomad Rats showed up, Harley's anger quickly changed to fear. She had a feeling that the Rats, the Mice's enemies, were going to kill her when they saw her stranded in the middle of nowhere. She fell unconscious before anything could happen. Anything at all. Some time later, she found herself in the Rats' chambers, where she had bandages on her face. It was a shock to discover that the Rats had a softer side to them, despite being enemies with the Mice.
Fully believing that Mice abandoned and betrayed her, she switched sides with the Rats and eventually became their leader. It had been 3 years since she stayed with them after her people gave up on her. She was always successful in helping her new family, the Nomad Rats, with her plans because of her skills and intelligence. One day, when the news of Mars' drought to came her, she sought to save the planet with the help of the Rats.
So she concocted a plan: enslave the Mice to dig up tetra-hydrocarbons and take the Regenerator from their hands, so they use it to save Mars. If the plan was a success, the Rats would have lived their lives in peace and get the respect they deserve. When she found out that the Biker Mice had returned to Mars, she got her troops to take it from them... and they succeeded. When Biker Mice showed up to take her home, she told them the facts. Her facts.
She remembered Vinnie becoming emotional when he found out what happened to her. After he tried to help her, she fled from him, angered at what he did to her after she was stolen from her home. Despite being convinced that Vinnie doesn't care her, Harley reluctantly took the time to listen to what he had to say. After expressing his emotions to the events and explaining that he and his brothers had left Mars, Harley began to believe that he did care for her after all... before finding out about his relationship with a woman on Earth.
When Harley met up with Charley, the woman, during a fight between the two, told her that she and Vinnie are just friends. Harley finally understood that she was the one for him, not Charley. Harley remembered Vinnie looking at her facial scars and kissing her passionately for the first time... before saying their sad goodbyes as they could not afford to betray the people they were fighting for. When Mars was finally saved, thanks to Harley, the Rats were no longer second-class citizens.
But something went horribly wrong. Harley realised that the Rats were only using her from the day she was kidnapped and injured. She also figured out that the Rats were the main reason no one came looking for her. Harley felt foolish for putting all her trust in the people (who made her believe them) she called her new family and friends and, as a result, was cut off from the Rat family seeing that she was no longer needed to do anything for them.
Flashback ends
Harley tightly closes her eyes, deeply regretting her actions towards the Mice. Regretting every drastic measure she took even before she started making the Freedom Fighters pay dearly for what they did to her. She begins to worry about one thing and one thing only: how will she explain herself to the Freedom Fighters? If she CAN find them, that is. The sheer thought made her feel physically sick as she continued her long and tedious journey to wherever she is heading to get to the Freedom Fighters... and apologise for her actions towards them. Not to mention the fact that her plan to save the planet was very close to destroying it.
Harley, exhausted and thirsty, staggers across the Freedom Fighters' hideout. Vinnie steps outside to think about his people's future, then he notices a smaller figure, from a distant, dropping towards the ground. He runs off to investigate, noticing that the figure was attired in black and wearing a purple mask. "Harley? Harley!" Harley, on her knees, faints from exhaustion only to come across something soft and warm. She opens her eyes as he carries her into the hideout. "V…Vi…nnie…" "Shh, it's gonna be OK, Harley."
Vinnie stops in his tracks as Throttle and Charley stare at him holding Harley in his arms. "Please, she needs help." "Vin…nie…" "It's OK, Harley, I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." "Th-thir… thir…sty… wa… water…" "She needs water. Go get her some water!" Throttle nods and leaves. Harley opens her eyes and finds herself in Vinnie's room. "Where… am I? I must be dreaming or I could be… I guess that's my punishment. For everything I've done."
"What makes you say that?" "Throttle? What are you doing here?" He gives her a cup of water. "Drink this. It'll make you feel better." Harley takes the cup. "Is it…" "Clean? Yes." "I was gonna say 'poisoned', but clean water will do me just fine." She drinks it slowly. "Feeling any better?" "Yeah, thank you. What is this place?" "This… is our hideout. Right after you and the Rats saved Mars." A thought came to Throttle. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be… you know, with them?" Harley sighs. "They are not my friends anymore."
"What happened?" Harley sighs heavily. "Why am I even telling you this? We're enemies. I've betrayed my own people and…" "Harley, if the Rats have done something to you, we need to know." Harley closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Let's just say that… my services were no longer needed." "Did you quit on them?" "No," she replies. "They threw me out because of me. I mean, look at me. I'm just a mouse. A 'filthy, insignificant mouse'."
"No one calls my girl names and then gets away with it!" Vinnie is angry at what he had heard. "Vinnie…" "I knew this would happen!" Throttle is stunned by his little brother's behaviour. To think that the people who took his girlfriend in would turn on her like that! "Those Rats took her in and she helped them out! And how do they repay her? By kicking her out, treating her like she's garbage!" Harley tears up at her actions. "I'm so sorry, Vinnie." She places her hands on her face, only to find that she isn't wearing her mask. She covers her face, panicking at what Throttle could be thinking of her.
"Harley, you don't need to hide anything. I've seen the scars." "You think I'm ugly too, huh, Throttle?" "Not at all." Vinnie approaches her as she uncovers her face. "I am so sorry, Vinnie. I should have listened…" "It isn't your fault," Vinnie assures. "Those Rats were just using you to get what they wanted."
A sudden thought came to Harley. "Vinnie, remember when you said you were close to finding me?" Vinnie nods. "You weren't close to finding me, you were just made to think that way." Vinnie and Throttle are stunned at Harley's words. "You mean…" "Yes, Throttle. They threw you off the scent. That's how you began to lose all hope in finding and rescuing me."
"Those Rat faces are gonna pay for this!" "Easy there, big guy." Harley recognises the voices. "Modo. Charley." They step into Vinnie's room. "Hey, Harley. How have you been?" Harley bows her head down in shame in response to Charley's enquiry. "Oh, honey…" she approaches Harley and takes her hand in her own, to comfort the female mouse. "I'm so sorry for what happened to you." Harley looks Charley in the eyes. "It's my fault. I should have known. And Charley? I'm sorry I accused you of… you know…" "Hey, don't worry about it." She smiles and Harley does so, slightly.
"Whoa, mama." Modo notices the scars on her face. "This is what they look like?" "Yeah. Pretty gruesome, huh?" "Harley, come on. They're not that bad. Well, not as bad as Vinnie's." "Hey." Everyone chuckles at Vinnie's reaction. Harley sighs to herself. "I can't believe this has happened to you guys." "Hey, you're a mouse too. Remember?" "Yes, Vinnie, I know. It's just… since I joined the Rats I felt like wasn't really one of you guys anymore. And now that the Rats have finally risen to power… I don't know how we're going to get out of this." "I'm sure you'll find a way. You're a smart girl." Harley is relieved to hear those words from the one she loved. "Thank y- mmph!"
Vinnie kisses her passionately while everyone watches and woops. "I think we should give those two lovebirds some… 'alone time'." "Right behind you, big bro." "Hey! Guys, wait for me." The trio leaves the room and Vinnie and Harley are in each other arms once more. "Vinnie… I missed you so much." Ruby eyes gaze lovingly into sapphire ones. "I've missed you too, doll." Vinnie removes his mask and puts it away. The two scarred mice close in on each other for another kiss… and they go for the kiss.
"Harley is here?" "Yes, Carbine. Vinnie brought her in and I went to get her some water." Carbine is uneasy with Harley staying at the Freedom Fighter's hideout, considering her involvement with the Nomad Rats. "Are you sure it's safe to keep her here?" "You don't need to worry a thing, General." Modo assures. "After the Rats brought Mars back on its feet, they… kicked her out." Carbine is shocked and saddened by the news.
"Well, it serves her right. That idiot thinks he can just bring her in here and pretend that everything is A-OK." The Mice and Charley stare at a cream-furred Freedom Fighter. Modo approaches him with a face of thunder. "Consider yourself lucky Vinnie isn't here right now." "What's going on?" a silver-furred Freedom Fighter shows up. "Harley's here. With us. In OUR hideout."
He couldn't believe his ears. "What? The one who betrayed us? And enslaved us?" Throttle rushes in. "Guys, let's just…" "Why is she here?" the silver mouse asks. "She was exhausted." Charley explained. "She travelled all the way from HQ to get here. Vinnie found her and…" "He brought her in here? Is he out of his mind? What if this is just an act so she can spy on us?"
"Apparently, she's not with the Rats anymore. They kicked her out." the cream-furred mouse replied. "They kicked her out? That's it? I'm surprised they didn't finish her off." Throttle approaches the deep-voiced mouse. "You better watch it, pal. Look, Harley is…" "Not one of us." the cream-furred mouse interrupted. "Never has been, never will be." He smiles slightly as he chuckles to himself. "We will see what the others have to say." He and the silver mouse walk away.
Throttle sighs. "What are we going to do?" "I'll see what I can do. Whatever their decision is, well… we'll just have to stick with it." Throttle nods at Carbine as she walks off. The next day, Harley and Vinnie are nervously walking past group of Martian Cave Mice glaring at her. Whispering to each other about how she turned her back on them and joined the enemy to take control of Mars from them.
"Harley, whatever happens… know that I'll always remain on your side." Vinnie winks at her and Harley gives him a small smile. Harley is standing nervously on the pedestal as angry eyes stare at her. The Biker Mice and Charley are watching her within the crowd. "Stay calm, Harley. You can do this". Throttle shushes Vinnie.
"Um… hello, everyone." Harley breathes slowly to calm her herself down. "This isn't easy, to tell you the truth. I can understand that the majority of you, well, hate me because of my involvement with the Nomad Rats." "Yeah, you think?" Vinnie shushes the cream-furred mouse.
"To tell you the truth, I thought I was abandoned by my own people when I was scarred as you can see right here." she explains, pointing to the scars on her face. "I also thought the Rats were going to kill me when they found me and when I was informed that the Biker Mice had left Mars, I thought they just… didn't care about me anymore."
Harley swallows hard as she tries to gather her words together. "I know that what I'm about to say may sound futile and meaningless to the lot of you, but… I have to say it right now, before I regret it for the rest of my life. I, Harley Hopper, would like to apologise."
"Apologise for what? For turning your back on us? For destroying cities, buildings and towns? For kidnapping and enslaving the Freedom Fighters? For allowing the Rats to finally rise to power?" the cream-furred mouse's words change from playful to furious.
"You did this, Harley! You did all this! And now that the Rats have dumped you, you come back here to tell us that you're sorry? No, you're not sorry for what happened. You're scared of what's going to happen to you." Harley was confused. What did he mean by that? Is she going to be banished from the Freedom Fighters for that one mistake before she went rogue?
"And we all know that being scared isn't the same as being sorry. What were you even thinking when you started siding with those Rats, anyway?!" "THAT THE RATS WERE MY FAMILY!" Harley snapped, bringing an awkward silence between her and the audience. "I know I was stupid, I know I was crazy at the time but… I felt that for the first time in my life, MY – LIFE, I finally had people who truly, TRULY care about me!"
The light-brown mouse tears up at the memories of her journey to a dark path. "I was all alone, alone and scared. NO ONE showed up to help me… no one but the Nomad Rats. I thought they were kind, but… they were just using me. They were USING me just to get what they wanted. And I feel so ashamed and stupid and disgusted for everything I've done and I'm so sorry. I am so sorry."
"'Sorry'?" the silver mouse spoke, believing Harley's apology to be a joke. "Some of our people have died because of you. Because of them. Need I remind you that your actions nearly caused the destruction of our planet? What possessed you to pull a stunt like that?"
"I was only trying to save my planet." Harley explains. "'My' planet?" the cream-furred mouse blurted. Harley mentally berated herself for that mistake. "'My' planet?! You think this is 'my' planet? This isn't 'my' planet, it's OUR planet!" Harley is at loss for words. "Have you any idea how much emotional damage your actions have caused us? Have you any idea much destruction you could have caused this planet? Have you NO CONSIDERATION for ANYONE but yourself?!"
Harley chokes on her tears as she takes his words in. "I know what I did was selfish…" "Selfish?" he scoffs. "You have NO IDEA. Everything we had, everything we worked so hard to achieve was taken away from us. You took EVERYTHING away from us and handed it over to Rats! RATS!" He laughs to himself. "What were you hoping to achieve from this? Was it revenge? Satisfaction?"
"Look, she said she was sorry." "It doesn't count, Vinnie! She betrayed us, enslaved us! SHE made us SUFFER! We were forced to work for the Rats, digging for tetra-hydrocarbons day and night. Anyone who tried to escape was FORCED TO CONTINUE working for the Rats, with the use of mind-control devices attached to their heads." Everyone (except Carbine, Charley and the Biker Mice) murmurs in agreement.
"And you, YOU DARE to come here and tell us how 'sorry' you are for your selfish ways. You know, you could have gotten yourself out of there when you were captured by those Rats." Vinnie had had enough of the cream-furred mouse's abusive words. "Just leave her alone, Mark."
"I WILL NOT LEAVE HER ALONE!" Mark erupts. "WHAT ABOUT US? OUR FAMILIES? OUR FRIENDS? SHE DIDN'T LEAVE THEM OR US ALONE! She had the potential to hack into the Rats' computers to let us know exactly where she was. She had the potential to do SO MANY GOOD THINGS… and she SQUANDERED it. She squandered it all in favour of the Nomad Rats!"
Mark turns to a distraught Harley with a dangerous look in his eyes. "Why didn't you use the gifts you have been given to help yourself? Was it 'hard to be Harley' for you? You wanna know the one thing I really don't understand? I don't understand HOW and WHY the Rats let you off that easy."
Harley, with a blank look on her face, doesn't move a muscle. Her thoughts based on what she did and what she could have done, had she been given the opportunity. All the times she could have sent the Freedom Fighters a sign, ANY sign, to let them know that she was in another location.
But no, all that time was wasted on waiting for one of her own people to come for her. Every opportunity for escape had been missed. She had become too dependent on the Rats during all that time she had bandages on her face. She felt that the Rats were now her family. Her friends. Her people.
But no. It was all a lie. The Rats had plans for her, they knew she had the potential to do so many great things and they used it, used her, to get the one thing they wanted: power. And with all that power, who on Mars was going to stop them? Harley hyperventilates and, after a while, screams at the top of her lungs. Shedding hot tears of pain, regret and sorrow.
Carbine is shocked at the sight; all Throttle and Modo could do was stand and watch; Charley looks at Vinnie with worry; and Vinnie could feel his heart being ripped into two as he watches Harley crumble and curl up like a hedgehog… or a scared little girl. Her whimpering was more than enough to break his masculinity. His eyes tearing up at what he had witnessed; he had NEVER seen ANYTHING like this before. Harley was always strong and tough, but looking at her now she has been regressed to nothing but a scared little girl. "Harley…"
"What have I done? What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?" Harley's lips did the talking, but a sound was never heard. Mark chuckles at the sight. "Well, look at you now. Trapped in a lie and all alone." Vinnie is upset at this. "You better shut your mouth, buddy!" Mark looks on at Vinnie, who is seething in anger. Then he looks at Harley, then at Vinnie again, then at Harley again. Looking at Vinnie one last time, he puts the two and two together.
"Now I get it… she has you wrapped around her little finger. Tell me something, Vinnie. How did it feel for you when she was in control?" "Don't you dare talk about Harley that way!" "Careful now, Vinnie. You know she likes to keep things under her control. Maybe…" "We only kissed and that's it." "Maybe she felt that she had to take a little something to remember you by."
That remark was a step too far, and the two mice get into a fight. Vinnie is on the ground, bearing the brunt of the fight. Modo and Throttle unsuccessfully try to stop Mark, but Harley pulls him up and delivers a punch to the face, knocking him down. She then helps Vinnie up to his feet.
"Vinnie, are you alright?" "I'm fine." "What were you thinking?" "I couldn't let him talk down to you like that. Thanks for helping me up, though." Harley looks down in shame, remembering what she had done when he helped her up. "You're welcome. I wish I had shown gratitude… when you…" "Hey," Vinnie lifts her chin up, to make her eyes up with his. "Don't worry about it." Harley smiles at him.
Mark rises and dusts himself off, glaring at Vinnie and Harley. The other Freedom Fighters do the same to Harley, and only Harley. They never forgave her for what she had done and they certainly weren't going to forgive her now. No matter how hard she tried to make them understand how deeply she regrets her decisions. Harley knew what had to be done, had the Freedom Fighters decided not to pardon her for her mistakes and crimes.
Carbine approaches Harley. "Harley, it's not good news. The majority of the Martian Mice have come to a decision, regarding your actions that lead up to Mars' fate and ours." Harley nods understandingly. "It has been decided: as punishment for your actions against the Martian Cave Mice, you are banished from Freedom Fighter territory."
The news shocks the Biker Mice and Charley, but the Freedom Fighters see it as an outcome worth celebrating. Carbine sighs deeply at the loss of a Martian Cave Mouse who had fought and struggled to survive, involving her experiences with the people she assumed were her family and friends from the very day they took her in.
"Harley, I wish…" "It's alright, Carbine. I know where I'm not needed." As she walks past the Freedom Fighters, Mark smiles as a cacophony of jeers fill the area. Vinnie glares at the cream-furred mouse as he, his brothers and Charley walk through the crowd. "Good riddance to traitors. Right, Mark?" "Yeah, good riddance. So, what happens now, Stan?" the silver mouse sighs deeply. "I wish I knew, Mark. We're stuck here, thanks to her."
"Harley, I'm sorry about those ungrateful…" "You know what, Charley?" Harley interrupts. "Maybe this is for the best. I mean, who in their right mind would want to stick around with a traitor like me?" Throttle sighs. "Stoker was believed to be a traitor. He made mistakes, did some things he wasn't proud of. Eventually, he was able to redeem himself and start over."
Harley turns around to him, frowning. "Well, how am I supposed redeem myself for my mistakes?" The Biker Mice and Charley are taken aback from Harley's negative tone. "The Rats don't want me. The Freedom Fighters don't want me. And now look at me. I have no family, no friends, nothing and no one!"
"What about us?" Modo asks. "Aren't we your family and friends?" Harley realises her mistake. "You're right, I'm sorry. It's just… I can't shake the feeling that… I'm all alone." Vinnie approaches her. "You'll never be alone. You have us." He warmly smiles at her. "Oh, Vinnie…" Vinnie opens his mouth to say something, but Harley stops him.
"No… Vinnie. I can't… drag you down with me. This is my mess, my fault, my punishment… and I'm just going to have to face it." "Where are you gonna go?" Charley asks, worried about Harley's survival. "As long as I am away from the Mice and the Rats, I should be fine." Harley turns to face Vinnie. "It's like you said, Vinnie. I'm a smart girl. I'll figure something out."
Harley walks to exit Vinnie's room and turns around to face him and his gang. "Well, this is it. Take care, everyone." "Wait!" Just as Harley is about to leave, Vinnie grabs her mask and gently puts it on her face. Harley smiles gratefully at the gesture, but then Vinnie grabs her hand to stop her from leaving. "Don't go." Harley knew she had to be strong for herself, a despondent Vinnie and crew.
She kisses him passionately. "I'm sorry, my love." She caresses the left side of his face. "I have no choice." Vinnie, using his grip, tries to stop Harley from leaving again, but Harley places her hand on his and gently removes his grip. Vinnie struggles to hold his tears back as he reaches his hand out to her.
Harley holds her hand out to him with a sad smile. She steps back towards the exit (or entrance) and, while lowering her hand, walks out of the room. Vinnie is astounded as the love of his life leaves him, his brothers, Charley and the Freedom Fighters behind. He drops to his knees and sobs uncontrollably, as his brothers place their hands on his shoulders. All Charley could do was stand and watch the scene.
Of all the things she hated, or could hate, this takes the cake. Charley took a deep breath and sighed. Later, Carbine is contemplating Harley's well-being, now that she had banished from entering Mice and Rat territories. "Harley…" Hearing footsteps approaching her, Carbine turns around to see Charley. "Hey, you OK?" Carbine bows her head down. "No. I am not OK. I am not OK with what happened with Harley nor am I OK with what's happening now."
"Same here. Look, I know what Harley did was wrong but… there's gotta be a reason why she did all this. Right?" Carbine looks Charley directly in the eyes. "I mean, she and Vinnie were finally going to be together until Mace kidnapped her. She got angry when she woke up with scars on her face and found herself all alone in the middle of nowhere. The only people who helped her out were the Nomad Rats."
Carbine stares at her. "Well, not 'helped', but you know what I mean, right? All that time she spent with Rats changed her opinion on them. She thought she finally had a family to take care of her and spent a few years with them. She gave them everything they wanted and in the end, they just… and now she's been banished from the Freedom Fighters for her mistakes."
The sound of glass breaking was enough to catch Carbine and Charley's attention. The girls investigate, only to find Vinnie screaming with rage and his brothers try to calm him down. Charley was knocked for six at the sight of Vinnie's face turned turning red. "Vinnie…" His brothers pinned him down, his chest pressed against the floor. "What's going on here?" Mark called out, wanting to know what the fuss was about.
He sees Vinnie struggling to break free from his brothers' grip. "What's his problem?" "She's gone! She is GONE!" Vinnie sobbed. "All my life I have been waiting for her to come back to me, and now she's gone! She has left me." Mark sighed as Vinnie sobs uncontrollably at the loss of his true love. "What other choice did we have? She was the reason the Martian Mice are suffering at the hands of the Nomad Rats. What, were we supposed to forgive and forget? Pretend it never happened?"
Vinnie glares at Mark. "This is all YOUR fault! If YOU hadn't embarrassed her in front of everyone…" "The fault was hers, Vinnie. You know what she did, everyone knows what she did to us. This will NEVER go away. We have lost EVERYTHING. And now look at us. Look at us. Unless we find a way to get our own back, take back what is rightfully ours, we are stuck here in this dump, forced to hide from our enemies. All because of that one person who turned her back on us! And for what? A facial disfigurement?"
The room was silent for a short period of time before Mark spoke again. "She is getting everything she deserves for what she did." This angers Vinnie, but not enough to make do something he will truly regret. "We will never forget what happened to us and to Mars. And we certainly cannot forgive her for what she did. If she had known what those Rats were up to from the start, she never would have ended up like this." And with that lecture out of the way, Mark leaves the room. Vinnie is severely distraught.
Harley is in a Martian cave away from the two families that had banished her. She couldn't help but think about and remember what she had done. She had sworn blind that she had been betrayed her own people… and now she had been betrayed by the people she called her family. She was so close, so close, to destroying Mars and every living thing on it… all because of her obsession with bringing her planet back to life.
The Rats and (most of) the Mice wanted nothing, nothing, to do with her. Harley began to believe that, considering how hard it is to be Harley, she deserved everything that's coming to her. Whatever it may be. She put her hands out towards the fire when suddenly she heard a noise coming from inside the cave. Harley knew she wasn't alone and was curious to find out who was in this very cave.
"Who's there?" she calls out, rising up. "I could ask you the same thing," a voice replies. "Mistress". Out of the shadows, a familiar figure appeared revealing to be a Rat. A teenage rat, to be precise. Harley gasps at the Rat revealing himself to her. "Ralph?" she called out, recognising him. Ralph simply stares at her with a neutral look on his face.
NOTE: You can go to 'Memories of a Broken Mouse' to see the poem I wrote for Harley. I HAD to remove it from the story because I felt like it just didn't fit there. :(
I also made two Hardline song references (Rhythm from a Red Car and Look at You Now) aaaannd a reference to the song (Hard to be Harley) from the original episode, teehee. ^^
I have to note that I DO NOT own ANY of the BMFM characters (except Ralph, Stan and Mark. I made them up).
Right now, I am working on a third episode. Hope it turns out well. ^^