"I can't believe I'm stuck with a worthless, weak-minded pony like you!" Evil Fluttershy cruelly hissed, fighting the pony she was a copy of all the way through the Everfree Forest. It mattered not to the evil Fluttershy that she was fighting a losing battle, she still saw fit to complain.

Fluttershy, for her part, could only sigh and shake her head in disapproval. "Being kind isn't the same as being weak. Sometimes, it takes a lot of willpower, courage, and determination to be kind, even when you're the only one."

"Yeah, right, you tell yourself that!" The Fluttershy clone snapped back. "I have no clue how a pony like you could be friends with those other ponies. Unless, of course, you're just hiding behind them and having them make all the decisions for you."

Fluttershy's tone of voice did not change in the slightest as she said to her evil me. "That's not true and you know it. I'm just as onboard with this as the others are. I might have my hesitations, but I wouldn't try to teach you unless I thought you were willing to learn."

"Well you're wasting your time!" Evil Fluttershy remarked as the edge of the Everfree Forest came into sight. "You should've been just like that pathetic queen that created us. At least she made it clear that she didn't care about us unless we were useful to her."

The pegasus mare with pretty pink bangs simply sighed anew. "I'm not like Chrysalis, and neither are my friends. We're going to prove it to you no matter how long it takes or how hard you fight us," She then approached her cottage. "Now come on, it's late and you need to go to bed. We'll start working on your lessons first thing in the morning, when you help me help my animal friends."

The Fluttershy clone was anything but impressed by the sight that awaited her inside the cottage. "Is this where I'm supposed to be staying? It smells like animals," She frowned. "And I hate animals!"

"Well if that's your attitude, missy," Fluttershy sternly scolded her clone as she locked eyes with her. "You can sleep down here for the night while I sleep in my bed. Be thankful you're not sleeping outside or in the Everfree Forest. It's not a place to stay if you don't know your way around."

Evil Fluttershy snarled and sneered. "Fine by me! And first thing tomorrow, I'm out of here for good!"

Fluttershy made sure to get up bright and early the next morning, determined to help her doppleganger change her ways. If she could get Discord of all creatures to behave, there was no reason why an evil clone of herself should be any different.

Just then, there came a commotion from downstairs! The animal loving pegasus jumped and immediately raced to the scene of the disturbance!

Evil Fluttershy lay upon the floor of the cottage, apparently having tripped over something. Said something turned out to be none other than Angel Bunny, who was most upset about having been stepped on. The bunny was chittering up a storm of protest.

"I don't know what you're trying to say to me and I don't care!" Evil Fluttershy hissed at the bunny. "It's your own fault for getting in the way like that, you stupid bunny!"

Fluttershy quickly moved to break up the argument before it could escalate. "That's enough, both of you!" She turned to Angel. "I'm sorry about my clone, she's just starting to learn not to be so mean all the time," Then she turned to her clone. "And you need to show respect to those smaller than you. Animals have feelings too."

The Fluttershy clone spat at the ground. "That's a laugh if I ever heard one! You're too soft in the head! If you spent time with ponies instead of animals, you'd know how the world really works," She rose to her hooves. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm getting out of here."

"Oh, and miss the nice breakfast I was going to make?" The animal loving pegasus spoke up. "Where do you think your next meal would come from?"

The copy of Fluttershy groaned in annoyance. "Oh, alright. I'll stay for breakfast. But that's it! Once breakfast is done, I'm leaving, and you can't stop me!"

"We'll just see about that, won't we?" Fluttershy replied to her clone as she took her by the hoof. "You know, we really need to come up with a better name for you. Ponies will get confused if I keep calling you Fluttershy, they'll think I'm crazy."

The evil Fluttershy rolled her eyes. "I'd say you're already crazy wasting time trying to give me a name."

The animal loving pegasus mare ignored the rude remark, instead quickly deciding. "How about I call you Flutterbold? You kind of remind me of myself the first time I learned how to be assertive. Luckily, I've improved a lot since then."

"Flutterbold? Doesn't really matter to me what you call me, but I guess it's better than having to stick with your name." "Flutterbold" reluctantly agreed.

Breakfast came and went without fanfare for Fluttershy and Flutterbold. Flutterbold only barely bothered to consume the food Fluttershy had prepared for her. She had to admit, it was more than she expected from a pony she'd been fighting since yesterday. And more than she'd ever received under Queen Chrysalis.

But once breakfast was over, Flutterbold was good on her word. "I'm getting out of here before you start putting thoughts in my mind about being nice!" She said quite firmly and raced for the door!

"Wait, Flutterbold!" Fluttershy tried to call in reply. But before she could say or do anything further in protest, her evil clone had opened the cottage door and bolted! The animal loving pegasus could only sigh. She had been expecting some resistance, but she hadn't been expecting this from her doppleganger.

Flutterbold started running! She didn't even care about using her wings! She just wanted to get as far away from this corrupting influence of kindness before it infected her. Unfortunately for the clone, she hadn't gotten far before she tripped and stumbled again. She was more upset than hurt at first. But once the pain had fully registered, she realized that she was in quite a bit of pain. Whatever she'd tripped over had bruised her hooves.

To make matters worse for the clone, no one seemed to be coming to help her. She was alone. No ponies, no animals, just herself. That was supposed to be the way she liked it. So why did it feel so wrong to her? Why did she now suddenly feel abandoned?

"Oh my, are you okay, Flutterbold?!" Fluttershy asked as she came upon the scene of distress.

The clone groaned, standing up very slowly. "I'll live. I've felt worse."

Fluttershy quickly rushed to tend to her cruel counterpart's aid. "There there, let me get a good look at it."

"Don't bother! I said it's fine!" Flutterbold hissed, before wincing. "I'll manage, somehow."

Fluttershy refused to accept the answer. She looked to Flutterbold and quickly spotted the problem. "That's a rather nasty bruise you've got there. You should at least let me treat it so it doesn't get infected." She grabbed hold of her cruel counterpart and quickly led her back to the cottage. "It's a good thing I keep my cottage well stacked with first aid supplies. We'll have you fixed up in no time."

Flutterbold was taken aback by the offer from the pony she'd been opposing. "I don't understand. How is it that you can be so nice to me when I've never been nice to you? You should've just left me here."

The animal loving pegasus mare shook her head from side to side. "That's not the kind of pony I am. Sometimes, a little kindness can go a long way. Being cruel to everyone and everything around you just leaves you more vulnerable."

The clone was surprised by such a statement. She had never thought of it like that before. Was this what being kind was all about? Always being cheerful and friendly to others, no matter what they were like to you? It wasn't an ignorance, she had seen firsthoof that Fluttershy could be firm when she wanted to be. This seemed more like a determination to blaze one's own path.