Rainbow Dash saved Spike from a dragon attack--and paid for it dearly. Now she's severely scarred on one half of her body, in constant pain, and unable to fly, and she becomes a recluse in her own house. Spike feels guilty but helpless, and recent ex-marefriend Applejack is determined to get her out of her house and back to normal.
But when you take everything away from a pony, how can you expect her to ever be normal again?

Special thanks to DbzOrDie for ideas for, support of, and general pestering until the completion of this story.

"Awkward, but worth it."
This is the phrase Twilight Sparkle used when Rainbow Dash first attempted to work up the courage to confess her love for Applejack. Rainbow quickly realized that she was right--it was awkward, but worth it. What she didn't realize was just how applicable that statement would be throughout all her life. That first conversation. That first kiss. That first night spent together. That time Apple Bloom walked in on them. That first apology after their first argument. The arrival of that acceptance letter. And on so many more occasions.
Throughout it all, Rainbow kept smiling.
It was awkward, yes. At times so much so that she wished she could sink into the ground and disappear forever.
But in the end, every time--every time--it was always so very, very worth it.