AN: I am keeping the details about Dash's family intentionally vague so that it doesn't conflict with canon. Also, I'll try to update at a minimum of twice a week, and will appreciate any constructive criticism you may have. Thanks
I attended Junior Speedsters' as a young filly, even before I met Fluttershy. I clumsy back then, considerably clumsier than I am today. My ruffled mane affected my aerodynamics, and my cyan coat made me somewhat hard to distinguish against the sky. My parents were worried about me, so they to Junior Speedsters' to try and learn better coordination.
As the carriage landed at the gates, my eyes opened wide. There were so many different pegasi there, and some were not even pegasi. There were rocs, a couple of alicorns, a draconnequus, a handful of griffins, and even miniature dragons. The visitor's center was a large, temple-like building, flanked on either side by a statue of Princess Celestia. In front of it was a flagpole with a banner showing a pair of wings.
"First time out of the suburbs, eh?" asked a dry voice to my starboard side.
I looked to my right, and saw a teenaged scarlet pegasus with a black mane, violet eyes, and a cutie mark that looked like a falcon.
"My name is Hawkeye, a counselor to first-year campers. I hope you're up to snuff." He jokingly added, "Remember, I'm only doing this so I can afford my falconry".
"I'm Rainbow Dash, future best flier in Equestria!"
"Well, judging by the influx of campers this year, looks like you'll have a lot of competition." As we walked into the camp, he began to explain things to me.
"All first-year fliers must take an exam on the first day. There are no failing grades on the first test, but your score will determine who your teacher is. The first-years will be divided into cabins by teacher, and each cabin will have two counselors. I am one of the counselors for Kestrel cabin. The other one is Kite, and the teacher is Firebird".
"Who's Kestrel cabin for?"
"It's for those who haven't yet achieved their full potential. Many of those there have bad form but in good shape, or vice versa. These students often have a lot of potential".
A bell rang. "Time for lunch. Don't eat too much, though. You do not want to go through the preliminary exam on an empty stomach."
We flew into the cafeteria, and saw many pegasi. There was only one griffin there, and he (or she, I couldn't tell yet) seemed a bit disappointed about the food. The griffin eventually decided on pork-flavored tofu, and went to a table. As I got in line, I saw a trio of brawny pegasi, all three bragging about their athletic abilities. I got some corn, potatoes and milk from the cafeteria, and ate at a table with some others, including a blonde gray pegasus with golden eyes that faced different directions. Her name was Happy Hooves, but everyone called her "Derpy". She was the one that stood out the most.
As I ate, I saw more people come and go. Within forty minutes, lunch was finished, and it was time for the exam.
The exam was a race divided into several sections. We would be judged based on our performance in each section and our overall scores.
First was the hoops. I flew through them, all the while doing some of my tricks. I saw the trio ahead of me, and the griffin behind me. With loop-de-loops and aerial zigzags, I managed to get through all the hoops. I did well flying through them, but lost control a couple of times. The muscleheads did not, however, and I knew that they would get a higher score. The griffon did not do very well. The others were somewhere in between.
Next came the weaving. We had to move between some poles. I was much better there, but only beat the others by a hair.
After that came the cloud-kicking. It was all about controlling the clouds and making them do what you wanted. We had to make them shoot lightning bolts onto some rods, then fill a bucket with water. The griffin did poorly in that, and I was among the best in it.
Then there was the altitude flight. Whoever flew the highest the most consistently won. The griffin did the best in that, easily, flying above the clouds and looking like a bird of prey. The sporty guys were next, with Derpy somewhat beneath them, and I was somewhere in the middle.
Finally, there was the race. The griffin was by far the fastest, zooming down the track like a peregrine falcon, and I was next best. However, as I passed the checkered flag, I got distracted looking at the judge's expressions, and landed in a heap just past the finish line. My less-than-graceful landing was sure to shave some points of my score.
"Nice landing, Rainbow Crash", said the orange one, whose name I figured out was Hoops.
"Yeah", said the brown one (Dumb-Bell) "You're as graceful as a three-legged rhino!"
The blue one (Quarterback) just laughed.
At that point, the griffin looked around. I saw a glance of recognition in her eyes, only for it to be replaced by righteous fury.
"Leave her alone!"
The three laughed. "What's the matter, Gildy? Afraid we'll show her how the real world works?" said Hoops.
"I said, buzz off! Get away from her, you bastards!"
"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" asked Dumb-Bell. "Oh, wait, griffins don't kiss, they bite!"
She was clearly losing her temper. She opened her mouth wide, and a lion's roar came out. The three of them flew off.
She bent over to me, with a look of concern on her face. "You okay?" She extended a claw.
"Yeah. Thanks for that". I put my hoof out, and she grabbed it and helped me out.
"No prob. They're just a bunch of lame-os who get their kicks from making people feel bad. They said some mean things about griffins. Anyway, my name's Gilda".
"Rainbow Dash"
"Hope we're in the same cabin".
"So do I".