AN: The plot for this story was suggested to me by a friend of mine, Darth Nominatis. Credit goes to him for coming up with such a great story idea.
One morning in the Rainbow Kingdom, True and Bartleby were on a walk together through the neighborhood they lived in.
"It sure is a lovely day, isn't it, Bee", True said.
"You said it, True", Bartleby said, "it's so nice and calm out here."
But it wasn't going to stay that way for much longer, because at that moment, a voice called out to them.
"Look out", the voice shouted.
True and Bartleby looked behind them and saw a group of teenage humans riding towards them on skateboards, prompting them to jump out of the way as they rode past them.
"Hey", Bartleby said, "why don't you watch where you're going!"
The teens didn't reply and continued to ride away into the distance, and True and Bartleby both got back up.
"So inconsiderate", Bartleby said.
But True was intrigued by what the teens were doing.
"Were those guys skateboarding", True asked.
"Yep", Bartleby said, "that's become a pretty common activity lately, especially around here."
"I see", True said.
"I just wish they'd do it somewhere else", Bartleby said.
"Yeah, me too", True said.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I think I'm about ready to head home", Bartleby said.
"Same here", True said, "let's go."
True and Bartleby continued on their way down the sidewalk, and they soon arrived at their house, where they were greeted by Tobias.
"True, Bartleby", Tobias said, "you're back."
"Hey, Dad", True said.
"Hi, Mr. Dad", Bartleby said.
"So, did you have a nice walk", Tobias asked.
"Yes, we did", True said, "the weather was beautiful, and it looked really nice outside."
"Although, we did run into a little trouble while we were out", Bartleby said.
But before he could tell Tobias about the skateboarders, the three of them heard a crashing sound outside.
"What was that", True asked.
Tobias went over to the front door and looked outside to see what had caused the noise, and he saw that those same group of teens who had almost run over True and Bartleby had knocked over their garbage can and were riding away on their skateboards.
"Hey", Tobias said, "get back here and clean this mess up!"
But the teens didn't hear Tobias, and he let out an exasperated sigh as he walked over to the trash can and began picking up the trash that had fallen out of it.
"I wish those kids would be more careful when they're skateboarding in the neighborhood", Tobias said.
Tobias stood the trash can upright again and put all the trash that had fallen out of it back inside it, then went back into the house, where True and Bartleby were sitting together in the living room.
"So, what that all about", Bartleby asked.
"Skateboarders", Tobias said, "they knocked over our trash can."
"I'm sure it was an accident", True said.
"Maybe so", Tobias said, "but these kids are still causing a lot of problems."
"I know", Bartleby said, "I was just telling True earlier that it would be nice if they skateboarded somewhere else."
"I agree", Tobias said, "that would be great."
Tobias walked away to his room, and True and Bartleby were on their own again, and the latter had something on her mind.
"You know, Bee", True said, "skateboarding does look kind of fun."
"Oh, believe me, it is", Bartleby said, "were you thinking about giving it a try?"
"A little, yes", True said.
"Well, I think you should definitely consider it", Bartleby said, "it's always nice to try new things."
"You're right about that", True said.
"And who knows", Bartleby said, "you might discover that you really enjoy it."
"Yeah", True said, "maybe so."
A few days later, several residents of the Rainbow Kingdom were gathered together in the park, including True, Bartleby, and her parents, and the family was curious about what it was all about.
"What's going on here", Bartleby asked, "why is everybody here?"
"The Rainbow King asked us to come here", True said, "he said he has an announcement to make."
"An announcement", Bartleby asked, "what do you think it is?"
"Beats me", True said.
"I think we're about to find out", Trinity said, "here comes the King now."
The Rainbow King floated in front of the crowd and tapped on a microphone that was on a stand, and everyone stopped talking and turned in attention to him.
"Hello everyone, and thank you all for coming here on this beautiful day", the Rainbow King said, "I invited you all here because there's something I'd like to show you all."
He continued talking as he floated away towards an area in the park that was surrounded by a fence.
"I've noticed that skateboarding has become a common activity in the Kingdom as of late, and I've also heard that for some people, it is an inconvenience to them", the Rainbow King said, "so, I decided to create this."
He stopped in front of the fence.
"Ladies and gentlemen", the Rainbow King said, "I present to you, the Rainbow Kingdom Skate Park."
With a flick of the Rainbow King's scepter, the fence moved away, revealing a skate park with stuff like ramps, half-pipes, and all sorts of other things you'd find in a typical skate park.
"Now skateboarders have a place where they can ride their skateboards without causing any trouble for other people", the Rainbow King said.
The crowd looked at the skate park in amazement.
"And, to commemorate the opening of this park, a skateboarding contest will be held this Saturday", the Rainbow King said.
A lot of the young citizens in the crowd were excited to hear that.
"But right now, it is my honor to declare this skate park officially open", the Rainbow King said, "everybody have fun!"
Many of the kids there, who just so happened to have their skateboards on them, ran over to the skate park and began having fun in it, included the group of teens from earlier, who were led by a teenager wearing a jacket that had his name, Larry, printed on the back of it.
"Come on, boys", Larry said, "it's boarding time!"
As all the skaters rode around in the park, True watched them, still thinking about skateboarding.
"Man", True thought, "skateboarding's really starting to look like fun now."
Just then, Bartleby walked over to her, having noticed her watching the skateboarders in action.
"I see you're getting a kick out of all this", Bartleby said.
"Yeah, I guess I am", True said.
"Looks like you've got even more of a reason to want to learn how to skateboard", Bartleby said, "that skate park looks like a lot of fun."
"It sure does", True said, "but I don't even know where to start."
Bartleby thought about that for a second, and soon, he came up with an idea.
"I know", Bartleby said, "maybe I could teach you."
True was a little surprised to hear him suggest that.
"You", True asked.
"Yep", Bartleby said, "I've got a bit of experience riding a skateboard."
"That's great", True said.
"I'll have you riding on a board in no time", Bartleby said, "maybe in time for the contest on Saturday."
"I hadn't thought about entering the contest", True said, "do you really think I could do well in it?"
"With a little practice, sure", Bartleby said, "but you'll have to learn how to skateboard before you can do that."
"Okay", True said, "where do we start?"
"Well, first things first, you'll need a board", Bartleby said, "and the necessary safety gear."
"Oh, yeah", True said, "safety first."
"Luckily, I know where you can find all of that", Bartleby said, "come with me."
True and Bartleby left the park and went into town, though not before telling True's parents where they were going, and soon, the two of them exited a sporting goods store, with True now wearing a dark blue skating helmet with a red line on the bottom and blue and black skateboard pads on her hands, elbows and knees, and was also holding a simple black skateboard.
"Okay, I'm all geared up", True said, "what's the first lesson?"
"Well, the first step to using a skateboard is to get on the board", Bartleby said.
"Okay", True said, "I can do that."
But when True put her foot on the skateboard, she accidentally slipped and ended up falling on the ground.
"Ow", True said, "I'm okay!"
She picked herself up off the ground and dusted herself off.
"Good thing I was wearing all this protective gear", True said.
Bartleby could see that he had his work cut out for him.
"This may take a while", Bartleby said.
It took a few tries for True to get on her board without slipping, but eventually, she managed to get both her feet on it.
"Very good", Bartleby said, "now let's go for a ride."
Bartleby stepped onto a skateboard he had also bought while he was inside the store and rolled away on it, and True followed him, feeling a little worried.
"Now then", Bartleby said, "the best way to not fall off your board is to keep a steady balance."
"Got it", True said.
True tried to keep her balance so she's stay on her board, but she was finding it difficult to do so, and began to wobble a little.
"Whoa", True said, "this sure is tricky."
She was so focused on trying to stay balanced that she wasn't looking where she was going, and she ended up crashing into a tree, causing Bartleby to flinch.
"Ow", True said.
True backed up from the tree, and Bartleby walked over to his dizzy friend.
"Are you okay, True", Bartleby asked.
True didn't say anything anything and groaned in pain as her eyes began swirling around.
"This is going to be a lot harder than I thought", Bartleby thought.
Just then, Zee and Grizelda walked over to them.
"Hey, guys", Zee said.
True shook her head, which caused her eyes to stop swirling, and noticed Zee and Grizelda standing in front of her.
"Oh, hey, you guys", True said, "what are you doing here?"
"We saw you crash into that tree while you were riding a skateboard", Grizelda said.
Her comment made True's face turn red in embarrassment.
"What exactly are you guys doing", Zee asked.
Bartleby told Zee and Grizelda how he was teaching True how to skateboard and that they were hoping to finish in time for her to enter the skateboard contest at the skate park.
"Oh, nice", Zee said, "I've entered that contest too."
"So have I", Grizelda said.
"You guys know how to skateboard too", True asked.
"That's right", Zee said, "I learned how to do it when I was younger."
"And I've known how to skateboard for a few months now", Grizelda said.
"Nice", True said.
"Don't worry, True", Zee said, "we'll help you learn how to ride a skateboard in no time."
"Thanks, you guys", True said, "you're all true friends."
"Anytime", Grizelda said.
So, Zee and Grizelda helped Bartleby teach True how to ride a skateboard, which was a very difficult process, as True had a hard time figuring everything out, but after a while, the managed to get the hang of it, and pretty soon, the day of the big skateboard contest came, and True was at the skate park with Bartleby and all the other competitors.
"Well, here we are", Bartleby said, "isn't this exciting?"
There were all kinds of individuals entered in the contest, including a yeti, a group of Little Helpers, and also a few humans from her neighborhood, including the group of teens she and Bartleby had encountered previously.
"Wow", True said, "the competition sure looks tough."
"I'll say", Bartleby said, "let's see who you're up against."
True and Bartleby looked at a board that had all the competitors entered in the contest listed on it, and she saw that she was up against Grizelda.
"Oh, man", True said.
True looked over at Grizelda, who was dressed in a red t-shirt, red shorts, and crystal sneakers and holding a skateboard made of crystal, and she began to feel worried.
"Grizelda was really good while she was training me", True thought, "something tells me she'll be hard to beat."
Over on a stage that was set up nearby, the Rainbow King floated onto it and addressed the crowd.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen", the Rainbow King said, "and thank you all for coming to the first ever Rainbow Kingdom skateboard contest."
Everyone in the crowd applauded, including Tobias and Trinity, who had come to cheer their daughter on.
"Today, our recently-opened skate park is going to see some action as these fine skateboarders show off their skills for us all", the Rainbow King said, "and winner shall receive their very own skateboard that they can customize to their liking."
He directed the audience to a table that had a standard skateboard on it that was made of the same basic parts as any skateboard, and on the table with it were some of the stickers and other kinds of decals that could be used to decorate the board, much to the amazement of the audience and the competitors.
"And now, without further ado, it's time to begin", the Rainbow King said, "our first two skaters in this round will be True and Grizelda."
True's legs began to shake as the Rainbow King made that announcement, and the latter floated over to a board with True and Grizelda's pictures on it that also had an arrow spinner on it.
"To determine which of them will go first, I'm going to spin this arrow, and whoever it lands on will start us off", the Rainbow King said.
He placed his scepter on the tip of the arrow and spun it around, and after spinning for a while, it began to slow down, until finally, it landed on Grizelda's picture.
"And it looks like Grizelda will be going first", the Rainbow King said.
The crowd cheered as Grizelda made her way over to the edge of the starting ramp.
"And now, watch in amazement as I dazzle you with my great skateboarding skills", Grizelda said.
Grizelda rode on her board down the ramp and began performing all kinds of different tricks, which True watched in shock, and pretty soon, she finished up and rode back onto the top of the starting ramp.
"There", Grizelda said, "impressive, wasn't it?"
"Very nice", the Rainbow King said, "let's see what her score is."
Everyone looked at the scoreboard, and Grizelda got two 10's, two nines, and an eight, which gave her a total of 46 points.
"And would you look at that", the Rainbow King said, "that's quite a score."
The crowd applauded for Grizelda, much to her joy.
"Thank you, thank you", Grizelda said, "I know, I'm amazing."
"Next up is True", the Rainbow King said.
True became very nervous when she heard the Rainbow King call her name.
"Okay, True", Bartleby said, "go get 'em."
True walked over to the starting ramp with her skateboard, but when she got onto it, she became so scared that she couldn't move, much to everyone's confusion.
"What's she doing", Bartleby asked.
Everyone waited for True to do something, but she still wouldn't move, and the Rainbow King floated over to one of his guards and spoke to him.
"Could you give her a little push, please", the Rainbow King said, "just to get her started."
"Sure thing", the guard said.
The guard walked over to True and tapped on the back of her skateboard with his staff, and True ended up rolling down the ramp screaming.
"Oops", the guard said, "maybe that was a bit too hard."
True was rolling through the park very fast, and was feeling quite scared.
"I'm out of control", True shouted.
True tried to control her board, and in the process, she began to bounce around and spin while doing tricks she didn't even know she could do, much to the amazement of the crowd, and soon she made it back to the starting ramp and rolled to a stop as the same guard from before put his staff in front of True's board to stop it.
"Thanks", True said.
"You're welcome", the guard said.
"Alrighty, then", the Rainbow King said, "let's see how she did."
The crowd looked at the scoreboard, and they saw that True had beaten Grizelda by one point.
"And would you look at that", the Rainbow King said, "True wins with 47 points."
Everyone in the crowd applauded for True, especially Tobias and Trinity.
"Yeah", Tobias said.
"That's our daughter", Trinity said.
True was very surprised by what had happened.
"I can't believe it", True said, "I actually won?"
True walked away from the ramp, and Grizelda made her way over to her.
"Hey, True", Grizelda said.
"What's up", True asked.
"How did you do that", Grizelda asked.
"Do what", True asked.
"Those tricks in the park", Grizelda said, "how did you manage to pull them off?"
"I don't know", True said.
"What you mean you don't know", Grizelda asked.
"I mean I don't know how I did them", True said, "I just did."
Grizelda still didn't quite understand what True was saying.
"Well, whatever you did, it looks like you beat me", Grizelda said, "good luck in the rest of the contest."
"Thanks", True said.
Grizelda walked away with her skateboard, and True looked at the scoreboard and saw that the yeti and a Rainbow Kingdom Citizen were up next.
"I think I'll need it", True said.
The contest continued on, with all the different skateboarders showing off some amazing skills, and True managed to get through the contest and score lots of points, although she still showed fear when she skateboarded, and pretty soon, she managed to make it to the final round, and was up against Zee, who had gone first after the arrow spun by the Rainbow King landed on him, and after finishing his turn, he rode up to the top of the starting ramp on his skateboard, which was fully white with purple wheels.
"And a very impressive run by Zee", the Rainbow King said, "let's have a look at his score."
The scoreboard displayed four 10's and a nine, making his score 49.
"And what a score it is", the Rainbow King said, "this is going to be a tough one to beat."
True thought so too as she looked at Zee's score nervously.
"Oh man", True said, "there's no way I can top that."
"Next up, our final competitor of the day, True", the Rainbow King said, "let's see what she can do."
The audience cheered for True, but she wasn't feeling very confident.
"I don't think I'm good enough", True said.
She began to think to herself, when suddenly, she remembered how she had performed all those tricks when she skateboarded even though she had been afraid and didn't know that she could do them, and after thinking about it for a moment, she began to feel more confident.
"Or maybe I am", True said, "if I can do all those tricks when I'm scared, then maybe I can do them intentionally."
She picked up her board and walked towards the end of the starting ramp, now feeling more sure about herself.
"I can do this", True thought.
She got on her skateboard and looked at the skate park, then took a calming deep breath.
"Here goes nothing", True thought.
True rode down the ramp on her board, but this time, she wasn't scared, and she began to perform the same kinds of tricks she had done before, much to the amazement of not only the crowd, but also herself, and after she finished, she rode back to the top of the ramp and was met with applause from the crowd.
"Now that is what I call skateboarding", the Rainbow King said, "let's take a look at her score."
Everyone looked at the scoreboard to see what True's score was, with True looking at it rather anxiously, and when her score came, it was revealed that the got perfect 10's, giving her a total score of 50 points.
"And it looks like we have our winner, folks", the Rainbow King said, "True!"
The audience all cheered for True, and she was very surprised.
"I-I actually did it", True said, "I won!"
Bartleby and her parents were also cheering for her victory.
"You did it", Bartleby said, "I knew you could win this!"
"Our daughter's really something else, isn't she, Trinity", Tobias asked.
"She sure is", Trinity said.
The Rainbow King floated over to True with his two guards accompanying him.
"Congratulations, True, you are the winner of the contest", the Rainbow King said, "how do you feel?"
"Amazing", True said, "I actually managed to win."
"Indeed you did", the Rainbow King said, "and now, it's time for you to claim your prize."
He and his guards led True over to the table where the skateboard that was the prize for the winner was sitting on.
"Here you go, one skateboard ready for customization", the Rainbow King said, "and here's your voucher to have it customized at the sporting goods store."
The Rainbow King handed True a slip of paper for the sporting goods store that allowed her to customize her new skateboard however she wished.
"Thank you, Your Majesty", True said.
"My pleasure", the Rainbow King said.
True picked up the board and walked away with a smile on her face, and as she did so, she ran into Zee.
"Oh, hey, Zee", True said.
"Hey, True", Zee said, "I wanted to congratulate you on your win."
"Thank you", True said.
"Those were some pretty mad skills you showed off there", Zee said, "you're a pretty good skateboarder."
"I'm glad you think so", True said.
She continued on her way, and as she went to meet up with Bartleby and her parents, she thought to herself happily about how she had managed to emerge triumphant in the contest.
"Who'd have thought that I'd win a skateboarding contest after only recently learning how to ride one", True thought.
The next day, True was in front of her house riding on her new skateboard, which was decorated with a rainbow pattern and her name on the griptape and bottom of the deckboard, and Bartleby was watching her perform some tricks.
"I gotta say, True", Bartleby said, "you're such a good skateboarder."
"Thanks, Bee", True said, "I feel like I'm a natural at it."
But because she wasn't looking where she was going, she crashed into a tree like she did a few days ago while she was learning how to ride, and her eyes swirled until she shook her head.
"Though, I guess there's still room for improvement", True said.
And with that, the two friends shared a happy laugh.