Smolder and Ocellus have just arrived at the Dragonlands, both carrying a bag filled with souvenirs from their trip at Canterlot. Not too long, they come across a newly built sign by the side of the road.
"Huh, what's this?" Smolder looked at the sign with curiosity. "Dragonlands Bowling… Alley?"
"Ohhh, a bowling alley! We should go and play some rounds!" Ocellus cheered, clapping her hooves.
"Ehh, what's a bowling alley?" The young dragon asked.
"It's a place where you can play bowling, of course!" Ocellus said, looking at Smolder with a puzzled look. "You don't know what a bowling alley is?"
"Not really, though I did learn about bowling sports from Silverstream's lectures about pony stuff before.
"Then you're gonna love it there! It's where you play bowling, as a sport!"
As soon as they arrive at the main road, they are greeted by a large building to the left with a huge sign of the Alley's name.
"Huh, they must have built this back when we were at the school."
"This is exciting! I haven't played bowling since, like, forever!"
"Well, how about we go play some rounds then? I wanna try out bowling anyways after Silverstream gave me a boring lecture about how bowling works. Never thought I'd use that knowledge now though."
Ocellus clapped her hooves before trotting in, with Smolder following from behind. As they enter the building, they are greeted with an inviting dragonlands themed alley, accompanied by fake gem decorations and dragon eggs. A handful of dragons are either chatting by the lobby or playing bowling.
"Good morning, Miss!" The cashier said with a warm greeting.
"Uh, morning." Smolder replied in kind.
"Would you like to play a game? We have a challenge set up for today!"
"Huh, what kind of challenge?"
The dragon then pulled out a poster of a turkey with a bowling ball and gave it to Smolder. "Earn three strikes and you win a free turkey!"
"A turkey? As in the hot, juicy tender and crispy kind?"
The cashier nodded. "You get to win free turkey if you earn three strikes! So how about it, miss? Care to play a game?"
"You bet I would! I could go for some turkey! What about you, Ocellus?"
She shook her head. "Nah, we changelings are vegetarians. You keep it though, Smolder! I bet it's delicious."
"Yeah, I'm sure it is!" Smolder placed ten bits on the counter. "One game would be enough."
The cashier gave Smolder a score card and a pair of bowling shoes. "Enjoy the game, and good luck!"
After putting on the bowling shoes, Smolder stood by the stack of bowling balls as she looked at the bowling balls on her side. I guess it's good I listened to Silverstream's lectures about bowling. She thought to herself.
"Woohoo! Go Smolder!" Ocellus cheered.
Taking a bowling ball, she took a deep breath and predicted her ball's trajectory. Three strikes and I get to eat some crispy turkey. Just remember what Sliverstream taught you. She aimed for her predicted trajectory and rolled the ball.
*Crash*
"Wow Smolder! Your first strike!" Ocellus writes down her first score.
As the new set of bowling pins are placed by the automated machine, Smolder aims again and rolls the ball. This time though, she slipped and the ball ended up hitting half of the pins down. "Aw, darn it! I slipped." Standing up and dusting herself off, she takes another ball, releasing it from her grasp as she aimed for the other half.
*Crash*
"That's a spare right there, Smolder! Don't worry, two more strikes to go!"
Breathe in, breathe out. You can do this Smolder. Letting go of the ball, the pins came crashing down in one hit. "Aw yeah! One more strike and that turkey is mine!"
Ocellus clapped her hooves. "Woohoo! You can do it Smolder!"
One last strike and that delicious meal is mine. As she prepares to roll the ball, she is interrupted by Yona's stomping, causing her and the pins to fall down to the ground as she lets go of the ball.
"Talk about unlucky, now Yona is here."
"Woo-hoo! Yak sees dragon do bowling! Yak cheers for Smolder!" Yona cheered.
"Appreciate it, Yona, but don't stomp! I almost had that shot!" Smolder said with a hint of annoyance.
Yona simply flashed a sheepish smile. "It's okay, Yona. I'm sure your cheering will help her score one more strike to claim her prize!"
"Woohoo! Go Smolder! Yak cheers you on!"
As Smolder aims for the pins, a heavy blue Aura surrounds her body as she charges her shot. With a determined look, she casts out her battlecry, with the flames of determination soaring in her eyes. With one swift move, she throws the bowling ball at the pins, leading to their eventual demise.
*Crash*
"A third strike! You won, Smolder!"
"Aww yeah! Who's the best bowler in the world? I am! That's me, Smolder the Bowler!"
"Woohoo! Yak enjoyed seeing Smolder crash those pins!"
Taking off her shoes, she submits her scorecard to the cashier and puffs out her chest, feeling a sense of pride in her victory. "As promised, three strikes!
The cashier checked for verification, before looking back at Smolder with a smile. "Wow, you earned three strikes! Congratulations!"
Smolder nodded. "That's what happens when I don't hold back, and certainly not without my friend's support."
"And now the special prize for customers who get three strikes is… an actual turkey!"
Rubbing the palm of her hands, Smolder closed her eyes in anticipation. "Here comes my delicious turkey…"
"I can imagine it now, a big, juicy, crispy and tender big pile of meat. Cooked to perfection, either slow roasted over a fire or baked in an oven, the smell and it's texture allures my senses. I can see it now, drenching this delicious meal in special marinated sauce, topped with a touch of green herbs, accompanied by gems!"
"Here's your turkey! Ta-da!"
Here it comes, my sweet crispy turkey meal! I can't wait to dig in and- Bok bok bok.
Smolder opened her eyes as she stared in wonder at the majestic turkey, except covered in white feathers, sporting a yellow beak and a majestic comb.
"Mmmm, a turkey… crispy skin, juicy inside. A plump bird roasted to the highest levels of perfection"
"Uh, Smolder…"
"It's a bit… fresher than I thought!"
The cashier let out a nervous chuckle. "Oh, yes, well. We didn't specify when we ordered, and this is what they sent us instead.
"And that's not even a turkey, it's a chicken. Look at it!." Ocellus added.
"Oh my, you're absolutely right! How did that happen?"
Smolder facepalmed and sighed. "Great, what am I supposed to do with a live chicken?
"I'm terribly sorry, but the least I can do is cook it for you. We've got a kitchen at the back."
"Dragon will cook chicken now?" Yona asked.
"Yes, so our winner here will get a meal out of it. Is fried chicken okay?"
As Smolder was about to give her answer, the chicken stared at her with puppy eyes. Its cute but sad eyes pierced her soul and tugged her heart.
… Cluck, cluck, cluck!
Smolder sighed. "Who can say no to those eyes?" She thought to herself.
"This chicken… I want to keep it!"
The cashier gave Smolder and her friends a puzzled look. "What? You're going to keep it, as a pet?"
Smolder looked back at the chicken, petting its head. "Is that not allowed?"
"No, it's fine. It's just… it thought you wanted it cooked? You know, a nice, juicy and crispy chicken?"
Smolder shrugged. "Eh, it's fine. I can have that some other time."
"Um, okay then! This is your chicken now. Congratulations!"
Ocellus and Yona gave Smolder a puzzled look as well, but decided not to question Smolder's decision on keeping the chicken as her pet.
"Hello, Chicken. Your name will be… Garble."
Cluck, cluck, cluck!
