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// We're Going on a Trip in Our Favorite Rocket Ship 
// Story: Lyra Builds a Rocket 
// by Aromatic Brew 
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Lyra stood in a dark alleyway wearing a dark cloak. She was then approached by a unicorn mare who was also in a dark cloak.

Lyra looked at the other mare with a serious look, "You got the stuff?"

"Of course I do, Lyra. You have your end of the deal?" Twilight's saddlebag was filled to the brim with forbidden literature.

Lyra lifted a large bag from the ground next to her with her magic, "Fifty hayburgers, just as promised!"

The two quickly swapped bags and both squealed with delight at their respective trades. Both mares composed themselves and nodded to each other before leaving the alleyway and walking in opposite directions. 

Later, in the late afternoon, Lyra burst through the front door of her house with a large grin on her face, "Guess who got new books!" She took off the cloak and threw it to the side. She noticed a tired Bon Bon sitting on the couch having just got home from work.

"I guess Lyra..." Bon Bon responded while slouching lower into the couch at the sudden noise.

Lyra sat down next to Bon Bon and placed all the books on the coffee table in front of them, "I'm gonna spend all night reading these!" Bon Bon sat there catatonic as Lyra picked up the first book labeled "Human Space Travel". 

The next day, Bon Bon woke up early to get ready for work. She bathed, fixed her hair, and made herself some coffee. As soon as Bon Bon walked outside however, she saw the one thing she didn't expect to see Lyra doing at seven in the morning: building a strange metal tube with other tubes on it.

"Lyra! What in Equestria do you think you're doing?!"

Lyra looked down from her scaffolding and lifted her welding goggles, "Oh hey Bon! I'm making what the humans called a rocket! I'm gonna go to space and find cool stuff!"

Now, usually, Bon Bon was the one doing ridiculous things that would make Lyra put a hoof to her face and sigh. This time however, it was Bon Bon who was putting a hoof to her face and walking away with a sigh.

After a few hours and several questions from passersby, Lyra had finished the rocket. She stepped off the scaffolding, stood on her back hooves, and clapped the dust from her front hooves in contentment. She looked over to the book, which was laying on the ground nearby, and realized she had everything besides the fuel. How could she have forgotten? But where does one acquire the materials for rocket fuel? After a little bit more bribery to Twilight, she obtained the knowledge of where to get rocket fuel ingredients.

That night, Lyra formulated a plan to steal oil from a large oil distributor in Equestria; she would need some help however, "Hey Bon Bon..." Lyra whispered while poking her sleeping partner.

Bon Bon stirred a bit. Lyra poked her again, and again, and again. Finally, Bon Bon opened her eyes slightly and glared at Lyra, "Lyra... It's late, what could you possibly need?"

"I need help stealing oil!"

Bon Bon sighed and got out of the bed, "Let me grab my coat..."

Later in the oil warehouse, Lyra and Bon Bon quietly trotted through the building. Finally, they got to a giant oil tank, "What now, Lyra?"

Lyra tapped her chin with one of her hooves, she hadn't thought the plan would get this far, "Magic and rope maybe?" Bon Bon nodded and tied a long rope around the tank. Lyra then picked the whole thing off the ground a few inches while Bon Bon pulled the rope with her teeth. They dragged the tank all twenty five miles back to Ponyville; somehow nopony stopped them.

When the sun began to rise, Lyra and Bon Bon siphoned the oil into the rocket. The plan was to send Lyra up at noon, then Lyra would go to the moon to claim the moon and grab some space rock. Then, she would get back home just in time for a press conference that was sure to happen.

Because of all the commotion, many ponies had gathered around the rocket at a safe distance to watch the first rocket go to space. Lyra made a big show out of getting into the rocket, "I am not going to space because it is easy, but because I really want to!" Lyra took a deep bow and trotted into the rocket wearing a homemade astronaut suit. Lyra gave Bon Bon the signal once buckled into the ship's only seat.

The rocket began to ascend. Foals marveled at the history being made before their very eyes, the press were taking photos, everypony stood and stared at the incredible feat of engineering that crazy mythology obsessed mare from Ponyville had accomplished. Lyra sat in the rocket giddy with excitement at the prospect of following in the footsteps of humans that had long since gone away. What would she find up there? Lyra penetrated the atmosphere and was in orbit. She flew for a while with her rudimentary navigation system taking her ever closer to the moon. 

Finally, after a while of sitting in anticipation, Lyra's rocket finally touched down on the surface of the moon. She stepped out slowly while background music played inside the space suit. She stepped off the extended stairs of the ship and began bouncing around, taking advantage of the lower gravity. She began collecting samples of rocks to bring back home.

After a few hours of doing flips and grabbing cool rocks, Lyra began to get bored. Usually, when Lyra was feeling bored, she would go visit Bon Bon at work or practice the lyre; she didn't bring any of those. Lyra then bounced back to the ship and quickly launched back off to her home planet.

Lyra touched back down in Ponyville and trotted out of the rocket. As soon as she did, tons of reporters swarmed her.

"Miss. Heartstrings! Miss. Heartstrings! How was the trip?"

"Miss. Heartstrings! Miss. Heartstrings! What kind of cheese is the moon made of?"

"Miss. Heartstrings! Miss. Heartstrings! Did you have fun on the moon?"

Lyra looked at all of the reporters, the reporters looked at her with expectant expressions, "Eh. It was alright."

Lyra pushed through the crowd and walked back into her house. Bon Bon was on the couch waiting for her. Lyra quickly took off the space suit and sat next to Bon Bon, nuzzling into her, "How was space?" Bon Bon asked.

"So bucking boring!" Lyra said, "At least, without you there."

While the two were still cuddled together on the couch, Lyra picked up the next forbidden book in the stack: "Human Digital Currencies". That sounded like a nice read.