Vladimir Blueblood walked glumly into the Royal Canterlot Library. It was dusk, an hour before the library closed for the night. Usually by now, most ponies had left but the librarians and guards. A calm relaxing silence permeated the building at this time - exactly the kind of silence Blueblood needed to get his thoughts together.

He was embarrassed. Being Celestia's nephew, he had been allowed into her school for gifted unicorns without going through the entrance exam. At the time, as a little filly, he couldn't believe his luck. In fact, neither could his parents. Now, walking in the darkness of the shelves of the library, he truly wished he had rejected Celestia's offer. He was a magical failure. Absolutely everything that could go wrong when he used magic did in fact go wrong. His aim was terrible, and many spells he cast with his horn went laughably wide off their mark. Nearly all unicorns his age could telekinetically levitate their own weight of material. He, on the other hand, could hardly lift a filly. He had no place studying in a school for the best unicorns in Equestria. In class, he felt completely out of place. He had failed every test so far this semester. Any kindergartener in the school could do more with magic than he could.

Despite this, and maybe even because of it, he was well liked in school. He had plenty of true friends; ponies who liked him for his personality and character as opposed to his status as a prince. He was, after all, a very nice and warm hearted stallion, noble in every way. They didn't care about his lack of skill, but he himself certainly did and the anxiety it gave him distressed him to no end.

Blueblood shook his head to clear away the distracting thoughts before resuming his search for the Star Swirl the Bearded Wing. With considerable effort, he found it, the entrance hidden away in a remote corner of the highest floor. Taking a key from a pocket of his fancy velvet coat, he quietly unlocked it and stepped inside.

Inside the room, Blueblood hesitated to proceed. Though he was a prince, he was unsure whether or not he was allowed within this room. Closing the door behind him, he reached out to turn on the light before stopping himself. No, it was too risky he decided. With considerable effort, he raised a faint glow with his horn and using it, made his way around the shelves.

Ahhh, here was the book at last, untouched for centuries - The Key of Star Swirl, one of the most dangerous and powerful books on summoning that existed within the annals of Equestrian Magic. Many myths surrounded the entities one could raise with this text, and the knowledge they would bestow upon the magician who managed to control them. Some had dismissed these tales as mere fantasy. Others believed them but considered them irrelevant. The Key of Star Swirl had been lost for ages, or so they believed. These stories, however, had given Blueblood a different reaction - a feeling of hope. These entities, if summoned forth and constrained using the techniques of this book, could be ordered to reveal magical knowledge more powerful than any currently known in Equestria. Blueblood knew, as well, that if there was any place he could find it, it was here. Few unicorns knew the Star Swirl the Bearded Wing of the library even existed. Occasionally, his aunt would assign one of her more advanced students the task of studying a book from its shelves - but only occasionally. Hence, the thick layer of dust that lay settled like snow throughout the room.

The thought, as it occurred to him, nearly made him laugh. Yes, only Celestia's best students, those whose skill and ability in magic far exceeded those of their classmates, had ever been allowed within these walls. His presence seemed ridiculous and to an extent, almost disrespectful.

Still, Blueblood's heart beat with excitement as well as fear. Each breath he took stirred up small clouds of dust causing him at last to hold his breath. He didn't want to sneeze. Telekinetically lifting the thick leather-bound book from its shelf, he shook it around in the air to remove the dust before placing it neatly in a hidden pocket of his coat.

A crackling sound erupted through the room as the intercom turned on, causing Blueblood to jump in surprise. "Attention, the Canterlot Royal Library will be closing in fifteen minutes. The Canterlot Royal Library will be closing in fifteen minutes."

Having obtained what he had come for, Blueblood promptly left the room, locking the door behind him with as much care and silence as when he had unlocked it. As inconspicuously as possible, he made his way down the stairs before stepping out into the warm friendly streets of Canterlot. He had not bothered checking out the book before leaving. Had he done so, he would no doubt have aroused the confusion and suspicion of his aunt, whom he had been trying to avoid for a while now. Breathing in the warm clean night air of the city, he hurriedly made his way home.