Secret Lore has always dreamed of being able to fly, and ever since he saw Twilights magic explosion at her entrance exam, as a teenager he has dreamed of doing magic as well. But he is just an earthpony and earthponies are supposed to use their hooves, not their “thinking thing” as his father used to say.
Yet Secret has only one dream, to study alicorn in all its form, and to unlock its secrets.

And alicorn as we all know is a substance of crystallized magic first, the name of a unicorns horn that is made of that substance second, and the name of a unicorn with wings third (just so there is no confusion).