I moved out of the way as Talon walked across his room, lighting my horn to catch a fallen comic, "Are you sure you need all this?" I asked, "I'm not sure if Midnight has a weight limit or not, but at least the comics I know Spike has to have a copy of."
Talon paused and smiled a bit sheepishly and put the tall stack down, "I guess you're right," he admitted before he looked around his room.
Flipping through the comic, I then closed it and put it at the top of the stack.
"I'll miss this place," Talon said and sighed as he looked around.
"The place or the ponies?" I asked with a small smile.
"...Both," he said and turned to me, "How much do you think we can pack?"
I shrugged my wings, "No clue, have to check with Midnight. But if it's a portal sucking us into the air like last time, it did lift two alicorns and a dragon right off the ground without problem, so... I can only assume one large bag each would be fine?"
He nodded and reached beneath his bed, digging around before pulling out a large bag, "Makes sense."
"You can pack a bag for me to carry too if you run out of space," I offered, "I don't have anything here to bring but some letters for some ponies."
"Thanks Page," he said and put his bag on the bed before he looked around, "...But I guess I don't have that much stuff either. Just..."
He walked over to his bedside table and opened it before picking out a gem, looking at it, "As long as I get to bring this."
He wrapped it up in a thick cloth and put it in his pack before he turned to me, "It was a gift."
I just nodded, "Those are important," I said and reached up to feathers by my ear.
Talon smiled and jumped up to sit on his bed, "...Page, have you thought any about me joining the guard?"
I shifted my wings and considered it while glancing up to make sure no new portals arrived, "I'm not sure, Talon," I said before raising my hoof to intercept his protest, "I know that by age, you are old enough to start training," I told him seriously, "But that's for ponies. Dragons age differently and for a dragon, you are still very young."
"I can do it."
"I know you can," I told him, "What concerns me isn't if you can do it but if it's fair to make you do it."
Talon frowned, "What do you mean?"
Sighing, I shook my head, "Talon, I have no worries about your capabilities. You're strong and tough and can handle at least as much as any earth pony. But what the guard does, especially in Nocturnis, is dangerous."
"I can handle it."
I smiled at him, "I know. And if it was just that, I would have no problem. But it's not what they do, but what they experience," before I sighed again, "Ponies, creatures getting hurt. Dying. Sometimes messily. Talon, I'm not worried about you getting hurt, as a dragon you’re tougher than any earth pony, yet alone a thestral. I'm worried about you seeing others get hurt.”
Talon seemed to get a bit thrown by that, "...Oh..." he said quietly.
"I saw how it hit Sunny finding those train engineers, and so did you," I told him quietly, "I don't want that to happen to you too. Even more, what if you happen to somehow get hurt? You are physically tougher than almost any pony but things happen. But what do you think that would do to Midnight?"
Talon looked down at his claws, nodding slightly, "I guess you're right," he said, "Didn't think of that."
Young dragon indeed.
"That said," I continued, "I am willing to allow it on some conditions."
Talon looked at me again, "What conditions?"
"That it's limited to part time training until you are old enough," I said and sat down on the floor, "No patrols outside the barrier until you are older. And that Midnight sign off that she is okay with this because if something happens to you, she'll kill me."
He considered that for several long moments before he nodded, "I guess that's fair," he finally said.
I smirked, "Don't be too happy about it. Because you know that Sunset is the pony in charge of the guard training. I’ve seen her run earth ponies into the ground, I'm fairly sure she'll take a dragon as a challenge."
"I can do it!" Talon said with a grin and jumped off the bed, "Thanks Page!"
"Don't forget that Midnight needs to sign off first," I said and then stood up, giving him a salute, "Trainee."
Talon got to something approaching attention and saluted me, "Your Majesty!"
I held it for a second before I smiled and dropped it, "Get to finish packing, the goodbye party is going to start soon. Don't want to miss it."
Tomorrow. Leaving tomorrow.
Talon quickly nodded.