"What's that?" Pinkie Pie perked up, looking around in the direction opposite the one the creature they were hiding from was in.
"Oh please tell me it's not another one of them," said the female guard there, getting up to her hooves and tensing, ready to run away or strike.
"There's something out there," the soldier with them commented. He stepped closer to Applejack and Fluttershy, both lying on the ground nearby, and he too looked out towards the same direction Pinkie was looking in. It was hard to tell and only slightly less hard to hear, but something was definitely moving there.
"It doesn't look like another creature," the other guard noted, he too standing up and moving next to Pinkie. "Do you think it might be friends?" he asked, but he also prepared to dash or fight back.
Pinkie pursed her lips in thought. "Maybe," she said in a dry tone. They couldn't call out to them either way, not with the creature there. That would guarantee giving away their position.
"We should go towards them," said the soldier. The guards turned towards him and he explained, putting Applejack over his back, "If they're friends it's the right thing to do. If they're not then we'll either need to fight or run, and both of those things might get loud. It's best if whatever we need to do we do it out there, not right here."
Pinkie nodded hearing that. "He's got a point." She walked to him and loaded Fluttershy onto her own back.
The two guards shared a look, but they didn't protest. It was true, there was reason to the stallion's words. Besides, it meant finally moving rather than being stuck there. Even if they were going towards enemies, those enemies were already coming towards them, and it would be much better not to meet them while backed into a corner. If a fight was coming they could only delay it, not avoid it, so it was better to focus on giving themselves the best chances they could by picking the least bad situation to be in.
Pinkie walked first, the soldier was behind her and the two guards flanked the group, slightly farther back. They moved carefully, trying not to make too much noise. Pinkie paused a couple of times, deciding if they should head straight for whatever was moving towards them or if they should try to arrive from the side. One option was better if they were friends, the other if they were not. Eventually they settled on heading straight towards them, while prepared to strike at them. Pinkie passed out a few potions to the rest of the group, and all kept theirs ready to be thrown.
The others were growing closer. The ponies could tell at that point that there were a few of them, and that they were also trying to be quiet. Pinkie raised a hoof and signalled for the others to stop and wait, and they stood ready to see whatever was coming appear past the winds.