Octavia wasn't really used to silence when it was presented to her. Though she was once an admittedly quiet young mare in school, she cracked out of that horrid shell in a matter of months, eventually making new friends and raising ponies' spirits whenever they were down. Always the kind one, helping somepony out was quite honestly one of the greatest feelings she could ever fill herself with. Whether it be some kind of small injury, or perhaps a single problem on their math homework that was issued the night prior, Octavia knew exactly what to do and helped them out.
That is to say she had her limits of course. She couldn't exactly go around helping out jerks now, could she? Though not new to the concept, ponies who were just plain rude struck her as completely unnecessary and stupid. In a world full of happiness, foresighted and controllable weather, great moods, and literal rainbows you can drink, what in anypony's right mind was the point of being a bothersome prune? Though she hated silence, this was really the only solution for such ponies.
And this griffon following closely behind her was no different. She couldn't exactly say he was a jerk. No. If she did, he'd somehow have found a way to hear her even think about saying that, and she'd be knocked out by his weapon and dragged off to Gods know where. Octavia wasn't really used to silence, especially to new individuals. New ponies' statuses made them perfect for finding out whether they were nice or not. First impressions were everything to her, and this time her first impression had been a weapon to her head and a beckoning for an odd mission from a completely different species.
She remembered a time when one of her friends did something similar back in grade school–
"Move it," the griffon grunted, pushing the mare forward slightly with his weapon. Stumbling across the dirt, the mare barely caught her balance before she landed into a pile of what she assumed to be cockatrice dung. Baring her teeth, she knitted her brow and suppressed the urge to turn around and shout at her captor. It was a hard-fought battle, but Octavia won it in the end, continuing to walk slightly faster in a huff to show her annoyance. Whether she was effective or not remained to be seen, as the griffon behind her suddenly hummed a low note. Looking back at him and still walking, Octavia raised an eyebrow and was answered with the end of the griffon's tail, which jabbed at the air in front of it and caught her attention.
Confused but slightly curious, Octavia turned. Stepping across the downed figure of a once-proud tree trunk, Octavia's eyes dilated as she realized that they were walking into a clearing within the Everfree Forest. The large, hulking trees that previously covered their tracks suddenly gave way to a clear blue sky with snow white clouds dotting its mass. The sun hovered directly overhead, signifying the time of day to Octavia immediately. She cleared her throat, discouraged. These were one of the countless times that she wished she was a Pegasus. She'd at least have a chance at reaching safety.
It was at that moment, a slight glare on her face, that she noticed a small crowd of figures circling a presumably small object on the other end of the field. Gulping, Octavia's eyes strained to discover that they were all griffons. And all wore body armor that matched the one behind hers, with their own respective Magicarms slung over their backs with straps that were most likely crafted from dead ponies and broken dreams. Octavia gulped.
Approaching the three, who were completely unknowing of their presence, Octavia began to wonder whether these griffons were friend or foe. Casting a sideways glance toward her captor, she found him now clutching his weapon in a single claw as he continued to step forward. His eyes darting down to hers, his beak dipped and his brow furrowed. Biting her lower lip, Octavia swiftly turned back around and instantly stepped on a twig, sending its incredibly loud snap to all corners of the universe.
She shrank in retaliation.
One griffon turned their head away from the small object, followed by another. As all three stared at them, Octavia nearly jumped out of her skin as her griffon suddenly whistled into his claw. Looking back at him, she watched as he waved a claw, then swiveled about to find the trio repeating the gesture. Octavia gave a slight, uneasy frown as her companion simply pushed her forward with an, "On you go." Walking toward the group, she cleared her throat in silence and attempted to straighten her posture. Lifting a hoof up to her neck, she adjusted her pink bowtie and lifted her head up high, finally reaching within earshot distance from the band's position.
Hearing the telltale sound of her comrade following closely behind, she raised her sight up to speak to the one in charge, only to be swiftly shot down by a hiss from her left.
"Bah! This is the pony who's supposed to help us?! W, you could have done infinitely better than this stuck-up horse!" Octavia now realized that it was a female speaking to her, and so she looked to the voice's source to find a light brown griffon glaring at her with her arms crossed. Pointing at the mare, she exclaimed, "This one probably hasn't even seen the outside of Canterlot! Where in the name of Sputnik did you find her?!"
Octavia glared, but stayed her peace. Her angered expression quickly fell however as she felt something brush against the front of her body. Looking down, she found a brown wing draped vertically against her scapula. Purple eyes drifted from it and then to the source, finding the proclaimed W growling at his supposed allies. "Give her a break, V. I found this mare trapped inside a net about to be slaughtered like some animal. I saved her from it, and so she'll save us from this." Head shifting her way, he raised a brow and grew an almost unnoticeable smile. "Won't you?"
Octavia blinked.
Help.
Her mind kicked her violently. She couldn't possibly be even thinking about going through with this could she? She could run away right now when their backs were turned! If she just kept looking behind her and dodged their guns, she could escape and make it back to safety! Back to Ponyville! Back home! Suddenly looking behind her with a spoken excuse to scratch her head, she found the way back in full view. The trees marking her split-second escape route seemed to bend away from the dirt road, as if completely agreeing with what she could very easily go through with.
Lowering her busy hoof, she drew her neck back and dipped her nose to the ground. Working her lips around for awhile, she looked back up into the griffon's eyes and frowned. She didn't exactly know what it was that made her even say this, but in due time she would begin to understand. One side of her snarl turned up, and she gave the griffons a cocky look as she spoke.
"Of course."