After watching Aubrey leave, Mika readied himself and Ed. Grabbing some extra rope which was used for halters, Mika used a bit of a strengthening potion on it to ensure it would be tough enough to contain the innkeeper. Hiding the rope under some straw, Mika then positioned Ed so that Ed would have a clear shot at the innkeeper with his hind legs when the innkeeper entered the stall. Lastly, Mika took his place on the floor of the stall just behind Ed, angling himself so the innkeeper would not be able to see him until the innkeeper was standing directly behind the gelding.
"Are you sure about this?" Ed asked nervously. "I mean, I do want to go back to being human, of course, but I reaaaaally don't want to go back to being unable to speak if something goes wrong. I mean, imagine, a bard incapable of speech? Never again would the ignorant masses be privileged to hear my incomparable loquacity..."
"SHHH!" Mika assertively hushed the rambling equine.
Aubrey approached the back door to the inn and looked about carefully. He remembered every detail of his time stuck as Aubrey, and knew what he had to do. However, he was determined that no living soul apart from the innkeeper would see this scene, and the innkeeper would be taken care of soon enough. Drawing in a deep breah, Aubrey kicked the door with all his might, intentionally stubbing his toe painfully in the process. As the shooting pain brought tears to his eyes, Aubrey began his performance.
"Master! MASTER! Ya gotta come quick! Dere's somethin' wrong with ma big bro!" Audrey called out at the top of his little lungs, banging on the door. After a few minutes of clamor, the innkeeper finally opened the door.
"See here, boy, this better be good if you're waking me at this hour," the innkeeper growled. "If not, I'll tan the hide off you."
Grimy tears and snot running down his face, Aubrey presented a pathetic impression. "Please, master, it's ma big bro, somethin's wrong, he changed!"
The innkeeper's eyes narrowed at the last comment, and grabbing his coat, he grudgingly followed the small sobbing boy back to the stable. Entering, the innkeeper followed Aubrey to just outside Ed's stall, where Aubrey stepped aside to let the innkeeper enter. Squinting in the pre-dawn darkness, the innkeeper craned around the horse to see a figure lying on the ground, apparently unconscious, but much larger and better clothed than his stable boy.
"Damn," the innkeeper cursed to himself. "How in the blazes did he manage to change back? Well, never mind that, just means I need to..."
As the innkeeper muttered, Aubrey saw his hand reach into a pocket in his coat.
"NOW!!" Audrey yelled as loud as he could. Startled by the noise, the innkeeper turned towards Aubrey to see what was the matter. The innkeeper did not even notice the horse's hind legs, which squarely landed a blow to his torso. Flung back out of the stall and against the stable wall, the innkeeper landed with a thud, oblivious to the world. Mika scrambled from his position, grabbed the rope, and began hogtying the innkeeper. In the meantime, Aubrey fished through the innkeeper's coat pocket and extracted a strange, smooth stone with small runes etched all over it.
"All right, he's out, now turn me back!" Aubrey ordered. Mika ignored her for a moment, first ensuring the innkeeper would not be able to move if he came to. "Hurry up already!" Aubrey demanded impatiently.
"Okay, okay, give me a second," Mika responded. Pulling out the vial he had used earlier to change back from a mule, he placed a drop of the liquid on Aubrey's outstretched tongue, then said a short incantation. Within the blink of an eye, where once stood a dirty, naked boy was now an irate, armored female warrior.
"Don't forget about me!" Ed called. "You got the object, right?"
Mika took the stone from Audrey and examined it. "Blast," Mika swore. "I can't make heads or tails of this. I'd need to see it work without any distractions to have any idea if reversing its effects were possible."
"Well, then," Audrey began, plucking the stone out of Mika's grasp. "Let's not waste any time. Anyway, we still need a mule, and I think this bastard needs to find out what it's like to have an involuntary sex change," Aubrey grinned nastily, indicating the innkeeper with a rather sharp kick. "He should make a good molly mule, don't you think?"
"Hold on!!" Mika cried out. "We still don't know enough...."