"Remember to take it easy", Victor said to Amy when Joan brought the water to the table, thus completing the dining setting for him and their guest. Amy thanked the woman by giving her a weary nod and a worn out smile.

The morning was already turning into a day and Amy could feel the exhaustion gnawing her bones and muscles, but more than anything, she wanted to have something to eat.

"You haven't eaten for days, so your metabolism might be a little shocked that you're eating now", the man continued.

"I'll try to be careful, even though I feel I could just stuff everything in my sight into my mouth", Amy laughed a little.

Victor noticed she was in good spirits - but then again she had just completed her Vision Quest and usually that meant the veil between past, present and future had become thinner and everything looked so much clearer than it did before. The agony she had struggling with was now gone.

"Oh, before I forget, Amy", Joan said, already half way out of the door, "your sister called. She was worried about you and asked you to call back when you're ready."

"Thanks, Joan, I will", Amy said, realizing that the time she had spent on her quest in the field had been very different for everyone else. For her it had felt like a never-ending void in time, but for Lou it had meant three busy days keeping up with the family around Heartland and overseeing operations at the diner and three different days entertaining the guests at the Dude Ranch.

"So… you wanna talk about your Quest?" said Victor offering Amy a chance to speak after Joan left them alone. He knew Vision Quests were a personal journeys, but he wanted Amy to know that if she wanted to bare her soul, he was willing to listen.

"There's so many things going through my head, I don't even know where to begin", Amy said and took herself some bread.

"Well, start where you feel most comfortable starting from?" Victor suggested, pouring himself a glass of water.

Amy nodded and returned mentally to the field, revisiting the thoughts she had wrestled with, and by doing so, she regained the feeling she had had when she had looked into the eyes of that old mare.

"There was this… white horse", she shared. "And I realize this might sound crazy, but… I think we knew each other somehow, but I also know I have never seen that horse in my life. When I looked at her, she could see inside me and something just… clicked", Amy explained further and Victor watched her as she went on. "I could see inside myself through her eyes and I realized there was this big… wound inside me and I think I've always been somewhat aware of it, especially when Dad left and Mom died, but I had just accepted it as part of me. I've always thought that that wound is my battle scar from all the hurt I've faced and I thought I had closed it and moved on, but I realized I haven't. It's still gaping", Amy spoke and blushed. "This sounds so crazy…"

"Crazy people don't know they are crazy. – So, go on", Victor encouraged.

Amy weighed her words carefully as the thoughts ran through her head.

"Well, things have been building up and the wound has gotten bigger and I've just adapted to living with it. Like, it's in the center and I've built my life around it. But I now see that's not what I should have done. I've carried these tragedies and challenges with me, fearing to step out from that weird, sad state that I thought was my comfort zone, because I've thought leaving would hurt even more. But now I think it's exactly the opposite: I should have moved on from those painful episodes in my life and not of held onto them."

The tears started welling up in her eyes.

"Whenever I've been hurt or afraid, I've given all this power to my wound, to my hurt, and therefore I've blocked this… transformation that should have happened instead. The wound has ruled everything I've ever done and it has made me act the way I have. I felt like I'm just a survivor in my own life and not the fighter who has the power. It's not my path to just accept my fate and not do anything about it - I should do something about it, because I can. I always thought that through hurt I would become more compassionate and - I don't know - wise, but instead it has made me… shallow. What I mean is that I got lost trying to help others, when I should have helped myself first. And by not learning how to help myself, I've allowed myself to hurt instead of helping others. And that's not the person I want to be. So, I need help with loving myself and accepting that I can't just have right reasons, I need to do the right thing right away."

"Well, darn it… That's a big lesson you've just learned there, young lady", Victor said, feeling almost breathless after Amy's long monologue. "And I think you will see, that if you stick to what you have learned, you will go far. I'm really proud of you, Amy, and I think your mother would be too."

Amy smiled a little through her tears, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She wondered if it was strange to think that somehow she had felt like her mother had been there with her on her Vision Quest. Amy wasn't sure if it had been the feather or maybe even the white horse that had given her power to see so much wisdom in herself, but she knew that Marion's spirit still lived on everywhere and she would help her guide her way on.

"Victor… Can I ask you something?" Amy then asked.

"Of course", he replied.

"You said everything on this Vision Quest represents something", Amy said and Victor nodded. "Well, I had this dream about Spartan. And I don't know if it's just my nerves telling me I'm afraid to face him again or what, but in my dream, I mounted him, but soon after that he started running really fast and I fell. – What do you think that meant?"

"I assume you saw this dream before you saw that white horse?" Victor asked and Amy confirmed it by nodding. "There seems to be a lot of important symbolism going on there. Horses are messengers, helpers, something between the grounded power of the earth and the whispers of the spirit world. I noticed you mentioned the horse that was gentler and gave you answers was a white one, and Spartan is black. A black horse in a dream usually represents a part of your shadow self, some fragment of your personality you usually prefer to keep hidden. You just told me Spartan started running and you fell, and I feel like you might fear that these dark sides of you are going to take over and there's no way to control them. I know that sounds bad at first, but you should also know that riding a horse in your dream might indicate that you will see an event coming to a successful conclusion. And I think it did - well, at least for now. – You know what you have to do, now you just gotta do it."

Easier said than done, Amy thought, but she wasn't about to give up.

"And the white horse? Did it mean something?" Amy was eager to know.

"You were awake when you saw her?"

"Yes, I was", Amy replied. "It was this morning, just after I woke up. She walked toward me from out of the mist."

"Sounds pretty simple to me", Victor said, but Amy could not see how it could be, as it was still a puzzle in her mind, "you woke up, started a new day and it was the dawn of something new - and I think it meant that you just discovered yourself. This is special because white horse is seen as a messenger of birth."

"Okay, when you put it like that, it does make sense", Amy said after thinking about it for a minute. She wasn't sure about the symbolisms she had seen and what they may have meant, but Victor had studied them for years and they were part of his life, so Amy had no trouble trusting his insight.

"So… do you know what you're going to do next?" Victor asked curiously while they were having their brunch.

"I have a pretty good idea, but… it's not something I can do alone", she answered, looking back at the older man on the other side of table. "And that's why I want to see Spartan. – Do you think I'm ready?"

"Do you think you are ready?" Victor threw the question back at her.

"Yes", Amy said after a small moment of hesitation.

"Then, let's go", Victor said getting up from the table.

Few minutes later, Amy walked into the barn where the horses were waiting to be turned out. The atmosphere was relaxed, even a little sleepy, but there was a small storm inside of Amy. She could feel her heart racing faster as she got nearer to Spartan. The black gelding recognized her smell and lifted his head, looking at her curiously. That's when Amy's yearning to be closer to him grew stronger, even though he was just inches away.

"Hey, boy…" she said softly. "Would you like to go outside? It's a beautiful morning", Amy continued speaking and slowly took the lead from the wall before stepping in front of Spartan's stall.

Victor stood back watching and waiting, letting Amy do her thing. It was all up to her now.

Spartan seemed wary at first, but he too recognized there was something different about Amy since the last time he had seen her. The horse waited, studying her body language as Amy stepped inside the stall after opening the door.

"Will you let me put the halter on you…?" she asked waiting for Spartan to relax on his own. It was important for Amy that the horse wanted to co-operate with her as she remembered what she had always known; she could not force him to do something he wasn't comfortable doing. There had to be respect - and now there was.

Amy put the halter on Spartan and attached a lead to it like there had been no problems between them to begin with. A relieved smile spread across Amy's face as she watched Spartan with teary eyes. They were starting to be a team again.

"Good boy…" Amy said, rewarding Spartan with few scratches.

Feeling different inside after the quest was one thing, but seeing something as concrete as this renewing of her connection with Spartan was on another level. It made her feel as if everything truly was about to change she had been reborn and was starting a new chapter in her life.

"Let's go outside and have a little fun. How does that sound, huh? Does it sound good?" Amy talked to the horse, wanting to make the bond between them even stronger. She could hear a low snicker and took it as a sign of agreement.

When they walked in the pen, Amy could feel herself getting self-conscious being under the watchful and knowing eyes of Victor Whitetail, but after a while she forgot he was even there. Spartan demanded her full attention, she was seeing, in what seemed like forever, Spartan giving her signs as she chased him around in the ring. The horse was playful and Amy could tell he was having fun, but not at her expense this time - this time they were playing together.

The more Amy changed directions, the wilder Spartan got. He jerked his head up and down, never breaking the eye contact with the woman in the pen, always listening to her low cues and reading her posture to know what was going on. Amy giggled when Spartan started to get bouncy, sort of like he did when they were letting loose during liberty training sessions.

"Okay, come on, boy, let's wrap this up", she said to him warmly, turning to face the center of the ring. Much to her surprise she didn't even question if it would happen, she knew she would. As her steps took her closer to the middle of the pen, Spartan slowed his space and followed her. As Amy felt the horse touching her shoulder, Victor started to applaud.

"Well done", he said, glancing at them between the rails. "It felt like I was watching a completely different team from the one I saw when you came here few days ago."

"Yeah?" Amy asked, full of energy. "Well, it felt good. I felt so… free", she continued, brushing Spartan's cheek gently and watching the horse next to her. She couldn't help smiling because she knew she had her equine soulmate back again. "I haven't felt this connected to anything or anyone in a while - I mean, before the Vision Quest, of course."

"I'm glad to hear that. You two sure looked like a good team there. – So… do I dare to ask what happens now?" Victor asked, wondering what Amy considered the next step. He felt like his part in this chapter was over and it was time for Amy and Spartan to move on.

"I think I'm gonna call Lou. Let her know we are coming home", Amy said and smiled even more, feeling like for the first time in months she actually couldn't wait to get back to Heartland.