[Phase 1] Reality Check

This day was supposed to be perfect.
Annabella Brassington, live-in-maid and stablehand at the Veiltanz estate, had been saving up for her own horse for years. She had painted it all out in her head already, in all the wonderful details:
It would be a stallion or a gelding, ideally a handsome dark bay, and she'd name him 'Darcy'.  He'd be a bit of a spitfire; but she'd tame him, and they'd become inseperable. High expectations.

She was delighted when she saw the advert for him in the 2024 Loshenka Makeover catalogue. He was perfect! His glossy sooty bay coat and his masked face were everything she ever dreamt of. His coronets and jagged blaze were to die for. She would've paid for the world for him - as a Makeover horse, however, he was practically free. 
Of course she knew he would be a challenge, one way or the other. That's how it was with Makeover Loshenka; they were being rehomed for a reason, after all. She'd been told he was headshy, had restraint anxiety. Apparently some sort of traumatic incident made him fear the lead. Annabella thought she knew what she was getting herself into, she really did.

Darcy had been perfect when he was delivered to the estate in the old-timey carrier. Allowed himself to be haltered without issue; and led out without issue.
And then everything started to fall apart. 
Great grey clouds had been covering the mountainous horizon of Schönburgen for the last few hours already, steadily growing in thickness and gloominess. It was only a matter of times til the clouds would erupt into a bona fide rainstorm, everyone on the estate was sure of it. Not ideal conditions for Darcy to arrive in, but the delivery had been scheduled weeks ahead. 
So, leading him out of the carrier, Annabella had sped up. Pulling him quite possibly too forcefully, in hopes of getting the beautiful bay into the stables before the clouds broke.
Darcy had snapped. 
One second he was trotting by her with no issue, the next he was rearing, eyes wide in complete and utter terror, and had bolted.

Annabella had lost grip on his rein; and was now lying there on the dirt road to the stables, seeing her dream horse gallop away.

She had her work cut out for her, that was for sure.

[394 words]