//------------------------------//
// Unwrapping Gifts 
// Story: DiamondBloom's Hangout Time 
// by Cadiefly 
//------------------------------//

The sounds of a rooster crying off in the distance awoke the residents of Sweet Apple Acres. It was still very early in the morning, before the sun had even risen to be exact, when Apple Bloom opened her eyes and gasped. With a big smile planted on her face, she jumped up with glee and hopped out of bed.

"It's Hearth's Warming Eve!" She exclaimed as she bounced around the room in the most giddy manner imaginable for a young filly such as herself. She did a little twirl and ran about in her room haphazardly in an attempt to get ready for the new day in the shortest amount of time possible. So excited was she that she had just managed to tie her bow on lopsided before exiting her bedroom and rushing down the stairs.

Upon entering their family room, a gorgeous tree met her gaze, shining brilliantly with its luminescent lights and candy decorations. With a twinkle in her eyes, Apple Bloom raced to the presents to inspect them. With her imagination, she undressed the presents, trying to predict what each gloriously wrapped box might possess as she waited for the rest of her family members to make their way down. If she had any less patience, she might not have been able to last that long.

She took one glance back up the stairs. None of the others had even exited their rooms yet, and she shook uncontrollably. "Oh, Ah wanna open my presents up now." She circled around the presents twice, each one addressed to one of the five occupants, including Winona, of their household. 

That was when one particular present caught her attention. She stared at it for a moment as she walked up to it. It was the most prettily wrapped box out of the bunch, and it was by far the biggest. Apple Bloom's eyes grew to the size of saucers as she soaked in its magnificence. "This present looks amazing!" 

Looking down at the tag on the box, she noticed that it was addressed to her. It had no names to indicate who it was from, so Apple Bloom assumed that it had been from the whole family. "Well, Ah'll be. Ah thought Ah'd have ta wait till next year for that..." 

She reached her hooves around it and tried, and failed, to pick it up. Even putting all her effort into her hind legs, she was not able to lift the box up off the ground. She eventually settled for splaying herself out on top of the present and then relaxing on it.

Shifting herself atop the box, she rubbed her hooves across the paper, mesmerized by its elastic texture and the nice rubbery sound it gave off as a result. Tentatively she licked the paper and clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she took in its taste. Loving its taste, she proceeded to slobber all over it.

Staring down at it gleefully, Apple Bloom rubbed her hooves tantalizingly across the paper some more as she cooed, "Ah wanna open you so bad..." 

After a few minutes, Apple Bloom reluctantly withdrew from the gift and stared back up the stairs. "That's odd. What's takin' them so long?" She asked. Within a mere moment, she was back to admiring the beauty of her giant gift. 

Placing her hooves back on the present, she played with the wrapper until a small rip formed. Apple Bloom bit her lips and stood stock-still. She worriedly glanced around to see if she was going to get in trouble, but when nopony came, she resumed playing with the wrapping paper, this time more aggressively. "But sis, Ah didn't mean ta. The wrappin' paper practically tore itself..." She murmured to herself, deciding that that would be the perfect excuse if she was caught.

When her handiwork was finished, Apple Bloom stared at the box, now unwrapped, in wonder. It was plainly white, bearing no other distinguishable features aside from its size. There was no indication as to the prize inside, which only serve to confound the little filly further. What was inside? She must know!

As she was about to grab a hold of the lid to reveal the box's contents, The lid erupted from the box on its own accord. Suddenly, one extremely winded Diamond Tiara was sitting upright in the box and panting heavily. 

"What the hay?" Apple Bloom asked as she stared at the filly before her. That was the last thing she expected to see standing before her when she opened that gift. She shook her head in disbelief.

In trying to explain herself, all Diamond Tiara managed to accomplish was to tip over the box and continue taking in deep breaths of air. When she finally did speak, it was in a quite broken speech. "...Water...Need..."

Immediately complying with this request, Apple Bloom darted towards the kitchen and retrieved a glass of water. She promptly handed her the glass, to which Diamond Tiara gulped down. Streamlets of water cascaded from her lips as she quenched her thirst. When she was finally done, Diamond Tiara said, "Much better."

"Now that ya had yur water. Why're ya in the present?" Apple Bloom asked.

In exasperation, Diamond Tiara slapped a hoof onto her own face and said, "You dumb blank flank. I wasn't just in the present." She began to blush as she pointed to herself. "I am the present." 

Dumbfounded, Apple Bloom stare at her and said, "Ah don't get it. What does that mean?"

Getting up from her makeshift home inside the box, Diamond Tiara swayed over to Apple Bloom, the swish of her tail pronounced as she gave her her most alluring smile. "It means I'm all yours, you silly filly," she responded.

Apple Bloom gulped as she processed what this meant. "As in...you'll be my marefriend?" 

Lifting up Apple Bloom's chin with her hoof, Diamond Tiara gazed lovingly into her eyes and said, "I'll be whatever you want me to be, my little Appletini."

It was at that precise moment that the lights flickered on and Applejack came waltzing into the room unawares. Looking down at the two fillies before her, she said. "Aw, shucks, Diamond Tiara. It's Hearth's Warming Eve, shouldn't Y'all be home with yur parents?" 

Freaking out at the fact that Applejack had caught her presence being here, Apple Bloom was struggling to find an excuse. "She's ma marefriend!" She finally blurted, as if that answered anything. 

Applejack stared the two fillies, her mind shutting down at the information overload that Apple Bloom had just dumped on her. She was quite literally speechless, and her mouth was gaping as if to catch flies.

Distracted for a moment by Applejack's question, Apple Bloom snapped back to reality and turned to what she can only surmise to be her new marefriend, if she took her statement at face value. She said, "Yeah, why aren't ya with yur own family, Di? Won't they be worried when they find out ya ain't there?"

Set into a giggling frenzy, Diamond Tiara said in between laughter, "Don't worry. They won't notice I'm gone. I had an android created in my spitting image. They're gone from the house so much, they won't notice the different."

"A what now?"

With another giggle, Diamond Tiara leaned in and stole a kiss from her beloved. "I said not to worry your pretty little flank over it. Now come here." She leaned back in and kissed her tenderly, leading her into a make out session, right in front of Applejack.

"Well Ah'll be. My sis likes mares. who wudda thunk it?" Applejack said noncommittally as she walked away, trying to avoid staring at the intimacy between two fillies that she was clearly not ready to handle.