Shadowbolts Adventures: Independence Day (Edited Version)

by DragonShadow

Chapter 01: Road Tripping

Road Tripping

An otherwise quiet day brimming with excitement was enough to get Indigo Zap's heart pumping. She couldn't keep the grin off of her face as her five friends gathered on her driveway around the covered vehicle she had parked in front of the garage. All of her work, all of her effort, had been building towards this moment.

"Thank you for coming, ladies." Indigo Zap grinned and gave a slight bow for her audience. "It's been a long time coming. There's been a lot of blood, sweat, and sandwiches poured into this project, and I want you all to know that we wouldn't be standing here today without your help. It probably would've taken an extra month or two." Her hand snaked over to grip the tarp. "But all of our work paid off! Behold!" She yanked the tarp grandly off the shining, freshly waxed ruby red convertible. "Lightning Zap is ready to hit the road!"

The girls' oooh's and aaaah's were suitably pleasing, and Indigo was beaming as she dropped the tarp and turned back to them. "And I'm not done there! To reward us all for our hard work, mom and dad have given me the money to take us all on our first road trip to Las Pegasus!"

"Seriously!?" Lemon Zest squealed. "I've always wanted to go there!"

"Wow! That's so generous!" Twilight Sparkle gulped. "And a long way from here..."

Indigo waved off the concern. "It's only a few hours on the road. We can chill, listen to some tunes, and take in some munchies! And when we get there stay at the world-famous Lost Pegasus Resort!"

"That sounds amazing, Indigo. I'm absolutely in." Sunny Flare turned to glance around at the group. "How about the rest of you?"

"I'm there!" Lemon Zest bounced up and down.

"This has disaster written all over it." Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses. "Naturally I'm in."

"Oh yes, this sounds like a dream come true!" Sour Sweet giggled. "I mean, we're going in a car put together by a teenager in her parents' garage, what could possibly go wrong?"

"This is a really long trip over a long distance." Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat nervously. "Are you sure we shouldn't make better preparations or find a more reliable mode of transport, like plane tickets? You're far more likely to die in a car accident than a plane crash, statistically speaking."

"Relax!" Indigo insisted with a grin. "I've double-checked and triple-checked everything on this baby. Professional racers don't get their cars checked this thoroughly. We'll be fine."

"And it'll be a good experience, Twilight." Sunny smiled down at the smaller girl. "Get out on our own for a few days, just the six of us. No parents, just us and unlimited freedom."

"Sounds... terrifying." Twilight forced a smile.

Sour Sweet slapped her forehead. "Of course it does! Who wants to be free anyway?"

"Come on, Twi!" Indigo Zap slapped her on the shoulder. "Loosen up a bit! I promise we'll take care of you! What could go wrong as long as we're together?"

"Famous last words," Sugarcoat noted.

"Okay..." Twilight nodded with a deep, steadying breath. "Let's do it. I want to come with you."

"Hah! Yeah!" Indigo grinned her approval and gave her friends a thumbs up. "I promise none of you will regret this! We'll have the weekend of our lives!"

"Also famous last words," Sugarcoat noted.

And like that it was set. Indigo Zap was going to show her friends the best time she could, in exchange for giving her so much help working on her car. And it was going to be the best time of their entire lives, she was sure of it.

***

"Razzle dazzle! Glitz and glam! Turn it all up! It's a spectacle!" Five voices joined in somewhat-harmony as the ruby red convertible flew down the interstate. Even the car's driver was bobbing to the strong bass beat that soared from the car into the surrounding forest. Indigo Zap had the wheel, with Sugarcoat and Lemon Zest up front with her. Meanwhile Sunny Flare was in the back, flanked by Twilight Sparkle and Sour Sweet. Twilight was the only one who wasn't singing, though whether it was because she didn't know the words or she was terrified out of her wits, Indigo couldn't tell.

"Hear the applause! Here to impress! Not just a woman!" The next line was practically screamed at the top of their lungs. "I am the countess!"

They dissolved into joyous laughter as the song's beat faded out, and Sugarcoat reached forward to turn the radio down. "I love Countess Coloratura!" Lemon Zest squealed from the passenger's seat. "Her songs always give me tingles!"

Even Sour Sweet couldn't contain the excitement of being out on the road by themselves, with a broad grin lighting up her usually sour features. "I know! She just gets my blood pumping every time!" She pumped her arms into the air. "I am the countess!"

"Are you holding up okay there, Twilight?" Sunny Flare placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. "You've been quiet since we left the house."

"F-fine..." Twilight spoke in a voice that was clearly not fine. "Just... nearly out of town on my own for the first time ever without anybody I love and trust here to make sure I don't do anything stupid... er... n-not that I don't trust you girls..."

"Hey, no offense taken. I understand." Sunny slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "This is my first time out of town on my own, too. I won't say I'm not nervous, but just try to be optimistic about it. It'll be a wonderful experience we're all going to share."

"And we've made all the right preparations!" Indigo called back from the front seat. "We have all the food and tunes we could ask for! Lemon, pass the lady something to calm her down."

"Right! Just call me Miss Munchy!" Lemon leaned down to rifle through the bags she had tucked by her feet. "What do you want? Something chocolate flavored? Strawberry flavored? Hehe... Lemon-flavored?" She wiggled her eyebrows over the back of her seat.

"Uuhhhh..." Twilight blushed deeply.

"Lemon, please control yourself at least a little." Sunny scolded her softly.

"Sorry... here, have a Snacky Cake. It's my personal favorite." Lemon held a small candy bar out over the back of her seat.

"Thank you." Twilight took the candy bar in one hand, though she didn't move to open it.

The ride continued on in energetic music until all signs of civilization had faded behind them, and they were screaming down the interstate surrounded by lush vegetation at first, which soon gave way to grassy plains. Indigo had her left elbow propped up on the door while her right hand kept them going in the proper direction, her mood bolstered by the laughter and general sense of happiness coming from her friends.

Her mood was still high hours later. Riding down the interstate with her friends by her side and the top down on her fully restored convertible? Yeah, this was the best idea she had ever had.

"I can't deny it, Indigo Zap," Sugarcoat spoke from beside her as they sped through the rolling grasslands. "You did a fantastic job restoring this car. I don't know if I've ever had such a smooth ride before."

"Thanks, I meant it when I said I couldn't have done it without you girls. We all earned this trip." Indigo couldn't keep the grin off of her face.

"And it is going to be amazing! Heeeehehehehe!" Lemon Zest giggled like a madwoman.

They rolled onward until, suddenly, the car began to falter and slow down. "Wh-what the? No! No freaking way! I checked everything! Four times!" Indigo slammed her hand on the wheel for a few moments, then carefully moved to guide the vehicle onto the shoulder of the road as it slowed almost to a stop.

"Hmmm..." Sugarcoat leaned her cheek over Indigo's shoulder to peer at the dashboard curiously. "I think you failed to check the gas tank."

"What?" Indigo's eyes flitted across the dashboard, suddenly spotting the telltale red bar pointed to the giant letter E. She could only stare for a few moments before slamming her forehead into the steering wheel. "Somebody shoot me now..."

"Oh yay! I was right!" Sour Sweet's song echoed across the plains. "This had to end badly!"

"Man, I knew this was too good to be true..." Lemon Zest grumped.

"See? This is why we need adults! This kind of stuff always happens!" Twilight's breath came in deep, panicked gasps.

"Okay, nobody start freaking out! This isn't that bad, and it's not the end of anything." Indigo hefted herself out of the car, marching toward the trunk to pull out a large plastic container. "We passed a service station not too far back. I'll just take a walk, get enough gas to get us to the next station, and we'll be on our way. At worst we'll have to find a hotel for a night, it's not a big deal. You girls chill, listen to some tunes, and I'll be right back."

Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses. "Famous last-"

"Oh shut up!" Sour Sweet snapped

"Excuse me." Sunny flipped herself over the back of the car to slide down the trunk, landing on her feet beside Indigo. "You are not marching down an empty highway alone. There's calm and then there's just plain stupid."

"We can't just ditch the car, someone could steal it!" Indigo complained.

"I'll go with her!" Lemon volunteered as she leapt over the passenger's side door. "My legs could use a good stretch about now anyway."

"I'll go too." Sour Sweet climbed over her door as well, moving to join the others.

"You will?" Indigo looked at her in surprise.

"I love protecting my friends! I also might get to punch someone! It's a win-win!"

"Okay..." Sunny Flare nodded in accepted. "Splitting into two groups of three sounds like the most sensible course of action, under the circumstances. But keep your phones on, in case something bad happens."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll be fine. And we'll be back on the road in a jiffy, just you wait." Indigo turned to march back the way they came, her hand waving back behind her. "We'll get this party back on track! You'll see!"

Sugarcoat remained silent until the other three girls were out of earshot before speaking. "Famous last words." Twilight squeaked and shrunk down in the back seat of the car, while Sunny sighed and rubbed her forehead.

***

Lemon Zest seemed strangely bouncy as she, Indigo Zap, and Sour Sweet marched dutifully onward down the side of the interstate with the empty gas canister. Indigo tried to ignore her, but thankfully, or perhaps not, Sour Sweet had a lot less self-control than her.

"What in the world are you so bouncy about?" Sour Sweet demanded.

"It's just... something else!" Lemon Zest giggled. "Here we are, in a hazardous situation, handling it like real full-grown adults! No principals or parents to bail us out, and we're doing it!"

Sour Sweet gasped. "Oh my gosh I didn't think of it like that! You're so right! We're totally responsible women marching down the street for over an hour like idiots because someone didn't keep an eye on the gas tank!"

Indigo grumbled under her breath. "I think I prefer Lemon's take on the situation."

"And besides," Lemon Zest continued. "We can use this time to get to know each other better! I don't think we've ever sat down and had a heart-to-heart before, Sour Sweet. Just us."

Sour Sweet raised her eyebrow. "Are you flirting with me?"

"No! I mean, not that you're not cute, but I try not to flirt with straight girls." Lemon blushed. "It... does slip out occasionally, but I'm working on it!"

"I never said I was straight."

"Really?" Lemon gasped. "I... guess that's true. I just kind of assumed since you used to talk about Braeburn so much..."

"I didn't say I'm not either." Sour Sweet shoved her hands into her pockets with a low grumble. "Nobody's ever wanted to get close enough for me to find out..."

Lemon smiled. "Is that all? Well that's okay! There are ways to tell! Do you ever think about girls when you're-"

"Let's not go there, please!" Indigo Zap raised her hands in protest. "I don't need to hear about my friends' masturbation habits."

"Oh come on Indigo, it's girl-talk."

"Is it? I've never seen that on the approved list of girl-talk topics."

Sour Sweet interrupted. "I'm not telling you who I get off to anyway!"

"Okay, okay." Lemon Zest moved slightly further away from Sour Sweet. "I won't make you do anything you don't want to." The three girls fell silent, with Lemon's shoes kicking some rocks from the pavement off into the grass beyond.

***

Sugarcoat was sitting comfortably on the trunk of the car, her elbows wrapped around one knee as she stared out across the grassy plains beside them. "I feel like I should be puffing a cigarette and staring wistfully off into the distance."

"How very cinematic of you," Sunny Flare quipped. "Don't smoke, though, or you'll be puffing a lot more often than just when you're staring dramatically into the distance."

"Yes mom." Sugarcoat saluted.

Sunny rolled her eyes and moved around the car to Twilight's seat, where the meek girl was still sitting in the same place she had while the car was moving. "Hey, Twi, how about we take a walk? I'm sure your legs must be pretty stiff just sitting there."

Twilight glanced up at her, then hunkered down slightly in embarrassment. "I can't even feel them anymore."

"Come on." Sunny pulled the door open and took Twilight's hand, helping the smaller girl climb out and rise to her feet. Twilight leaned against her side as she closed the door and they moved to walk slowly to the other side of the car. "So what do you want to do first when we get to Las Pegasus?"

"Right now? Get a shower. Ewe..." Twilight looked down at herself.

Sunny giggled. "Well, yeah, I mean after that."

"I don't know. I guess I've always wanted to see a magic show. I know it's all smoke and mirrors, but I've always been fascinated with the psychological aspect of it. How they can convince you that something physiologically impossible is actually happening even when you know it's not possible."

"That sounds like a lot of fun, actually. I bet we could convince the others to go to one too, as long as we're there."

"That would be amazing." Twilight smiled. "How about you? Do you have anything you'd like to do while we're there?"

"The hotel we're staying at has a pool, so I was thinking of doing some swimming. Or floating, depending on my mood."

"That sounds like fun too." Twilight nodded. "I didn't think to pack my swimsuit, though."

"It's Las Pegasus. Shopping was just going to come with the territory." Sunny Flare winked. Twilight giggled.

Sunny's gaze was pulled away from her friend when she heard the sound of a roaring engine from the direction of Las Pegasus. A wide midnight-blue truck was coming down the interstate towards them. The two girls moved off to the side to get out of its way, but as it neared the truck slowed to a stop and a rather thick-looking man poked his head out the window.

"You ladies having a little trouble?"

Sunny Flare gently pushed away from Twilight to approach the truck with as bright a smile as she could manage. "We were a little too eager to get to our vacation and ran out of gas, it looks like."

"Yeah? Don't really have much of that myself, I'm afraid." The man smiled sympathetically. "Would you like me to call a service for you?" Sunny frowned, but Sugarcoat suddenly stepped between them with her glasses shoved into one pocket.

"There's a service station not too far down the road." Sugarcoat leaned forward, her elbow resting on the top of the truck's car door, and letting her shirt hang visibly down by accident. "I'm sure you can spare us just enough gas to get there and still get there yourself."

"W-well..." the man stammered. "My mom always told me to take care of ladies who need me."

"She was a wise woman." Sugarcoat's smile was as creepy as it was compelling. "Thank you so much."

"I'll just, uh, get into position for the siphon." The man pulled back into his car.

Sugarcoat turned away to walk back toward her friends, who were both staring at her with wide-eyed expressions of shock. "What?"

"I... didn't know you could flirt," Sunny quipped.

"I'm kind of scared..." Twilight clung to Sunny's arm like she was about to run from a ghost.

Sugarcoat smirked as she slipped her glasses comfortably onto her nose. "Hey, a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do."

***

Even Lemon Zest's energy was starting to wane as they marched onward, the three girls just plodding along the pavement. Even the sound of their shoes was starting to get old. "I've changed my mind," Lemon Zest quipped. "Being a responsible adult sucks."

"We're making progress, at least." Indigo put a hand over her eyes to block the light while she squinted ahead. "I can just make out a sign up ahead. I think we're almost there."

"Oh yay!" Sour Sweet cheered. "Our journey is almost half over! Lugging the gas back to the car is definitely going to be the fun part!"

"Nobody asked you to come, Sour Sweet." Indigo Zap growled back.

"Well I'm sorry for giving a crap," Sour Sweet countered. "Next time you can walk off alone and get pulled into an unmarked white van or something."

"What white van? We literally haven't seen any other cars." Indigo threw her arms out. "I'd almost like someone to try to kidnap me! At least something would be happening!"

Lemon Zest slipped smoothly between them before the conflict could escalate any further. "Hey, come on girls, we're all a little cranky and sore, but we're doing good! We're helping our friends! And once we're done, we can get on to Las Pegasus, and spend the next few days doing nothing but relaxing and partying! Isn't that worth a long walk and a heavy load?"

"Maybe..." Sour Sweet grumbled.

"Yeah, I guess..." Indigo looked down, her thick boot kicking roughly at some loose pavement. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to yell I just... I can't believe I got us into this. I had it all planned, I checked every detail, and I managed to screw up the smallest thing."

Lemon gave her friend a comforting smile. "Mistakes happen, Indigo."

"And when I pay for them, that's one thing, but getting you guys sucked into it just because you trusted me to do my thing right?" Indigo growled and looked away from them. "I... I'm sorry, okay? I did my best and I still managed to screw up. Now you're only out here because you trusted me."

There was an awkward silence that settled over them for several minutes before Sour Sweet broke it. "The way I remember it, we're out here because we volunteered." Indigo gave her a curious sidelong glance. "Yeah, you screwed up, but we're the ones who wanted to take this walk and help you out. You didn't make us do that."

"Yeah, that's right!" Lemon beamed and threw an arm around each of her friends. "We're out here because we're a team! The Crystal Prep Shadowbolts! And we're not gonna just ditch each other when things get messy, no matter how they got that way!"

"Heh..." A smile spread slowly across Indigo Zap's lips, as if her cheeks were being tugged from each side. "Thanks... I just hope we can leave this all behind us and get our vacation back on track."

"We'll get there! We just gotta keep a positive attitude and work on those biceps, because this thing is going to be heavy once we fill it up."

Indigo Zap chuckled. "We just need a few gallons to get us to the next rest stop. Then we'll be home free."

***

"That should about do ya." The man plugged the end of the hose with his thumb for a moment after pulling it out of Indigo's car. "Plenty to get you back to the rest stop."

"We really appreciate this." Sugarcoat pulled a ten dollar bill out of her pocket and held it out to him. "Here, for the gas."

"Keep it, like I said, mother always told me to look out for ladies in need."

Sunny grumbled. "There's a line between chivalry and condescension..."

Sugarcoat stepped in front of Sunny. "What she means to say is thank you. You've been a real life saver for us."

"You ladies take care of yourselves now." The man smiled and gave them a wave before climbing into his truck and continuing on his way down the interstate.

"If I hear the word 'ladies' one more time today..." Sunny grumbled.

"I don't think I've heard you get so bitter since before the Friendship Games, Sunny," Sugarcoat mused curiously. "Have we finally found one of your elusive buttons?"

"We have names is all I'm saying."

"Names we didn't tell him."

"Oh... that... is a good point, actually." Sunny blushed.

"Yes, it is." Sugarcoat shoved her bill back in her pocket and turned to march back to the car. "I'll drive us back to the station if you'll help me keep an eye out for the others on the way... ladies."

Sunny sighed. "You're not going to let that go, are you?"

"I'll probably get bored of it soon enough." Sugarcoat hopped into the driver's seat and clasped her seatbelt around her. "Now come on, we're burning daylight."

"Right." Sunny shook her head and she climbed over the door into the back seat. Twilight took her own seat more slowly, opening the door for herself. Once they were all seated, Sugarcoat turned them around to take off back the way they had come.

They made their way back, and Sunny was surprised to find that they made it all the way to the gas station before they spotted their three friends kneeling in front of one of the pumps with their gas canister in hand. They really must have been moving to make it this distance, it had taken them almost ten minutes at over sixty to get here.

"Hey, girls!" Sunny waved her hands as Sugarcoat pulled up in front of the station. "We got a quick fill-up! You don't have to carry the gas back!"

"Huh?" Sour Sweet looked up. "What!? Are you fucking kidding me!? We walked for two hours straight to get here and you turn up at the same time we do in the car!?" She leapt to her feet, marching toward the car.

Sunny patted the back of Sugarcoat's seat. "Drive." The car lurched forward as Sour Sweet broke into a run.

Sour Sweet gave furious chase. "You get the fuck back here! I'm not going to let you get away with this! You have to stop some time or you'll run out of gas again! And when you do I'm gonna make you regret letting us walk halfway across the fucking country for no reason! Do you hear me, motherfuckers!?"

Twilight Sparkle turned forward in her seat once the yelling faded into the distance. "We're going back for them, right?"

"As soon as it's safe..." Sunny blushed.

Thankfully, that time didn't take too long to come. Sour Sweet tired herself out after five minutes of screaming and collapsed to her knees on the street, panting for air. Sunny made sure to bring her friend back into the car to return her to the station, where Indigo and Lemon were looking just as annoyed, but far more grateful.

"I'm just glad we don't have to walk all the way back with this thing. Even just a few gallons is pretty heavy." Indigo explained as she and Lemon dumped what they had purchased into the tank from their canister.

"Over long distances, I'm sure." Sunny spoke from the back seat, where she was holding a bottle of water up to an exhausted Sour Sweet's lips. "I'm actually impressed you made it all the way here."

"Heh, we managed to keep each other motivated." Indigo grinned. "Besides, like I said, I'm going to get us to Las Pegasus to have a great time if it kills me."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sugarcoat pulled the gas pump from the car after filling it the rest of the way and placed it back on the pump. "Let's get this show on the road already. I'd rather spend the night in an actual resort than some fly-infested interstate motel."

"Yeah!" Lemon pumped her fist into the air. "I've gotten my legs all stretched, now let's hit the home stretch to vacation land!"

"Yes, please..." Twilight settled into her seat with a relieved sigh.

"Then let's get this show on the road, ladies." Sugarcoat reclaimed her middle front seat as Sunny rolled her eyes with a soft blush.

"Everybody make sure you're buckled in," Indigo spoke as she pulled out of the station and turned them back down the interstate again. "We're not stopping until we hit Las Pegasus..."

***

The sun was long gone by the time Lightning Zap rolled into Las Pegasus, but the neon lights that lit up the horizon and the palpable energy still coming off of the dozens of people wandering the streets kept the six Crystal Prep friends awake as they moved through the streets towards their destination. The going was slow, but there was so much to see that they didn't even mind. Advertisements for food, dancing, gambling, magic shows, comedy shows, even some that made Twilight blush and put her hand between herself and them.

Traffic was still terrible even this late, but at last they rolled into the massive parking garage of Las Pegasus' biggest and oldest resort casino, the Lost Pegasus. Stiff, creaking legs protested as the friends climbed out of the car and pulled their luggage from the trunk, limited to one big bag apiece. Indigo put the top up on her convertible, locked it up, and they made their way into the lobby.

"Geeze, this place is like something out of a movie." Lemon Zest gaped as they entered the massive entrance lobby, which was lined with soft bulbs in the shape of candles with the warm scent of incense greeting them at the door.

"Actually, a lot of movies have been filmed here," Sugarcoat pointed out. "So it's more like the movies are something out of this place."

"Whatever, awe, awe, awe, blah, blah blah..." Sour Sweet yawned into one hand. "Can we get to sleep some time tonight?"

"Relax, we're almost there! We even have reservations!" Indigo swept up to the main desk and set her bag down as she leaned against it. "Three room luxury suite under Indigo Zap."

"Three rooms?" Sunny asked as the others moved to keep up with her. "Isn't that a little excessive? We could make do with one or two."

"We're here to relax, and being crowded ain't relaxing." Indigo winked as she passed her credit card to the clerk.

The clerk tapped at his computer keyboard for a moment before getting back to them. "You have the fourth luxury suite up on the sixth floor, ma'am. Three bedrooms."

"Great news my good man." Indigo grinned, then took three sets of keys and turned back to her friends. "The beds are plenty big enough for two people, but more than that and things will just get weird."

"That depends on how much you enjoy sleeping with other girls," Sugarcoat quipped. "We should decide who is going to be sleeping together, then."

"I'll stay with Sunny." Twilight was instantly clinging to Sunny's arm.

Sunny just gave her a comforting smile. "That sounds fine to me." Twilight returned her smile as Sunny took one of the keys from Indigo.

"I'll stay with Indigo," Lemon Zest and Sugarcoat spoke at the same time, giving each other a sharp, challenging glare afterwards.

"Heh, come on girls, I know I'm kind of cool, but we can't all sleep with me." Indigo chuckled. "How about I stay with Lemon and Sugarcoat can stay with Sour Sweet?"

"Or you can stay with me and Lemon Zest can stay with Sour Sweet," Sugarcoat suggested.

"She already said I'm staying with her." Lemon insisted.

"She's not in charge, we have to agree," Sugarcoat countered.

"And she and I agreed, you're the one being a butt." Lemon glared.

"Well I don't agree with you two, we're going to have to figure out something-"

Sour Sweet suddenly snapped one of the keys out of Indigo's hand, giving all three of them a sharp glare of rage mixed with sadness from twitching eyes. When she spoke it was a sharp tone through gritted teeth. "I'll sleep alone." She whirled to march toward the elevator by herself, pushing aside two other patrons who were waiting to get in.

Sunny Flare gave her other friends a sharp glare. "Nice going, you three, trying to push her off on each other. Way to make her feel wanted and appreciated."

"Sorry, Sunny..." Lemon rubbed one arm. "It's just... could you imagine sharing a bed with her? Who knows what could happen in the middle of the night?"

"It is something of a risk," Sugarcoat agreed.

Sunny just shook her head and moved past the three girls, pulling Twilight with her towards the next elevator. "Then I hope you three enjoy sharing one bed."

Indigo, Lemon, and Sugarcoat exchanged guilty glances for a moment before Indigo moved to follow Sunny towards the elevator. It was going to be a long vacation, but at least they could begin with a nice night of sleep.

To Be Continued

Comments

[Enduring Man-Child]

Hasn't this already been posted? I'm pretty sure I've read it before.

[Regreme]

Wasn't this already posted?