diff --git a/.htaccess b/.htaccess
index 7ccb6a2..aaa1aa2 100644
--- a/.htaccess
+++ b/.htaccess
@@ -52,6 +52,34 @@ DirectoryIndex index.php index.html index.htm
   </FilesMatch>
 </IfModule>
 
+# Add this code to your vhost or similar. Before the Drupal rewrites fire.
+# This provides the Aegir short-files-url trick, modifed to also be compatible
+# with the client-side support for it that aegir_prettyfiles does by way of
+# HOOK_file_url_alter() 
+# May conflict with any other magic that a module may overlay on the files dir.
+
+<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
+  RewriteEngine on
+  
+  # Allow files to be accessed without /sites/fqdn/
+  # Stolen from Aegir for http://drupal.org/node/269250#comment-3879464
+
+  # If the request is under /files/
+  # if it's an image styles deriv
+  # and it may not have been built yet
+  # redirect to the long path as a 301
+  # so normal image deriv can build it. First time only.
+  RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^/files/styles/(.*)$
+  RewriteCond %{DOCUMENT_ROOT}/sites/%{SERVER_NAME}/files/styles/%1  !-f
+  RewriteRule ^files/styles/(.*)$ /sites/%{SERVER_NAME}/files/styles/$1 [L,R=301]
+
+  # If someone asked for files/* give them our site files. Transparently.
+  RewriteRule ^files/(.*)$ /sites/%{SERVER_NAME}/files/$1 [L]
+  # Using SERVER_NAME not HTTP_HOST as HTTP_HOST contains the port which
+  # is not Acquia compatible.
+
+</ifModule>
+
 # Various rewrite rules.
 <IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
   RewriteEngine on