//------------------------------//
// The Ruin part 7 
// Story: The Legend of Lightning Ace: Childhood 
// by LightningAce7 
//------------------------------//

            The next room was even more imposing than the last. This one was a series of open chambers with narrow corridors connecting them. They entered the first open chamber, a large room with small platforms suspended over a deep spike filled pit. Like the previous room, this one was also made of the same dark fine cute stone as before. The four adventurers cautiously neared the edge of the ledge. "Looks like we need to jump across..." Thunder said. Lightning jumped first, landing on the first platform with uneasy balance. After a moment of collecting himself, he turned to face the others.

"It's seems stable!" Lightning yelled to the others. He then jumped to the next one. The others followed suit as they crossed the chamber. Upon reaching the other side, they landed on a pressure plate that activated a series of automated traps. Included were swinging axes, horizontal columbs covered in spikes that spin, and various other overkill traps. Everyponys eyes grew to the size of dinner plates at the sight of so many death traps.

"This looks impossible!" Derpy said, her eyes trying to track the motions of the traps.

"Wait. Theres a carving on the wall...instructions maybe?" Thunder looked closely at the carving on the wall. It depicted a warrior before a bunch of traps with looked like a lever at the other end. The next part showing the lever pushed down and no more traps. "This is crazy!" Thunder said. "The only way for us all to get through is for somepony to go through and pull that lever at the other end."

"I'll do it." Lightning said.

"No son, I can't let you and-"Thunder was cut off by Lightning.

"With my small size I will have better luck. Please let me try." Lightning pleaded.

"Just please be careful son." Thunder said. With that Lightning stood before the complicated array of traps.

Lightning watched the axes for a few seconds before heading towards them. He let the first one swing before passing it and standing on his hinds between it and the next one. He repeated this until the axes were behind him and a series of large rolling pin like spike traps spun before him. Many were on fixed positions but a few were moving on tracks on the walls and floors. He unfurld his wings to fly but several dome like structures on the ceiling dissuaded him from doing so. He once again studied the trap for a few seconds before heading into it. He dodged the first pin and rolled under the next as he barely missed it by an inch. He quickly got up and lept through a small opening in the pins, only to catch a cut from one as he passed through. He landed and held a hoof to his side as a small trickle of blood ran down his light blue coat. He then found himself before a combination of the last two. He again studied it followed by entering it. He tried his tactic that worked on the first set of axes but just as he tried to enter the 'safe zone' between axes a row of metal spears jutted out of the wall, nearly impalling him. He twisted his body and threw himself around the next axe, barely making it through. As he passed the axe another spear jutted out. It's blade nicking Lightnings left foreleg. He made it through though, but now he was starting to wish he hadn't volunteered for this. He banished that thought as he faced the final trap, a narrow corridor lined with holes and the floor lined with strange tiles.

This trap was different from the others, as this one wasn't active. Though Lightning learned otherwise as he stepped on a tile. In less than a second a spear jutted from a hole in the wall, it's head stopping shortly after where the tile was. After a few seconds the spear retracted. Curious, Lightning took a bone off the floor and threw it onto another tile. Like before, another spear came out. But this time it didn't retract. He pressed another tile but instead of a spear it was a jet of flame instead. He then took a closer look at the tiles. On them was a depiction of three different things. A spear, fire, and what looked like an arrow. He pressed an arrow tile. There was a burst of arrows from the wall. He made a mental note to definately not touch arrow tiles. He thought of the cliche tipe puzzle floor trap in storys like Daring Do, but all the tiles here had no safe path. All of them were trapped. He then had an idea. Biuld a path out of spears. He gathered as many loose objects as he could and biult his bridge spear by spear, going between the tiles and the objects like a relay. He was halfway through when he accidently dropped a rock on a flame tile, nearly burning himself to a crisp. After more relaying he finally arrived at the other end of the corridor, The lever before him.

to be continued...