"The point," I was saying to Brick, "isn't even necessarily for the revived Commons to provide better laws than the Barn of Lords. If you narrow your eyes and blur what you're looking at, to look at what the various governmental bodies do rather than what their officially claimed function is, then when you look at the highest appellate courts, the judges get together, write down some rules on a piece of paper, and everybody follows those rules; the Barn of Lords designs an annual budget for the government bureaucracies; and so forth. The Guard, the media, foreign ambassadors, the largest businesses - all of these affect how the government operates, in ways that aren't necessarily obvious. Having ordinary ponies vote for members of the Commons, supposedly so that their representatives can come up with better laws, doesn't mean that the people are going to take over their government - especially if those representatives have no significant incentives to do what the ponies vote them in want. One valuable result will be as a check on the power of the Barn of Lords, which seems to be sorely in need of an additional leash; because if the Princesses decide they prefer a proposal put forward by the Commons rather than the Barn, then the Barn will have an incentive to adjust their own proposals to be closer to ones that are preferred by both the Princesses and the average citizens, even if doing so comes at the financial expense of some of the Lords - thus, at least potentially, limiting the amount of tax-moneys they funnel into their own pockets rather than being used to benefit Equestria as a whole. Leading to a more prosperous Equestria, which then becomes more capable of having the resources available to deal with any given problem-"
"River ho!" I was interrupted, by one of the crewponies. I took a moment to consider that I really should try learning their names, then bid the trio a quick farewell, leaving them in what had originally been my bedroom before it became their lockup. Red and Micro were already on deck, watching over the railing, and I asked "What's the word?" as I joined them.
Red replied, "Need to grab some water - ballast and drinking." I nodded in understanding; Equestrian airships used a lot of magic to get into the air, and dumping water was a magically-cheap way to lighten a vessel for quick climbs. Water barrels were also reasonably easy to shift around the ship to keep the overall load balanced, and avoid the awkwardness of trying to do anything aboard while tilted like the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
"Anything I can do to help?"
Red shook her head. "This is the sort of thing they've practiced - best if we stay out of their way. I'm going to get some exercise in, while I don't have to worry about falling behind." She leapt out into the air, spreading her wings.
Micro suggested, "Want to head down and help me collect some samples?"
I demurred, "Barely chasing off one manticore was plenty for me, thanks. Don't forget, there's plenty of microbial life in the local water - and you won't be able to do any more research if you end up as something's lunch."
"Well, I don't feel like waiting around inside - this is the closest we've gotten to a bit of sun since we left Equestria. Got any ideas for something to do?"
"Maybe I'll think a bit more about my next move in my postal chess game with Safe," I considered.
"Why not play against me?"
"Well... how can I put this delicately..."
"Are you implying I'm not as smart as you?"
"It's not a matter of generalized intelligence - there are certain habits of mind which are difficult to acquire outside of certain fields..."
"Just get out the board."
White: Missy
Black: Micro
1. e4 d5
Missy, "Planning on getting me to chase the queen all around?"
2. exd5 Qxd5
Missy, "Sure you don't want to take that back, and bring your knight out to f6 instead?"
Micro, "I'm sure."
3. Nc3
Missy, "Then I'll just force your queen to shove over."
3...Qa5
Missy, "Mm, not bad, unless you want to move it to d6 instead."
4. d4 c6
Missy, "Again, bringing your knight out to f6 would have been a good move - sure you don't want to take that back and try again?"
5. Nf3 Bg4
Missy, "You should be worrying less that I'll push my pawn to h3, and more that I'll move my queen to d3. You really don't want to move that knight to f6 at all, do you? Bishop to f5 would also be a decent move here, if you want to try a different approach."
6. Bf4
Micro, "Now who's making a move worth taking back? Even if you don't move your pawn, moving that bishop just about anywhere else seems a good idea."
Missy, "It may not be a popular move - but it solidifies my ownership of e5."
6...e6
7. h3
Missy, "Since you closed that diagonal, I might as well break the pin on my knight."
7...Bxf3
Micro, "Then I might as well take it."
8. Qxf3
Missy, "As long as you're willing to suffer the consequence."
8... Bb4
Missy, "Mm. Aren't you being a bit optimistic? There's an old saying, you're supposed to develop your knights before your bishops."
9. Be2 Nd7
Missy, "I'm not saying that that's a bad move, in itself - but I am doubting your plan. You might be able to do something if you finally move your knight to f6, next."
10. a3 0-0-0
Missy, "... No, really, knight to f6 is the better move here."
Micro, "Just play the game already."
Missy, "If you insist. Here, let's kick into high gear, and I'll offer you the exchange."
11. axb4 Qxa1+
Missy, "Just because I'm offering it doesn't mean you should accept it. Sure you wouldn't rather move your queen back out of danger instead?"
Micro, "Sure I'm sure."
12. Kd2!
Missy, "In that case - here, I'll offer you my other rook, too."
12... Qxh1
Micro, "I'll take it."
13. Qxc6+
Missy, "And if I give you the chance at my queen, as well?"
13... bxc6
Micro, "You're seriously sacrificing both your rooks and your queen? What are you hoping to accomplish?"
14. Ba6#
Missy, "Checkmate, of course."
Micro stared at the board. "Okay, so maybe taking every piece you're willing to sacrifice wasn't the best idea."
Missy shrugged, "I'm not offering you sacrifices for your benefit."
Micro, "So what would have happened if I hadn't gone for your second rook straight away?"
Missy, "Care to find out?"
12...Ne5
13.Bxe5 Qxh1
14.Qxf7 Ne7
15.Qxe6+ Rd7
16.Bg4 Rhd8
17.Qd6
Missy, "Forced checkmate."
Micro, "There's gotta be a way out of that trap. Maybe if I..."
14... Rd7
15.Qe8+ Rd8
16.Qxe6+ Rd7
17.Qe8+ Rd8
18.Bg4#
Missy, "Checkmate."
Micro, "Okay - when I lose the same game three times in a row, it's time to take a break."
I nodded. "As you wish."
"So - if it's not 'generalized intelligence', why do I keep losing?"
I frowned. "I can think of an answer - but I'm not sure it's something you can change about yourself. Or, to be more precise - that you would want to."
"Hit me."
"Let's see... I suppose one way to look at it is means and ends. We're outside of Equestria, no longer in the region directly protected by the Princesses. But there are still people, some of whom are pony-shaped, some who aren't. And they have to protect themselves from the various monsters, gangs of slavers, and other threats. If they do poorly at this - then they will die, their children will die, their grand-children will be stolen to become slaves, and worse. With me so far?"
"Outside of anything related to chess, certainly."
"Imagine that you're somewhere down there on the ground, and have been chased into a corner, along with your most loved family-member. A diamond dog is approaching you with their spear, covered in the blood of other ponies. You can't run, and if you do nothing, you will die and unspeakable things will happen to your kin. You're exhausted, and the only way you have left to defend yourself is something that would most likely kill the diamond dog. You are faced with the single choice: die and leave your kin to a slaver, or kill the slaver. What do you do?"
"Kill the slaver, of course."
"Good. You've just saved yourself and your kin. Now you gather together with the few other survivors, and put together some defenses - a palisade, or somesuch. Looking out, you see some other members of the slaver band off in the distance, chopping at trees. Most likely, they're building siege engines to take down your wall. If you attack them immediately, you can probably keep them from destroying your little haven; if you don't, you'll likely be overrun, with the standard unspeakable consequences for all of you."
"Can we send someone out to parley?"
"Okay - you send a pony out to try negotiating. They eat her."
"What?!"
"This is an extension of the original kill or be killed dilemma, just with a little less certainty and on a larger scale."
"Then - attack, I guess."
"Very well - you launch your pre-emptive strike, and there are deaths on both sides, but most of your ponies survive. You network with other groups of survivors, and share intelligence. You learn a large band of slavers, hundreds strong, is approaching - if they attack any one of your pony groups, that group will be annihilated, and they will be free to move on to the next. But - someone comes up with a plan. If a small group of ponies gains the attention of the slaver army, then they will be able to draw them to a prepared location, where you can ambush and destroy them. However, this will come at a cost: every last one of that distraction group would die. You happen to be in charge - you can place the order to have a group placed at the spot to be sacrificed."
"So you're saying I don't have this... willingness to kill - that is, to let good ponies die?"
"You tell me."
"I guess I'd end up doing the sacrifice thing. But I wouldn't like it."
"Nobody said you should. So that army is taken care of, but there are others, and the conflict comes to a peak. Finally, you locate the secret slaver headquarters - in the middle of a town of ponies who are entirely innocent and unaware of anything at all about what's going on. If you try to evacuate them, or even just tell them, then the slavers will very likely catch wind of it and scatter through hidden tunnels, to regroup in an unknown location. Or, if you launch an immediate massive attack, you can most likely end the slaver menace once and for all - and all you have to do is be willing to kill some innocent ponies-"
"No."
"No? If the slaver commanders escape, they will rebuild their armies, the war will drag on and many more ponies in your army will die, and more will be killed and enslaved by the slavers..."
"I said No! I refuse to even consider having such blood on my hooves!"
"Even if the very best data you have suggests that not doing so will lead to even greater death and destruction?"
She jutted her chin out. "Even if."
I nodded peaceably. "And that is why you lost the same chess game to me three times in a row. There is a saying: 'the thought you cannot think controls you more surely than the thoughts you speak aloud'. At the moment, it appears that you cannot believe that there is a situation where the most moral choice is to deliberately cause the death of an innocent bystander - and you're even uncomfortable with the idea of ordering your own troops, or pieces, to do the job they volunteered for, to obey your orders even unto death if you judge the benefits to exceed the cost of their sacrifice. If you become able to overcome this reluctance - then you might start beating me at chess."
Amethyst was playing with the pups just inside a door. "Maybe. You. Can. Raise. Them. After. All."
"Now," I said to Brick, "Where was I. Ah, yes, the Commons. Back in the days of ancient Unicornia and Pegasopolis, the Earth-pony tribe elected their leaders. In general, this didn't lead to results any better than the other two groups, but it did have one advantage which I suspect was its chief benefit. If the ponies who were elected managed to make the voters really, really mad at them, then those voters could, at least in theory, chuck the whole system out and start a new one. Records are sketchy, but it seems reasonably likely that this happened a time or two - which placed a limit on the excesses of the earth-pony leaders, a limit not shared by the unicorns or pegasi. Some time later, when the three groups' governments were united under the authority of the immortal alicorns, this final extreme was no longer feasible; and so, with that limitation on the elected ponies' actions removed, they became indistinguishable from the Barn of Lords - and, offering no noticeable benefits but costing the taxpayers a certain amount just for upkeep alone, were pretty much deemed redundant and fell by the wayside. In the upcoming conference on reviving the Commons, I'm hoping to describe certain measures which could be put into place which would create the same sort of practical limit on the representatives' power, without having to throw out the Princesses' authority as well..."