The meal was simple and homemade with roasted, mixed vegatables and a pair of apple-and-oat tarts. They both ate while Falcon told Chakra about her siblings, including Iris’s husband, and Zephyr’s marefriend who all sat in the house across the yard. Falcon thought that hearing about them might make Chakra more comfortable with having suddenly just met the lot of them.  
However, after a little while, she noticed that it was really the homecooked food, more than Falcon’s stories, that set the unicorn at ease.  
“I guess you don’t get homecooked meals very often,” Falcon said with a smile.  
Chakra looked up, slightly embarassed at giving more attention to her plate than her hostess. She cleared her throat, and said, “No, not at all. I usually just eat everything raw while I’m travelling.”  
Falcon asked her a few questions about what places she’s visited, and was surprised to hear how much of Equestria she had travelled. Soon, the dinner was finished, and they each took a tart.  
“So, were your parents travellers, or how did you start doing this?” Falcon asked before taking a large bite.  
Chakra didn’t taste her tart. Her eyes drifted away, remembering something from the past. Falcon started to wonder if she’d asked something upsetting, when the unicorn finally spoke.  
“Actually, my parents lived in a city…. I’ve forgotten what it was called, but it used to be known for mining and producing metal. But, I suppose the mine went dry or something, because by the time I was born, it was just one huge slum, with a lot of ponies out of work. At least, that’s the way I remembered it…. It’s probably not that bad anymore.” She hadn’t looked at Falcon during this speech. Now, she finally glanced at her hostess again, and quickly muttered, “I left when I was still a kid. So, I probably didn’t know much about it in the first place.”  
“Okay… so, your family just decided to start travelling, to get away from that place?”  
“No, I just left on my own,” Chakra said, as though that were completely typical childhood behavior.  
“Wha-… why?” Falcon said, trying to hold back her concern.  
Chakra didn’t say anything. She was looking off to the side again, and slowly chewing a bite of tart. Finally she swallowed and spoke. “Both of my parents are earth ponies.” She paused there, and glanced at Falcon. Clearly she was confused as to what the unicorn’s statement meant. “My mother was a grey palamino, and my ‘father’ was a roan.” Another pause, “that means he had a grey-brown coat, and dark points and hair.”  
“I know what a roan is, I have roan cousins…. It’s just that you…” Falcon’s eyes looked rather pointedly at her guest’s blue horn.  
“My mother cheated on her husband, and I was the fruit of her adultery.” Falcon looked stunned, but kept quiet. “When I was around six, my mother just disappeared. Things got worse at home after that…. Then, I decided to leave too.”  
“Chakra… I’m sorry,” Falcon whispered.  
Chakra gave her a confused look, “none of that was your fault.”  
“I know, I mean… I’m sorry I brought it up,” she muttered, feeling awkward.  
“That’s okay,” Chakra said, her eyes drifting back down to the last of her tart, “it’s just something you live with, ya’know?”  
As they finished eating, Falcon tried to ease the tension by explaining that she was just wondering what it would be like for her to leave home, if she was accepted into that athletic training program. She knew that the training grounds were in a small town called Gait, which was near Baltimare. Chakra had been to Baltimare several times, and so the conversation quickly took a much lighter tone as she talked about the quaint city.