Beasts and Beings - Stories of Equestria's Inhabitants

by Strongbolt Stonewing

Quanata

Quanata are small (no bigger than a pear), beetle-like creatures with beady eyes that resemble a fly's.

They have lilac-coloured furry bodies and six little legs underneath their torsos.

The head of a Quanata is usually about the size of a walnut, but it's red eyes and pincers take up about eighty percent of that space.

If you try to imagine a furry gnat (hence the 'nata' part of the name) but with no wings, and much bigger eyes.

So now you know the 'nata' part, you're probably wondering where 'quan' comes from.

The name Quanata is directly derived from 'quantity' and 'gnat.'

Have you guessed it yet?

No, they're not good at maths.

No, they don't do measurements.

What? Where did you get 'potato farming' from? You guys are really bad at guessing...

Quanata get 'quantity' from their peculiar ability to multiply.

They're a lot like Parasprites: they duplicate and they're real pests.

Quanata use a form of larger scale cellular mitosis or meiosis to replicate their own body cells and transfer them to a second living host created from high-potential magic stored within them.

Yeah... what she said.

Whenever they feel threatened, magic impulses are sent surging through their bodies to every possible cell. This activates their 'cloning' ability and allows them to duplicate at intense rates.

When a Quanata multiplies, it appears to be sucked out from the skin of the original one.

It's difficult to describe. You're best off seeing it for yourself, if you can find any.

But if you do find one, be sure to keep your distance. They're quite... bitey.

'Bitey'? I don't think that's a word.

Point is: they're little nibbling nuisances. Don't you remember our first encounter?

Yeah, that was back in high school, before we were even dating.

FLASHBACK TIME!

What?

I was a young, sprightly and all-round, incredibly attractive stallion. And Shiera was... well, Shiera.

What's that supposed to mean?

We were staying at school late: catching up on some homework in the library-

YOU were catching up on some homework. I was helping you because I'd finished mine.

Shiera, please, we all know you were a nerd, you don't need to inflate your own importance.

This is coming from Mr 'Incredibly Attractive'?

So, we were at the library when suddenly the ground beneath us collapsed and we plummeted into a cavernous cavern.

Turns out the school was built on top of an old cave system underground. A cave system infested with Quanata-

I was getting to that! So, turns out the school was built on top of an old cave system underground. A cave system infested with Quanata.

But I just-

And there were a lot of these guys. Hundreds, thousands in fact, circling us and scuttling ever closer, pincers snapping, looking very hungry.

These Quanata had been multiplying for quite some time, you see.

There was a lot. Like, 'a lot' a lot. Like, 'wow' a lot. A lot.

We were totally surrounded, but then I spotted a copy of 'The Entomologist's Field Guide' in the rubble beside us. I flicked to the Quanata page and learnt that the duplication could be reversed by disrupting the cell alignment and-

Basically, we needed a really loud noise. A sonic boom of some kind. So, I took off into the air and spun around and around and around.

He built up so much momentum from spinning and jumping off walls that he was able to burst into the air and create a miniature shockwave.

The Quanata began to dissolve around us into purple gloop.

And the day was saved-

By Strongbolt Stonewing!

Comments

[defunct321]

Are you sure they don't potato farm? Or at least rock farm?

[Prince_Staghorn]

wait... purple gloop?