Item #: SCP-EQ-004
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: Level A hazmat suits are required for interaction with SCP-EQ-004. The Foundation's role in containment is largely preventative; should a containment failure occur, agents embedded in local governments are to issue a "forest fire" warning and initiate a temporary evacuation to unaffected areas. Ponies found in affected areas are to be detained and examined for early signs of infection.
Regular sweeps are to be performed in areas of known SCP-EQ-004 infection for signs of reemergence. Foundation doctors embedded in all major civilian populations, notably those abutting swamps or heavily forested areas, are to be trained to recognize and easily diagnose early symptoms. Regular sweeps of isolated communities are to be performed once a month. Adult specimen of SCP-EQ-004 are to be cut down and mulched. Infected creatures are to be quarantined and treated with FB-mel. Should symptoms persist, subjects should be made as comfortable as possible.
Description: SCP-EQ-004 is an invasive flowering subspecies of the genus salix, or willow tree. Specimens are biologically identical to natural willow trees with the exception of its reproduction cycle. During spring, adult specimens bud bright blue blossoms attached by very thin pedicels, which break easily from the parent plant. Fallen blossoms will anomalously detect when they are near a living mammal, and will unfold to exude a cloud of pollen in a three meter radius.
Pollen from SCP-EQ-004 contains a virus that is 100% infectious to all forms of mammalian life. Infection occurs when an entity inhales just one breath containing pollen, even at concentrations of _%. Sap collected from SCP-EQ-004 contains trace amounts of the same virus. Symptoms are as follows:
Stage 1 - Occurs within seconds of initial infection. Subjects develop the sudden onset of fever, headaches, muscle pain, and weariness as the virus attacks the body's immune system. Pollen adheres to fluid in the lungs and stomach, forming into a sap-like adhesive that bonds to the membrane walls. Subject's breathing becomes obstructed by this mucus, with buildup expelled in bubbles. Initial conversion of cells begins within the epidermis, as the virus converts skin cells into grafts resembling blotches of carotenosis.
Subjects are extremely infectious at this stage. Droplets containing infected sap expelled by breath are more virulent that the initial pollen cloud, and can be absorbs through the skin in addition to oral transmission. Subjects infected through this method take between __ hours to _ days to begin stage 1, as virus works its way towards the lungs and stomach.
Stage 2 - Occurs between 16 to 22 hours after onset of stage 1. Subjects develop extreme fatigue, dizziness, and anemia as virus begins converting red blood cells into liquid chlorophyll. Partial to complete control of the subject's respiratory system lost to the virus. Proteins and fats drained of useful nutrients are rerouted through the respiratory system, where excess energy is expelled through the nasal cavity. Skin grafts take on a bark-like rigidness and cover roughly __% of the body.
Subjects begin to exude cloud of spores from their pores as sweat at this stage. Any creature entering within one meter of subject during this stage have a __% chance of infection.
Stage 3 - Occurs between 10 to 14 hour after onset of stage 2. Subjects lose ability to effectively care for themselves as virus begins the process of converting the body's musculature and skeletal structure. Subject's immune system is effectively rendered useless as thinning blood no longer has the ability to carry white blood cells through the body. Body mass cannibalized from body drawn to skin grafts which begin extending from the body in branch- and root-like extensions.
Subjects become markedly less contagious at this point, due primarily to lack of sufficient fluids in the body capable of being expelled. Ponies caring for subjects during this stage still have a __% chance of developing infection through sweat during skin on skin contact.
To date, there is no cure for victims of SCP-EQ-004. On __/__/____, during an outbreak of SCP-EQ-004 in the town of _________, researchers discovered a record left over from PoI Mage Meadowbrook containing their efforts to combat SCP-EQ-004. While only a partial record, it detailed a substance capable of reversing the effects of the virus, hereafter labeled FB-mel. Creatures introduced with FB-mel exhibit a complete reversal of all symptoms so long as symptoms have not extended past stage 3. FB-mel applied to adult SCP-EQ-004 have no apparent effect. Approximately __% of entities do not respond to FB-mel, implying that it is an incomplete cure. Research into perfecting the cure is ongoing.
Statistical and behavioral mapping have yet to produce the origin of the "patient zero" instance of SCP-EQ-004. Groves of SCP-EQ-004 are occasionally discovered in areas with no sign of apparent infectious spread or reports of missing ponies. In these instances, it has been theorized that an animal contracted the virus and traveled before succumbing to symptoms, though some cases exist at such distances from known outbreaks that this is deemed unlikely. Whether SCP-EQ-004 is the result of a natural phenomenon or a malicious entity is currently unknown.
