Communal Head Canon [Corruption - Speculation - Outdated]

What follows is a summation of the collective head canon of The Corruption Thread. But keep in mind that these words are written on a text editor, not etched in stone. Feel free to treat this document as a smorgasbord, take what you want leave what you don't.

Changeling Scenario

Basic Premise: In this alternate time line, Queen Chrysalis is successful in an invasion of Equestria. The scope of this invasion is left up in the air with the only guaranteed take over is of Canterlot. The time of the invasion may also be a variable as it could be during the events of A Canterlot Wedding or it can take place some time after.

The Corruption of Princess Celestia: Among one of Queen Chrysalis' first objectives upon the capture of Princess Celestia was to place her into one of her Cocoons to begin her transformation into a loyal member of the Hive. For Princess Celestia, one of the most experienced and strong willed mares in the country, the process is expected to take an exceptionally long period of time. During the process, loyalty to the Hive is engraved into her mind by the Cocoon even as her body is molded into a darker, more Changeling like form in a process called Corruption. And, if no rescue is forth coming, she will eventually break in the Cocoon. After her transformation is complete, she will be inspected by Queen Chrysalis for any sign that she may become a Queen herself and if she doesn't, she will most likely serve the Hive as as Brood Mare.

The Cocoon: A biological device designed by Queen Chrysalis to convert normal Ponies into Corrupted Ponies. Using extreme pleasure as a form of breaking down the captive's will, it implants a sense of loyalty to the Hive and the instincts they will need to better serve the Hive and the Queen. While it works on the mind, it remolds the body into a darker form that is customized to fit their new position in the Hive. One advantage of the Corrupted Ponies is that they can still produce love that can be consumed by the Changelings and they can still be converted into Changelings at a later date.
    Cocoons as punishment/rewards devices: When a Corrupted Pony has performed exceptionally well or has
    betrayed the hive in some way they may be rewarded or punished by being placed back in the Cocoon. For
    the loyal, this means a time of extreme pleasure and safety as their already present loyalties are
    reinforced. For the disloyal, this leads to their inappropriate behavior being corrected while in the
    Cocoon.
    Optional: The Cocoons were designed by necessity due to Chrysalis suffering from relatively poor rate
    of laying eggs due to a form of impotence due to Discord's Curse. See: Flutterpony Curse (Optional)

Corrupted Ponies: A form of Pony that has been inducted into the Hive but hasn't become a full Changeling. Their coats typically grow darker and they may gain chitinous coverings but still resemble their old selves. Any winged Ponies that go under this process will always have their wings converted into the Changeling insect like wings and most will exhibit the 'holes' that were so often seen on Changelings. One of their greatest advantages in comparison to Changelings is that they can produce Love that the Changelings need to feed upon.

Changeling Queen: At the beginning of the scenario, the sole Changeling Queen is Chrysalis but this may change. A Changeling Queen is an exceptionally rare birth and Queen-slaughter is forbidden by tradition. A Corrupted Pony may show signs of Queen-hood and will become a full Queen upon conversion into Changeling. As Queen, aside from the day to day ruling, is expected to be fertilized by a male and then to lay eggs in one of two ways: The Hatchery and the Brood Mares.
    Optional: Chrysalis is desperate for another, more fertile Queen to bolster her numbers. She is looking
    to Celestia as a potential Queen but may or may not be disappointed. She might be surprised that
    Twilight Sparkle may be a much better candidate for being a Queen.

The Hatchery: The traditional method of egg laying for the Queen. The Queen would lay Eggs in the Hatchery which would then be tended to by specialized Changeling Nursemaids who will look over and keep the eggs supplied with a steady supply of Love. The Hatchery can handle large numbers of eggs but takes longer to hatch them. A Hatchery will produce Changelings who tend toward being of the Lower Castes and don't tend to have exceptional abilities.

Brood Mares: Before the Corrupted Ponies, Brood Mares were relatively unreliable as a method of egg laying. The normal Ponies couldn't handle large numbers of eggs and the stress of acting as a Brood Mare often claimed their lives. The advantage of them were that they instinctively provided their eggs with Love, the eggs can absorb traits and even some genetic material and their eggs will mature at a much faster rate than in the Hatchery. With the advent of Corrupted Brood Mares, however, things changed. The Corrupted Brood Mares are altered to easily deal with the stresses of their job, handle much larger loads of eggs and can produce Changelings of the Higher Castes.

Flutterpony Curse (Optional): During Discord's Reign, he came across the Flutterponies who were of exceptional beauty and grace. This was blunted by the fact that they had become arrogant and isolationist and he thought to teach them a lesson. During their lives, the Flutterponies would enter their chrysalis to become even more beautiful. But Discord had placed a curse upon them that turned them into the Changelings instead. Only when they learned to stop placing a value on their beauty would the curse be broken. As time goes on, the Curse will also affect the Changeling Queen's ability to successfully lay eggs and even produce new Queens. As of the time of this scenarios, Queen Chrysalis is the sole remaining Queen.

The Twilight Coup (Optional): Upon discovery of Twilight Sparkle being a potential Queen, Dark-Celestia was finally allowed an out regarding the Loyalty she found herself having toward the Hive. She simply decided that Twilight would be a superior ruler to Chrysalis and she began gathering resources for her new leader. She would see Twilight ascend to the throne and would guide her to it as best she could.