What followed was a frustrating deadlock. On one hoof, Chrysalis was no longer fooled by Cozy's syrupy sweet act, and did not allow herself to stop regarding her as a legitimate opponent. On the other hoof, the pegasus was far sharper than she had any right to be. Lies were laughed off, intimidation was ineffective, and all attempts to ingratiate either her or Lord Tirek to herself were rebuffed. For awhile, she secretly worried that the deadlock would continue until Equestria had been conquered, at which point her two "allies" would team up and turn on her. While she was confident in her ability to survive such a confrontation, it would still throw a wrench into her plan to revive the glory of her former empire.