Those curious eyes of hers immediately go wide as she watches Anon ignore the line completely. He walks right around the crowd, which looks at him first with interest, then disdain, then anger. More than a few angry grumbles can be heard, but none dare raise their voice in front of Celestia. Sure enough, after a few moments Anon reaches the bottom of the stairs and begins climbing them before the mare being greeted by Celestia is finished. The princess smiles at the mare, causing her to walk away just in time for Anon to take her place. The customary thing to do would be to bow in front of Celestia, and perhaps kiss the back of her hoof. Anon does no such thing, opting instead to stand even straighter than he was before to meet her at eye level (despite being a couple of steps below her). His sharp eyes meet her own, and he smiles a wicked smile as if challenging her authority directly. The crowd gasps and waits for Celestia's response with bated breath. However, she seems to take no offense to this. In fact, her own eyes narrow ever so slightly as a similar-looking smile makes its way to her face. From this distance, Cheerilee can tell that they are exchanging words, but they appear to be whispering to each other on purpose, so she has no clue what they are actually saying. After a few moments, much to the surprise of the crowd, Anon ascends the last couple of steps and stands directly next to the princess, looking out at the crowd much like she is. When they're standing on even ground, he's easily a couple of heads taller than her. Frankly, if it weren't for the fact that she is centered on the steps, one might assume that he is the focal point here.