(This story takes place during Eye for an Eye, but the issue of Vlad's dictatorship isn't solved yet. Warning: I didn't edit this much. This is just a strange idea I had, and I own nothing in the DP series.)

Danny groaned.

The raven haired teen leaned against the side of a building, shadowed by its bulky form. His arms were crossed in malcontent, closer to his icy core as he pondered icy thoughts. The whole situation with pranking Vlad hadn't gone his way- or any way he'd expected at all- and it was clear he'd bitten off more than he could chew. He didn't want to admit it just yet, but it was more disheartening to him than he led on.

And what was worse was the way that his apology had been rejected. Cast out like some mischievous ghost, it had been necessary to flee from the guards with his tail tucked between his legs. The older halfa hadn't sympathized with him even a smidge, exposing only more of his cruel nature. Apparently, it wasn't enough to enforce restrictive laws- the man had to rub it in his face as well.

For a supposedly classy man, Vlad was downright trashy.

Danny shook his head and began to walk towards a sidewalk, his feet pushing aside stray pebbles and bits of concrete. The best thing to do was to make a plan to get rid of the man, but it wasn't easy with distracting emotions. The boy wanted nothing more than to pummel the vampire-like ghost into the ground, but time and time again, he'd been proven to be the weaker one.

If karma was real, it was a waste of the universe's energy to give the better skills to the wrong people.

Then again, that would imply that karma simply didn't exist.

The teen huffed at the reality of his twisted fate, seeking solace from the peace- or what was left of it- of Amity Park. But where could he go? The Nasty Burger was officially off limits, his school had ended a while ago- though, it wasn't much better than the restaurant ban- and his home was likely busy with the creation of anti ghost weaponry. Nowhere seemed quite welcome anymore, and it was all his fault.

Daniel sincerely wished he hadn't given in to his immaturity so soon. He'd dug himself a grave, and hated being buried inside. It was suffocating to lie under the layers of proverbial dirt, but luckily, he could only go up from here-

Wait.

Up.

The young halfa paused and raised his head towards the sky, watching the soft clouds drift above. The sun shone greatly, but not bright enough to force him to shield his eyes. The vastness of the blue space occurred to him as he trailed his eyes across the horizon- there were no rules up there. Airspace, he had learned in his time as a hybrid, was the pinnacle of freedom.

Checking to see if any cameras were around, he transformed, whispering his short catchphrase as he began to float above the sidewalk.

He'd always loved flying.

"I would be careful doing that around here, Daniel."

The teen whipped around to find his new mayor standing about thirty feet away, frowning at the unwanted company. Danny's sour attitude hadn't quite dissipated, making it prominent for his enemy to see.

"Why?" the boy snapped.

Vlad smirked. "You're aware of our new anti ghost laws, and you know exactly how much stricter the guards are. Remain in ghost form long enough, and you're going to be torn apart- molecule by molecule."

Danny shivered at the mention of the dreaded torture, and rose five feet in the air, narrowing his eyes at the man. "They're not going to catch me. They never do."

With that, he rose higher at a steady pace, keeping track of his distance from the floor. Ten, thirty, forty feet. He used the building beside him as a vague tool of measurement. Windows helped greatly.

"You'd be surprised, Daniel!" Vlad called out to him from below, his voice barely discernible. "Just where do you think you're going? You can't escape my legal authority as long as you live here!"

"Maybe," the teen muttered. "But you don't rule the sky."

With that, the boy shot his speed up and zoomed into the air, soon high enough to take in the view of the city's layout. It was a familiar view to him, and the speck of his enemy stayed put on the floor, just as he'd hoped. Vlad may have been a nuisance, but as a mayor, he was a nuisance with extra responsibility, and likely wouldn't waste time spying on him. The breeze flowed through his dark hair as he relished the aerial view, cooling his body and his mood.

But why stop there?

Daniel stared up at the sky above, taking in the immense amount of space he had left to roam. True, he'd already escaped his enemy's taunting and reached a safe point above the city inaccessible to most ghost hunters, but that certainly wasn't the limit. He had so much more room to fly, much bigger heights to reach, and a displeasing reality down below.

What was holding him back?

"Daniel!" Vlad yelled out from below, attracting the boy's attention. "I warn you, if you try to place yourself in harm by remaining a ghost, I won't be responsible for your fate!"

The young halfa rolled his eyes at the man's subtle attempt to keep him in full control. Of course the man would enjoy him caught and punished, and only wanted him down on the ground to further aggravate him with more incessant rules.

Slowly, Daniel began to fly higher.

It was a strange experience, but not much different than riding an airplane. The world below began to shrink- the buildings became smaller, people turned into the size of ants, and the bustling noises of Amity Park were eventually silenced as he flew higher and higher. Breaking his unspoken limits pumped up his adrenaline, and he gazed in awe at the sights below.

"Daniel? Where are you going? Don't fly that high! Are you insane?"

Insane. An ironic insult from the term's living definition.

The teen watched as a familiar caped figure began to rise from the ground and near him- at first a tiny blur, then a clearer and more dangerous figure. Daniel saw nothing wrong with exploring new heights, and there was never a better time than now to do it. He would only suffocate in rules if he returned to his town, and he just needed some space.

He needed room to breathe.

The boy shot up higher into the sky, tripling his speed. The ground below soon took a form he'd never seen aside from pictures taken by civilian drones, exposing square and rectangular shapes that framed out various parts of the land. As he ascended further, the entire scope of Amity Park and nearby cities was taken in by his eyes, and he began to feel goosebumps.

"DANIEL FENTON!" Vlad shouted, flying closer and closer. "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO FLY THIS FAR UP?"

Daniel jolted at the sound of his enemy's voice and quadrupled his speed, feeling colder and colder temperatures swath his body and invigorate his Ice Core. Keeping his pace as he travelled further into the sky, he smirked at the implications for the wicked mayor. A fire core's abilities would be mitigated in this wind, and though Vlad was still strong enough to capture him, it still gave the teen somewhat of an edge.

And so, he quintupled his speed.

By now, people were long invisible, and cars had outright disappeared as well. Buildings had blurred into the landscape, hardly discernible from the many colors of the Earth. Browns, greens, and similar muddles colors painted the planet in humble tones, creating a lavish piece of art unable to be seen from anyone far below.

But there was still so much more to go.

"DANIEL, STOP THIS INSTANT!" Vlad commanded, picking up his own pace as well. "YOU CANT EVEN SEE STATE BORDERS FROM HERE! COME BACK NOW!"

The boy grumbled something about nagging dictators and rose higher and higher, doubling his current speed and inadvertently getting a rise out of the man. When he stared further up into the sky, he gasped, spotting a giant white barrier he'd never been this close to before.

The clouds.

Eyes wide in wonderment, he pinned his arms to his sides and braced for the brand new experience. From the bare minimum he'd learned from school- ghost fighting took up ample study time- he recalled the layers of the sky, and how clouds were a vague marker of their checkpoints. If he flew further up, he could pass the clouds and escape all weather, utterly free from rain, storm, or hail.

"DO NOT PASS THOSE CLOUDS!"

Daniel flew right into them.

A massive fog surrounded his body as he ascended faster, wetness thoroughly clinging to his suit. It made sense, as clouds were made of water, but it was still an unnerving feeling. The teen could hardly see his own hands in front of him when he raised them, though the angry commands from Vlad hadn't faded into the distance. He sped up further, and soon, shot right out of the white masses.

The view was incredible.

Danny now found himself basking in unfiltered sunlight, suddenly a bit warmer than before. The clouds below resembled an arctic landscape- albeit a very fluffy one. They stretched as far as his eyes could see, almost like a second planet covered in ice. He felt his ghost core tingle at the sight, and gazed into his bright blue surroundings, finding them clearer than ever before.

But why not keep going?

"DANIEL!" Plasmius called out, absolute shock taking the place of his previous anger. The older halfa flew out of the white layers quickly, as if in a panic. "IF THIS IS ABOUT SEEKING REVENGE ON MY RULE, LET ME REPEAT WHAT I TOLD YOU IN MY OFFICE! YOU HAD THIS COMING!"

The teen scoffed, and tripled his already rapid speed, flying higher and higher. It wasn't revenge at all, but if it irritated the man so much, so be it. Vlad deserved it after imposing ghost laws, and if he really cared about ridding the town from spooks, he got what he wanted. Daniel was miles away from the planet, and in an entirely new level of the atmosphere.

Soon, the vast layer of clouds below became a blurry sheet of grey as it, too, became too far for details. It was as if the boy had left Earth all over again, and he rose further in the sky, enjoying the breathtaking view of the planet. He could now see entire continents, and was sure that if he travelled further, he would see the the sun set behind the very curvature of the Earth.

A pink plasma blast jolted him out of his thoughts, zooming past his leg.

"DANIEL FENTON, YOU HAVE LOST YOUR MIND! THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! YOU-"

Danny shot back a one of his own green blasts then quickened his pace, though by now, it was draining his energy. He realized he'd worn himself out, and that the only thing that had made him ignore his previous fatigue was the surge of adrenaline permeating throughout his body.

He flew higher and higher, his jaw dropping at his first true view of an aerial sunset.

Colors exploded beyond the curve of the planet, like a bright fire whose rays snaked out every which way. Half of the planet was enveloped in a warm toned glow, lighting up the land and the oceans. When tilting his head to stare above, he could have sworn he saw a star or two, and realized he'd flown farther than he'd realized.

He was only a few layers away from entering outer space, and his inner astronaut was jumping up and down with glee. But as tempting as it was to explore that alluring side of the universe, his family's town was also encased in the brightness of the sunset- at least, he thought it was- meaning his curfew was soon to come.

Perhaps another time.

"YOU- AGH, DANIEL- YOU'RE MISUSING THE PURPOSE OF EVERY ABILITY YOU HAVE!" Vlad scolded him, finally significantly near him- now only twenty feet away. "WHAT ON EARTH MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST FLY LIKE THIS? NOT EVEN NORMAL GHOSTS- DANIEL!"

Danny flipped his body over and shot back down to earth, flying faster with the assistance of gravity. His enemy's vicious complaints were drowned out by the winds rushing past his ears and through his hair, as irrelevant as they had always been. Though the freedom was fun while it lasted, all good things must come to an end.

Taking a few sharp turns to throw the man off, he then turned himself invisible to hide even better. Vlad let out shouts of surprise and strangely enough, what seemed almost like worry. Nonetheless, Danny refused to look back, instead focusing his eyes on the planet below. It was jarring to see the landscape growing larger and larger, as if the planet itself was growing.

A burning feeling began to distract him from the view.

Daniel hissed at the sudden stinging heat that enveloped him, realizing it was the same phenomenon that burned up meteors until they were reduced to dust. He quickly turned himself intangible to allow the air to phase right through him, grateful that the hot sensations melted away.

But when he realized he was now completely off radar, he began to reconsider the notion of cutting off his exploring time. After all, there was so much more to explore...