guestsurprise's words: Hey guys! Here is the sequel to Between Magic and Wonder! This is a fun collaboration with Redbat132 and I!

Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man of Action. The Rise Of The Guardians belongs to its respective owners. Lea, Sophie, Jamie, Nightlight, and Katherine belong to Redbat132. Zambanza and Adeline belong to guestsurprise. :) Frostbite (mentioned, Danny Phantom) belongs to Butch Hartman. :)

Wonder and War!

Zambanza sat down with the others as they were comprising a plan to defeat Pitch. They knew the evil Knightmare King was up to no good and they needed to make sure they were ready to defeat him!

"We need to get the others to help us; the other believers," Katherine said, now looking at the others. The Guardians all nodded and then looked at Jack, who gave a handsome smirk.

"I know just who to get," he said confidently, making the clown girl look at him curiously.

"Who?" She asked, now accepting some Christmas cookies from North.

"You'll see." Jack smiled, now disappearing as she bit into the sugary treat.

As Jack disappeared, Katherine looked at the young clown in front of her. She could already sense the tremendous power in Zambanza, even though she was so young.

"Hon," Katherine started. That made Zambanza almost choke on her milk; she was still getting accustomed to affectionate names. Katherine gently pat her back. "Hey, easy there, honey; I just wanted to discuss with you our plans."

"W-What is the plan?" The clown replied, now wiping her mouth.

"Well, we may need to use your magic to assist us because we know Pitch is up to no good," Tooth replied.

"We have seen more nightmare occurrences in our realm and in others. We know he is behind it and even though he cannot physically access other worlds, his nightmares can create a large enough window for him to enter," Katherine said gravely.

"Then we gotta stop him!" Zambanza said, now standing and getting into a defensive stance.

"Easy there, mate," Bunnymund said gently. "You need to be careful; Pitch is dangerous."

"And he will want your power more than anything," Katherine said.

"But I can take care of myself!" The magician protested, now flexing. Katherine gave a sad smile and touched her shoulder.

"Zambanza…you should let others help you," came the gentle reply.

But the clown only looked away; she felt she was better alone.

"I can handle myself," came the low response.

"But you don't need to take on the world alone," Katherine replied, now gently approaching. Now feeling shy, Zambanza moved aside but that only made Katherine gently get closer. "We will talk about this later. In the meantime, we need to get some help from Ben!"

"Yeah! He can give us an extra boost!" North said, now making Sandy nod in agreement.

"I heard from a source that Pitch is getting help from a villain in Ben's world," Bunnymund said.

"Then we need to find out who that is and what they are up to," Katherine said, now turning to Zambanza. "Can you come with me and help me spy on him?"

"Of course. I'm not afraid of any nightmare," she said, now raising her wand. Katherine nodded and soon the others watched as the two of them disappeared through a portal.

As they were passing through, Katherine turned to Zambanza. "Make sure we hide behind the darkest trees possible; if Pitch knows we're there, we will ruin everything."

"Got it," the 11 year old said, now seeing them getting closer to the dark and creepy realm. Once they entered into the realm, they could feel the evil creeping around. As they found thick and dead trees, they crouched down. They knew Pitch was going to come around. But after a few minutes they heard nothing. It was a silent as death and the clown magician was getting impatient.

"Where is he?!" She growled under her breath.

"Shhh! I hear something!" Katherine said, now pointing ahead. Zambanza was about to respond, but her eyes widened in horror as Pitch came into view and he was speaking to a being. A being they all knew well…Lord Transyl.

"HE-HE'S TALKING WITH LORD TRANSYL?!" Zambanza said in shock, making Katherine clap a hand on her face. Katherine tried to keep her calm, knowing a blown cover would ruin everything.

"SSHHH! HUSH NOW!" She whispered sternly. "Yes, I can see. I recognize him as an enemy of Ben. But now is not the time; move back and let's get out of here."

Zambanza nodded and soon they quietly moved into a safer spot and quickly opened a portal and entered it. Pitch heard some rustling and turned just in time to see the portal close. His eyes narrowed in agitation.

"We need to move faster…someone was here," he said.

"I agree. Now then…once you release nightmares upon the entire world, I will keep their terrified bodies as my own slaves, yes?" Lord Transyl smirked.

"But of course. You can keep them as long as I get to torture their minds and make the entire earth and universe crawl in despair," Pitch smirked, now laughing evilly. The two chuckled and continued to plot as Zambanza and Katherine flew back to their realm, hoping they weren't too late!

Once back…

"He's got another person helping him! We need to wage war now!" Bunnymund said.

"We need Ben!" Zambanza said, still unsure of how they knew each other. But questions could wait! Katherine nodded and at that same moment, Jack appeared.

"I have the three of them ready to help us; they will meet us when it's time to get Pitch," Jack said, now turning to Zambanza. "You okay, kid?"

"Yeah. Just ready to give these creeps some knuckles," she growled. Jack chuckled and tickled under her chin.

"And remember, kid…it's okay to be a fighter, but you also have a cute side. Show it more, hmmm?" Jack cooed, making her look away.

"Alright let's go!"

"I'll meet you all there!" Zambanza said, now teleporting to Pitch's realm. After that, everyone teleported to go and get Ben in his world.

In Ben's room…

Ben was in his room relaxing and enjoying reading some M.G. Joyce books. He was into the books ever since he met Katherine and learned that Professor Paradox was Father Time. As he read, he could only smile. He was finding a new realm of wonder and peace as he read.

"Man, these are great," he said to himself. But he shot up from his bed in shock as a portal opened and all the guardians crowded out into his room. "WHOA! What the?!"

"Ben easy! It's me…Katherine. I want to show you the other guardians," Katherine said, now motioning to the others. Ben's eyes widened at seeing North, Tooth, Jack, Bunnymund, and Sandy.

"Nice to meet ya Ben," North smiled, now putting a large hand out and shaking Ben's. Ben shook the large, powerful hand and it almost crushed his own hand!

"HEY, OW!" Ben gasped, making North let him go. "Y-You're…Santa Clause?"

"Yes, I am. Or also known as the Guardian of Wonder," he grinned.

"And I am Bunnymund. I am the Guardian of Hope," the large pooka replied.

"What the?! The Easter Bunny?!" Ben said, now walking around him and squeezing his fluffy tail. "Is this real?!"

"GAAAAOWWWWW! Cut it out, mate! Of course it's real!" Bunnymund snapped, now pulling his bum away from Ben.

"And I'm Tooth Fairy! What wonderful teeth you have!" she grinned, now almost grabbing Ben's mouth if he hadn't ducked in time.

"Nice to meet you," Ben greeted. He then knelt down before the Sandman and the two bumped fists.

"And that is Sandy; he's the guardian of dreams. Or also known as the sandman," Jack smiled, now flying over to Ben. "And of course…everyone knows of me! Jack Frost at your service and Guardian of Fun!"

"Man…y'all are real. I mean REALLY real! I didn't know the Easter bunny or Santa Clause were real?! I mean my parents told me about you guys, but I thought it was kid stuff! I mean…Katherine has also told me so much about you all. She's what helped me learn more about the wonderful books," Ben said.

"I'm glad I helped you want to know more, Ben. But we need your help." Katherine said seriously and not trying to cut Ben off.

"What is it?!" Ben asked in concern as he fought the urge to squeeze Bunnymund's nearby ear.

"Pitch has help from someone from your world! They are going to try and plummet everyone into darkness and we need you to help us stop them." Fairy said.

"Lea, Zambanza, and all humans are in trouble. As are others from other worlds," Katherine said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You all know Zambanaza?! How?!" Ben asked in shock.

"I met her a short while ago and introduced her to the others," Jack said. Ben nodded and then stood closer to Katherine.

"I'm ready! Let's go and stop those creeps!" Ben said. That made the others smile and immediately teleport to Pitch's realm to stop him!

Once in the realm…

Once everyone arrived, Jack teleported Lea, Sophie, and Jamie there as well. Once they were briefed about Pitch and Lord Transyl, they got ready for battle. Zambanza only stared, not exactly thrilled of meeting new people. The newcomers, however, were beyond friendly and ready to meet her.

"Hey there. I'm Lea," Lea smiled, now putting her hand out.

Zambanza nodded and shook her head, not really ready to talk. Lea arched an amused eyebrow and tilted her head. "Do you have a name?"

"Of course I do," the clown replied dryly.

"Well?" Lea said, now prodding gently.

"Zambanza." Came the quick answer. Lea could tell that this clown girl was not going to be easy to get to know; she was definitely unlike the other girl she met named Adeline.

"Zambanza is from another realm; the same one as Ben," Jack grinned.
"Really?! Ben Tennyson?! He's a good friend of mine!" Lea smiled happily.

"You know Ben?" Zambanza asked, now looking at her closer.

"Yeah. He and I have gone on a lot of adventures," Lea explained, now making the young magician look at her a bit more. But as she listened, she was also introduced to Sophie and Jamie, the two other believers.

"We can talk later, guys; Pitch is coming," Jack whispered, now seeing the others get into a defensive stance. Ben changed into Whampire and Lea pulled out her ghost weapon that she was given and it shone under the moon! It was the crystal shifter from Frostbite! Zambanza's mouth dropped open as Lea wielded it like a pro and got ready to use it on the enemies.

Pitch, sensing something was wrong, glided out and let out a snarl of anger! Lord Transyl came out behind him and they immediately summoned their nightmare entities!

"NO! How did they find us so soon?!" Pitch snapped.

"They'll ruin everything! The portal isn't ready!" Lord Transyl said angrily. They were using magic to make a large portal to let Pitch pass through physically to wreak havoc on Earth for years to come! Once the guardians saw the oozing and black portal slowly widening, they charged!

"HURRY! We gotta close that thing or shove them through it!" Ben shouted, now charging at Lord Transyl! "C'mere, fang face!"

"Tennyson! I will most enjoy destroying you!" Transyl roared, now slashing at the hero and trying to destroy him!

Pitch ran to grab Zambanza, but Lea attacked him with her crystal shifter and forced him back! The sleek weapon was made of ghost ice and was beautiful as it gleamed in the light. But it was also deadly as Lea wielded it with powerful force!

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Lea yelled now slashing at him and now seeing him drop Zambanza. The young girl was somewhat dazed, but she gasped as Nightlight hurried over to see if she was alright. He gently touched her arm and that gave Zambanza strength to keep going. As she got up, Jack flew over.

"C'mon kid! We can beat them!" He coaxed, now seeing her nod.

"Force them back!" Bunnymund shouted, now shoving Pitch's nightmares off him!

Meanwhile, Katherine turned to Sophie and Jamie and told them to believe. They needed their belief!

"Stay here where it's safe! But please keep believing!" Katherine said.

"We have your back! Don't we, Sophie!" Jamie said. Sophie nodded and that made Katherine smile as she ran back into the battle!

"Push them back into the portal!" Ben added, now giving Transyl a high kick. But Ben shouted as the monster punched him hard against a tree and held a sharp rock above him!

"This is the end of you!" Lord Transyl laughed evilly!

"NO!" Zambanza and Lea shouted together! At that moment, both let the power of their weapons fly through the air and it shot Transyl so far back that he landed on Pitch!

"GET OFF ME!" Pitch roared, shoving the Vladat off.

"Destroy them!" Transyl ordered, now seeing a rain of nightmare creatures heading towards them!

"They are too many!" Ben gasped, now seeing thousands of nightmares flying at them at rapid speed!

"EVERYONE STAND TOGETHER! BIND YOUR ENERGY AS ONE! STAND YOUR GROUND!" Katherine shouted, now making them all stand together! Once they did, they all blasted every weapon they had towards the threats! The nightmares began to disintegrate in front of them because of their power!

"NO! NO, THIS ISN'T POSSIBLE!" Pitch screamed, now grabbing Jack by his throat! "You'll pay for this!"

"No…YOU will pay!" North growled, now grabbing Pitch by the back of his garment and throwing him at the portal.

"And that goes for you too, mate!" Bunnymund shouted, now kicking Lord Transyl off Katherine and into the portal. Pitch angrily grabbed the edge of the portal, trying to hang on! For you see, the portal wasn't finished, so it would transfer them to a black abyss! And that is exactly what the guardians wanted!

"NO! I WON'T BE DEFEATED!" Lord Transyl roared.

"Oh yes, you will!" Zambanza snarled, now using her wand and sending a powerful shock that threw him back! With a roar of anger, they both went flying into the dark portal abyss, unsure if they would ever see light again!

For the next few moments, it was dead silent. It was actually Ben who spoke first.

"We-We did it guys…they're gone," Ben said, in almost a whisper.

"For now…now, hey!" Lea gasped, now seeing Zambanza faint! She ran over to her and the guardians crowded around in concern. She had fainted in exhaustion since she used so much of her power! Ben picked her up and the others teleported back to Katherine's bookstore. The battle, for now, was won!

A few hours later in the safety of the bookstore…

Zambanza had recovered and Lea and Ben were happily embracing. The friends were so happy to see each other again.

"It's been a bit, Lea; I'm glad to see you!" Ben said.

"Me too, Ben," she grinned, now cuddling into his hug. Katherine could tell Zambanza was still confused on how everyone knew each other so she decided to help explain.

"Zambanza, Lea and the others at the Grant Mansion help to keep us alive. They believe in us and help us to exist. Without them believing, we would lose our power and eventually vanish," Katherine said.

"Lea was one of the main ones who helped others to believe. Along with Jamie and Sophie," Jack said, now hugging the two kids near him.

"But I couldn't have done it alone. I have Nightlight to help me and you all helped me too! We did everything as a team," Lea said, as she went into further detail explaining the story. As she was talking, Zambanza was shocked as Nightlight appeared by her again. She cocked her head in curiosity and the childhood companion did the same. She turned her head to the other side and he did as well, making Lea giggle. Zambanza looked away, feeling shy. But Nightlight only let out a small chuckle and walked over and climbed into her lap, cuddling into the clown's chest. Blushing hard, she gently hugged the small being.

"I think he likes you," Lea smiled.

"Huh? Me? Why?" Zambanza asked in surprise.

"Because I like you. That's why I helped you back there; you're not an enemy…you're our friend," Lea said gently. Zambanza remembered how Lea helped her in the battle, but blushed even more hotly.

"I-I didn't need help; you could have been hurt," the clown said lowly.

"Nope! I care for everyone on my team," Lea smiled, now embracing her gently and making Zambanza stiffen, but slowly the clown hugged her back. That made Katherine move closer and gently take Zambanza's face in her hands.

"Zambanza, I do know your story, young one. I know about your unveiling, your secrets and friendships, and…your true heritage," Katherine soothed, making the clown look at her in shock!

"W-What?! How can you know that?!" She gasped. No one knew of Zambanza's stories except those that were in her inner circle. Katherine only smiled warmly.

"I know about you because your story is interconnected with ours," Katherine said, now seeing Lea lean over. Zambanza gently eased away to get some air, but this conversation was far from over.

"Please tell me…who is she…?" Lea asked.

"Zambanza is a magician clown who has Lauhinian heritage." Katherine started.

"Really? You know, now that you mention it I seem to remember her name in a tickle monster book!" Lea giggled.

"True! Because she is part of them. She has had a dark past, but the Grant Mansion and Lauhinian royals are helping her to see the light," Katherine finished. "In time, I will explain more about her book."

"Fair enough. Gosh, I wonder where she went," Lea said, now standing and going to find the clown. She walked and saw her in a room filled with books. The place looked fine until Zambanaza slowly began to walk towards a darker corner of the room, not knowing it was a forbidden section. And there on a table, almost hidden from sight, was a black, brown, and green book. It had a silhouette of an older woman floating in the center with nature-themed images around her. Lea and Zambanza didn't speak; they were both curious and went to touch the book.

"Ah, ah, ah," a voice said, making both jump. As they turned, Katherine was standing there and ushered them back. "Come…this is the forbidden section of this area."

"Sorry, I just went for some air and I saw this book." The magician admitted.

"I followed her and I wanted to see it too," Lea said honestly.

Katherine only smiled and ushered the girls back with Ben and the other guardians.

"I understand your curiosity. But you see girls…not every book is meant to be opened. At least…not yet," Katherine said the last part in almost a whisper, making the girls smile. It appeared there was another journey on the horizon. One that they were waiting to explore! As they walked back in, Ben and Jack looked at them.

"Where were you guys?" Ben asked.

"Girl stuff," Lea said.

"Mystery stuff," Zambanza added.

"Meaning…what, mate?" Bunnymund asked.

"Women are so complicated," North teased, making Sandy chuckle.

"Let's just say there is more that is on the horizon," Katherine winked.

"Is it a pearly sparkling horizon? The future?" Tooth added.

"I believe so…and we shall soon see. Won't we?" Katherine winked at the girls, making them smile. Another adventure was indeed on the horizon!

guestsurprise's words: Hope you all enjoyed this! This was another collaboration between Redbat132 and I! Stay tuned for other treats! And Goldie, thanks for posting, Amiga!

To guestsurprise: My pleasure, Amiga! :) You and Redbat132 did excellent on this one! :)

To everyone else: Please leave guestsurprise and Redbat132 a review, but no flames! :)

GoldGuardian2418