(AN: Most people don't like Jedi because of the 'puppet' aliens, but then whined when they were replaced by digital ones in the Special Edition. They also hated the cuteness of the Ewoks and how they could dominate the Empire, but they preferred cutesy little "Jub Jub" over "The Saga Ends". I can't stand the puppets in Jedi either, especially Snootles in Lapti Nek, but that's because I saw Yoda and know that they could have done better. I also recall that many Ewoks died during the ground Battle of Endor and that didn't make them invincible. But "The Saga Ends" is much more epic than "Jub Jub" so I prefer that. But even though I hate what the Blu-Ray Special Edition did to Jedi ["No...No!" were my exact words when seeing what they did to Vader in that scene], I think it's ridiculous that the fans don't want Ewoks to blink. Have you ever tried not blinking, especially when you think a Weeping Angel is after you? In the verisimilitude of the story, Ewoks are real creatures and therefore MUST blink, even if the fan-boys don't like it.)

(Okay, the rant is over, enjoy the blinking Ewoks and my explanation for how they won the Battle of Endor.)

Ewoks

"Doctor!" Amy shouted, turning back to the TARDIS.

"Yes?" the Doctor asked, poking his head out of the door.

"Where's Rose?" she asked. "She's not out here with us."

"Well, she had to step out," the Doctor said. "Actually, Captain Tyler is A.W.O.L. Don't tell Mon Mothma, though."

"What do ye mean, A.W.O.L.?" Amy returned.

"I mean that she left," the Doctor said. He looked over at River and winked. "But, that's not to worry. She'll be safe now, and once River does what she has to, she'll be even safer. And she'll be able to go home the proper way and have all sorts of new adventures with the Doctor: me, just with a different face."

"What are ye talkin' about?" Amy asked.

"Nothing," the Doctor returned. "It's all in the past, actually. The present is now, and now..." He looked up at the sky, then laughed. "Look up in the sky! What is an Imperial Lambda shuttle doing so far away from the shield bunker?"

They all looked up as they saw their friends make their landing on Endor. The loading ramp fell and the squad of commandos exited the ship, led by General Han Solo. Behind came the others, General Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2 and the others. While they were walking, they saw the Doctor appear from behind a tree.

"I know you like to shoot first, General," the Doctor said, arms raised. "But I assure you, we're friendly."

"Doc," Solo said with a smirk. "How did you get here? There's a shield around the planet."

"Same way as you," the Doctor said. "Piggy-backed my TARDIS on the back of your ship, disconnected when the shield went down and miscalculated the landing. Anyway, all's well and good. We're coming with, remember?"

"Yeah, sure," Han nodded. "Fall in."

The walk through the forest had been rather uneventful for at least an hour. The Ponds and River, with their camouflage, blended into their wooded surroundings. Meanwhile, the Doctor, along with the droids, stood out the most. While they were walking, River made her way up to the Doctor.

"Sweetie," she began. "Are you still in need of a lightsaber?"

"Yes and no," he returned.

"Come again?"

"Yes, I need a lightsaber," he said. "But no, I don't want that blue one. You keep it, you'll look great wielding two."

"But we're going farther and farther from..."

"No need to worry," he said with a wink. "I've got all the materials, all I need is a rest and I can have a new lightsaber in three hours, two if there's no interruptions."

"How?"

"Pockets," he said with a wink and a smirk. "Bigger on the inside." River rolled her eyes, then ducked as she saw General Solo giving them the order to get down.

"Oh, I told you it was dangerous here!" exclaimed C-3PO, who was not very flexible and so could not bend over.

"Doctor," whispered Amy. "What's goin' oin?"

"Scout troopers," the Doctor replied. "Just two of them. Shouldn't be a problem. They can take care of this without our help."

"Come oin, Doctor," Amy protested. "Aye've been weetin' te get a crack at these Imperials sunce Bayspun."

"And you will, in time," the Doctor rolled his eyes. "You humans and your desire to kill everything in your path."

"What? They're the bad-goiys, aren't thee?"

"You shouldn't want to fight, Amy," the Doctor began. "A Jedi does not seek battle. He or she uses the Force to learn and protect."

"Yes, Yooda." she rolled her eyes.

"He had a point, you know," the Doctor continued. "But enough of that. I let them go because they have to go. We need to make contact with the locals."

"Loocals?"

"Ewoks," the Doctor said. "About a meter high, all cute and furry, egh!" He made a noise of disgust. "Too cute, for my tastes. But, they help the Rebels find the shield generator and fight in the battle. Which is why we're here: if we're not here, I fear it might end as a slaughter."

"But way? And aren't ye interfering wuth the tamey-wamey, as ye alweeys put it?"

"Timey wimey's already been altered, all we have to do is make sure it doesn't get altered too much," the Doctor said. "Too much and we'd have a paradox and the bigger the paradox, the universe might unmake itself. But that's what's confusing, because the Master as Anakin should have created a paradox as it is, and yet it hasn't. I haven't felt anything in the time-stream."

Suddenly, the sound of blasters being fired was heard just beyond the trees. The Ponds and River gripped their weapons, but they didn't move. The blasters were silenced and soon most of the commotion had died down. Minutes later, one of the soldiers was dragging a dead scout trooper off into the foliage to be hidden.

"General?" the Doctor asked. "Where are Skywalker and Organa?"

"Two of the scouts escaped," Han said. "They went off to keep 'em from givin' our position away. In the meantime, we'll camp out here until they return. Shouldn't be too long."

"As you command, General," the Doctor said cheekily, giving him a mock salute. As the soldiers started relaxing, the Doctor walked over to the Ponds, took out the materials from his pockets, and started working on his new lightsaber.

"Paradox?" Amy asked. "What do ye mean, paradox?"

"Haven't you felt it?" the Doctor asked. "Something's out of place, but I haven't figured it out yet. You'd think that after spending thirteen years in the era of the Last Council, the final days of the Old Republic and even fighting in the Clone War, I would have figured out something, but it's still illusive!"

"Wail, if ye can't saynce it, what makes ye think aye can?"

"You're Amy Pond, the Girl Who Waited, a Jedi padawan of the New Order. You can see things others can't. Come on, Pond, I know you can do this! Now you go do that while I work on this."

At least an hour passed, and the Doctor was busy using the sonic screwdriver's spare power cell to power his new lightsaber. Amy and Rory sparred again, once more keeping wary not to hit either of them. River watched and kept massaging her wrist, wondering if she had set the correct coordinates in her vortex manipulator. Suddenly, C-3PO alerted them that someone was coming. The Doctor stowed the pieces of his new lightsaber away, then joined the others as they hid from the newcomer. One by one they came out as they saw it was General Skywalker.

"Where's Leia?" Han asked.

"What, she didn't come back?" Luke returned.

"I thought she was with you," Han said, now sounding seriously concerned.

"We got separated!" Luke said. "Hey, we better go look for her."

They started giving out orders as the squad would split up. The commandos would go in search of the shield generator while Han, Chewbacca, Luke, and the droids went in search of Leia. The Doctor waved them over and joined in line as they made their way downhill through the forest.

"Is she alright, Doctor?" Rory asked.

"Oh, she's fine," the Doctor dismissed. "Just got a little bump on the head, speeder bike accident. Lucky, though. As fast as those things go, one wrong move and you're dead."

"Beautiful location, a million ways to die," River commented. "Just like old times, sweetie."

"Which would be amazing when they happen," the Doctor added.

Another hour passed as they went in search of Leia, along the path they had taken during their pursuit. Even with R2's scanners and the Doctor's screwdriver, they could find no trace of the Princess. But it was not until they found two wrecked speeders and a camouflage helmet that they began to worry.

Suddenly, Chewbacca ran off on his own, followed shortly by the others. He had found some kind of animal impaled on a stick and was examining it curiously. As the Ponds came up behind them, River and the Doctor held out their hands. Lucky to, for when Chewbacca reached for it, a net encompassed them.

"Great Chewie!" Han grumbled. "Always thinking with your stomach!"

"I was hungry!" growled the Wookie in protest.

"Will you cut it out?" Luke asked. "Let's just figure out a way to get out of this."

"Weet!" Amy exclaimed. "We'll haylp."

"I'm not sure that's a very good idea," C-3PO stated. "It's a very long drop."

"We'll goo slowly," she said. "Rory, Mels, c'moin."

Three lightsabers sprang to life: Amy's blue, River's green and Rory's red. One by one, they got to work cutting the net. All the while, Luke instructed them to be careful: one wrong move and they'd end up dead. When Rory passed by Luke, he saw that the young Jedi was eying him suspiciously.

"What's wrong, General?"

"Your lightsaber," Luke said. "Where did you get it?"

"From the Doctor," Rory replied.

"And where did you get it?" Luke asked. "I've only ever seen a red lightsaber one other time."

The Doctor held his finger up to his lips, then whispered the answer in Luke's ear.

"See? You're not alone in this fight after all," he said.

"Well, this is good," Luke replied. "Yoda said I should pass on what I've learned. Looks like that's already happening."

"Great, more doe-eyed optimists with laser swords running around the galaxy," Han sarcastically said.

"Careful now!" the Doctor said, reminding the Ponds of their predicament.

But it was too late. R2 was the first to fall, almost crushing River under his weight. The others fell more or less on top of them, knocking them all down among the ferns. As they rose, they suddenly realized they were not alone. A dozen or more small, furry figures with primitive weapons were gathering about them in a lose circle. One of them with black fur streaked with gray and an animal's skull on his head, pointed a spear at Han as he was rising.

"Hey!" Han said. "Point that thing some place else."

"Teebo, put the spear down," a brown-furred Ewok next to the dark-furred one, Teebo, said.

"They have weapons!" argued Teebo. "They look like the Faceless ones."

"No, they don't," the brown one said. "The Faceless always shoot Ewoks first, never wait for us to come to them. These ones haven't."

"They don't look trust-worthy, Pabloo," Teebo replied, pointing his spear back into Han's face.

"Hey!" shouted Han, grabbing the spear and pulling his blaster out of his holster.

"Han, don't," Luke assured him. "It'll be alright."

"Weet a munut," Amy said, looking about at Han, Luke and Chewie. "I doin't thank thee can hear what they're sayin'." Just then, an Ewok with a flat face approached the sitting form of Amy and petted her brilliant red hair.

"TARDIS' universal translator," the Doctor said. "But, they haven't been in the TARDIS, so they can't hear what they're saying."

Just then, another Ewok pointed a spear at the Doctor. "I come in peace!"

"Hand it over," the Ewok demanded.

"Hand what over?"

"That thing in your hand," the Ewok said, pointing to the sonic screwdriver. "Hand it over."

"Please, I don't think..." But before the Doctor could continue, C-3PO rose up from where he had lain, hidden in the ferns, and all the Ewoks suddenly exclaimed
'the Golden One!' Some began chattering among themselves, but after a while, all of them started bowing and chanting at the golden droid.

"Not this again," the Doctor said. The others were not listening, for C-3PO was engaged in translation with the Ewoks. But the Ponds were nearby and heard what the Doctor had said.

"What is it?" Rory asked. "What's going on?"

"They think C-3PO is 'the Golden One', one of their pantheon of primitive deities," the Doctor said with a slight scowl. "It's the oldest story. Someone with superior technology arrives and the primitives think he's a god."

"Shouldn't ye say somethin'?" asked Amy.

"No, don't," River interjected. "This is just too good to miss."

"What are you telling them?" Han asked C-3PO slowly.

"Hello, I think," C-3PO began. "I may be mistaken, they're using a very primitive dialect, but I do believe they think I am some sort of god."

"All hail 3PO the Talkative!" R2-D2 whistled sarcastically.

"Well," Han said, equally sarcastic. "Why don't you use your divine influence and get us out of this?"

"I'm terribly sorry, General Solo, but I'm afraid that wouldn't be proper."

"Proper?"

"It's against my programming to impersonate a deity."

They could see Luke trying hard not to laugh, and River herself was biting her lower lip. Amy also broke down into laughter, but stopped when she saw the serious look on the Doctor's face.

"You know I loathe religion," the Doctor said. "This is just another example of the dark side of the Rebellion: manipulating ignorant creatures' superstitions for their own ends."

Hours had passed since the Ewoks picked them up, and now they were tied to logs and being dragged away to their village, which they called Bright Tree Village. Each of the logs were carried by two or four Ewoks apiece, with one or two on each end. Once they arrived amid their village, nestled up in the branches of the giant trees, they were placed in the center of a large crowd of Ewoks. C-3PO sat upon a throne of wood and was talking to one, Logray, the chief medicine-man of Bright Tree Village, who was waving Luke's lightsaber - currently offline - in his free hand.

"I got a very bad feeling about this," Han said as they were being placed on what looked like a primitive spit.

"What do you intend to do with them?" C-3PO asked Logray.

"They will be roasted and served as the main course in your name, Golden One," Logray said, gesturing to the captives.

Suddenly, the Ewoks began banging little drums and singing songs as they passed logs among each other, piling them up beneath the captives. While Han received the translation from C-3PO, River turned over to the Doctor with a smile on her face.

"What, you think this is funny?" he asked.

"Here we are, both bound hand and foot," she replied. "Just like old times."

"This is possibly the worst possible end I could ever have had!" the Doctor shouted. "Let me get shot by a Dalek, a Cyberman, die of old age, radiation poisoning, have my second heart ripped to shreds by you stupid human doctors, anything but being roasted alive by...teddy-bears!"

"Isn't there anythin' ye can do?" Amy asked.

"Not even with my sonic screwdriver," the Doctor said. "It's all wood."

Just then, there was a commotion and they saw Leia, clad in simple clothes with her long brown hair all un-braided and hanging loose about her shoulders, walking freely among the Ewoks.

"Leia?" Luke and Han said one after the other.

"Your Royal Highness," greeted C-3PO.

"But these are my friends!" Leia said to the Ewoks, who continued to pile sticks and logs around them. "3PO, tell them: they must be set free."

C-3PO did as he was instructed, but Logray's response seemed to be rather offended. Han rightly commented that it didn't help things much. Meanwhile, River was trying to remove her hand from the ropes. Luke, meanwhile, had another idea.

"3PO," he said calmly. "Tell them if they don't do as you wish, you'll become angry and use your magic."

"But, Master Luke, what magic?" an incredulous C-3PO returned. "I couldn't possibly..."

"Just tell them." Luke insisted.

"All you Ewoks," C-3PO began. "Hear my voice, hear now my voice! Let these go free, or I shall become angry and curse you with my magic!" He held up his hands, and for a moment, the Ewoks faltered. But they soon continued their efforts, with little heed. Suddenly they stopped again, all running about and screaming in a panic. C-3PO's wooden throne was floating above their heads.

"What's 'e doin'?" Amy whispered to the Doctor. "Is it the Force?"

"Yes," the Doctor returned. "Just replacing one belief system with another."

Despite the Doctor's dismay, they were soon released. Furthermore, C-3PO was able to negotiate with Chirpa, the Chief of Bright Tree Village, to hear their story out at a gathering of the elders that night.

That night, C-3PO told the Ewoks the tale of their adventure, complete with realistic sound effects. All the Ewoks, young and old, were gathered about, listening intently to what was being said. Among them sat Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, R2-D2, the Doctor and his companions. Thankfully, however, the Doctor was no longer in a sour mood. This was what he would rather them do: explain their situation and hope the Ewoks would choose to help them.

"Would you look at this?" Luke whispered over to the Doctor. "And he said he wasn't good at telling interesting stories."

"He does have his moments," the Doctor nodded, turning to the others. River was behaving rather distant than usual, and Amy was leaning on Rory's shoulder. The dim light of the fire in the midst of the hut was hypnotizing and sleep-inducing if one stared into it too long. The Doctor turned then to C-3PO, who was now finishing the story. Chief Chirpa and Logray spoke for a while, then the chief turned to C-3PO.

"Your story is interesting, to say the least," the gray-furred Ewok said. "But how does it concern us?"

Suddenly, a young Ewok stood up from among those gathered and spoke thusly.

"Honorable Elders," he began. "We must aid this noble party not less for the trees, but more for the sake of the leaves on the trees. These Rebels are like the Ewoks, who are like the leaves. Battered by the wind, eaten without thought by the tumult of locusts that inhabit the world - yet do we throw ourselves on smoldering fires, that another may know the warmth of light; yet do we make a soft bed of ourselves, that another may know rest; yet do we swirl in the wind that assails us, to send the fear of chaos into the hearts of our enemies; yet do we change color, even as the season calls upon us to change. So must we help our Leaf-brothers, these Rebels - for so has come a season of change upon us."

Meanwhile, those who had not traveled the TARDIS looked on in wonder, as C-3PO was not translating what was being said. At last, Chirpa and Logray discussed again and they came to a decision. Once again the sound of drums and woodwinds and Ewoks singing was heard throughout the trees.

"Wonderful!" exclaimed C-3PO. "We are now part of the tribe."

"Just what I always wanted," Han said as an Ewok hugged him.

"This is ridiculous!" growled Chewbacca.

"Well, short help's better than no help at all," Han said to his co-pilot. He then turned to C-3PO, who was telling him about the Ewoks knowing the location of the shield generator. The Doctor, meanwhile, saw River depart along with Luke out of the tree. Telling Amy and Rory that he would be back, he made his way through the Ewoks and went after River.

"River?" he asked into the night, the dim light of the Ewok huts faint and distant in the night gloom. "Are you there?"

River turned about, and the Doctor could see that she was not alright. Her face was stricken with grief, though she shed not a single tear.

"Doctor," she said. "Do you remember what you told me, so long ago, that one time when it was just the two of us?"

"Yes," the Doctor said. "Though I do recall we've had more time together, alone, just the two of us, since then. So I don't know exactly what you're getting at."

"That time on Gallifrey," River began. "You said that one day, we would part and you would never see me again. You said that I would see you again, but as a different face. Everything you said to me in the TARDIS, before this operation began, everything! It's happening, isn't it?"

"What?"

"I'm going to die," she said. "You'll send me back in time to save yourself and Rose, and I'm going to die. Aren't I? Tell the truth, for once, Doctor!"

But the Doctor had no answer. He merely looked at River with a kind of strange curiosity.

"You were never like this before," he said. "What brought this on?"

"Maybe I'm tired of being the strong one," she replied. "Maybe I'm tired of us living our lives out of synchronization."

The Doctor shook his head. "You knew things would be like this when you married me. 'For better or for worse', as I recall. But what's more, I know you can do this. Why? Because you are River Song, and what is impossible for other people is possible for you."

"But what if this is the end?"

"Oh, it's not the end," he dismissed, then became suddenly solemn. "If you don't go, it will be the end. And none of this will happen."

"I don't care, history can be rewritten."

"Not like this, River." he shook his head. "Not like this."

Then, she turned about, wiped her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I don't know what came over me."

"I do," he said. "I've lived long enough to know just how painful it is to be immortal, to see the ones you love slip through your fingers and you powerless to save them. But don't worry, River, do you know why? Because this is not the end. Hmm? I've looked into the future, and it doesn't end like this, not yet."

After a moment of silence, she turned about. "How does it end?"

"Spoilers, Doctor Song." the Doctor said with a wink.

(AN: Lots going on in this big chapter. I'm thankful that there's enough lore for me to make lots of long chapters. The Ewoks are now speaking in a language other than Ewokese, and I tried to make them a little less cute. That speech of Wicket's [for that is the young Ewok who spoke] is from the novelization of Return of the Jedi, and I thought it meet to be inserted therein, as it was cut from the film and it seemed that the Ewoks chose to help the Rebels a bit too hastily.)

(I'm sorry, Whovians, if my depiction of the River/Doctor scene was out of place. I know that, according to you and the documentary "The Women of Doctor Who", none of the women of Doctor Who are capable of being weak. But I thought that even River would have doubts, especially if she were being told that she would have to leave and knew that it might be the last time they were together [note that the instructions the Doctor gave to her in the TARDIS in "Not One for the Diary" were almost identical to what he might have given her in "Silence at the Library", which is the last time she ever sees him. Though she's not dead, she cannot exist outside of the Library's computer]. I mean, as much as I support strong female leads [see my Wicked fan-fics for proof of that], even the strong grow weary of being strong. Is that too bad?)

(There will be more, so don't you go away.)