This tale is an alternate ending for Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaur, and has been stewing in the back of my mind since I saw the movie in theaters. I've been slowly writing this story since the movie came out, and (after re-reading it god knows how many times until I was satisfied) I now feel ready to present to you Part 1 of this Two-Shot fanfic. I'm sure the dialogue I took from the movie isn't entirely accurate, and may be a little misplaced, so you'll have to forgive me if that is indeed so.

I do not own any of the characters in this story, nor do I own the franchise they come from. Please, Enjoy.

Things seemed to be finally looking up for the strange herd when Buck and the twins returned with Sid, reuniting the oddball family. Everyone was relieved and excited at the same time as they all crowded around Ellie and the newborn she held cautiously in her trunk. Awestruck that such a beautiful baby could be born into such a terrifying world.

"What should we call her?"

"I was thinking Ellie…or Little Ellie…"

"How about, Peaches?"

The couple shared a smile at the name, both feeling it was delightfully appropriate for their daughter as they smiled down at her. They were almost unaware of the new arrivals, until the two possums squirmed their way in-between them to get a look at their niece. Anticipating all the fun they were going to have with her once she was old enough to play.

"Congratulations Manny, old buddy!" Sid said cheerfully, fears of rejection buried in the back of his mind as he hugged the mammoth in celebration. A little upset when his friend jokingly shoved him away with his trunk. "It's…great to be back…"

Diego, feeling especially giddy, laughed as he looked down at the little girl. Thinking fondly back a couple of years, when a different child had been under their care. Remembering how he had become friends with the others because of the human infant, and smiling as a particularly happy memory came to mind. "Hey squirt! Where's the baby?"

The other two laughed as they watched the saber play the childish game with the newborn, and it wasn't long before Ellie and her brothers joined in on the fun.

The joyful laughter and excitement was contagious, and Buck found himself basking in the glow emanating from the strange yet loving group. Hazy memories of his old life floated into his mind as he watched them, and a bittersweet smile came to his face.

"I almost forgot what it was like to be part of a herd…" He whispered, unnoticed by the others as they interacted with the baby.

Diego soon grew tired of the game he had been playing with the little girl, and Sid quickly positioned himself to take over. Earning equally delighted giggles from Peaches as he made his goofy faces, while he wondered how the little dinosaurs he had briefly adopted as his own were doing. No longer distrusting their mother's ability to care for them as he had before, when he had misunderstood and thought she had abandoned them.

He was glad he was wrong about her, and had reluctantly admit to himself that they were better left in her care after all. But he sure was going to miss them, and regret that he didn't get the chance to say good-bye.

"All right, Sid. That's enough; we really should get going now." Manny said in an authoritive tone as he glanced at the rocky formations around them. Fearful that the dinosaurs that had attacked them before were regrouping and preparing to try again, something he really didn't want to have to deal with. "If we're lucky, we'll get out of this freaky place before nightfall."

The sloth and the twins groaned in disappointment at the command, but quickly stopped playing with the baby and began following Buck as he resumed leadership over the group. He was quick to direct them off of the unstable rocks, and back onto the solid ground of the equally dangerous jungle. In no time they were once again travelling in the midst of the giant beasts of the underground paradise, feeling as tiny and as insignificant as insects.

"So, how did you manage to get away from Mama Dinosaur?" Eddie asked Sid after they had been walking a while. Sharing a smirk with his brother as they waited to hear the sloth's response; they already had their assumptions, but were eager to hear the outcast of the group say them out loud.

"I didn't get away at all, and I wasn't even trying to." The sloth replied without giving it a second thought, he was too busy admiring the scenery around him. "I fell off her back when a branch hit me, her and the kiddies were walking too fast to notice and they accidently left me behind."

Manny made a face, confused, and glanced over his shoulder at the smaller animal.

"You made friends with her?" Ellie asked with a delighted smile on her face. "Aw, that's really sweet!"

Sid smiled back as he watched her put the baby down and allow child to walk, with wobbly legs, on its own. The others, aside from Buck who didn't find it strange in the slightest, looked dumbfounded at his comment. "Yeah, well…she wasn't all that bad once you got to know her."

"Quite a friendly and protective lot they are, actually. Unless you're the unfortunate sap they set their sights on for supper. " The weasel piped up, giving the herd a toothy grin when their stares were redirected towards him. "The idea that a family of them would get chummy with a mammal isn't really that hard to imagine though; I mean, look at your odd little herd. Three mammoths, two possums, a sloth, and a saber all hanging out together like it's nobody's business?"

Diego laughed, "He's got a point."

"We're not going after them, you know." Manny said sternly to Sid, sighing in annoyance when he noticed his friend preparing to make some sort of argument. "Just because you kidnapped them, doesn't make them your kids. They're back with their mother, who they should have been with in the first place, and we should go back home!"

"I didn't kidnap them," The sloth retorted, stopping and putting his hands on his hips. "I already told you; I mistakenly thought she had abandoned them, she was nowhere to be found when I fell through the ice and stumbled across those eggs."

"You sure you just happened to come across them?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The stress and frustration that had built up over the last few days had reached their breaking point for Manny as he argued with the other mammal, and he found that he couldn't stop himself from letting it all out on the sloth; the person who had been the unintentional source of it all. "Just admit it, you were jealous that I was going to have a kid with Ellie, and so you went looking for one of your own."

To say he felt hurt was an understatement, and Sid instead stared at the mammoth in disbelief.

"What? No!"

"The neighboring herd's kids told us you tried getting them to hang out with you, why?"

As the argument escalated, making everyone increasingly uncomfortable, Peaches began to wander off unnoticed. Giggling at the sight of a beautiful flower that had caught her eye, reaching out her little trunk as she slowly wobbled over to it.

"I was trying to make some new friends." The sloth admit shakily, beginning to feel emotional. "I saw those kids and thought they'd be easier to befriend, I was never jealous of you!"

Diego hung his head a little in shame as the heated exchange came to a close, realizing his role in the whole thing. He had told Sid that Manny didn't need them anymore now that he had a new family, and he had been the one to encourage the smaller mammal to start making new friends in case the arrival of the baby distanced them. The saber was merely trying to prepare Sid for the unfortunate possibility that his friendship with Manny might not last; he didn't expect his words to hit so hard.

The silence that had washed over the group was unnerving, and Manny was soon confronted by Ellie's angry glare. The twins suppressed their giggles as they imagined the rant she was about to unload on her mate. While Diego; feeling guilty but unable to speak up, avoided looking at anything else but his two front paws.

"Psh, and you all act like I'm overly dramatic." Sid grumbled, letting out a frustrated breath before taking a look at the scenery once more. He decided that observing the beauty of nature would help soothe him, and hoped that once everyone calmed down they'd resume their trek back to the surface. His eyes settled on Peaches, and a small smile came to his face at the sight of her. However; when he noticed what she was reaching for, his heart plummeted in terror.

Buck, who was feeling incredibly uncomfortable and extremely out-of-place after the episode that had just occurred between the herd, also let his eyes wander. Stopping when he noticed the fearful look that came to the sloth's face, and following the other animal's gaze…only to find himself sharing a similar look of horror at the scene unfolding before him.

Both animals recognized the blossom that had attracted the child's attention; and both had seen, in their time in the lost world, the horrible thing the plant could do. Their reactions were instantaneous.

"Peaches, don't!"

"Look out, pet!"

Buck quickly threw his knife at the flower, slicing it in two while its dart shot out, just as the sloth dashed forward and threw himself into the baby mammoth. Pushing her out of harms way. The chaos drew the attention of the rest of the herd, and they watched as the weasel grabbed the child by her trunk and dragged her away from the shade of the trees and into the light. The fearful worry on his face was unmistakable as he ran his fingers though her fur thoroughly, praying she hadn't been hit after all.

Sid had managed to shove Peaches away before the deceptively beautiful bloom shot its barb at the little mammoth, but wasn't fast enough to avoid the deadly dart himself. A sharp hiss of pain; unnoticed by his fellow herd members in their panic, escaped through gritted teeth as he clutched the arm it had penetrated, noticing the quick discoloration underneath the fur around the spot. He was suddenly feeling very hot, but shook his head to try and ignore it as he staggered forward to check and make sure Manny and Ellie's daughter was okay.

"Are you alright, lovey?" Buck was asking the baby as he and the others surrounded her, checking for any sign of the poisonous barb sticking out of her thick fur. Relief washed over all of them when it was determined she had been shoved out of the way in time. "You must listen to Uncle Buck now, dearie, and stay away from anything pretty in this place. Chances are it's dangerous!"

The other members of the herd exchanged looks, with Ellie clutching her child protectively in her trunk, as they recalled their horrifying encounter with another deadly flower a couple of days earlier. Meanwhile; the slightly insane weasel, feeling like something was wrong, quickly scanned the ground around them for dart that had narrowly missed the little mammoth.

"This place is so freaky…" Crash whined childishly, looking at his equally immature brother for support. The two of them clung to each other fearfully before quickly scampering over to their sister and climbing up onto her back.

Manny rolled his eyes, and then plucked the twins off of his mate. "Uh, I don't think so. Ellie just gave birth to your niece; she's probably exhausted and doesn't need your extra weight!"

"Aw, come on!" Eddie began to protest, until he noticed Sid slowly approaching them in a daze. "Dude, you don't look so good. You're not going to throw up are ya?"

Buck, who had been looking around at the dirt floor beneath them, straightened up at the remark and spun around. Rushing forward like lightening and successfully catching the sloth in his arms as the weak animal swayed on its feet and nearly collapsed. "Steady there, matey…"

"I…wasn't fast enough…" was the slurred response.

"Sid?"

Manny and Diego approached their fallen friend; worry was evident on both their faces, as they watched the weasel check him over. The twins climbed up onto their sister's tusks, careful of the baby wrapped safely in her trunk, and stood on their tiptoes to get a better look. While Ellie herself looked down at her child, and then back at the sloth as a realization came to her mind.

"You okay, buddy?" Diego asked; a horrible feeling washed over him as the question passed his lips.

Buck laid the half-conscious sloth onto his back, noticing the poisonous barb in the other animal's arm and quickly pulling it out. "I feared as much…"

Manny's eyes widened at the whispered words. "Is he going to be okay?"

Instead of answering the question, the weasel frantically flung the dart aside and attempted to suck the poison out of Sid's arm. Knowing the venom was likely to already be in the sloth's system, but determined to give it a try if it meant delaying the other animal's death long enough to try and find the antidote to save him. A roar in the distance; however, made him, and the rest of the herd, freeze in panic.

"T-that's…not the…missus…" Sid stammered weakly, opening his eyes at the horrifying sound. He winced a little as he was hastily pulled back onto his uneasy feet, and thrust gently forward. Being caught in the powerful paws and the equally powerful trunk of his two best friends, who looked down at him with undisclosed worry.

"What do you mean?" Crash asked, shifting his gaze over to his idol fearfully. Gulping when another roar rang out in the jungle surrounding them, and noticing it was closer this time.

"He means…" Buck growled in a mixture of annoyance, worry, and fear. "…that Rudy has horrible timing!"

A collective shiver ran down everyone's spines as they each turned in the direction of the sound. Wondering how on earth they were going to be able to defend themselves against the monster they had heard such horrifying stories about. The weasel glanced over at Sid and the rest of the herd, trying to determine the best course of action that would benefit everyone as the sound of thunderous footsteps loudly approached them. His ears flattened against his head as he began to pace, and a mixture of emotions coursed through him as he turned to the group.

They needed to act fast if they were going to get out of this alive.

"Alright, listen up!" He barked, his eye looking over each member of the herd before settling on the twins. "We need to go about this quickly and smoothly if you lot want to make it out of this little slice of hellish paradise in one piece. You two need to go out into the jungle, carefully, and look for the slimy black lizards with red and yellow dots speckled on their skin…"

"Why do we have to do that? Is Rudy allergic to them or something?" Eddie asked, interrupting his mentor. Startled when the weasel grabbed his fur roughly, something he had not been expecting, and sternly stared him in the eye.

"No." Buck snarled in annoyance as he shoved the irritating possum away and began to explain in urgency. "The slime coating those gross little lizards may be able to save your floppy friend!"

"How do you know it'll work at all?" Manny asked, his doubts over the insane animal's knowledge resurfacing in his panic over the whole situation.

"Trust me." The weasel snapped, turning his gaze to the mammoth. Frustrated by the questions, and the doubts, that was bubbling to the surface of everyone's minds.

Rudy roared again, he was sure to be on them at any moment.

A somber expression came to Buck's face as he listened to the sounds of the terrifying dinosaur, and then he stared at the unusual herd once more. He saw their fear, their concern, and knew how overwhelming the entire ordeal was for them. Unhidden emotion gleamed in his lone eye as he tried to find the words to say; knowing his time was running out. "Believe it or not, I know what you're going through. I know how it feels to be on the verge of losing someone you love, and be terrified for your own life as well."

Manny's eyes widened in surprise, the confession he was getting from the weasel was not what he was expecting at all.

"Sid is in for a very slow and agonizing death if we don't act now, and I don't want to put him or you through that." Buck continued, returning his attention to the possum brothers. "I need these two to get those lizards for him, their slime is the only thing I know of that works."

The leaves behind him shook, and a frightening growl filled the air.

"Diego." The weasel said calmly, aware of the beast behind him when he noticed the looks on his friends' faces. "Lead this herd to the safety of the Chasm of Death, no beasties will follow you in there. You'll be safe, as long as you don't get to close to the gas."

The large head glared down at the terrified group, its enormous eyes singling in on the furry creature addressing them.

"When you boys find the lizards, grab a few and meet up with the others at the Chasm. Scrape that slime off and feed it to Sid…and pray that he's gotten it in time."

"What about you?" The saber asked, unable to tear his gaze away from the giant towering over them.

Buck smiled grimly, his fingers reaching for the knife he had tucked away at his side. "I'm going to buy you the time you need to get to safety…"

And with that, the weasel spun around to face the terror of the dinosaur world. His smile turning into a taunting smirk as he waved the knife in front of him, being sure his enemy could see it clearly. Seeing the recognition in the monstrous carnivore's face, and hoping it would be enough to distract it from the herd standing behind him.

"Hello, Rudy…were you, perhaps, looking for this?"

The furious roar that nearly knocked him off his feet was a satisfying enough answer for Buck as he got on all fours and ran as fast as he could, cheerfully laughing when he heard the thunder crashing behind him. A sense of relief washed over him as he ran for his life, knowing that his new friends were now safe from his terrible foe.

He heard their cries of concern for him, and felt a warmth bubble up within his chest in response.

"I'll meet you at the Chasm as soon as I deal with him!" The weasel yelled over his shoulder as he went deeper into the jungle, hoping that would be enough to convince the strange herd to leave him behind. He would never forgive himself if they went and got themselves killed in an effort to try and save him. "I know what I'm doing, so get out of here!"

Diego watched the strange animal disappear into the jungle, torn between going to his aid and leading his friends to the safety of the unusual cave. One look down at Sid, and his mind was made up. "You heard him, let's go."

Manny wrapped his trunk around Ellie and the baby, while the two possums shot out into the wilderness to seek out the cure for the sloth. The saber continued staring down at his friend, whose eyes were clenched painfully shut and whose breath was strained, and his heart plummeted. Another angry roar, further away now, rang in the jungle as he gently scooped his friend up and tossed him onto his back before running after the others.

"Hang on buddy…"

He hoped; with one last worried glance over his shoulder, that they would all make it out of this mess alive.

Well, that concludes Part 1 of this fanfic. Please review and let me know what you think of it, I will try to get Part 2 up soon.