Frida watched as Diego snarled at Soto who was circling him. Soto pounced, attacking. The tigers growled as they rolled in the snow.
"Diego!" Frida gasped.
She growled and jumped onto Soto, biting down. He growled and rolled down on the snow, crushing her with his weight. Frida roared and swung her paw, scratching Soto across the face. He roared back and used his paws, grabbing onto her, pushing her into a boulder.
"Frida!" Diego gasped when he saw she wasn't getting up.
Soto rolled his eyes and let her lay in the snow. Diego looked at Frida and looked at Manny. He didn't know which one to help. Manny swung his tusks back and forth, trying to keep the tigers away. He backed into a corner, unable to go anywhere else.
"Manny", Frida gasped as she opened her eyes. "Diego, help him!"
Diego turned to see Soto about to pounce for the kill. Diego quickly jumped up, getting in the way, letting Soto attack him instead of Manny.
"Diego!" Frida screamed when she saw he didn't get up.
Soto growled and looked at her, turning to attack. Manny lifted his tusks and threw Soto into the wall where icicles hung above him. The icicles fell from the force onto Soto, stabbing him and killing him. Oscar and Lenny looked at his body in horror and ran off, knowing they could not beat Manny now.
"We did it!" Sid cheered.
"Diego..." Frida whimpered.
She, Manny, Sid and the baby walked to Diego who was still laying there in the snow. He wasn't getting up, nor did it look like he could. Seeing him like this, broke Frida's heart as she curled up beside him.
"We were some team, huh?" Diego weakly asked, barely lifting up his head.
"Were?" Manny asked. "Come on, we're still a team."
"I'm sorry I set you up."
"Ah, you know me", Sid said. "I'm too lazy to hold a grudge."
"Diego, I'm so sorry", Frida said. "I shouldn't have told you to take the fall. I could've protected Manny."
Tears came to her eyes as she pressed her head against his, affectionately.
"Please don't do this!" she cried. "Please don't do this, Diego! I already lost my mother, I can't lose you too! You're my best friend!"
Diego looked away and closed his eyes. Tears were forming in his eyes as well. Sid put the baby down, watching as he gently petted Diego.
"Hey, knock it off, squirt", Diego weakly said. "You got to be strong. You have to take care of Manfred and Sid, but especially take care of Frida when you guys get home."
The baby looked at Diego with sad eyes, not understanding what was happening.
"Come on, you can lick this", Sid said. "You're a tiger. Look, I'll carry you. Come on, what do you say? Come on, Diego, come on. Tell him he's going to be okay."
"Listen", Diego sighed. "You have to leave me here. If those humans get through the pass, you'll never catch them."
"No", Frida said. "No, I won't leave you like this."
"You must. You belong with them."
The tears rolled down her cheeks as she kept herself curled up against him.
"You didn't have to do that", Manny said, referring to Diego saving him.
"That's what you do in a herd."
With those last words, Digeo's eyes closed and he stopped moving. Frida cried harder as her nuzzled him, refusing to leave him. Manny used his trunk to pick her up and pull her away as they walked on to Glacier Pass.