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The next day, Carol sat on her bed, talking to Durga.
"Durga, how are we supposed to separate ourselves?" she asked.
"I do not know, but I do have an idea. This whole problem started with my Shakti force taking over after I gave up living as I was. Perhaps, then, the solution lies with me?"
"That may be true, but how do we figure out what that solution is?"
"Well...you saw my battle with Mahishasura, when we first spoke yesterday. You being able to see it was again the work of my Shakti. Maybe she was trying to tell us something?"
"You don't mean..." Carol wondered.
"Yes, Carol. I mean that, just as I traveled back in time to live through your origin, we must both together travel back in time to my beginning. We must defeat Mahishasura again," Durga responded.
"But how?" Carol asked.
"You must let me take back control. I need to be the one to defeat him, for that is the role Dharma has set out for me," she told Carol. "It was always Dharma's will for me to be a Mother Goddess, a protector of innocents. I lost my body when I gave up thinking I could protect others. It makes sense, that going back to the beginning would return it to me."
With a plan in place, Carol did not want to waste any more time, so she spent the evening with Ma and Joe Jr. She did not know when she would next come to Harpswell Sound, and wanted to make her time there count.
Later that night, as she headed to sleep, Carol started wondering what the next day would bring. She knew that when her body woke up Durga would be in charge, and, if everything went right, they'd be back in ancient India. Durga had ignored her worries about how that last part would go, claiming that "Dharma will lead the way." Carol just hoped she was right. Sighing, she lay down on her bed, and went to sleep.
Screams sounded, and smoke filled Durga's nostrils. Gasping, she sat up and looked around. "It worked!" she triumphantly thought to herself. "Carol? Are you there?" Durga spoke in her mind. But, there was no reply. Durga was alone.
Looking around, she realized where she was. The Trikuta Mountain was not too far away, and was the location of her and Mahishasura's final battle. Durga looked down at Carol's hands, and was suddenly overcome with fear. What if she couldn't do it? Last time she was at the height of her power, and in her own body. This time, she had neither.
"You can do this," she spoke to herself. She forced herself to remember how she fought off The Scorpion in this body and won. Surely she could get this body to work!
Jumping into the air, Durga used Carol's powers to fly over to a tree by the valley's entrance. Peering through the leaves, she spotted the buffalo-demon. His huge horns protruded from his head, and his arms were as thick as tree trunks. He was several yards away, and was terrorizing a group of innocent villagers. "Of course he is," she thought. He was known for that sort of thing back in the day; his thirst for power and violence knew no bounds. Steeling herself, Durga flew out of the tree and towards Mahishasura.
"Demon! I am the Great Goddess Durga, and I have come to end your reign of terror over these lands!" she yelled out.
Turning, Mahishasura spotted her and laughed, "Ha! You are just a small woman! You think you can beat me? I am unbeatable!"
"We'll see about that," Durga thought, and sent a photon blast his way, courtesy of Carol's powers. It pushed him back, but was not enough to end the fight. Flying closer, she tried to punch him, but he grabbed her with one of his large hands and threw her to the ground.
Struggling to breathe, she pushed herself back up, and fired off two photon blasts. Mahishasura shrugged them off as he laughed, and turned his back on her. Apparently, he no longer saw Durga as a threat. He lunged at the villagers, and Durga's heart stopped. "I have to save them!" she thought.
Durga closed her eyes, and prayed to Yama, asking that he might help her fulfill Dharma's wish for her. Getting up for one last try, she flew at Mahishasura as fast as she could. Landing in front of the villagers in the nick of time, she threw her arms up in their defense as she saw Mahishasura throw a punch. She was ready to face her end.
View from Trikuta Mountain. No Changes Made. By: KuShahrukh Tendulkar on 6-3-2015. Link: Wikimedia Commons
Except, it never came.
Instead, Durga's eyes opened as she saw the punch had lost its momentum due to the shining trident sticking out of Mahishasura's chest. In shock, she realized it was not just any trident. It was Shiva's trident, and it had been wielded by her hand. She had changed back into her body!
The villagers cheered as Durga shouted in exultation. She had won!
Facing them, she smiled. "You are all saved, my children. For I am the Mother Goddess Durga, and I will always be there to protect you from the forces of evil."
A child stepped forward. "Great Goddess, how did this happen? You changed forms right before our eyes!"
Durga, smiling, knelt down in front of the young girl. "When you believe in yourself, Dear One, anything is possible."
~
In the end, Durga's shakti brought her back to modern times, where she fought with a renewed purpose for her people. Carol, also in present day, woke up confused in her New York City apartment. She immediately knew they were successful, as she felt that her body was her own again. Smiling, she laughed, and went to fight evil just as Durga was in India.
Art of Durga defeating Mahishasura. No Changes Made. Created circa early 1900s. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Image Source: Picture of Ms. Marvel #1 (1977) from Marvel Comics by Maia C. on 1-19-21. Link: flickr
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