Black Rocks

The Black Rocks are mysterious sharp rocks that came out of the ground surrounding the spot where the magical flower originated from, and later played a part in the return of Rapunzel's long hair. The rocks are later revealed to be the destructive creations of the Moonstone Opal used for the purpose of defending itself, but also searching for its polar opposite, longing to be reunited with the Sundrop.
==Background==
These mysterious rocks are invasive and unbreakable, and seemingly capable of growing anywhere. They are generated from a strange opal floating in the center of a meteor, the source of the Black Rocks' power. An ancient scroll from Quirin implies that the rocks, and by extension the opal that creates them, may have been made from a drop of moonlight, with reference of the golden flower that comes from the drop of sunlight.
When the opal came into the possession of a king named Edmund, the rocks grew and ravaged his kingdom into an inhospitable wasteland. Anyone who came close to the opal would meet an unfortunate end. With no way to remove the opal without summoning more rocks, Edmund instructed his guard to hide the existence of the opal and his kingdom from the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, the rocks managed to spread to the kingdom of Corona when the Magical Golden Flower was removed to save the Queen and her unborn daughter, and the rocks started to sprout out of the ground where the royal guards found the flower.
==Role in the series==
===Season One===
Cassandra brings Rapunzel to the rocks while sneaking her out for some downtime. When Rapunzel reaches out to touch one of them, a powerful energy burst from the rocks knocks the two girls off their feet and somehow grows back Rapunzel's long golden blonde hair.
A few months after Rapunzel touched the rocks, they begin to sprout throughout the land. They began to appear around Varian's village, Old Corona. Every time Rapunzel went near them, her hair would glow along with the rocks, indicating that they are somehow connected. Varian promised to help Rapunzel and Cassandra understand the rocks better and to keep their work a secret. As the number of rocks started to destroy the village, Varian learns that they would not stop "growing", and once they had destroyed his village they would start making their way to Corona, while at the same time, Rapunzel is taking over for her parents while they're on vacation. Varian desperately tries to use alchemy in his attempt to stop them, until his experiments get his father crystallized in an amber-like substance. Varian goes to Rapunzel for help, but Corona is in a state of emergency because of a deadly blizzard curse bestowed upon by the evil Zhan Tiri, and Rapunzel cannot help him just then, and is sent away. Feeling betrayed, Varian vows to solve the mystery of the rocks and free his father some day, while simultaneously vowing payback on Rapunzel (and by extension, all of Corona) for turning away from him.
In "The Quest for Varian", Rapunzel uses her hair to interact with the rocks and triggers a shock wave to stun the troops chasing her, but in the process, it causes the rocks to rapidly grow and destroy her tower. They discover the ancient scroll referencing both the rocks and the golden flower, suggesting the two elements originated from the sun and the moon.
In "Secret of the Sun Drop", the rocks slowly begin to grow closer towards Corona. Following Varian's abduction of the Queen, King Frederic confesses to Rapunzel that he had known all along what the rocks were, revealing that on the night of her birth, he was warned by Quirin against removing the flower, revealing he would reap unimaginable consequences and awaken a darkness, which resulted in the Black Rocks.
During the battle in Old Corona against Varian's army of Automatons, Eugene gets an idea to throw the automatons onto the rocks to destroy them. Meanwhile, Rapunzel and Frederic are trapped by Varian in a failed attempt to ambush him. Varian then uses Rapunzel's unbreakable hair as a drill tip in an effort to drill through the amber to free his imprisoned father, but it fails. In the end, the Black Rocks completely surround Rapunzel when Varian threatens her mother and Cassandra by driving a giant automation, but when the tips of her hair touched them, they triggered shockwaves that destroy the automatons. Rapunzel finally understands that this was her destiny, realizing she shouldn't run away from the rocks, but she is supposed to face them. Rapunzel then grips the rocks and successfully controls them to defeat Varian and his automatons. The rocks then breach the kingdom's border wall and begin to lay flat, pointing to the outside world. Having an epiphany, Frederic admits he thought the rocks' purpose was to destroy Corona but ignoring them only made the danger worse. He encourages Rapunzel to follow the rocks to their destination.
In the aftermath, the Black Rocks are revealed to be breakable by a mysterious warrior with a black sword made of the same material.
===Season Two===
In "Beyond the Corona Walls", the episode's prologue reveals that the rocks had existed and corrupted a kingdom twenty-five years ago, before the sun drop flower was uprooted. Adira attempts to cut Rapunzel's hair with her Black Rock sword but it fails. It is also revealed that the rocks have already spread to other places, among them the city of Vardaros that Rapunzel's group visits in the episode. During the wedding crash, Rapunzel tries to activate the power of the Black Rocks again but it doesn't work anymore. Adira explains that it's because the rocks had found the Sun Drop, or Rapunzel in this case. At the end of the episode, Adira shows the second part of the ancient scroll, which illustrates a castle called the Dark Kingdom surrounded by the Black Rocks.
In "Lost and Found", the spirit of Lord Demanitus, inhabiting the body of Vigor the Visionary, reveals to Rapunzel, Eugene, and Pascal that long ago, an ancient power fell from the heavens and divided itself into the Sundrop and the Moonstone, both of which seek to reunite themselves. After reassembling the Graphtic Scroll, Demanitus urges Rapunzel to use the incantation in the scroll to unite the Sun Drop and Moonstone, saying the ancient power can either be used for good or evil, and warns her that if she doesn't go through it with, the Black Rocks will reawaken and seek her out, destroying everything in their path.
In "Destinies Collide", the origins behind the Moonstone and its connection to the Dark Kingdom is revealed. Similar to the origins of the Sundrop, the Moonstone was created when a single drop of moonlight fell from the heavens, but unlike the Sundrop, the Moonstone possessed the power to destroy and kill any who would try and claim it. The Dark Kingdom was created from the Moonstone's power and ever since its creation, the Dark Kings, rulers of the land all took an oath to protect the rest of the world from the Moonstone. For generations, the legacy of the Dark Kings protecting the opal continued on, until its current ruler, King Edmund tried to end the legacy, attempting to destroy the Moonstone for good. Unfortunately, his attempts lead to a disastrous event, almost costing him his life and the destruction of the Dark Kingdom. King Edmund fortunately survived the catastrophe, but it cost him dearly, losing both his right arm and wife in the process.
In the aftermath of the tragic events, King Edmund ordered his subjects to leave and never return since the Dark Kingdom was no longer safe and even sent away his only child and heir to the throne, Eugene. King Edmund also commanded his most skilled guards, Quirin, Adira, and Hector to leave the kingdom to stop anyone from finding the stone while he remained behind to further ensure it's protection. The Brotherhood went their separate ways, but only Adira believed the solution was to find the opal's counterpart to put an end to it's power for good. After years of searching, Adira found the Sundrop in Rapunzel who harnessed it's power. From then onwards, Adira made it her mission to lead Rapunzel and her friends to the Dark Kingdom to grab the stone and restore balance to the world at last. However, she kept her intentions secret, unaware of the consequences that will befall the princess once acquiring the stone.
Eventually, Rapunzel and her friends finally arrived at the Dark Kingdom, but encounter an obstacle in King Edmund, determined to keep them away from the opal at all costs. However, during his encounter with the group, King Edmund shockingly found himself reunited with his long-lost son, Eugene after 25 years apart. King Edmund took his son's return as a sign, believing Eugene's return to his kingdom is his destiny to finally put an end to the Moonstone once and for all. Although Eugene was reluctant, he came to listen and aid his father in his goal after learning he may very well lose Rapunzel to the opal, the same way he lost his deceased mother, but not without facing conflict and uncertainty within himself. After a change in heart, however, Eugene comes to fully devote himself to helping Rapunzel and manages to help his father understand and accept Rapunzel's destiny. In the meantime, Rapunzel’s hair and the Black Rocks began to react more to the other's presence as Rapunzel and her friends get closer to the Moonstone. The Black Rocks later begin to help Rapunzel and create a path for her when she ventures in the dangerous underground sewers that lead her towards the Throne Room.
Eventually after an epic battle, Rapunzel enters the Moonstone chamber, where the rocks react to the presence of the Sundrop, pointing directly to the Moonstone. A path is created for Rapunzel to cross and as she approaches with the Moonstone reacting to her presence and removing itself from its cage. Rapunzel reaches out to the stone, prepared to fulfill her destiny, but before she can touch it, Cassandra suddenly thrusts her arm forward and takes it herself. Horrified, Rapunzel asks Cassandra what she's doing and as the Moonstone begins to glow, Cassandra angrily declares that she is fulfilling her destiny. She raises the Moonstone and its raw power is great enough to send Rapunzel, Eugene, and Pascal flying backwards across the bridge. The Moonstone begins to radiate with undiluted, raw power as Cassandra struggles to control it. The walls in the chamber begin to go haywire as Cassandra finally takes control of the stone, driving it into her chest as she screams. The Black Rocks begin to sprout at an unstoppable pace, covering the bridge, the platform, and the area near the doorway. The stone begins to drastically change Cassandra's appearance, completely destroying her armor and replaces it with a dark blue and black outfit made from the rocks themselves. The energy of the Moonstone courses through her and envelopes her to the point that her hair and eyes change to bright blue. Rapunzel, Eugene, and Pascal look on in horror, witnessing Cassandra transforming from friend to foe as well as the fulfillment of Demanitus' prophecy.
===Season Three===
Subsequently, in "Rapunzel's Return", Cassandra demonstrates a measure of control over the Black Rocks as she steals Adira's Shadow Blade and ultimately flees. At the same time, Zhan Tiri, who takes on the form of an Enchanted Girl, manipulates Cass's anger to her advantage.
In "Return of the King" and "Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?", Cassandra struggles to manipulate the Black Rocks but doesn't achieve anything until Zhan Tiri encourages her to channel her anger towards Rapunzel.
The regrowth of Rapunzel's hair by the rocks was revealed by Zhan Tiri in "Beginnings". When Rapunzel came into contact with the rocks, part of the rocks' powers from the Moonstone went into her hair, which made it grow long and indestructible like them to protect her on her journey to the Dark Kingdom. It is also the reason why it now possesses the destructive power of the Moonstone and not the healing abilities of the Sundrop.
In "Be Very Afraid", Cassandra discovers that the rocks turn red in response to her fear. This causes the rocks in Corona to grow in size and turn red, inducing people's biggest fears and turning them into statues from prolonged exposure. Rapunzel and Varian travel to the Demanitus Device chamber to apply Varian's alchemical amber potion to cut off the rocks' power, only to find it doesn't work on red rocks. Rapunzel then spotted a single Black Rock amidst the others, and it was slowly turning red. As Varian made his way to the single Black Rock, Rapunzel touched a red one at the same time Cassandra did, causing the former best friends to briefly sense each other. In the end, Varian used his potion on the Black Rock, causing all the red ones to revert to black and recede into the ground all the way to Cassandra's position, while the victims are restored to normal.
In "Cassandra's Revenge" Cassandra returns to Corona demanding that Rapunzel hand over the Graphtic Scroll saying it will prove they are still friends. Later, Cassandra follows Rapunzel and the others Varian's new lab where he has been translating the scroll. She eventually gets the scroll and kidnaps Varian since he destroyed the translation notes and he was the only one who could read the scroll now.
Later, she gives him his own truth serum while he's sleeping forcing him to reveal a third incantation. One that will allow Casandra to have complete control over the Black Rocks. She then builds her own tower using the Black Rocks in the exact spot where Rapunzel's Tower used to be and imprisons Varian, who tries to make her realize that her actions would cost her everything she had in life through the song "Nothing Left to Lose", only for Cassandra to encage him in Black Rocks. Cassandra summons the Black Rocks in her battle against Rapunzel, who chants the Hope Incantation she has learned from Varian to break through the Black Rocks. This causes the clash of sun and moon that results in the Moonstone being chipped at one spot, Cassandra's defeat, and Zhan Tiri's release from her prison in the Lost Realm.
In "Once a Handmaiden...", after Cassandra falls under Zhan Tiri's machinations again (when Zhan Tiri sneaks behind Varian and fires a blast of amber at Cassandra from Varian's Project Obsidian), she summons the Black Rocks to attack Corona once more, causing everyone in the kingdom to flee and find a safe place to hide. Once Rapunzel wakes up after being knocked out, she runs to see that Corona is covered in the Black Rocks and Cassandra has conquered the kingdom.
In "Plus Est En Vous", the Rapunzel rallies the citizens of Corona to battle Cassandra and Zhan Tiri in order to reclaim the kingdom. Rapunzel again faces off against Cassandra, who summons more Black Rocks and eventually overpowers Rapunzel as an eclipse comes in full effect, which causes Rapunzel's Sundrop powers to coalesce into an opal. Cassandra then telekinetically removes from Rapunzel, causing Rapunzel to lose her powers. Just then, Zhan Tiri jumps onto Cassandra and snatches the Moonstone from her, causing Cassandra to lose her powers as well. Zhan Tiri then integrates both the Sundrop and the Moonstone into her wrists and transforms into her true, giant demon form. She taunts and demoralizes both Cassandra and Rapunzel, imprisons them both in Yellow Rocks, and sets out to destroy Corona.
As Zhan Tiri faces off against an army Coronans and the Brotherhood, she summons Yellow Rocks in an effort to inhibit the army's progress. The demon eventually encases the army in Yellow Rocks and chants the Decay Incantation to drain out life from everyone, the effects that causes the Yellow Rocks to turn black as darkness falls over Corona. At the same time, Cassandra comes to feels greatly and genuinely remorseful of her atrocities against Rapunzel and apologizes to her. The two girls reconcile, and Cassandra allows Rapunzel to take a chipped piece of the Moonstone gives enough energy to Rapunzel's hair to breaks through their prison of Yellow Rocks. As Rapunzel faces off against Zhan Tiri, the demon summons Yellow Rock shards that she throws at Rapunzel before being knocked out with a frying pan by Cassandra. Cassandra and Rapunzel team up once again and eventually defeat the demon once and for all by forcing her to inadvertently merge the Sundrop and the Moonstone on her wrists (with Rapunzel cutting her hair short with a Yellow Rock shard tossed to her by Cassandra). The collision of the two opals produces an explosion that obliterates the wicked demon into nothingness and also makes the black rocks that have plagued Corona and the surrounding lands disintegrate as the eclipse ends.
==Trivia==
*The black mysterious rocks were inspired by etched Gibeon iron meteorites.
==Gallery==
===Screenshots===
Tangled-before-ever-after-disneyscreencaps com-3129.jpg
Tangled-before-ever-after-disneyscreencaps com-3209.jpg|Rapunzel about to touch a rock
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Rapunzel's Nightmare.jpg|Rapunzel's nightmare of the Black Rocks
What the Hair - Mother Gothel.jpg|Gothel's reflection in the rocks in the nightmare
What the Hair 33.jpg
Great Expotations 24.jpg|Rapunzel, Cassandra and Varian's reflection in the rocks
Queen for a Day 12.jpg|The rocks spouting out of the ground next to Varian
File:Queen for a Day 62.jpg
Old Corona 4.jpg|Old Corona spread with Black Rocks
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The Quest for Varian 34.jpg
The Quest for Varian - Hair.jpg
Black rocks shockwave.jpg|Shockwave triggered
Rapunzel's Tower Destroyed.jpg|The destruction of the tower
The Alchemist Returns 6.JPG|Rapunzel's another nightmare of the rocks
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The Alchemist Returns 7.JPG
Secret of the Sun Drop 48.jpeg
Secret of the Sun Drop 41.jpg
Old Corona 3.jpg
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Automaton 2.jpg
Secret of the Sun Drop 34.jpg|Rapunzel controlling the rocks
Automaton 3.jpg|Rapunzel defeat Varian and her automatons with Black Rocks
Secret of the Sun Drop 37.jpg|Pointing to a direction through the wall
Secret of the Sun Drop Ending 1.png
Black Rocks Cut.jpg|Cut by Adira
Black Rock The Dark Kingdom.jpg|The Dark Kingdom
Beyond the Corona Walls 33.jpeg|The Opal aka The Moonstone
The gem within the Opal.png|A close-up of the Opal's gem
The piece of black rock that became Adira's sword.png
Black Rock Sword.jpg|The sword cannot cut Rapunzel's hair
Vardaros Tangled 3.jpg|Vardaros village has overrun by black rocks
Rapunzel and the Great Tree (28).jpg|The journey continues
Black Rocks Rapunzeltopia.jpg|Raps regrows her hair awakening herself from Tromus' dream world in Rapunzeltopia
Lost and Found 17.png
Caravan destroyed again.jpg
Destinies Collide.png
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The Dark Kingdom (1).jpg
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Destinies Collide 148.png|The Black Rocks begin to help Rapunzel and create a bridge through tunnels of lava
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Destinies Collide (23).jpg
Destinies Collide (28).jpg
Destinies Collide.jpg|Rapunzel facing the Moonstone
Destinies Collide (47).jpg|Cassandra finally takes control of the Moonstone's power of the black rocks
Destinies Collide (35).jpg|The Black Rocks begin to sprout at an unstoppable pace, covering the entire room
Evil Cassandra.jpg|Cassandra possessed by the Moonstone
Rapunzel's Return (117).png
Rapunzel's Return (119).png
Rapunzel's Return (122).png
Rapunzel's Return (123).png
Rapunzel's Return (87).png|Cass steals Adira's Shadow Blade
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The Dark Kingdom (2).jpg
Rapunzel's Return (29).jpg
The Dark Kingdom (3).jpg
Rapunzel's Return (130).png
Rapunzel's Return (76).jpg|Cassandra created the black rock bridge
Rapunzel's Return (79).jpg|Cassandra cuts the rock bridge with Shadow Blade
Return of the King (89).png
Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf? (102).png
Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf? (20).png|Cass learns to control the black rocks by the Moonstone reacting her anger and rage
Be Very Afraid (7).jpg
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Be Very Afraid (27).jpg|Varian discovered the black rocks have turned red
Be Very Afraid (13).jpg
Be Very Afraid (37).jpg|The Red Rocks freezes people with fear
Be Very Afraid (73).png
Be Very Afraid (28).jpg|Varian is pouring the solution on the black rock
Be Very Afraid (1).jpg|Rapunzel is able to feel Cassandra through the rocks...
Be Very Afraid (2).jpg|...and vice versa
Be Very Afraid (62).png|Cass is shocked as the red rocks disappear
Islands Apart (100).png
RapunzelsTangledAdventureCassandrasRevenge (5).jpg|Cassandra's black rock tower
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Cassandra's Revenge (13).jpg
Cassandra's Revenge (18).jpg
Cassandra's Revenge (10).jpg|Varian trapped in a makeshift cage of black rocks.
Cassandra's Revenge (71).jpg|Cassandra's black rocks throne
Cassandra's Revenge (55).jpg|Cass haves Pascal in the rock cage
Rapunzel pinned to the wall by Cass' black rock.jpg|Rapunzel being pinned to the wall by the black rocks
Raps knows Cass is in there somewhere.jpg
Cassandra's Revenge (61).jpg|Eugene being strangled by the rocks
Eugene in Cass' black rock crushing grip.jpg
Cassandra's Revenge (103).jpg
Cassandra's Revenge (102).jpg|Cassandra sending wave after wave of black rocks at Rapunzel
RapunzelsTangledAdventure3x12CassandraMoondropPower.jpg|Cassandra unleashing her full power of the rocks
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Once a Handmaiden... (43).jpg
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Once a Handmaiden... (5).jpg
Once a Handmaiden... (36).jpg
Once a Handmaiden... (37).jpg
Once a Handmaiden... (38).jpg
Once a Handmaiden... (26).jpg
Cass cages ZT.jpg| Cass imprisons ZT in a cage of black rocks
Plus Est En Vous - Black Rocks.jpg
Plus Est En Vous - Cassandra 00.jpg
ZT's view on Coronans.jpg|Zhan Tiri conjures Yellow Rocks
Rapunzel chops off her hair herself.jpg|Rapunzel cuts her hair with a yellow rock shard
Black rocks defeat.jpg|The rocks disintegrate following Zhan Tiri's demise
===Concept Art Images===
Secret of the Sun Drop concept 5.png
The Quest for Varian concept 1.png
Secret of the Sun Drop concept 6.png
Corona Concept by Fiona Hsieh 3.jpg
Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure background concept 1.png
Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure background concept 2.png
Destinies Collide concept 1.jpg
Destinies Collide concept 2.jpg
Destinies Collide concept 5.png
Destinies Collide concept 6.jpg
Cassandra's Revenge - Concept.jpg
==References==
Category:Tangled objects
Category:Magical Objects
Category:Created by Magic
Category:Weapons