Toadsworth didn't have to walk long before reaching the first area. A few glass cages lined the room, each with a Detective Sparkla inside. Junior was standing high above them, on a balcony in the background.

"There you are Detective! I'm so glad you made it!"

"Junior? How did you get here first?"

"You see, the Detective Sparkla is in this room, but I have no idea which is the real one. The others are probably traps, so if I spring one then..."

"I get it. Come down here, and I can help you differentiate the real from fakes."

Junior turned and left, and didn't return.

"Hm? Junior? What are you-? Ah, well. He'll be back."

He asked each of the Sparklas about the Detective. Only one remained completely calm.

"I need no introduction, you know who I am."

"I had a feeling this one was correct. You were the only one who was able to remain calm in a stressful situation. A great Detective can stay calm, because you can't think straight when scared or upset."

"Very good, Detective. Seems like you were the right person to choose for this job." He was released from his glass prison. "My name is Allister."

"Pleasure, I'm Toadsworth."

They continued onwards. They came to two rooms, identical and connected in an infinite loop.

"Alright," Allister said, "so since we're trapped between these two rooms, there must be something off about these rooms that will reveal the hidden passage. I will take a quick picture of this one, and we can return to the other room." He pulled out a camera and took a nice image of the room. They returned to the other room and he hung the photograph on the bare wall. "Now...the question remains; what is different about these rooms?"

Toadsworth looked at the image closely, then to the room. He saw, in the image, that a stand of a magnifying glass was not there, unlike in this room.

"Take a peek at this, Allister."

The Detective came over. "Have you found something?"

Toadsworth nodded. "look here, seems empty, right?"

"Ah yes. I do see that. If feels as if something could be put there."

Toadsworth motioned towards the statue of the magnifying glass. "But here there is."

"Ahh, I see. A hidden doorway, just like the one at my home. A clever trick, but overused." He touched it, and it revealed a passageway. "But then again, you can never go wrong with an original concept, hm?"

They met Junior in the next hall. "Guys! I found the way out! Follow me!"

Toadsworth took a step, then stopped. "Wait, Junior, why did you leave me behind back there? That's not like you."

"Oh, Detective, I'm sorry! I couldn't find out how to get down from there. This place is filled with so many twists and turns, it's hard to figure where anything is. I thought that if I stayed by the exit, you would find me instead and we could all leave together."

Allister held up a hand to Toadsworth. "Hang on, let me ask you a few questions first. How long have you been working with me?"

"Is...is this a trick question? I've been working with you for two weeks."

"Good. Now, what is the password to my home?"

"Six-eight-three. Detective Sparkla, are these questions really necessary?"

"Excellent. Now, what do you think of Grape?"

"Madame Grape? We need to put a stop to her before she causes any more trouble!"

"Ah, I knew it. I thought you were acting strange."

"Huh?"

"You are not Junior, you are a minion of Grape!"

Junior was engulfed in smoke, then revealed to be a Sour Bunch member. "Okay fine! You caught me! Just leave me alone, you two weirdos!"

The exit the Sour Bunch was beckoning to was actually a fake, as it vanished when his identity was revealed. The real exit, a Sparkle-colored, swirling portal, appeared not far from them.

"Great job, Toadsworth. We should work together more often. You can make a great Detective Sparkla one day, if the stage is your thing."

"I'm not much for a show, but it was fun working with you. And, I was able to help you, too. So it was two birds with one stone."

A faint sound echoed from downstairs. Toadsworth and Allister went to check what the sound could have been. There, on the wall without a door, was Grape's insignia. A strong magic emanated from it.

Allister examined it. "This must be their hideout, I can recognize that symbol anywhere."

"Hm? What do you mean by that?"

Peach and Stella came down on the lift, and gasped at the insignia on the wall. They came over.

"Oh, that's some strong magic," Stella sighed. "I was worried she was getting stronger, and I suppose I was right about that."

"Allister, meet Princess Peach and Stella. Those two have been using Splue to help the other Sparklas."

Allister bowed. "A pleasure to meet you, Peach. And Stella, it's nice to see you again."

Stella grimaced. "'Splue?' Is that what you heard Peach and I call it?"

"Well, it was more like Splurple," Toadsworth said, "but I realized yours was more blue than purple, so I guessed it was called Splue."

"Oh, that's...That's not right. It's called Sp-ar-kle, not Splue or Splurple. Although, we can call Grape's magic Splurple, since it's like the opposite of Sparkle, right?"

Peach giggled. "Despite how cute the name is, I think Disco Feather called it Darkle."

"Oh," Toadsworth faced Allister again, "but what were you saying about Grape's insignia? You've seen it before?"

"Yes," Allister said, deep in thought. "Actually, it was a few days before you showed up..."