Prankster | Kids at Play | Find Player Two!
The game's not over yet.
Ten years of uncertainty couldn’t turn into fifteen or twenty or more. Aimee could no longer live with the assumption that Mary Jo had been kidnapped by Tucker without proving that he really did kidnap her and finding out what he did to her friend. She needed to know where he put Mary Jo’s body.
Aimee was tired of the nightmares and the horrible visions that played over and over in her head. She was also tired of trying to delude herself with the idea that Mary Jo had run off and was living happily ever after somewhere. She was going to discover and prove the truth once and for all.
Eleven-year-old Aimee is best friends with the enthusiastic, energetic Mary Jo. Though she's a little... pushy, Mary Jo is kind and loyal, and the two of them have fun together at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Especially in the exclusive, hidden attraction: Freddy's Hiding Maze. Player Two goes into the tunnels and chooses a cubby to hide inside, and Player One has to go find them. For once, Mary Jo wants to be Player Two first, and disappears into the tunnels. Before Aimee can find her, she spots a strange man peering into the attraction and, unnerved, she decides to finally ditch her bossy friend and go home.
Twenty-one-year-old Aimee is torn apart by guilt. After abandoning Mary Jo, the little girl was never seen again, presumed kidnapped and killed. Now that the man Aimee suspected to have kidnapped her is out of jail, she plans to travel home for the first time in ten years and confront him. She's going to find out what happened to her friend once and for all.
The thirty-third Five Nights at Freddy's: Fazbear Frights story, and the second of the tenth book, Prankster. It is set to be adapted into the graphic novel collection in 2024.
Tropes related to “Find Player Two!”:
- Abandoned Area: Freddy's Hiding Maze is definitely supposed to be abandoned, with the kids all oblivious to this as they just think it's a secret attraction. Ten years later, it's just as decrepit as before.
- Accidental Murder: Aimee believes Emmett Tucker kidnapped and possibly murdered her childhood friend Mary Jo as he had been poking around the Hiding Maze they were playing in and was later arrested for attempted kidnapping, but later learns that she herself is responsible for Mary Jo's death when she goes through the ancient Hiding Maze and finds her mummified corpse, having been trapped inside her hiding spot ever since Aimee fled the Maze without pressing the "Give Up" button.
- Amateur Sleuth: Aimee takes it upon herself to become this as she decides she has to find out what happened to Mary Jo. She's not very good at it.
- Ambiguous Situation: Aimee's door swings shut, rather than her closing it. Was it a simple accident from the old tech, or was there a Vengeful Ghost lurking around?
- The Atoner: Thinking her abandonment of Mary Jo is what killed her, Aimee is desperate to find out what happened to her. She's right, but not in the way she thinks.
- Awesome Backpack: Mary Jo's backpack is always with her, something Aimee's mom says will eventually give her back problems. Mary Jo eventually shows Aimee that inside is everything she needs to run away should it become necessary.
- Bookworm: Aimee would much rather stay home than read than do anything with other people. Which sucks for her eleven-year-old self, as Mary Jo is incredibly extroverted.
- Childhood Friends: Aimee and Mary Jo were friends even before Mary Jo was abandoned. Aimee once asked her parents if they could adopt her, but they said they wouldn't be able to handle her energy.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Ten years apart, it happens to both Mary Jo and Aimee; both are entrapped in a cubby in the tunnels, unable to escape and with nobody hearing their screams for help. Eventually they'll either run out of food or air and be mummified inside.
- Cruel Twist Ending: Mary Jo never left the Hiding Maze, and died waiting for Aimee to find her.
- Custody Battle: It turns out that this was why Emmett Tucker was arrested for attempted abduction; he was trying to pick up his daughter outside of the arranged custody. He claims that his ex lied to get her way in court, but this is unclear.
- Downer Ending: Poor Mary Jo died hugging her only personal item, her backpack, waiting for Aimee to come rescue her. Now Aimee suffers the same fate.
- Dying Alone: This is what really gets Aimee about Mary Jo's death, once she finds her body in the maze.Mary Jo had died the same way she’d lived, Aimee realized. She’d died because no one had cared enough about her to do whatever was necessary to take care of her.
- Embarrassing Animal Suit: The hosts at Flo's have to wear a full cow suit to stay on-theme. Apparently the waiters used to be expected to do this, too, but it became a bit hard to manage, so they're free for now.
- Exclusive Clique Clubhouse: Freddy's Hiding Maze is seen as this by the kids that know about it; when Alby invites Mary Jo and Aimee in, he treats it like a huge honor that they've proved themselves worthy of by hanging out here so often.
- Finally Found the Body: Aimee was never able to move on from Mary Jo's disappearance due to her lack of a body, which means she doesn't know what happened or if she's still alive. She finally finds her body... right where she left her.
- Foreshadowing: Young Aimee finds the nature design and sloping tunnels to give off the vibe that they're trying to "bury you alive."
- A Friend in Need: After seeing a strange man enter the Hiding Maze, Aimee runs away rather than do anything to help Mary Jo. This causes her guilt complex years later.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: It turns out Aimee hasn't enjoyed hanging out with Mary Jo for a long while, but does so out of obligation, knowing that she has nobody else. And also because she's a bit of an Extreme Doormat.
- Guilt-Induced Nightmare: For the last ten years, Aimee has had the same nightmare of Mary Jo being abducted and killed by Emmett Tucker. She's convinced it's what actually happened.
- Hair-Contrast Duo: Mary Jo is a young black girl with wild, frizzy hair that won't be contained. Aimee meanwhile has soft blonde hair that she keeps tied back.
- I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Aimee's whole motivation is trying to redeem herself for what happened to Mary Jo, which she believes was entirely her fault.
- It's All My Fault: It's clear from Aimee's conversation with Gretta that she refuses to forgive herself for what happened ten years prior.
- Karmic Death: Assuming Aimee dies, she'll go out the same way that Mary Jo did.
- Meta Twist: In this franchise, child abduction is kind-of an expected plot point. Turns out Mary Jo was never kidnapped.
- Missing Child: When Mary Jo disappears, the whole town tries to find her. Emmett Tucker is blamed for her disappearance, but they never have any evidence to prove it, leading to him only going to jail for the attempted kidnapping of Jilly. Now, while this franchise deals with a lot of kidnapped children, it turns out Mary Jo was never abducted at all.
- My Greatest Failure: For Aimee, leaving Mary Jo behind at Freddy's.
- No Antagonist: The apparent human villain is a Red Herring, and Mary Jo's death was a tragic accident.
- No Full Name Given: Aimee and Mary Jo don't get last names.
- Odd Friendship: Aimee's mother believes that her and Mary Jo are friends because Opposites Attract. After they move away, Aimee becomes friends with Gretta and realizes that, no, they were just friends out of obligation.
- Orphan's Ordeal: Mary Jo is constantly abandoned, first by her parents and then by foster families. She shows to Aimee that she has her backpack packed in case she ever has to run away.
- Parental Abandonment: Mary Jo's parents had her at "too young" an age and abandoned her when she was a preschooler, and then she went through several foster families.
- Parental Obliviousness: Aimee's mom calls her and expects her to not be upset at the news that Mary Jo's supposed kidnapper was released from jail.
- Plot Hole: There's one, big glaring one that interrupts the whole story: why did the police never look in the tunnels for Mary Jo? See, it's very, very clear that the tunnels were not supposed to be open, and were likely unknown to the staff, as the area is filthy, outdated, and things get left there for ages. But, and this is a big but, both Aimee and Emmett Tucker knew about the tunnels, and both were questioned about Mary Jo's disappearance. Aimee was the one who reported Emmett was at the scene when Mary Jo went missing, otherwise nobody would have connected them, right? And Emmett saw Aimee in the Hiding Tunnels and went in to look for his daughter. Did the police never ask Aimee where the last place she saw Mary Jo was? Aimee readily talks about the Hiding Maze to Gretta, so it's not a secret she kept. When Emmett didn't want to be arrested for a kidnapping he didn't do, did he never mention seeing the little girls in the strange tunnel system under the rainbow mural? It can't even be that they went in there but just didn't find her: the computer still has Aimee and Mary Jo's game active, and the discarded socks and toys are still there and not collected as evidence. Not to mention that while the loudness of the restaurant blocks the screaming, the restaurant would have been closed for the investigation and they would have been able to hear Mary Jo screaming from there. The whole Cruel Twist Ending relies on the fact that nobody looked for Mary Jo in the place she last disappeared, which means that 1) Aimee had to forget to mention it to the police, and nobody else she talked to reported that detail, and 2) Emmett Tucker never said he saw the girls in the mysterious tunnels while he was trying to get out of a crime he didn't do.
- Plucky Girl: Mary Jo is the standard energetic, enthusiastic little girl who keeps smiling through everything, up until her death.
- Red Herring: Emmett Tucker, who seems like the standard child kidnapper. Turns out he was just a bitter divorced dad, and had nothing to do with Mary Jo's disappearance.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: Aimee is convinced that she's the reason Mary Jo is dead, because she abandoned her rather than go to an adult and report Emmett Tucker. Turns out her abandonment is what killed her, but Emmett had nothing to do with it.
- Stalker without a Crush: Upon spotting Emmett, Aimee follows him all day before eventually getting to his house.
- Survivor's Guilt: Assuming that Mary Jo was murdered by Emmett, Aimee feels bad that she managed to escape that fate.
- Symbolically Broken Object: Earlier in the tunnels, Aimee accidentally lost Mary Jo's friendship bracelet. She was distraught, but Mary Jo didn't mind, saying they'd find it eventually. Aimee does find it... ten years later, and it gets her trapped in the same tunnels that killed Mary Jo.
- Tragic Mistake: Aimee leaving without forfeiting the game is what caused Mary Jo to remain stuck, as the doors never unlocked for her.
- Trashy Trailer Home: After following Emmett home, Aimee finds that he lives in an old, beat-down trailer.
- Uncertain Doom: Things aren't looking so bright for Aimee, who is screaming for help inside of the tunnel she's trapped in, while Flo's restaurant obliviously moves on outside.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Though she is convinced he killed her friend, after Emmett tells Aimee that he was innocent the whole time, she attempts to threaten the information out of him, and then tases an old man on his own property, then escapes through a window before the police can arrive.
- Wild Hair: Matching her personality, Mary Jo has insanely wild hair that cannot be tamed.
