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For the past few weeks, since the creation of Animal Farm, a soothing voice had consistently repeated itself in Snowball's mind. Eventually, it reached a point he was almost always humming a tune under his breath – leaving the other animals quite puzzled. What could such a respected comrade constantly be humming? It made itself evident the song was not Beasts of England, but rather a distinct, more recent tune. Had Minimus composed it? The inquiries the animals had were left with no answers, at least... not for an extensive period of time.
However, when the animals caught a glimpse of Snowball now, it appeared that his favorite familiar tune had escalated from a barely noticeable hum to a quiet song. "Sign says "Store"... that's the name!" Snowball crooned.
Boxer, the workhorse, took a few moments to stare with the most confuzzled expression any animal had ever seen him with before continuing to toil away in the fields. Even Clover, who had just woken up, ready to begin the day, tilted her head at Snowball with a similar expression, uncertain of how to feel. She supposed she should not interfere with her comrade's joy.
Moses had been attempting to tune out the song for the day but eventually began to grow concerned regarding his comrade's mental well-being. Perhaps there was a recent song he very much enjoyed, but he was humming it nearly every hour of every day -- Moses would be a hypocrite if he tried to judge, as he felt a similar way about his deeply cherished Sugarcandy Mountain, but he decided to check in just to see if Snowball was alright. With this in mind, he fluttered towards the overly verbose pig and perched on a branch next to where he happened to be positioned.
"Comrade..." Moses hastily tried to conjure up a sentence, "I apologize if this is a sudden inquiry, but may I know what the tune you have been repeating is?" Although Moses was not one to care for the Rebellion, he supposed he would ask anyway: "Does it have any relation to Animal Farm's recent Rebellion?"
Immediately at this question, Snowball's eyes lit up, taking even Moses aback. In his comrade's eyes, he noticed the same passion he had for Sugarcandy Mountain, a passion he rarely ever saw. "Ah, it is a tune known as 'REJOICE'! I must have a bit of honesty, comrade, as I am quite uncertain of where I could have picked it up. It is not a creation of Minimus, albeit his poems and songs are respectable, perhaps it is of my own subconscious creation."
" 'REJOICE'? I must admit that is a rather intriguing name! May I know how the tune goes?" Moses croaked curiously.
Snowball gathered every ounce of energy he could, and he realized his heart was hammering in his chest. An unusual feeling overcame him as he began to sing, one he had never felt before, for the tune that was perpetually on his mind. His world was REJOICE. Animal Farm was REJOICE.
"All the people all around the world rejoice, we all rejoice!" The verbose pig repeated the phrase a second time, and to his surprise, Moses joined in.
"Faith! I don't want your faith!" The two animals warbled together, and in that moment, Snowball realized that perhaps this was what Animalism was meant to be. No milk, no apples, no commandments, only REJOICE. But immediately, he shook that thought – that was absurd – but his own mind softened as he recognized the love he felt for REJOICE was all the more absurd. It was a true love of the purest kind. Had this been what Moses felt for Sugarcandy Mountain all along, an indescribable form of devotion? Tears welled in Snowball's eyes as he and Moses continued singing:
"I don't want to hurt you, and you don't want to cry!" Their cries grew louder this time, evolving from soft chants into a more noticeable tune that a very confused Boxer joined in on.
"Pump says 'gas', fill her up! Billboard says, 'you have enough'!" Boxer, despite his heart not being in it, was a loyal worker of Animal Farm, and neighed a loud song that was second to only Snowball's cries of utter devotion.
Squealer trotted out of the farmhouse, his ears twitching in irritation. What could his comrades possibly be singing – had they had too much to drink again? The often-drunken boar was no stranger to that feeling, but even so, he had never gone this batty! What was this about hurting and crying?
"Comrades," he squealed, the side of his mouth full of a bite of an apple, "do you not realize there is still work to be done on the harvest? Soon, the weather will turn bitter, and the snow will cover the farm. There is no time for pursuits that do not go towards the benefit of Animal Farm!"
Snowball violently shook his head, and his expression became almost pained. Still, the pseudo-intellectual managed to maintain his composure. "Comrade! You underestimate the importance of this new tune, which will greatly benefit us in the prosperity of Animal Farm. Besides, do you also not have work to do? Have you reported the animals that are not fully partaking in their labor?" The REJOICE-obsessed pig's expression grew into a smug one, and his lips turned upward in a Reddit-esque grin.
The propagandist pig's irritation only grew as his tail whisked more evidently. "I do not see the point in this music, comrade, but as you are my equal," he said this with a prominent bitterness, "I shall no longer convince you otherwise."
That night in the farmhouse, while Snowball was perpetually humming REJOICE, he was writing journal entries in a corner away from the rest of the pigs. The text was overly verbose, but that was not stopping him – oftentimes, he caught his mind drifting away in recitation of REJOICE lyrics, but he was able to bring it back within a few seconds to a minute. Admittedly, the song would cause him to grow drowsy at times, but he would not allow himself to microsleep, not even an infinitesimal modicum.
Owen, one of the most irritating boars in the farmhouse, was squealing up a cacophony for no reason, causing Snowball's poor ears to flatten to the top of his head. However, he comforted himself with his beloved tune in no time. Surely, Owen would settle down, whether it was sooner or later!
As blotches of ink spilled on the pages of his journal, Snowball's eyelids grew heavier, and there was no longer much the respectable, verbose pig could do about it, and he did more than microsleep – slipping into none other than a lucid dream.
His vision was hazy at first, but his eyes fixed on a figure – a figure he had never seen before, but a familiar figure nonetheless. It seemed as if it was a cover for something important. Snowball swiveled his head to ground himself; no, it couldn't be! Had REJOICE come down from Sugarcandy Mountain – which he did not even believe in – just to see him?
"Oh, Snowball!" The song sweetly called out to him. "What if we all rejoiced with the people around the world? Don't you want to propagandize, sweetheart? I mean it when I say this. I love you."
Usually, Snowball was a planner that would often think twice before making any crucial decisions, but he lost control over himself. He gasped out, "REJOICE! I... I love you too! I love you more than anyone on Animal Farm! I want to be with you forever!"
Tears fell from REJOICE's album cover head. "... You really mean it? But, Snowball, you're quite the verbose pig... I feel like I don't deserve you. But, either way, perhaps I can be a tune deserving of you, despite the haters. I need you."
Snowball's cries grew more melancholy. "Comrade REJOICE, you're stunning just the way you are. Don't let the critics get to you. I may not know how you appeared in my mind one day, but I fell in love with you... yes, you, and no other animal on the farm." The pig inhaled deeply, before asking: "I realize this is but a dream, and even so, I'll ask you this: would you like to propagandize with me, forever?"
REJOICE did not even take a moment to hesitate. "Yes, of course, comrade! We will be together eternally. We should not let the haters get to us, for we are REJOICEball."
And so they lived happily ever after PLEASE SAVE ME