Applejack had many thoughts about this new concept of fungus strengthening iron. Her first though was to sell it, but it seemed to new and unusual to do so without proper testing. She decided that it was of her best interests to try using this fungus for about a month on her equipment, putting it through the maximum stress of everyday life. The mare marked each fungus point on the farm with a picket sign, and then dug up one fungus to place on Big Mac's branch clippers. After the blades turned from shiny grey to brown, she ordered her larger brother to chop the hardest branches off. A day of branch clipping went by, and the blades were still as sharp as they were earlier. More tests were conducted when they used the branch cutters to cut up solid pipe. The axle on the cart was then reenforced, as well as the barbed wire fencing. A long month had gone by and the equipment were still in perfect condition.
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One morning, in mid Spring, Pinkie Pie was taking a jog through the road leading to the orchard. She was whistling away her "cupcake" song until she caught sigh of Applejack doing something awkward.
"Why are you hitting a rock with a shovel?" asked Pinkie as she stopped by.
"Why shouldn't I hit a rock with my shovel? It's too heavy to move out of the way," replied Applejack.
"Don't be silly!" exclaimed the baker, "Shouldn't you use a pick axe to break rock? Your shovel is going to become glass before you even scratch that rock!" At that very instant, the rock cracked, and Applejack was able to move the peaces out of the way for the cart to move over. Pinkie Pie was gaping in astonishment and guilt for such comments. But who could blame her? One usually doesn't use a shovel to break rock. Pinkie walked over to Applejack to inspect the shovel to see if there was some kind of trick.
"Hm. Why is the shovel tainted brown? Did Applebloom colour over it?" asked the pink mare in a confused tone. Applejack surprised her with the fungus, and showed how it could strengthen iron. "Wow! Amazing! Hey, if I may ask you, may I borrow a bit of that fungus? I was running over to the blacksmith's shop to fix my kitchen knife, and I think it would be good if I reenforced after fixing it," she asked.
"Um, maybe you come back here to use it. I don't want to lose it," explained Applejack. Pinkie nodded and ran off, and came back after a while with the knife in her hand, expecting Applejack to rub the fungus over it, which she did.
"Thanks Applejack! I needed that. See you later," bid Pinkie Pie as she ran off. But just as she left the scene, a stallion had caught eye of the fungus and its power. He was tugging a cart who's axle was so worn out that it was prone to snap at any second. The young stallion trotted over and asked, "hey, can I try out some of that? I need it to mend my axle on my cart. How much did that Pink Pony pay you?'
Obviously Pinkie had used it for free, but this was the perfect opportunity to start a profitable business. Not everyone needed apples, but everyone could use some refined metal in their lives. Applejack charged two bits to use the fungus. Once the axle had been reenforced, the stallion thanked her and trotted off. Applejack continued with her work.
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In town square, word had spread about a fungus which could be used to refine iron into a special brown steel. No one knew what the fungus was exactly (except for Applejack), or even how it grew. This caught the attention of Twilight Sparkle, who was curious enough to attempt to study the fungus. She paid a visit to the Apple farm to get her first taste of this new concept.
As the librarian arrived at the Apple farm, she caught sight of a massive line leading to the barn previously owned by Mr. Strauss. More and more ponies had learned about the fungus' incredible power, and each had come with some iron utensil or another to be refined. What Applejack had sold for two bits she was charging for 10 bits for each pound of metal. To get a perspective of how successful the business was, the line wouldn't budge because the pony at the front of the line was rude enough to bring his 150 pound hammer to be refined. Twilight budged in to take a look at the activity.
"Why howdy sugar cube? Did you figure out what I was doing over here?" asked Applejack.
"I'm just curious to see what this fungus is! I mean, think about all the uses this fungus could have, and how many ponies' lives will be helped. May I take one for some study?" requested Twilight.
"Sure, just don't go around showing it to everyone. I am only 200 bits away from being able to purchase a new hip for Granny Smith, and the last thing I need now is competition," warned Applejack as she helped with another order. "Here you go."
Twilight rushed home with the fungus to avoid suspicious eyes. She locked all the doors, and forbade Spike from entering the room. She had full respect for Applejack's business, so she couldn't let anypony else learn the secrets behind this goo. The librarian had massed an arsenal of test tubes, Bunsen burners, microscopes, and text books to try and identify what this was. To her relief, she discovered no bad trait behind the fungus. This organism was native to the Everfree Forest, and could only grow with the aid of Harvester ants. The Harvester ants fed on trees to produce a chemical which it deposited near the fungus for it to feed, in turn releasing a goo for the ants to eat. The Harvester ants were rare and only lived in one area of Equestria: Applejack's farm.
Sparkle returned to the farm by sundown. All the ponies had left after receiving satisfactory services, and all that was left Applejack cleaning up her stand, as well as a stockade of crates filled with gold bits. She had made more money in one day than she could make in two harvest seasons. The problem now was that everyone's metal was refined, and the rich arborculturist was closing up shop. Twilight came running to give her good news in order to keep her business running.
"Hey Applejack! What are you doing? There will be hundreds of ponies coming tomorrow hoping for some refined metal!" she exclaimed.
"Well, I refined all the metal people could carry today, so there is no point for me to keep this shop open," she replied disappointedly.
"Do you even know how ponies get their iron in the first place? Stores have to buy iron from mining companies, and I have a great idea and a surprise for you!" informed Twilight.
"So? What are you getting at?" replied Applejack. Twilight Sparkle dropped a piece of paper on the stand just before Applejack began to dismantle it.
"Work starts next week! After extensive research, I discovered all the uses of the fungus, and then I went and told the-"
"I told you not to tell anyone!" interrupted Applejack.
"Don't you see? There is an iron mining company that wants you to refine their metal before selling it to all the shops in Equestria! You could make millions!" screamed Twilight excitedly.
"You didn't stop to think once how many ponies it would take for this kind of task, didn't you?" Applejack criticized.
"Oh, right," responded Sparkle disappointedly. She turned and started her way home, unsatisfied that her idea wasn't good, until Applejack stopped her. Twilight turned and looked.
"I'll follow your plan, but I would need some more help. How would you like to be the administrator of Applementium Industries?" asked the saddened mare. "In fact, how would you and our friends all like it if they helped me manage this new-born business."
Twilight squealed in glee and ran back to Ponyville to inform her friend. All of her friends would aid Applejack in this new business. She decided that the next day, their job would be to find ponies who could do the laborious tasks of actually refining the iron, as well as keep the secret behind the fungus. But the fungus was not the only new concept brewing up. Applejack had overlooked the fact that the "mining company" was just a large family who farmed iron. This was the first time any large scale work-force was being assembled, and it would soon change the face of Equestria in ways few ponies could even imagine.