PiercingSight !zEniXTGVeQ No.36781357
File: 141350855755.png (384.86 KB, 667x634, DJ-+-;P.png)

This was seriously one of the episodes I enjoyed the most because it gave so much life and vibrance to the rest of the canon. It's not just that the episode in and of itself was good, but that there was a sense of discovery in learning about all the different places and cultures of Equestria while at the same time learning how the mane cast came to be who they are, how cutie marks are received, how Twilight became the Princess' pupil, where Spike came from, etc. etc.
We learn a ton because we are dragged (in Rarity's case, literally) from one location to the next, from one culture to the next, from one personality, one life-changing-story, one background discovery to the next.
It's because of this episode that the fanfics have thrived the way they have, that the episodes still have the potential to explore, surprise, and still maintain a level of canonical consistency.
The same goes with any episode where we learn about the past, or about other areas in Equestria, be it Discord, NMM, Tirek, Fillydelphia, Appeloosa, etc.
So while some have issues with the flow of the story, the perhaps "Mary Sue" "Magical Fate brought us together" reveal, I think it's this episode which gave the world a lot more detail and vibrance than would have been possible in any other single episode.