I actually just watched this one again on the plane back from Texas. It's one of my go-to episodes if I'm super bored and don't have an internet connection.
A couple of cool things happened right off the bat in this one. First off, Spitfire finally got a whole bunch of extra characterization. Until now, she has been right above the level of background pony, dropping a line here and there about various things. Turning her into a drill sergeant for Rainbow Dash to look up to was a nice touch, In fact, a few ponyville pegasus got some love here. Snowflake went from a oneshot joke in Hurricane Fluttershy, to a legit piece of the world. Remember back when it was just a bunch of copy paste random ponies in the background? Times sure have changed.
I'd also argue that this had one of the strongest endings of the season, with some warm and fuzzys via Dash impressing her idol and being essentially showered in praise. That scene when she was explaining the end of her Wonderbolt dreams to her friends only to be interrupted by Spitfire was awesome. It also scared me. WHY DO I CARE SO MUCH ABOUT THESE PONIES?
Anyway, get it below.
I secretly feel bad for lightning dust. Don't tell anyone.
