@Ichijoe  
Wouldn’t this be a case of semantics nazi?

also explains why crystal ponies are so shiny

Needs (more) 1.21 PONYWATTS!!

@SorasTG  
In any sort of universe where there is a blend of Magic and Technology there’s always a large just missing gap. Maybe they have had crystal empire unicorns at some point.
 
Either way it’s been proven they all have a crystal energy that’s able to fuel the crystal heart that saves the against Sombra. He was powerful enough alone to weaken an Alicorn and stop other very strong unicorns.
 
So maybe the crystal ponies are indeed a fifth type of pony. They have a type of magic about them not found in other ponies and use that to fuel their technological advancements. For example, maybe they power and control devices through crystals like the bullet train. It’s not too hard to believe a few ponies could focus their energies into a power crystal and make a train go forward or backwards with relative ease much like the Crystal Heart.
 
So using that sort of power system they could have advanced faster then others due to this source of power unique to their species as a whole which would potentially render any pegasis, earth pony or untrained unicorn or alicorn unable to use their tech.

All assertions of “physics” fall dead and mocked by Celestia and Luna’s daily demonstration of a geocentric universe and mocking of the construction physics proscribes for celestial bodies in terms of mass, inertia, etc.
 
Also a sky split between day and night is probably enough to kibosh whatever was left with its bizzare and disturbing optics.
 
Any conclusions based upon “phsyics” are as unscientific and unworkable as heavenly crystalline spheres proved IRL. Abandon you dogma and embrace the geocentric truth.
 
After that its more like any atom is used in the original sense of the word.
 
(Oh and background ponies don’t mean squat)

@Master Fox  
Head-canon: Given that Crystal Ponies are almost all Earth Ponies, I’m guessing that the Crystal Empire hasn’t had much exposure to magic. In response, they’ve had to develop technology (Earth Ponies seem quite good at that, from what we’ve seen) to do things normally done by magic. As a result, the Crystal Empire is technologically well ahead of the rest of Equestria.

Is that what that thing was? I thought it was a floral pattern

Technically, it only proves that Equestria has small spheres that rotate around a larger sphere. We don’t really know what they represent.

Well lets look at the “facts”. The Crystal empire has shown the highest level of technological advancement in the whole show so far.
 
The crystal bullet train and now this? I think maybe they where more advanced 1000 years ago. He’s too old to have just learned it or else he didn’t have a cutie mark till he was an adult.
 
OR maybe Equestria prides itself on going Green and decided to not use science so much to save the environment. They seem like the kind of people who’d do that.

His voice hadn’t broken.

@SomeponyTheVectorer  
Or maybe Crystal Empire adapted to modern science during Season 3 and Season 4, and he got his cutie mark during that time.

They’d have to have been pretty far along in it too if it existed a thousand years ago.

@Ichijoe  
No, not really. The only thing this image proves is that the study of atomic physics exist in Equestria, which he learned and gained. The physicist doesn’t necessarily have to be in Equestria. Also, we cannot be sure whether Atomic Crystallite is a physicist or not. He could still be a physics student.

@Background Pony #6049  
They both work, I think my version works better though… But, whatever…

Pedantic Nazi ahead  
Next time enclose your linked image with !’s…
 

@Ichijoe  
The sentence is referring to the science of, not the person of occupation, so you fail as a grammar Nazi.

http://iambrony.dget.cc/mlp/gif/452727__safe_solo_animated_sweetie_{2Bbelle_derp_dizzy_circling}2Bstars_seeing%2Bstars.gif

Warning Grammar Nazi ahead!!  
Proof that Atomic Physicists exist in Equestria… IFT4U

Too late to save it, OP.

I do wonder what the scenario of the mark’s discovery was.

fallout equestria here we come