@Background Pony #B761
Applejack, let him breathe!

Spike: EHEHEHAHAHAHA APPLEJAHACK PLEHEASE STAHAHAP KYAHAHAHAHAHA I’M GONNA PEEHEHEHE! 😂🤣

Applejack: Aw, why should Ah stop, ya got such cute laugh, coochie coochie coohie coo! 😁😈

Spike: PLEHEASE I’LL DOHO ANYTHIHIHING AHAHAHAHAHAHA! 🤣😂

Applejack: Ya can keep beg all ya want, Spike, I ain’t gonna stop, tickle tickle tickle! 😁😈

Spike: NOHOHOHOHO! 😂🤣

@Background Pony #F7FF  
And sometimes he even seems to have a better idea of what’s going on than the ponies around him, heh.

Oi, why aren’t there more Rule 7 violations? XD

Spike: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!  
Applejack: Oh Spike, ya jus’ got some of the cutest little feet ah’ve ever seen.

Oh man this is so adorable

@Little Ribbon  
Quite

@Spiked Punch  
Likewise. They’re almost like brothers; it’s a shame we didn’t see his reaction to the new baby.

@Cirrus Light  

So do I my friend.

@Cirrus Light  
That’s something else I love about Spike. He’s still young, and sometimes it shows, but often he’s really mature for his age. Probably to do with being raised by the same parents that reared Twilight. And then by Twilight herself, to some degree.
 
I want to see more Spike and Shining Armor interaction…

Super cute!

.

@Background Pony #B47A  
Good point with the last paragraph. One’s awareness of what’s going on is a pretty good indicator of maturity.

He was born when the Mane6 were younger than then CMC currently are (since they still didn’t have cutiemarks and weren’t worried about being late-bloomers at all) so there can’t be THAT much difference. I’ve put it anywhere between 5-8 years and his mental age seems to be up there with theirs most of the time.
 
His body however, is a completely different deal. For his species standards, he does seem to technically be a baby despite easily being over a decade already. And this makes sense considering dragons are laways depicted as either living a ridiculous amount of time, or being downright immortal.
 
That being said, whether it is because dragons raised by ponies mature faster, or because Spike is somehow “special” due to being hatched with magic, but his mental age is not that of a “baby” in any way. He’s mental age seems to be that of a slightly immature, yet witty teenager. He often does childish things, but always knows what’s going on while the actual “kids” are normally clueless and/or too young to realize what’s up.

@Background Pony #48D5  
Iirc, I think lobsters are the same way :p

@Yet_One_More_Idiot  
I´m pretty sure legends go that the only way a Dragon can die is by being killed, else they´re immortal.

@Yet_One_More_Idiot  
But he isn’t THAT young. I agree with @Cirrus Light on that part.

@Cirrus Light  

 
Well as dragons go, it’s been made out in the show that Spike is just a child. When he met that group of teenaged dragons, they were much bigger and more obnoxious than Spike, and also in The Secret of My Excess he seemed to hit early puberty. So logically he’s still just a child.
 
…which means his lifespan is probably much, much greater than any mortal pony’s. As for whether any of the Princesses are immortal, well…

Poor kid never stood a chance. XD

He’s like…
 
Well, his whole age deal is actually kinda unclear since he’s a dragon…

@SquiggyBomb  
Oh, you pervert  
I know very well how much you like it

“This ain’t mah first rodeo, partner, but ah’m gonna make yours the best ever.”

Oh, how precious.