Hi!
I'm going to college soon and I'm really nervous about taking my love for MLP there. I'll likely miss season 5 on TV, partly because I don't think my family gets that channel, and partly because there's no way I'm leaving our dorm TV tuned to the Hub all the time. But that isn't my mane (pun intended) concern.
I'm really nervous about being with roommates who don't know about MLP or think bad things about it. But more than that, I'm terrified of what my family might think. My brother found out by accident that my YouTube account was flooded with MLP videos (clips from the episodes at that point) and a friend was in the room with him when it happened, but they've likely both forgotten by now. My parents have virtually no idea. To be fair though, I did sort of drop a hint to my mom about two months ago--I'm trying to make a skirt patterned after the one Sunset Shimmer wears in Rainbow Rocks, and told my mom I really wanted this certain sun design (her cutie mark) that I'd found on the internet. I told her it came from My Little Pony but it's still cute and I wanted it--I didn't tell her its MLP origins were actually the reason I chose it. But she probably didn't deduce anything from that.
I told my best friend about liking MLP, and our initial conversation with it didn't go too well. She insisted she couldn't see me watching MLP. But I convinced her to start Rainbow Rocks with me, and we're about halfway through right now. Planning to finish this week. She seems to like it so far. It's not her favorite, she told me, but "I like it because you like it". That's a good way to put it.
I've had more close calls of discovery than I care to recount, both from family and others. For the longest time my philosophy has been to be a closet pegasister--a VERY closet pegasister. Even buying the MLP plush toys I've been accumulating makes my heart beat so fast I feel like I'm going to pass out. I have an idea for them though--my current plan when I get to college is to fill my dorm with plush toys I've been collecting, including my MLP plushies. I'll display them prominently. If anyone asks, I'll tell them. But I'm afraid that my parents won't know what to make of it. And if I tell them to avoid fanmade stuff because it will distort their opinion of the show, that could sound like an admission of guilt. Guilt of what, I don't know, but I don't want them to think anything like that.
Long post, but that's what's going on. What can I do?

4108407 A girl that likes a girly show. I can't see any reason why you would need to hide it. Seems to me like you're just complicating your life for no reason.

They'll all learn eventually and then you'll wonder why you've even been hiding it for so much time.

4108777 Well, I'm nervous about my family finding out because I've always acted above my age. From the time I was little, I always acted a couple years older, and thought deeper and longer about things. I'm just afraid that people will see me as immature for liking MLP.

4109720 You have a choice to make. Will you hide your secret for eternity, or will you come out eventually? If you're going to come out, it's best if you do it now. You will then be free to do whatever you want without the need to complicate your life by arranging everything in a way that the secrets gets kept.

If being seen as immature is all that you're afraid of, than that's not much reason to hide it. Besides, reading them some clop can change that perception right away.

4110876 I guess you've got a point about keeping it secret forever. I'm just still worried about their reactions to it.

Besides, reading clop to them would only make it worse. I'd probably have a hard enough time convincing them the show is harmless and fun. Clop would change that perception, yes, but for the worse.

4111310 Imagine yourself few years from now, looking back. You'd ask yourself the question: "Why haven't I came out of the closet before? What was the purpose of all those years, hiding it?"

If you're going to tell them at any time in the future, it's better to tell them now, as they would learn about it anyway. Besides that, they will recognized the clues. They will all think: "All those years, she was keeping a secret from us. We're her family, why wouldn't she trust us?"

The worst case scenario for you is that you're seen as a bit immature, and that's it. If you want everyone to appreciate you for who you are, you first have to show them who you are.

4111465 But I don't even consider MLP part of "who I am" per se, like I'm a girl or a Christian. It's just something I happen to enjoy. That's different, and that makes it feel harder to handle.

4111549 Everything that is part of you makes up you. MLP is a part of you. You're trying to make Sunset Shimmer skirt, you buy MLP merchandise, you write stories, you hang out on the forum, you watch MLP videos on Youtube. You are a pegasister.

Look at the people around you. They have hobbies that you don't have. Do you look down on them because of that? Of course not. People are different, and so are you. And it's okay to be different.

And look at the lengths you're willing to go to hide it. It borders on deceitful. Do you really think that's a Christian thing to do?

I'd like you to talk to Eris H Discordia. She's very open about being a pegasister. Everyone in her school knows she loves ponies. Hell, she even does presentations on Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Talk to her. See what the other side looks like.

4108407 College is usually a great place to be open about hobbies and interests. Your roommate might wonder, and, in my experience, female dorms are always way more drama than male dorms, but, since your roommate won't have any expectations about you (unless they're a prior friend) seeing pony stuff in your part of the bedroom will mean less to them than to someone you know well. They'll probably just think, Huh... cute, maybe ask why you like it, and move on. If your family or friends think you're less mature for liking the show, that's their problem, not yours.

Meanwhile, keep an eye open (maybe on Facebook) for brony/pegasister groups at your school or in your area. You could make some friends there.

4139136 I appreciate it, thanks. I'm just very worried about being found out and treated the wrong way because of it.

4139457 yeah. Being nervous is totally normal.