I don’t understand why people jump to conclusions or overthink things that aren’t true.
I was looking at something on DeviantArt where someone speculated that Daybreaker is real. Others on Reddit have suggested ideas like whether Daybreaker existed before, or if she is merely a manifestation of darker thoughts.
In my opinion, the reality is that:
Daybreaker is just a dream.
She never existed before.
When Celestia said, “You are not real, and you will never exist again!” she meant that Daybreaker wasn’t real; she was just a dream. Daybreaker only appeared in that dream and will never return after Celestia defeats her. In essence, Celestia has overcome her nightmare.
While Daybreaker may be a manifestation of darker thoughts, that doesn’t mean she is an inherent part of Celestia. Instead, she could be seen as intrusive thoughts that manifest as a nightmare due to fear—perhaps stemming from the resurgence of fear after encountering Nightmare Moon in a dream, which then materialized as Daybreaker.
I know some people might disagree, but I think it’s quite clear. Daybreaker was just a nightmare, possibly from Starlight’s, Celestia’s, or both dreams. Celestia overcame her fear, and Daybreaker will never exist again in her dreams or anywhere else.
Another idea I have is that Daybreaker could be a side effect of Celestia having Luna’s cutie mark, but that’s just a random thought. I believe what I wrote above is more likely.