Board Thread:Wiki-Related Discussion/@comment-2153169-20171120155605/@comment-6302057-20180129035931

I'll try and make my previous theory a bit easier to read:

The Wish Realm did not exist until Serum Queen made her wish. It came into existence with events picking up (presumably) during the Charming's war against Regina. Everything from EF at that point is copied over into WR. The people did not exist until that point, but they have the same memories as their EF counterparts.

In the moment between her wish and Emma blowing out her candles, time was ultra-condensed to allow 7x07 (and presumably other events) to happen in an instant. Then it catches up to the present day and time resumes normally. Emma blows her candles and so-on.

WR was based on a "what-if" of EF, but it now exists as its own world with its own history and people.