Board Thread:Wiki-Related Discussion/@comment-2153169-20171120155605/@comment-1295345-20171121111512

Rwo wrote: I see the wish as a magical Big Bang: starting from Emma's birthday, it created a whole expanding universe, expanding even towards the past as it created its own history that is different from the EF and goes even beyond the moment when Regina failed at casting her curse. Which is why Neal was living there, Robin was younger, Rumple imprisoned elsewhere, in Regina's castle… So Emma, as she mentions it to August, as her own history as a princes. Her memories are not fake, they're real as much as this world is, but since Regina reminded her of her original identity, her two personalities have merged.

Now we don't really know how time works between this Realm and the NEF, so I'll say anything is possible. I just assumed that instead of returning to the land without magic, Neal ended up returning to ef instead. As for why Rumple was in Regina's castle instead of the charmings I assumed that was just a plot hole.