Life is hard for a Royal Guard. Even an ex. Perhaps especially one of those. After all, their presence barely registers on anypony's memories, which only amplifies the incredibly taxing task of standing in one place all day while trying to remain alert. Worse, they've been having a bad streak lately: one attack after another on the Royal personages; ranging from Nightmare Moon to Queen Chrysalis and blowing right through them like they weren't even there. It's enough to make a pony just give up on everything, and ponies aren't known for their skill at coping.

Torque is a Guard veteran who made an effort to try his hoof at business, only to find himself drawn back into the golden armor by a combination of his utter failure at the upper echelon if the former and the total loss of the latter in his absence. A question is demanded of him, both by his superiors and life in general: what now? After the Royal Guard elite's frail reputation and exclusive roster have been fully obliterated, the noble corps is faced with a need to be re-forged from the ground up. But no instrument, no matter the quality of its materials or finesse of its tuning, can exist without a purpose, so Torque is faced with a task that is more daunting to most ponies than an angry dragon or a hungry hydra:

To find a purpose for his existence, and that of the New Guard.