User blog comment:IamJakuhoRaikoben/Chapter 428: If Our Paths are Different, Review./@comment-24546844-20150413173132/@comment-3290324-20150413203854

That's the thing though, Gray followed his own path, but it was the wrong path. Any good friend would try to lead him back to the light before he got too deep in, or worse, got his ass killed on his quest for revenge. And Lucy's slap was very much necessary. Gray essentially spit on their entire friendship, which to Fairy Tail Mages, is something very... sacred.