pay the piper

verb2

1. •
   To pay expenses for something, and thus be in a position to be in control.

   • Those that pay the piper must command the tune. — 1898
2. •
   To pay a monetary or other debt or experience unfavorable consequences, especially when the payment or consequences are inevitable or a result of something one has enjoyed.

   • [T]he very constitution of society is based upon this volunteer system of paying the piper. Honest men pay the piper for rogues, and full purses for empty ones. — 1831